AMA: How to Start a Web Design Business and Sell Websites

[DB1]

Hey @Fox

Congratulations on getting married!

Definitely thinking about joining the program and developing these core skills.

I'm 18 and studying commerce while learning entrepreneurship on the side and am keen to put it into action. I've seen some of your videos, threads and the article posted (really insightful and inspiring btw). Also learned and practiced the basics of Webflow while reaching out to two close contacts. One of them was a family friend from a timber business with an outdated site, another was an electrician who had done some work on the house and is just using an FB page for his business. Long story short, I 'sold' far too quickly and completely missed prospecting and asking questions and both had cold feet from the start and didn't reply (2 months ago).

Just have a couple of questions:

1) I still think these businesses would really benefit from effective sites and I think they'd be great portfolio websites. How do you think I should go about following up without coming across as 'salesy' or pushy?

2) Also wondering if this program has worked for any younger people in actually selling sites? Almost all business owners I'd be approaching are older so it's definitely been a self-limiting belief for me.

Cheers,
Danny

 

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[Fox]

Hey @Fox

Congratulations on getting married!

Definitely thinking about joining the program and developing these core skills.

I'm 18 and studying commerce while learning entrepreneurship on the side and am keen to put it into action. I've seen some of your videos, threads and the article posted (really insightful and inspiring btw). Also learned and practiced the basics of Webflow while reaching out to two close contacts. One of them was a family friend from a timber business with an outdated site, another was an electrician who had done some work on the house and is just using an FB page for his business. Long story short, I 'sold' far too quickly and completely missed prospecting and asking questions and both had cold feet from the start and didn't reply (2 months ago).

Just have a couple of questions:

1) I still think these businesses would really benefit from effective sites and I think they'd be great portfolio websites. How do you think I should go about following up without coming across as 'salesy' or pushy?

2) Also wondering if this program has worked for any younger people in actually selling sites? Almost all business owners I'd be approaching are older so it's definitely been a self-limiting belief for me.

Cheers,
Danny

Hey @DB1 - great questions, and it sounds like you have a good base here to work off.

1) Try refreshing the sale. Basically, call them up (or whatever is best) and let them know you think you messed up before. "I would like to chat again, and this time really cover what your business needs and why".

The focus this time should be on really hearing them out and truly seeing what they need most.

If done right, sometimes people will give you a second chance, and you can build a new sale. If they don't, then no worries - just get on to finding someone new who needs your skills.

2) Ya, 18 is fine; that is a great age to be starting. We have had plenty of students that age or even younger.
That won't be an issue - we will make sure you have a good approach that will work.

Would love to see you in the program if it's possible for you to join.

 

[BGLefty]

Hi Fox,

You sold me, I just signed up. I'm looking forward to diving in...

 

[BRIANDAVE]

Hey folks,

It is probably the last year I will advertise the Fox Legends Program on the forums, and I wanted to do one last high-value thread before then.

For this thread, feel free to ask any questions you have about starting, growing, or running a profitable web design business.

It can be anything you want around sales, marketing, design, clients etc.

I will do my best to answer, and hopefully, it will help you out.

—

As for the Legends program, let me leave some quick links here…

The original thread is here with dozens of student reviews and a full rundown on the program.
MARKETPLACE - Start Your 6-Figure Online Web Design Business Today...

We ask for all students to leave an open Trustpilot review if possible. Many of these students are people from the Fastlane forums. You can find 80+ detailed such reviews here: Fox Web School is rated "Excellent" with 4.9 / 5 on Trustpilot

View attachment 44655

***
Also, I recently did up a 40-minute long training video on how to sell profitable web design.

It is the first time I have ever done a full free training video like this, and I did my best to make it very valuable.

It should help you see the big picture strategy/mindset of how to make this work and how to get started.

