Sometimes it’s the little things that turn an average month of business into an outstanding one.
We all have our systems for going about our business. Things like your to-do list app and other GTD products you use to keep track of things. Your calendar of upcoming appointments / reminders, whether that’s Google Calendar, iCal, Outlook or an old-school paper wall calendar. Your systems have been working for you for months or years, so why change them?
Well, if it aint broke, don’t fix it. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be on the lookout for minor improvements. Things that don’t disrupt your entire workflow, but may have huge unexpected benefits. Like a baseball player who’s batting average suffers for a week or two. He doesn’t want to re-learn how to swing the bat in the middle of the season. But he might make a tweak, like moving his back foot 2 inches closer to the plate or his elbow an inch higher than usual, and all of a sudden he’s seeing the ball again and finishes off the season with a hot-streak.
So what does this have to do with leaving business on the table? Read More
As many of you know, the latest product that I’m currently promoting is WP Bids. In a recent post, I discussed about all the things that make this such a unique WordPress product. I even launched a dedicated website for it at WPBids.com.
Unlike my other ThemeJam themes, part of the challenge in marketing WP Bids is I need to educate people about what it is. Sure, it’s a WordPress theme, but it redefines how we use a theme in many ways (which I discuss here).
So my marketing plan for WP Bids is quite different than it was when I launched ThemeJam. The primary strategy?
Press
I’m reaching out to bloggers in the freelancing, small business, and WordPress space about helping me to spread information about what WP Bids is and the benefits it offers to their readers. I have offered to have my product reviewed on their site, participate in interviews to discuss it, and even write my own guest article outlining the benefits. I’m delighted that a few have already accepted and will be publishing various forms of coverage in the coming weeks. One already has. Read More
Yesterday I participated in my first video interview, hosted by Dave Yankowiak (@daveyank) of Anywhereman.com. It’s a fairly short conversation talking about freelancing, and my latest theme release, WP Bids.
I have to admit, it was pretty awkward to watch myself speak on video. I was a little bit nervous, but I think I hid it well and it just resulted in me rambling on a bit. Maybe that’s a good thing for an interview.
Big thank you to Dave for having the interview. I first found Dave after watching his interview on Mixergy.com. I highly recommend you follow his blog, Anywhereman, where he posts awesome tips and thoughts (both text and videos) about freelancing, working from home, and being your own boss. Also check out his web development/WordPress work at Lift Development.
I’m calling it a “WordPress App”. It’s partly a WordPress theme, partly a WordPress plugin, and the whole concept is intended for one use and one use only:
Creating (awesome) Project Proposals Using WordPress.
Technically, WP Bids functions as a theme for WordPress. You install it just as you would any other WP theme. And what it delivers is a well-crafted design template for presenting project proposals to prospective clients.
But it’s also got a few functional enhancements which may inch it into the realm of being a WordPress plugin. For starters, it builds on the new Custom Post Type functionality in WordPress 3.0 to create proposals. It also has some very unique features like the ability to use one proposal as a template for new ones, a sortable list of proposals, and custom meta fields built into the edit proposal screen.
Put it all together, and you have a specialized WordPress App. For all the nitty-gritty details about WP Bids, check out the newly launched product site: WPBids.com. Read More
Since the launch of ThemeJam nearly six months ago, I’ve been very hesitant to put on sales. Sure, I participated in a contest or two, but never really put on an all-out sales event.
This holiday weekend is a rare deviation from that policy. Today is the last day of the 4th of July 50% Off sale. Believe me when I say, this kind of discount will not come around often, so if you’ve been on the fence about grabbing a theme, now’s the time.
Some Thoughts on Sales
It seems that in the world of premium WordPress themes companies (and many other businesses for that matter), there are generally three schools of thought when it comes to holding sales: Read More
If you’ve been following my tweets for the past few weeks, you know I’ve been preparing to release a new product, called “WP Bids“. Today I’d like to tell you about what it is, and what’s in store…
WP Bids is a special theme for WordPress, which allows you to create awesome web-based project proposals using the platform we know and love (WordPress).
Who is it for?
It’s perfect for freelancers, design agencies, and other contractors who aquire clients by presenting high-impact proposals, which serve to clearly and professionally outline the project scope, time estimate, price quote, and other relavant info.
It’s especially useful for web designers, because it gives you the ability to tweak and customize your proposals the same way you’d tweak any other WordPress theme. It’s a self-hosted solution, giving you full control over every detail.
Redefining how we use WordPress
The idea is to use WordPress, not as a public blog available for the world to see, but as a dedicated proposal platform, which you selectively grant access to potential clients. Let me explain… Read More
