Ten years ago, when LinkedIn was new, the "newness" of the medium made it stand out.

I remember how easy it was to connect with prospects and start productive dialogue.

But as hundreds of millions of professionals have joined this social network, it's become harder to stand out and drum up great leads.

That doesn't mean you should ignore LinkedIn. It just means you have to be more strategic and deliberate about HOW you use it.

In this episode, LinkedIn expert and author of the new book The LinkedIn Code, Melonie Dodaro, shares simple and very specific steps you can take to find great prospects (and land freelance work) through LinkedIn.

Uma Thurman paid $5 for a milkshake in the movie "Pulp Fiction."

John Travolta was appalled.

After all, you can get a milkshake at McDonald's for $1.50, right?

But then he tasted that cold, creamy treat. And he was sold!

Cheap milkshakes may work in the fast food industry. And everyday low prices might work for Walmart.

But low fees will only lead to disappointment and burnout when you're a freelancer.

In this show, I discuss 7 important reasons why you should NOT compete on price. And why you should raise your fees starting today.

Welcome to the Smarter Freelancing podcast! My name is Ed Gandia. And this show is all about turning your freelance business into a fun, profitable and rewarding experience.

It doesn't matter if you're just now thinking about going out on your own ... if you've been freelancing for a long while ... or if you're somewhere in the middle. This podcast is for you if you want your freelance business to give you the time and financial freedom to live your purpose.

I'm excited about today's show, because we're going to discuss a very important topic—how to close more and better-quality leads.

But we're going to cover this topic from more of a philosophical / mindset angle.

If you've been following me for a while you already know that even though I'm big into giving out specific, practical and tactical advice, I also think it's critical to implement tactics on top of accurate, strategic thinking.

In other words, you need to truly understand WHY you're doing what you're doing—why you're making changes, why you're implementing a new strategy or a new approach.