View attachment 44656

You can find the full video here:
https://go.foxwebschool.com/how-to-sell-websites

***

Plus, I have a free book you can also download (with a free workbook) here:
https://go.foxwebschool.com/free-guide-and-workbook

View attachment 44657

If you want the Audible version of that book, it is here:
Amazon.com: $1,000,000 Web Designer Guide: A Practical Guide for Wealth and Freedom as an Online Freelancer (Audible Audio Edition): Rob Anthony O'Rourke, Gary Furlong, Fox Web School: Books

***

To go ahead and sign up, the deal is very straightforward.

The program used to be $2,000 upfront.
But to help others out as much as possible, we dropped it to just a $95 / month subscription access.

This way, anyone can join right now and start getting help right away.
You get full access to everything from day one (including all the content, live calls, expert guest calls, templates, bonus courses etc.).

Once you start getting traction, you can also upgrade to lifetime access if you wish - a few people asked for this option, and it is a nice way to lock in everything at one price. I will send you an email once you join on exactly how that works.

So basically:
- it is just $95 a month to join right now
- there are no ongoing contracts
- and you can upgrade to lifetime access any time you wish
- or keep paying monthly for as long as you want

For everything that is in the program, it's an insanely good deal.

To join, just click here: https://go.foxwebschool.com/join-the-legends

—

That is it for the intro.

To get this thread going, just start posting up whatever questions you have below, and I will jump in and reply.

Thanks.

Hi @Fox I have few questions that have been on my mind, please.

1.will other strategies on getting clients be taught asides cold calling and emailing. I'm in a third world country so it's expensive calling international prospects. Want to know if there are other options. Or possibilities I should know of.

2. Which client is the course applicable to asides local service businesses, like can it be used for Ecom Brands, agencies and so on?

3. Have you had past students in a third world country who has been successful with getting international clients?

 

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[Soulfulwater]

Hi @Fox,

I'm trying to build my business by partnering with marketing agencies and creating websites as a white-label service for them.

I'm trying to worth out if you think the course would be suitable for me. Technically, as a team, we're very good. Sales and marketing is our weakness and I'm trying to build up more trust and long-term relationships with marketing companies.

Would the skills you teach cross over to my business?

Thanks!

 

[morpheus007]

Hi @Fox .
Just binge-read alot of your posts and probably thousands of messages in these threads.
I'm left with one question that I feel is a hurdle in me being able to start my web design business:

How does one actually bring in leads to the client?
Example:
I find a website in a niche that makes high-ticket sales in their business (each customer for them can bring in thousands of dollars), like you've mentioned in one of your popular threads.
It's at best ranked on the second page on Google and has poor design.
(1) How can my website redesign help them get more leads? Will the design even increase their leads if they possibly have negligible traffic? With good design, I can only promise to add more credibility to their website.
(2) How do I get my client atleast one more customer? It is such a competitive game among the top ranked google search results. I've looked into SEO and it is a really competitive industry. Too hard to rank on the first page.

I genuinely wish to help clients and help them make more sales - but I'm feeling uncomfortable pitching them 'hope' that they'd get more leads when I'm unsure that I can achieve this. There's no guarantee of results

Regards.

 

[Fox]

Hi Fox,

You sold me, I just signed up. I'm looking forward to diving in...

Welcome; great to have you join. You are liking it so far?

 

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[Fox]

Hi @Fox I have few questions that have been on my mind, please.

1.will other strategies on getting clients be taught asides cold calling and emailing. I'm in a third world country so it's expensive calling international prospects. Want to know if there are other options. Or possibilities I should know of.

2. Which client is the course applicable to asides local service businesses, like can it be used for Ecom Brands, agencies and so on?

3. Have you had past students in a third world country who has been successful with getting international clients?

1. I cover a lot on how to think about selling and why/how it's possible to sell at a high price for a lot of people.
So once you know the how, there are a lot of ways to apply it.

Once it clicks, you could apply it to emails, online groups, a blog, SEO your own site, Youtube, FB etc.
There isn't one best way to prospect - it's just knowing how to apply a smart sales technique to whichever way is a smart choice for you.

2. I would say we focus mostly on selling to typical style businesses.
This is good work that can be done fast and pays well. Plus not much technical skill is needed to get going.

