Jade Craven

I immediately bought this ebook upon its release. It was only 12 bucks and I'd been very impressed with the content at Freelance Folder. Despite the content being really basic, I believe that this is a valuable product for those new to the industry.

Who are they?

Freelancer Folder is one of the leading freelance blogs in the blogosphere. They have had many top bloggers write for them and cover their work. You may rememeber me reviewing their other product, The Unlimited Freelancer, on Problogger earlier this year.

The book is authored by Laura Spencer. She has written hundreds of articles for Freelance Folder and has over 7 years experience at freelance writing.

What is it?

This ebook is an introduction to the industry and sets out what you need to decide on before proceeding. The topics covered are:

• Picking your market
• Creating your brand
• establishing your business
• Setting your rates
• Getting clients
• Managing jobs/projects
• Billing and administrative issues
• Ongoing learning and improvement
• Growing your freelance business

So, what do you get for the price?

For $12, you get two PDF documents. The first is the ebook, which is 48 pages long. This contains about 40 pages of pure content, and a 3 page appendix.

The second document is a checklist for getting started. This complements the ebook and allows you to structure, and moniter, your learning.

What you need to know

This is a very basic document

I haven't yet started freelancing, but knew all the information presented in the ebook. It is quite possible that you could learn something that will instantly earn you more than $12 back. But, if your on limited funds, I recommend saving your money and buying some of the more advanced freelancing documents.

If you are new to freelancing, then this is ideal. Laura has simplified everything to make it the perfect introduction. You can cheaply learn whether or not this is an income stream you want to pursue.

This is the first of many ebooks.

They guys over at Freelancer Folder are planning on releasing more ebooks targeted at those in different industries. If you are looking at freelancing in other sectors, it is worth  seeing what happens.

Is it worth the price?

At $12, it is a bargain. However, I would discourage many freelancers from buying it as they would already know most of the information. I would recommend it as the first ebook beginner freelancers should read.

What if I can't afford it?

If you can't afford it, you can easily sign up for the blog at Freelance Folder. They constantly provide valuable posts. The information just wont be as structured as this product.

What you can learn from this product

There is a strong demand for basic products

People are often too busy going niche, that they forgot to cover the basics. If you get someone right at the very start you can keep them in your sales funnel for longer. Think of creating an introductory product, either free or reasonably priced, to introduce people to your style and hook them in.

Create themes for products

This product is the first of the 'Getting Started' series. Each product will be vaguly connect to the others through title and premise. This is very similar to what Chris Guillebeau does with his Unconventional Guides. It helps your branding and can provide more opportunities for upsells and cross-sells.

Check it out today.

I am really pleased to be able to review this product. Its released by two bloggers, Naomi Dunford and Dave Navarro, who I consider to be my friends and mentors. They have brilliant marketing minds but, when combined, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Who are they?

Dave Navarro is the blogger behind The Launch Coach and Rock Your Day.

Naomi Dunford blogs at Ittybiz.com . She has released too many products to mention, but does a fabulous job in helping small business owners reach their potential.

What is Upsell 101?

Upsell 101 is a product targeted at small business owners. It shows buyers how to earn extra money from their existing customers by upselling them on other products they want. They go through 11 different types of upsell as well as providing other tips to improve your sales. I highly recommend this product.

So, What do you get for $77?

You get a 78 minute audio and 11 worksheets based on the different types of upsells. They are:

• Tiered Upsells
• Timed Upsells
• Quantity Upsells
• Accessory Upsells
• Upgrade
• Warrant
• Replacement
• Consulting
• Trial
• Affiliate
• Free

They are packaged beautifully and the worksheets are available in both .pdf and .doc formats.

What you need to know:

They show how to provide upsells without seeming like a sleazebag.

Currently, I'm too afraid to even charge for my services. This product was a revelation for me in that they repeated that an upsell is not about sucking more money out of them. Its about finding a way to help the customer out, while providing a discount.

I found this applied a lot to my current situation, but also showed ways it could work in the coming months of years. I've listened to this audio 10 times and think it will a vital part of my business growth.

The upsells covered apply beyond the Internet Marketing industry.

I'm familiar with Naomi and Dave. I knew their marketing knowledge extends beyond the internet. I was still really surprised though when this audio covered upsells that can be applied in real life settings, and to physical products.

I believe this makes the product even more valuable. Bloggers and Internet markets often dabble in physical products at some point. This product gives you the knowledge you can apply to multiple industries.

