Even after designing 30+ websites, I never landed a single client

[khadush]

It's been around 3.5 years since I became a full-time designer.

I changed three companies and have worked on almost 30+ websites. But, I wanted to work with the client directly!

I had tried Upwork and 99designs and Got a few clients there, but after 1 project, they never came back!

1. I know sales and marketing are essential for having a website design business.
2. I also know that clients don't want to have a website. They want a solution to their problems.
3. We have to give them value through our service.

I tried cold emailing and reaching out to the people, but it looks like no one needs a website.

Can anyone guide me on how to find clients?

Or anyone wants to collaborate with me I will design a website, and you can find clients for me.

 

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[Shashxd]

It's been around 3.5 years since I became a full-time designer.

I changed three companies and have worked on almost 30+ websites. But, I wanted to work with the client directly!

I had tried Upwork and 99designs and Got a few clients there, but after 1 project, they never came back!

1. I know sales and marketing are essential for having a website design business.
2. I also know that clients don't want to have a website. They want a solution to their problems.
3. We have to give them value through our service.

I tried cold emailing and reaching out to the people, but it looks like no one needs a website.

Can anyone guide me on how to find clients?

Or anyone wants to collaborate with me I will design a website, and you can find clients for me.

Have a read of DotCom Secrets - by Russel Brunson. It’s a book about click funnels, to me it seems like that could help you.

 

[TheJon]

It's been around 3.5 years since I became a full-time designer.

I changed three companies and have worked on almost 30+ websites. But, I wanted to work with the client directly!

I had tried Upwork and 99designs and Got a few clients there, but after 1 project, they never came back!

1. I know sales and marketing are essential for having a website design business.
2. I also know that clients don't want to have a website. They want a solution to their problems.
3. We have to give them value through our service.

I tried cold emailing and reaching out to the people, but it looks like no one needs a website.

Can anyone guide me on how to find clients?

Or anyone wants to collaborate with me I will design a website, and you can find clients for me.

I was talking to someone about how I'd go about this in a cold calling sense. My idea was just to go down to the Home Depot and talk to the contractors there. A guy she knew hands out cards at dollar tree (looking for shop owners buying resale) Also could try trade shows

 

[khadush]

Have a read of DotCom Secrets - by Russel Brunson. It’s a book about click funnels, to me it seems like that could help you.

I have read a few pages of that book and found that he is talking about creating expertise in one field than teaching or consulting clients and students as a designer designing websites is so general nowadays.

That's I don't think it will help much!

 

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[khadush]

I was talking to someone about how I'd go about this in a cold calling sense. My idea was just to go down to the Home Depot and talk to the contractors there. A guy she knew hands out cards at dollar tree (looking for shop owners buying resale) Also could try trade shows

I talked with a few peoles they are paying very very low!

 

[Boy Muhammad]

Why don't you upskill and land a role as a frontend engineer, it pays way better and there are a lot of jobs opening remote and onsite for the role.

 

[Lex DeVille]

I had tried Upwork and 99designs and Got a few clients there, but after 1 project, they never came back!

When clients don't come back, it usually means:

A) Your work sucked (or didn't meet expectations)
B) They don't think they need you anymore

If you want clients to come back for more work, you have to reach out to them again or wait for them to reach out to you. If you reached out to them and they didn't respond, then it means A is probably true. If you waited for them to reach out and they never did, then B is probably true.

I tried cold emailing and reaching out to the people, but it looks like no one needs a website.

How many people did you contact? What industries? How did you approach them? What did you say? What did you offer?

When freelancers generalize with vague defeatist language like this, it usually means they've barely done any outreach and the approach of that outreach was ineffective. It also usually means they are caught in a pattern of blaming factors beyond their control instead of owning that responsibility.

I talked with a few peoles they are paying very very low!

Sounds like you talked to the wrong people, or they didn't feel like your solution was worth a higher price. In either case, these are both YOU problems. Not client problems.

How much have you put into learning cold outreach approaches and techniques? How much have you put into learning how to sell and market yourself? Who did you train under? What courses did you take? What books have you read?

Some of the most likely reasons you aren't getting results are:

1) Not reaching out to the right people.
2) Not reaching out to enough people.
3) Not approaching those people in the ways they need to be approached.
4) Not solving the right problems.
5) Your solution isn't valuable enough for them to care.

I suggest investing in training by someone who regularly gets people results in this exact space. There are people on this forum who do that, but if you're just going to blame factors that are beyond your control for your failures, then don't bother because you'll just waste your money and time. If you're going to do that, you might as well get a job.

