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Oct 21 • Business & Strategy 🧠
Why I Give Away My Automation for Free (Then Make $4,200)
Started giving away automations for free 3 months ago.
Sounds crazy. Here's what happened.
THE OFFER:
"I'll automate one document process for free"
No strings attached. No payment required. Completely free.
THE CATCH:
Just two requests:
1. Let me use your project as a case study
2. Introduce me to one similar business if it works
That's it.
THE RESULTS IN 90 DAYS:
Free projects completed: 6
Paid referrals from those projects: 11
Average referral deal size: $2,100
Total revenue from free work: $23,100
THE FIRST FREE PROJECT:
Local dental office
Patient intake form automation
Built in 2.5 hours
Saved them 4 hours weekly
Two weeks later: "My colleague wants this. Can I connect you?"
That referral: $1,800 paid project
THE SECOND FREE PROJECT:
Small law firm
Contract data extraction
Built in 3 hours
Saved them 12 hours weekly
One month later: 3 referrals from that attorney
Total value: $6,400
THE PSYCHOLOGY:
People are skeptical of paid services from unknowns
People trust their peers' recommendations completely
One successful free project = Multiple paid referrals
Your first 6 clients fund the next 60
THE FREE PROJECT CRITERIA:
Must be straightforward (under 4 hours build time)
Must be a document process you can template
Must be a business that knows other similar businesses
Must agree to intro if they're happy
THE CONVERSATION:
Prospect: "How much?"
Me: "First one's free if you meet two conditions"
Prospect: "What conditions?"
Me: "Let me document the results, and introduce me to one similar business if it works"
Prospect: "That's it?"
Me: "That's it. I need case studies more than money right now"
THE PROJECTS THAT WORK BEST:
Invoice processing (every business has this pain)
Form automation (dentists, gyms, real estate)
Contract extraction (lawyers, consultants)
Receipt processing (accountants, small businesses)
THE TIMELINE:
Week 1: Find free project opportunity
Week 2: Build and deliver
Week 3: Document results
Week 4: Get testimonial and intro
THE DOCUMENTATION:
Before state: 8 hours weekly manual processing
After state: 15 minutes weekly review
Time saved: 394 hours annually
Cost saved: $9,850 at $25/hour
Take screenshots. Record video. Get permission to share.
THE TESTIMONIAL REQUEST:
"Mind sharing your experience in 2-3 sentences?"
Keep it simple. Most will gladly do it.
THE REFERRAL REQUEST:
Don't ask immediately after delivery.
Wait 2-3 weeks. Let them use it. Let them love it.
Then: "Remember you offered to introduce me to someone similar?"
THE PAID WORK THAT FOLLOWS:
Free project proves your competence
Case study eliminates objections
Testimonial builds trust
Referrals come pre-sold
Close rate on referrals: 82%
Average deal size: $2,100
Average deals per free project: 1.8
THE 6 FREE PROJECTS BREAKDOWN:
Dental office → 2 paid dental referrals ($3,600)
Law firm → 3 paid legal referrals ($6,400)
Construction company → 2 paid construction referrals ($4,400)
Accounting firm → 1 paid accounting referral ($2,800)
Real estate agency → 2 paid real estate referrals ($3,800)
Gym → 1 paid fitness referral ($2,100)
Total: 11 paid clients from 6 free projects
THE MATH:
Free work investment: 18 hours
Paid work generated: $23,100
Effective hourly rate: $1,283
Plus: 11 new case studies
Plus: 11 potential referral sources
THE MINDSET SHIFT:
Stop thinking: "I can't afford to work for free"
Start thinking: "I can't afford NOT to build case studies"
Your first 6 case studies are worth more than $10,000 each in future revenue.
THE TRANSITION POINT:
After 6 free projects, I stopped offering free work.
Had enough case studies.
Had enough testimonials.
Had enough proof.
Started charging everyone. Close rate stayed high.
THE CONVERSATION NOW:
Prospect: "Can you show me examples?"
Me: "Here are 17 case studies across 6 industries"
Prospect: "This dentist saved 400 hours?"
Me: "Yes, and that law firm saved 600 hours"
Prospect: "How much?"
Me: "$2,400"
Prospect: "Let's do it"
YOUR HOMEWORK:
Find ONE business to give free automation
Industry where you want more clients
Build it perfectly
Document everything
Get testimonial and intro
Your first paid clients come AFTER your first free ones.
Who do you know that would benefit from free document automation?
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Why I Give Away My Automation for Free (Then Make $4,200)
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