It can apply to both new and experienced marketers

They spent the first five minutes gradually leading newbies into the topic, which I appreciated. I was shocked at how quickly they got into the advanced topics. But beyond that, I was really surprised at how easy it was to understand the concepts. Its not rocket science but they make advanced tactics really accessible.

Is it worth $77?

I was disappointed when getting this product - $77 for an audio file and a bunch of worksheets? My opinion changed within minutes. Ok, it's a call. But I quickly realized that I wasn't paying for the time that went into the call. I was paying for the years of knowledge of Naomi and Dave, presented in a way that I could understand.

These guys charge a LOT for consulting because their advice is worth a lot. They know their shit. They can take your business, or product, and launch the **** out of it.

$77 is amazing value to learn strategies that you can immediately put into practice.

What if I can't afford it?

I get it - $77 is a pretty hefty investment, especially if you have a small product or one that doesn't make many sales. That's cool. There are still other ways you can learn techniques to improve your business.

1. Subscribe to the authors blogs.

• Naomi Dunford blogs at Ittybiz.
• Dave Navarro blogs at The Launch Coach. He also has a launch tips newsletter

2. Follow them on twitter.

Both occassionaly offer tips and special offers through twitter. I follow them both coz I LOVE interacting with them.

• @ittybiz
• @rockyourday

3. Sign up to the advance discount list.

Sometimes, Dave offers products at more than %50 off. I wouldn't hesitate in signing up - I hear he has some amazing stuff planned.

What you can learn from this product:

There are two things that I love about the products that Dave and Naomi create.

They package it nicely.

This doesn't affect my purchasing decision. However I love having a product that is presented in an easy to understand manner. Dave creates a .html document that allows the user to easily find which resource they want to access. It was a lot nicer than the initial presentation of a folder with various pdfs and an audio.

This isn't a necessary part of selling a product, but is one that is appreciated by the user.

They have an advanced discount list

This has been the decided factor in a lot of my product purchases. Basically, I get offered a discount during the prelaunch phase of a product. I'm on a tight budget and often cannot afford products when its been converted to Australian dollars. This one factor has influenced nearly $1000 worth of purchases.

Dave talks a lot about an advance discount list in How to Launch the **** Out Of Your Ebook.

You can use a similar approach by creating a special email list for people interested in buying your products and services. Only email these people when you are launching a new product or are having a sale on existing products.

I rarely hear from either Dave or Naomi. When I do, I'm either excited at being able to purchase a product at an awesome price, or pissed that my budget wont allow for the purchase during a pay cycle.

If you don't have an advance list, start one now.

A final reason you should buy:

Dave Navarro has a really cute laugh. One that he should totally package and provide as an upsell somehow. Seriously.

Make sure to check out the non sleazy and classy salespage

With the first 24 hours of my blog being live, I had 586 visits which resulted in 836 page views. The visitors stayed on average for 90 seconds.

I launched that blog on a whim.

Brief Background

I've been planning this blog for quite some time. I have google documents with sneeze page ideas and article plans. I have a notebook just full of my larger blogging plans.

I suffer from extreme anxiety and refrained from publicly blogging during the worst period. I could barely handle my life commitments without the added pressure of regular blogging.

Yesterday morning, I was reading many of the comments on The Essential Guide to Growing Your Blog on Minimal Time. Many people seemed desperate for more information on guest posting opportunities. I knew I get the perfect post in my drafts. I tidied it up and posted it. I then changed my twitter link and sent the link to a couple of friends on twitter.

The Immediate Reaction:

A few of my friends visited and sent messages of congratulations. It got picked up by a few top bloggers. I'd sent Darren the link because I'd featured him heavily in a few of the case studies.

This resulted in a ruch of traffic from twitter and many retweets. The post then got stumbled, which has sent about 100 visitors so far. Within 30 minutes, many of my friends requested guest posts.

The post Spread Further.

The post then got linked to on one of my favourite sites, Performancing.  It was also linked to on the Friday Traffic Report. I was very surprised by both of the links.

Its all about leverage.

For your post to really take off, it needs to get in front of the eyeballs that matter. You need to find the people who have a large following. This can be on twitter, via a mailing list or on their personal blog.

However, you can't just shove a post in a persons face. I've tried to be really useful on twitter by privately sending links that would benefit their readership more than my own. I sent my own site because I thought it would have a similar benefit. That, and I was so proud I just had to get it out there!

Was it worth it?

Yes. I've learned so much in the past 24 hours. I'm petrified of what my blogging future holds. I'm still recovering from a mental illness and am a newbie to many aspects.

I really look forward to the future of this blog. I can't wait to put my first year journalism skills to good use