Dan



Dan


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Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 23 total)
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  • in reply to: Area301 – version 2.0 – big, exciting changes #3289
    Dan

    daniel

    Keymaster
    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    We just increased an amount of credits for PRO users to be 60 per month!

    in reply to: Area301 – version 2.0 – big, exciting changes #2928
    Dan

    daniel

    Keymaster
    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    Hi, If you dont select any cities, it shows all the leads. Selecting a city means showing those leads which are ‘local’ for the selected location. We are adding new cities soon.

    in reply to: No "Send your Quote" Button #2924
    Dan

    daniel

    Keymaster
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    Likes: 4

    Hi there, yes this is not available at the moment (due to technical and legal challenges of this functionality). We are working on adding a button like this, it should be ready soon.

    BTW: I think you sent me an email with this question, but please note we were not able to contact you due to your email server not receiving any messages.

    in reply to: Speed Up Delete/Save Function #2694
    Dan

    daniel

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    Likes: 4

    Thank you rowberts. That is a good feedback, we will perform some more tests of those suggestions and see what we can do. I will keep you posted.

    in reply to: How do you manage your invoices #2601
    Dan

    daniel

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    Likes: 4

    For my finance I use freshbooks and old-school excel (actually Google Sheets). All my invoices are stored in my Google Drive, created in Google Docs – I know this is not a perfect solution, but I try to create fewer but bigger invoices every month, so I don’t really need to make it more automated.

    in reply to: How do i get my first client? #2561
    Dan

    daniel

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    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    bbooth87,

    Keep your portfolio clean. Colors that you use are crazy ! :) I found my clients liking clean and light layouts (white background and black text). Use one font (Open Sans?), nothing fancy – the simpler, the better.

    Here are some nice free, clean themes: https://colorlib.com/wp/free-wordpress-portfolio-themes/

    Your email pitch is very good!

    Dan

    daniel

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    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    msporch, calling customer service is the only way. But I did not get anywhere and my account has never been recovered.

    in reply to: Should I charge a client when providing an estimate? #2556
    Dan

    daniel

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    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    There different strategies, but from my experience, if a client has a budget below $5k, they are not willing to pay for a simple initial quote. Sure, I would love to learn more about your strategies.

    in reply to: How do i get my first client? #2555
    Dan

    daniel

    Keymaster
    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    Hi,

    Some comments about the site:

    1. The images and font on your site does not look good. Hard to read font and photos do not really show what you offer. Why don’t you use some simple template from themeforest.net and just slightly customize it?

    2. Avoid handwriting style fonts.

    3. This page http://www.bdbwebdesign.com/template-sites/ doesn’t look good. It looks like you use only one template? Can you show here some more examples what you can offer? Keeping advertising on the page is not a good idea. I bet you make the most couple of cents per day from that?

    If you can show me your email that you send to potential clients, I can give you some tips.

    I found my first client on craigslist.org. Since you don’t have any portfolio, you need to give your first client a very good price and provide a great service, so you can put his website to your portfolio. Make sure to be in good contact with the client (email, phone, offer a meeting if possible, that will make you stand out).

    in reply to: How to test web fonts on a live site? #2524
    Dan

    daniel

    Keymaster
    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    As I know, unfortunately, there is no easy way to allow that that for a regular, non-developer user. But try an extension Google Font Previewer for Chrome. However, the extension is not perfect, for me changes to the font-size do not work.

    Video, how to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=82&v=CvbdC1U3sec

    Extension itself:
    https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/google-font-previewer-for/engndlnldodigdjamndkplafgmkkencc

    in reply to: Should I charge a client when providing an estimate? #2518
    Dan

    daniel

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    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    I know first hand how frustrating it can be to spend a lot of time and effort researching and creating the perfect estimate, only to have the client change their mind and go with someone else or not go through with the project (or disappear altogether). I doubt there is a web designer (or entrepreneur for that matter) who has not had to deal with this at some point in their career.

    The short answer is NO, you should not charge for providing an estimate.

    Here are a few guidelines I follow to help minimize the “disappearing client” scenario.

    1. There is a cost to acquire a new client. Client acquisition includes time spent developing and submitting the proposal along with time in meetings and calls with the client. Your goal should be to make this process as effective and efficient as possible.

    2 .For small projects, I spend up to three hours on client acquisition, and for larger projects it is up to six hours. (these numbers are approximate – not hard and fast rules).

    3. For very large projects ($10,000 and above) I will bill the client for my time when detailed documentation is required or prototyping is needed before signing the contract. I bill at my current hourly rate, then offer a significant discount. In these situations, the research required or documentation needed goes above and beyond what is considered a standard estimate.

    At the end of the day, the goal is to get hired by the client and build a long term working relationship. Requiring money for a quote up front, when none of your competitors are doing so, will most likely send the potential customer to another designer. However, you also don’t want to spend hours and hours on developing estimates that ultimately lead no where. During your discussions with the client, ask questions to get a clear understanding of what information is needed to make a purchasing decision, and then work towards that goal.

    With time and practice, you start to intuitively learn who is serious about working with you and who is wasting your time.

    Dan

    daniel

    Keymaster
    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    April 10, 2015
    And here it is, Elance “explains is details” what happened. Pathetic.

    Criselda, Apr 10, 4:22 AM:
    Hello,
    
    I’ve reviewed your account with our team and it seems your account was closed due to irregularities detected by our system. 
    
    We regularly review member accounts to ensure activity follows Elance policies and guidelines. If you wish to review our Terms and Conditions, please visit: 
    http://www.elance.com/p/help/tos/index.html
    
    I understand your concern, but in discussing this with our team I am not able to reverse the decision.
    
    Regards,
    Criselda
    Elance Risk Management Team
    Dan

    daniel

    Keymaster
    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    April 7, 2015

    • I tweeted about the problem to @elance, which was ignored.
    • I am still getting email notifications from my blocked account, such as “Please Enter Feedback for” a freelancer I hired recently. Of course, I cannot even stop it since I cannot login to my account.
    in reply to: Website Color Selection #2382
    Dan

    daniel

    Keymaster
    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    I often ask clients to send me examples of sites which colors they like, then I select correct pallet based on the links they sent me. I found also my clients like very much this tool http://design-seeds.com/search to communicate with me about the colors selection.

    Some other interesting resources:

    in reply to: How to cultivate ongoing relationship with clients? #2362
    Dan

    daniel

    Keymaster
    • Total posts: 28

    Likes: 4

    You should check this thread Looking for recurring revenue ideas for my web agency. It has many ideas how you can stay in touch with your clients.

    If you say your clients are too busy to talk, make sure to keep your emails short and do not require from them too much work. Send simple offers without asking too many questions, showing benefits and how fast they can see results.

    For me, staying in touch with clients usually means helping them with newsletters, WordPress plugins updates, and designing print materials. Make them aware what other services you provide, and if you did a good job for them, they should get back to you in one point. And never hesitate to ask for referral and testimonials.

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