Increasing Client Conversions and Offloading Admin Tasks Using Dubsado with Colin Tierney
Episode 469: Show Notes
On the show today, we have brand designer Colin Tierney joining us. He owns and runs Tierney Studio where he has grown his branding and started a whole new business before the pandemic hit, which we will get into today. Talking to Colin, we give you another perspective on a Dubsado customer’s experience and how they have used the software and CRM to perfect their client process, land deals faster, offload projects, and more.
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As a fellow designer, Abagail wishes she knew about Dubsado when she was still in the design business since their software takes the client management side of things off your hands to free you up for doing the design work. There are just too many benefits of signing up for Dubsado, as you will hear from Emylee, Abagail, and Colin. If you’ve had questions about the capabilities of Dubsado or have thought about getting started with the platform, this episode will give you a really good peek behind the curtain. Remember, as a listener of the podcast, you can also get Dubsado for 50% off your first month or first year!
How Colin Became A Dubsado-Person
When Colin and his wife had only two kids, his wife could manage the administration part of the business well, responding to emails and organizing events, but when the third baby was on the way, they realized they needed some help. They started searching for a CRM and had gone through several trials, including Dubsado, and it was the platform they kept going back to. Early last year, Dubsado rebranded and came out with a new platform, and at the same time, their son was born. Colin knew that he needed to make a decision, so when Dubsado updated their look and feel and added some new features, that’s all the convincing he needed! He signed up, set up the workflows, and watched all their how-to videos. Once he got his first lead inquiry through the platform and saw it all come together through the automated workflow, he knew they had found exactly what they were looking for and that his wife could now be with the kids on a more full-time basis. Dubsado gave them peace of mind – so they were all in. Colin now has more time to focus on solving design problems, which is why he started the business in the first place.
Dubsado Becomes Your Digital Virtual Assistant
Because Colin’s wife could no longer take care of the admin tasks, they really needed a software that could step in and take over the functions of a virtual assistant, adding those “human touch”, personalized elements that are so important to clients. But instead of finding another person to fulfil the role or hiring an actual virtual assistant, Dubsado can take care of these jobs and come as close as possible to a human. And the best part is that it doesn’t cost as much as another person would! This is great for small business owners who have to take care of many different tasks but aren’t necessarily in the position to hire someone else. Dubsado can manage a large portion of your work at a fraction of the price. For Colin, they also fell in love with the platform since it was started by a husband and wife team, people who crafted their business model and achieved what they did from that partnership. They wanted to support the initiative from that standpoint too and do business with like-minded people.
Their Game-Plan for Tackling the Initial Setup and Tweaking It Along the Way
With each of Colin’s new clients, he learns something new, so they keep refining the process. His wife helped him to get it all set up, and because they’ve worked together for so long, they have learned to work together well and complement each other. Colin is also one for figuring things out by himself, so he sat and educated himself on using the platform by watching tutorials and reading blog posts. He knew that learning a CRM takes time, so you’ve just got to commit yourself to learn it. Even if they have templates as Dubsado does, you’ve got to customize them to suit your voice and brand, so you need to learn how to edit and use the features. It also remains a work in progress: you change and update as you go, just like you would with a website. It is something you always work on. When first getting started with Dubsado, try setting up just one thing – take one thing off your plate – and then come back later to add more things and build from there. You could also schedule time weekly or monthly to tweak things and work on getting to know the platform. It is necessary to put aside time for growth and not be busy with only adding value to others.
How Dubsado Changed Their Business
After Colin signed up and created a great experience for people, the percentage of conversions from prospect to clients went through the roof! And it had to do with how his proposals and questionnaires were designed. People loved everything from visiting the website to signing the contracts and said that it was a seamless experience. Dubsado truly transformed their business. Many service-providers unknowingly put up barriers for clients to work with them by still trying to do things the old school way and not having clear processes. Clients want to know what the process will be and what they can expect before they trust you. The quicker and more seamless these processes, the easier it is for clients to do business with you and to keep coming back. People no longer want to write lengthy emails with questions about your availability and services, they want to be able to see all these things on your website, including your calendar! There is this whole level of transparency that is expected of you now, and if you don’t have a system to do it for you, you are going to lose out on business.
Learn How Dubsado Can Help You Pivot And Flourish Amid the Pandemic
As a brand designer, this pandemic has been hard since people are so focused now on just getting back to business and less concerned about rebranding. Colin noticed over the last few months how the inquiries have become fewer, so he tried to pivot as much as possible. He had to find ways to make his business flourish despite the challenging times. If digital wasn’t big enough before the pandemic, it is gold right now. He had to take a step back and consider what he enjoys doing, things like design, lettering, calligraphy, and all that, but clearly, the client-thing wasn’t working as well for the moment. So, he transitioned into the digital product side of business, and he used Dubsado to turn the platform into a place where he could teach and sell these digital products. These products are, essentially, code snippet plug-ins to help people with their Dubsado. He started Dub-ins, which are plug-ins for Dubsado.
The Plug-Ins That Will Make Your Dubsado Even More Amazing
While Dubsado is an amazing product, the one thing missing from the perspective of a brand designer is that their forms are designed based on their platform. Using a code block, Colin was able to create customized forms that make the prospects transition from his website to Dubsado’s seamlessly. He was able to create brand recognition, which turns to trust, which ultimately turns to clients, and that was exactly what he needed. He could now share his forms within Dubsado’s Facebook community and got a lot of engagement. This is how he managed to pivot during the pandemic, by creating these plug-ins based on a need in his audience. He realized he could also help others customize their forms. Colin also started a newsletter where he would dish out tips and tricks, and people loved that too. This is how Dub-ins was born. He created a website and he’s got a blog for Dubsado-people to learn more about transforming their forms. He also started offering templates. A few months after doing this, the pandemic hit and he was ready. His work with clients has become the side gig as he focuses mainly on Dub-ins now.
Quote This
Nothing replaces the human touch and interaction. But if you are able to portray that in some way through your voice, even if it is automated, the clients get it.
—Colin Tierney
Highlights
Hear How Colin Became A Dubsado-Person. [0:06:07.1]
Dubsado Becomes Your Digital Virtual Assistant. [0:10:44.1]
Their Game-Plan for Tackling the Initial Setup and Tweaking It Along the Way. [0:13:41.1]
How Dubsado Changed Their Business. [0:20:50.1]
Learn How Dubsado Can Help You Pivot And Flourish Amid the Pandemic. [0:30:48.1]
The Plug-Ins That Will Make Your Dubsado Even More Amazing. [0:33:43.1]
#TalkStrategyToMe [0:41:01.1]
Figure out your packages and what you offer.
Set up a questionnaire to get all the info.
Get your canned email responses in order.
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Colin Tierney
Tierney Studio
My name is Colin Tierney. I run Tierney Studio, a design loft located in the heart of historical Shepherdstown, West Virginia. A few years back, I relocated from Baltimore, Maryland (not so fun fact: I’ve moved 12 times in the last 10 years!). Moving aside, clearly, I have a love for traveling, but I have since settled down with my beautiful wife and 3 children. I specialize in lettering, calligraphy, illustration & branding. I’ve had the pleasure of utilizing these skillsets by working with clients from all over the world. I’m the founder of ‘Crayligraphy’ and ‘in a brush.’ My work has been published in several books, featured on the interwebs, recognized & awarded around the globe. More recently, I fell into the arms of developing through my latest project, Dub-ins; or plugins for Dubsado forms.
KEY TOPICS
Dubsado, Brand design, Aesthetics, Forms/Questionnaires, Pivoting, Plug-ins, Customer experience, Digital products