Ecom is quite different - the sale is closed on the site, and that is a different game.
Agencies... like other web agencies? Not the clients I would suggest going after tbh. (Maybe you can add more detail?)

3. Ya, there a few for sure. I know the investment is bigger so you got to be willing to play an international game and do what it takes to be selling to bigger clients. This is done with a sales and marketing mindset - not by focusing on more and more technical skills. If you are down with that then we should be a good fit.

 

[Fox]

Hi @Fox,

I'm trying to build my business by partnering with marketing agencies and creating websites as a white-label service for them.

I'm trying to worth out if you think the course would be suitable for me. Technically, as a team, we're very good. Sales and marketing is our weakness and I'm trying to build up more trust and long-term relationships with marketing companies.

Would the skills you teach cross over to my business?

Thanks!

Okay, interesting question.

I would say yes - if you have a chance to sell to these agencies.

If they just see you as cheap work then it is unlikely you will be able to increase your prices (they just hire someone else).

But if there is room to "add value" here and negotiate your rates and help with deals/increasing their rates - then I think we can help a lot.

The bottom line is we can for sure help you sell better - but to get an ROI you will need a way to use those skills, so that would have to be your call.

Let me know if I can help more - maybe you can give more details as to what you are aiming for exactly. Thanks.

 

[Fox]

Hi @Fox .
Just binge-read alot of your posts and probably thousands of messages in these threads.
I'm left with one question that I feel is a hurdle in me being able to start my web design business:

How does one actually bring in leads to the client?
Example:
I find a website in a niche that makes high-ticket sales in their business (each customer for them can bring in thousands of dollars), like you've mentioned in one of your popular threads.
It's at best ranked on the second page on Google and has poor design.
(1) How can my website redesign help them get more leads? Will the design even increase their leads if they possibly have negligible traffic? With good design, I can only promise to add more credibility to their website.
(2) How do I get my client atleast one more customer? It is such a competitive game among the top ranked google search results. I've looked into SEO and it is a really competitive industry. Too hard to rank on the first page.

I genuinely wish to help clients and help them make more sales - but I'm feeling uncomfortable pitching them 'hope' that they'd get more leads when I'm unsure that I can achieve this. There's no guarantee of results

Regards.

Great question and there are a lot of ways to win here.

So on just the numbers side you need to see where you can add the most value (might be more than one of these)

- get more traffic (SEO, marketing, ads, other creative approaches)

- better messaging (more clear on who they are, what they do, why people should take action etc)

- a better sales system (off load the sales better - smart CTA's and a nice system to set it up for them to close)

- and other areas like follow up and client management/service (try boost their customer LTV or just general customer experience)

A good place to figure out where to start, and where the potential is, is right from the owner. Have a deep conversation and get into where they see/feel the gaps.

Along with that step into their customer shoes and see what you could improve also - where could things be better/clearer/smoother/more effective. What would make you more likely to buy?

Hope that helps - I see it as sales/strategy first, and then adding that into the website plan.

 

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[morpheus007]

- get more traffic (SEO, marketing, ads, other creative approaches)

- better messaging (more clear on who they are, what they do, why people should take action etc)

- a better sales system (off load the sales better - smart CTA's and a nice system to set it up for them to close)

- and other areas like follow up and client management/service (try boost their customer LTV or just general customer experience)

Interesting.
I've been building websites for a while and I'm pretty good at the on-site part of things - improving CTAs, implementing chatbots and smoothening the traffic conversion process. All I'm concerned about is bringing the traffic to the website that I'll be converting. Seems like Google Ads is the way for this?

Also, you have me pretty much sold. Gonna save up some bucks and join your course two weeks from now, when my mid-semester exams end.

Regards,
Morpheus.

 

[BGLefty]

Welcome; great to have you join. You are liking it so far?

I'm liking what I see so far. I'm just starting the Mindset and Self Belief section which I was happy to see as it's something I have to work on. Great value so far...thanks.

