Q&A with WordPress Freelancer Bill Erickson Webinar Replay + Recap

Our recent Q&A webinar with WordPress Freelancer Bill Erickson is the culmination of our interview series with him. Listen to the webinar replay You can check out our other interview posts with him here:

• Part 1: Getting Started
• Part 2: Best Practices
• Part 3: Contracts
• Part 4: Giving Back
• Part 5: Highlights

Webinar Recap

Bill shared his background with us including getting his degree in finance which prepared him well for freelancing. He began freelance work in college doing web edits for various clients. He also shared that in his first year out of college he started out in a coworking space, freelancing for WordPress. “I have the resources of a company of 10 but the salary of a company of one.” Being in a coworking space was a huge benefit for community support, resources and leads. Here’s a recap of Bill’s insights from the webinar: How did you get clients and new projects? “I leveraged what I had at the time. A lot of the people from the University hired me to work. The coworking space resulted in a lot of referrals also. Reach out to the network of people you know. And it gets easier as you get more work under your belt. Also, take whatever you have done so far and turn it into a portfolio of work, make it look like as much as you can. It’s okay to charge less for a site that will bring a lot of value to your portfolio.” Are you still a solopreneur? Do you prefer it that way? Bill explored the opportunity of bringing on his then fiancé into the business. To do this, he systemized his workflow so that you didn’t have to be a developer to answer emails, etc. He found that the act of systemizing his business made it where he actually didn’t need another person. “By being independent I can be more selective and find a better niche doing more projects I enjoy.” What is your process for handling prospects?  First thing he did was define the point of contact. Phone calls were interruptions so he directed all communication through a contact form on his site. Having a single point of contact is key. “I removed all other forms of contact from my site, you won’t find my email address or phone number. This drives all contact through the form.” The form sends all the information to Bill in one concise email. Then there are a few stock emails he can choose from, to respond to the requestor. One of the emails may say something like “I may not be a good fit for this project but here are some developers who are…” or “Here are some more details about my services, pricing and timeline.” People can then self select out or if they choose to continue Bill schedules a 30 minute call where he gets a more complete idea and scope of the project.  “It’s a nice streamlined process where the time put in is fairly minimal.”

Minimize the number of people contacting you who aren’t a good fit. “I put some pricing guidelines on my site as well as when I’m scheduling out projects.” 

What are your favorite tools? “I’m a huge fan of the managed WordPress hosting movement because it solves so many problems.” As far as plugins are concerned, used what’s best. I have debug bar and WP101. Every site I build has a core functionality. I don’t wrap changes up in a theme, I do it in a plugin. Choose the right tool for the job. Research it and find what fits the client’s needs. There’s no plugin I use that is necessary on every site. How do you prevent scope creep? “I focus strictly on development. I have a design file and scope of work document. Have a solid contract that makes sense. Structure it so that the client knows what they’re responsible for. Look to that document for the important details. It’s the key to a successful project.” How do you stay motivated?  “Trying to work on better and better projects. Find the things you enjoy and reach out for those. Identify what you liked about certain projects and target those things. Try and drive your business to those things you enjoy. The other thing is to have a good community to lean on and be involved with. Make sure you’re not just slaving away by yourself. It’s great to have other people going through similar problems and trials to connect with.” You can connect with Bill via Twitter or check out his site.