On Thursday 16th May 2019 I spoke at Freelance Heroes Day 2019 at Grand Station in Wolverhampton, a yearly all-day conference hosted by the Freelance Heroes community. I gave sales, networking and lead generation tips in line with my newly published book, Anti-Sell.

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“I. Hate. Sales.”

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“I. Hate. Sales.”
Dislike
Struggle With
Hate
Am Put Off By
Dread

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SEO for 10+ years
(Since Jan 2009)

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Freelance SEO for 6 years
(Since May 2013)

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Blogger @ SEOno
(Since 2011)

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Organiser of
Cardiff SEO Meet
(Since 2016;
11 events so far)

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Welsh ICE member & mentor

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Self-published author
Anti-Sell (2019)

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…But anyway

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Sales

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Sales

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Sales

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/freelanceheroes/permalink/2277308245823682/

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/freelanceheroes/permalink/2299485693605937/

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https://www.facebook.com/groups/freelanceheroes/permalink/2399076586980180/

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But why?

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F*ck that.

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Screw that.

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The best way to sell is not to sell

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The best way to sell is not to sell

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9 tips!

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Tip #1
Networking = business networking events

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No!

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Networking is what you make of it

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Tip #2
Go to 'semi-related' events/meetups

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Big SEO conference (twice!)
Audience size: 500 (combined)
No. of direct enquiries: 1

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Small local web dev meetup
Audience size: less than 50
No. of direct enquiries: 6

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Other examples:
WordPress meetup
Ecommerce/online business meetup
Startup meetup
PR meetup
Design meetup

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What works for you…?

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Tip #3
Don't just go to stuff - run stuff

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Run a meetup/conference
Run a webinar
Run a podcast
Run an online community
Run a Twitter chat
etc. etc. etc.

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Tip #4
Struggle to network offline? Do it online

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Forums
Blog commenting
Facebook groups
Twitter chats
Webinars
Podcasts

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Tip #5
Coworking!

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I love coworking

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Give coworking a chance!
It's the people who make a space
So try different ones

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My coworking 'strategy':
1) Be based at one primarily
2) Visit other spaces periodically
(e.g. once a month)

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Tip #6
Create resources for your target audience

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SEOno.co.uk/coworking

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SEOno.co.uk/coworking

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TechEvents.Wales

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TechEvents.Wales

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TechEvents.Wales

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TechEvents.Wales

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Tip #7
Be a good person / keep your cool

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A quick story…

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Tip #8
Go as niche as possible

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Example:
Web designer
WordPress web designer
WordPress web designer in wedding industry
WordPress web designer who only works on wedding bands' websites

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SEOno.co.uk/chart

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Tip #9
Ask prospects: "how did you find me?"

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Bonus Tip
Be you, not just your company

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vs.

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The dream
(networking nirvana):
Eventually, people will sell you FOR you
…so you don't have to

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Available from:
anti-sell.com