 

[BRIANDAVE]

1. I cover a lot on how to think about selling and why/how it's possible to sell at a high price for a lot of people.
So once you know the how, there are a lot of ways to apply it.

Once it clicks, you could apply it to emails, online groups, a blog, SEO your own site, Youtube, FB etc.
There isn't one best way to prospect - it's just knowing how to apply a smart sales technique to whichever way is a smart choice for you.

2. I would say we focus mostly on selling to typical style businesses.
This is good work that can be done fast and pays well. Plus not much technical skill is needed to get going.

Ecom is quite different - the sale is closed on the site, and that is a different game.
Agencies... like other web agencies? Not the clients I would suggest going after tbh. (Maybe you can add more detail?)

3. Ya, there a few for sure. I know the investment is bigger so you got to be willing to play an international game and do what it takes to be selling to bigger clients. This is done with a sales and marketing mindset - not by focusing on more and more technical skills. If you are down with that then we should be a good fit.

Thanks for the response.

yeah. I was referring to agencies, like marketing agencies

 

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[Pedro Henrique]

I have read about how Fox made a successful web design business a years ago. Then, I started learning html/css, then JavaScript, then node.js, then other frameworks/lib and now I work as software engineer, work from home, make a good money... I did not follow all steps, learned more technical stuff than sales, but anyway the Fox's thread written some years ago helped me a lot increasing my income.

 

[Fox]

I have read about how Fox made a successful web design business a years ago. Then, I started learning html/css, then JavaScript, then node.js, then other frameworks/lib and now I work as software engineer, work from home, make a good money... I did not follow all steps, learned more technical stuff than sales, but anyway the Fox's thread written some years ago helped me a lot increasing my income.

Ha! Great - and glad the forum and the threads helped.

That is cool you posted up - what kind of projects and work are you doing nowadays?

 

[Pedro Henrique]

Ha! Great - and glad the forum and the threads helped.

That is cool you posted up - what kind of projects and work are you doing nowadays?

I am working as a web developer, building complex web system, working for two different companies remotely, maintaining and creating new interfaces. I remembered you talking about not getting so technical and focusing on sales hahaha, I did some freelancing, but didnt like the experience, that's why I chose to become a software developer, I dont have all the freedom of freelancing, but it is a good job (better than many others hahaha), someday I will start my own business in this field...

 

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[Fox]

I am working as a web developer, building complex web system, working for two different companies remotely, maintaining and creating new interfaces. I remembered you talking about not getting so technical and focusing on sales hahaha, I did some freelancing, but didnt like the experience, that's why I chose to become a software developer, I dont have all the freedom of freelancing, but it is a good job (better than many others hahaha), someday I will start my own business in this field...

That's cool and well done, there are so many ways to do it - happy to hear it's worked out well!

 

[dttvn57]

Hi,
What is your thought on the potential recession? Would it affect this business model?

 

[Fox]

Hi,
What is your thought on the potential recession? Would it affect this business model?

IMO there are two types of designers:
- people who focus on only design
- people who actually solve problems

If you are solving real problems, then a recession is going to present a lot of opportunities. Businesses will need real help and they will be looking for people who can actually deliver.

So this means to focus on things like conversions, messaging, support systems, emails marketing, ads and retargeting etc.

We cover how to get started on this. I started my own web design business selling to business in a recession (Canada oil recession) so I’ve always sold in a way that was based on real value and code biz needs.

Short answer - ya for the people doing it right they will be fine. A lot of others will likely struggle though. Like most other niches I guess.

 

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[dttvn57]

IMO there are two types of designers:
- people who focus on only design
- people who actually solve problems

If you are solving real problems, then a recession is going to present a lot of opportunities. Businesses will need real help and they will be looking for people who can actually deliver.

So this means to focus on things like conversions, messaging, support systems, emails marketing, ads and retargeting etc.

We cover how to get started on this. I started my own web design business selling to business in a recession (Canada oil recession) so I’ve always sold in a way that was based on real value and code biz needs.

