Imagine being on the Titanic… And knowing it was going to sink… But instead of making your rescue plans, you sat back on the top deck and ordered a latte.

Lattes are lovely…

Sinking on a cruise ship is not…

“What are you talking about Adam, you silly little potato?” I hear you ask.

Well, according to a recent study by tech co Intuit, by 2020, the amount of independent consultants in the US workforce will rise to 40% of the entire workforce.

If you are currently earning your dough selling your consulting services, then you’re about to have a lot more competition.

If you’re not yet consulting, or just starting out, then you’re part of the greatest employment migration since the industrial revolution.

Now, I’m not saying this to scare you. (Although I’d rather you were scared instead of apathetic.)

My point is the Titanic is sinking. In fact, it started sinking a while ago.

The old way of doing business is now obsolete.

Your business may be doing okay right now. But can you compete with an extra few million folks chasing after your prospects?

Fear mongering aside… I think the freelance economy is possibly the greatest business opportunity since the turn of the century… So long as you’re prepared.

So in the interest of dot point solutions… Here are 4 ways to prepare yourself for the freelance revolution.

Create a less sucky offer

If your product or service is similar to or looks a lot like other folks, then people are going to buy from the cheapest offering.

Why do you say this Adam, You silly little potato…?

Because, if your prospect doesn’t know the difference between you and the other bloke, then they will look for a difference in price.

It’s called commoditisation. Which is a 6 syllable way of saying, “You’re just like everyone else, so I’ll go with the cheaper option”

The way we avoid this is by developing your offer… Your offer is what your audience hears when they ask you what you do.

If you say you’re a business coach, then people will shop on price… However, if you say you help businesses increase revenue on average by 20%, then you can avoid commoditisation.

There are tonnes of ways to create sexy and less sucky offers… But for now, I just want you to get the point.

Build a marketing engine

One of the best ways to avoid being chucked in the “Just like the other guys” bucket is to build a solid marketing engine.

A marketing engine is an online system that:
• attracts prospects
• educates them on what they need to know in order to be successful at what you can help them be successful at
• educate them on why you’re the guy they need to speak to

There are a bunch of reasons why you need a marketing engine…
• They build you as the Authority
• They attract leads while you sleep
• They help you reach folks you aren’t directly connected to
• They give you massive control over growth

But also, they give you a huge competitive advantage: while the other guys are running around chasing business, you have a machine doing this for you…

This frees up your time to develop your other strategies.

Learn How To Buy Clients

One of the biggest mistakes I have made in my business career is not embracing paid advertising sooner.

In the last year, most of my clients have come from Facebook marketing.

The next biggest source of clients has been referrals from the clients who have come from Facebook.

“My clients aren’t on Facebook” is one of the biggest errors I hear from consultants.

Let me just say, that your clients may not be dressed up in their suit and acting all “work like” on Facebook… But they are there. And they are looking for you.

Now when I say Facebook… I’m not talking about cat videos, regurgitated motivational memes and the other usual social media activities.

I’m talking about the most sophisticated personal profiling system in the history of the universe. A system designed for the sole purpose of selling your stuff.

“You can’t say ‘Universe’ Adam, you silly little potato!” I hear you retort.

Yes… Yes, I can…

I am certain that even advanced Alien technologies aren’t designed to sell you stuff…

My advice to those getting into paid advertising is this… Get a good teacher and stick with it… You may not crack the code straight away. But you will get there.

Now, I’m not going to say this period we are entering is going to be easy.

In fact, it is going to be a struggle for a lot of folks.

But, there is no point dreaming about better days.

There is no point complaining about it.

The best time to prepare for this was a few years ago… The second best time is today.

The choice is yours. Order another latte… Or get off the sinking ship…

Adam