 

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[Andy Black]

Check out @Fox 's programs.

Also check out the Inbound/Sales thread in my signature.

 

[K1 Lambo]

It's been around 3.5 years since I became a full-time designer.

I changed three companies and have worked on almost 30+ websites. But, I wanted to work with the client directly!

I had tried Upwork and 99designs and Got a few clients there, but after 1 project, they never came back!

1. I know sales and marketing are essential for having a website design business.
2. I also know that clients don't want to have a website. They want a solution to their problems.
3. We have to give them value through our service.

I tried cold emailing and reaching out to the people, but it looks like no one needs a website.

Can anyone guide me on how to find clients?

Or anyone wants to collaborate with me I will design a website, and you can find clients for me.

These websites are horrible if you're looking for quality clients. They pay $50 and expect a $1000 product in return. Just think about the kind of people that go on these websites, they're usually bargain hunters aka buy the cheapest possible product. If you're competing there, you're basically a commodity. You need a funnel, that's why so many marketers/designers struggle. Instead of chasing your clients, let them come to you.

That being said, if you've designed 30 websites and not one client came back to you, then you probably did something wrong and they didn't like it.

People notice bad things FAR quicker than you realize. Assume your clients are 10x smarter than you. If you didn't convert any of the 30 that means probably one of three things:

a. They didn't like it aka your product didn't deliver what you promised. If someone really loves your product/service, they will recommend you and buy more from you.

b. You don't market yourself well enough. I know this because I used to suck at this. We do mostly Instagram marketing and get a solid flow of leads because we position ourselves as the IG expert on the internet wherever we go, credibility is extremely important in a digital business as you have no physical product.

c. Bad target group. Goes kinda back to point b, if you position yourself as a Joe Blow web designer that has nothing more to offer than a web design, you're gonna have a hard time since you're competing with millions of web designers on Fiverr, Upwork etc. You need to be a Rolls Royce in a world full of Toyota Priuses.

 

[ZCP]

@Fox school will get you there

 

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[khadush]

These websites are horrible if you're looking for quality clients. They pay $50 and expect a $1000 product in return. Just think about the kind of people that go on these websites, they're usually bargain hunters aka buy the cheapest possible product. If you're competing there, you're basically a commodity. You need a funnel, that's why so many marketers/designers struggle. Instead of chasing your clients, let them come to you.

That being said, if you've designed 30 websites and not one client came back to you, then you probably did something wrong and they didn't like it.

People notice bad things FAR quicker than you realize. Assume your clients are 10x smarter than you. If you didn't convert any of the 30 that means probably one of three things:

a. They didn't like it aka your product didn't deliver what you promised. If someone really loves your product/service, they will recommend you and buy more from you.

b. You don't market yourself well enough. I know this because I used to suck at this. We do mostly Instagram marketing and get a solid flow of leads because we position ourselves as the IG expert on the internet wherever we go, credibility is extremely important in a digital business as you have no physical product.

c. Bad target group. Goes kinda back to point b, if you position yourself as a Joe Blow web designer that has nothing more to offer than a web design, you're gonna have a hard time since you're competing with millions of web designers on Fiverr, Upwork etc. You need to be a Rolls Royce in a world full of Toyota Priuses.

Thanks for the suggestion!

Can you share more about establishing credibility?

Also, I designed 30+ mostly in companies and agencies I didn't work with the client 1-on-1.

 

[khadush]

Why don't you upskill and land a role as a frontend engineer, it pays way better and there are a lot of jobs opening remote and onsite for the role.

I tried it! But didn't enjoy working as a developer; thus, I switched to UX design.

 

[khadush]

@Fox school will get you there

I am so tired of trying courses. Every course promised a result, but no one brought the result for me!

 

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[khadush]

How many people did you contact? What industries? How did you approach them? What did you say? What did you offer?

That's why I am trying to figure it out, but I don't know how to start!

Do you have any material to help me get started?

 

[ZCP]

I am so tired of trying courses. Every course promised a result, but no one brought the result for me!

Not the course. The community. The FB group alone is worth any cost. Several people a day, just like you, working through issues and helping each other be successful. Like this community, just niched down to exactly what you are doing. Try it.
If it sucks, have @Fox bill me directly.

 

[ZCP]

@khadush time to work on the mindset. It is the main obstacle in your path.

 

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[Lex DeVille]

@khadush time to work on the mindset. It is the main obstacle in your path.

Yup.

 

[Boy Muhammad]

I tried it! But didn't enjoy working as a developer; thus, I switched to UX design.

Okay.

Try something new then.