Short answer - ya for the people doing it right they will be fine. A lot of others will likely struggle though. Like most other niches I guess.

Thank you very much for the explanation.

 

[InstantNoodles]

Interesting, I might buy the course. I added your book to my kindle. I haven't had a chance to read this whole thread yet, but I was wondering - what's your primary way of getting new clients? Upwork seems to be a pit. But not everyone is cut out to be good at cold calling.

My apologies if this was already covered.

 

[mellesian]

Hey folks,

It is probably the last year I will advertise the Fox Legends Program on the forums, and I wanted to do one last high-value thread before then.

For this thread, feel free to ask any questions you have about starting, growing, or running a profitable web design business.

It can be anything you want around sales, marketing, design, clients etc.

I will do my best to answer, and hopefully, it will help you out.

—

As for the Legends program, let me leave some quick links here…

The original thread is here with dozens of student reviews and a full rundown on the program.
MARKETPLACE - Start Your 6-Figure Online Web Design Business Today...

We ask for all students to leave an open Trustpilot review if possible. Many of these students are people from the Fastlane forums. You can find 80+ detailed such reviews here: Fox Web School is rated "Excellent" with 4.9 / 5 on Trustpilot

View attachment 44655

***
Also, I recently did up a 40-minute long training video on how to sell profitable web design.

It is the first time I have ever done a full free training video like this, and I did my best to make it very valuable.

It should help you see the big picture strategy/mindset of how to make this work and how to get started.

View attachment 44656

You can find the full video here:
https://go.foxwebschool.com/how-to-sell-websites

***

Plus, I have a free book you can also download (with a free workbook) here:
https://go.foxwebschool.com/free-guide-and-workbook

View attachment 44657

If you want the Audible version of that book, it is here:
Amazon.com: $1,000,000 Web Designer Guide: A Practical Guide for Wealth and Freedom as an Online Freelancer (Audible Audio Edition): Rob Anthony O'Rourke, Gary Furlong, Fox Web School: Books

***

The deal is very straightforward if you want to go ahead and sign up.

This program used to be $1,995 upfront for over two years.

And that was a very good price, with one good website deal paying off the whole program easily.

But recently, to make it as easy as possible for people to join, I lowered it to $995.

I know even $995 can seem like a pretty big investment, especially if you’re brand new or if you’ve been struggling to get your business off the ground for a while.

You want to be 100% sure that any money you spend will get you real results.

This is why I’m going to make it even easier for you to get started and see a fast return on your investment.

Instead of paying $995 upfront, you can also split up the program's cost into 12 easy monthly payments of $95.

So you can join today for just $95 and pay off the rest program as we teach you how to start finding clients and landing profitable deals.

We strongly feel this is a no-brainer deal for the program, the skills you will learn, and the community that will help you for years.

To join, just click here: Join The Legends Program Today, Only $95/month

—

That is it for the intro.

To get this thread going, just start posting up whatever questions you have below, and I will jump in and reply.

Thanks.

Hey. does it work the same way with the code? (I have no skills in web design, but I am a web developer)

 

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[Fox]

Hey. does it work the same way with the code? (I have no skills in web design, but I am a web developer)

I don't quite follow your question - can you add more details?

You want to be a web developer without coding skills?
What type of work are you looking to do exactly?

 

[bublav]

How do I market a web design service if I don't have an existing portfolio? This is what is preventing me from joining your program. Prospective clients will of course ask for my past projects.

 

[Fox]

How do I market a web design service if I don't have an existing portfolio? This is what is preventing me from joining your program. Prospective clients will of course ask for my past projects.

One of the first things we teach people is how to build a solid portfolio.

If you join we will cover this 100%.

 

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[Guest931Xfjyx]

Hey @Fox

I've been teaching myself to code for the past 5 months or so and have taught myself and handful of languages: HTML, React, Javascript, CSS, SASS, Git, Tailwind, etc.

I've built up a small portfolio. I made myself a resume. I have a LinkedIn.

...and I'm having trouble getting any work. I can't land any freelance and/or actual full-time positions.

I know this only provides you with a vague overview of my development work, but is there any general advice you could give me in this situation? What could I do to go from no freelance work to selling 2 to 3 websites a month valued at $2k each?

I don't think I can afford your Fox webschool or else I'd ask there.

 

[Fox]

Hey @Fox

I've been teaching myself to code for the past 5 months or so and have taught myself and handful of languages: HTML, React, Javascript, CSS, SASS, Git, Tailwind, etc.

I've built up a small portfolio. I made myself a resume. I have a LinkedIn.

...and I'm having trouble getting any work. I can't land any freelance and/or actual full-time positions.

I know this only provides you with a vague overview of my development work, but is there any general advice you could give me in this situation? What could I do to go from no freelance work to selling 2 to 3 websites a month valued at $2k each?

I don't think I can afford your Fox webschool or else I'd ask there.

So with where you are at now it 100% won't be your tech skills - so stop learning more of that for now.

Instead, look at what you are missing on the business side of things.
- Are you making yourself visible to business owners with problems
- Are you getting any sales conversations lined up?
- Can you sell / close deals?

If you can't so these (which is how most people are when they start) then you need to take this part serious.
- Start getting you there and talking to business owners.
- Start learning the skills to find out their needs and problems
- And start linking that with your skills and how you can help them

And post up on the forum when you need help - lots of us can jump in and give feedback and suggestions.

 

[JusticeForSpoils]

Hey @Fox not sure if you still use this thread, but thought I'd ask anyways. My question is this: what's a typical success rate with cold calls and emails? I started doing it yesterday, and so far here's the results:

Emails forwarded through secrataries w/ NO response: 3
Calls to decision maker with a firm NOT interested: 2
Emails to decision maker with a firm NOT interested: 1

I will keep trying. Just wondering if this is typical at first, or if you have any tips for just getting someone to agree to a second phone call or follow-up email.

My typical cold Call is something like this:

"Hi, how are you today?" ... "Could I speak to (decision maker)" if I was able to find a name on LinkedIn or whatever or "Who is over your website and digital marketing ... (response) ... Ok is there a way I could get in touch with them?"

Then once I have them on the phone: "Hi my name is JusticeForSpoils, I'm a local freelancer based in (city) and I help companies with web design and digital marketing. I found you guys online, and I have some ideas on how I could grow your business and attract more clients. Would it be alright if I sent you an email with some additional information?"

The email template is similar, if all I was able to get is an email.

 

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[Fox]

Hey @Fox not sure if you still use this thread, but thought I'd ask anyways. My question is this: what's a typical success rate with cold calls and emails? I started doing it yesterday, and so far here's the results:

Emails forwarded through secrataries w/ NO response: 3
Calls to decision maker with a firm NOT interested: 2
Emails to decision maker with a firm NOT interested: 1

I will keep trying. Just wondering if this is typical at first, or if you have any tips for just getting someone to agree to a second phone call or follow-up email.

My typical cold Call is something like this:

"Hi, how are you today?" ... "Could I speak to (decision maker)" if I was able to find a name on LinkedIn or whatever or "Who is over your website and digital marketing ... (response) ... Ok is there a way I could get in touch with them?"

Then once I have them on the phone: "Hi my name is JusticeForSpoils, I'm a local freelancer based in (city) and I help companies with web design and digital marketing. I found you guys online, and I have some ideas on how I could grow your business and attract more clients. Would it be alright if I sent you an email with some additional information?"

The email template is similar, if all I was able to get is an email.

These two videos will help:

---

As far as progress, try break it down into smaller steps first to learn how to cold call.

If you just track "sales" - then it could take quite a while to see any progress.
Instead, break the calls down into small steps and try track each separately.

For example, one step might be "I start the call well and sound clear and confident".
Then you practice that 100 times and see that you are making progress.

Like playing the guitar - first you learn notes, then chords, then a rhythm, then part of a song, then a full song.
You need smaller goals to track progress and stay motivated.

Hope that helps - post up if you want more feedback.