How to Learn Code, Start a Web Company, $15k+ per month within 9 months

[PrimeLF]

Hey @Fox,
Long time since I posted in here but I had a quick question I wanted to ask you about.
What do you do for images? You talk about getting your clients new images for their website, but where do you get these? Do you simple get free stock photos off of google or do you pay for them from a stock website such as Shutterstock, or do you have a photographer take photos for you at a location they own?

Been struggling to find appropriate images for my clients and I was curious about what you would recommend!

Thanks
~Primelf

 

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[jpanarra]

Hey @Fox,
Long time since I posted in here but I had a quick question I wanted to ask you about.
What do you do for images? You talk about getting your clients new images for their website, but where do you get these? Do you simple get free stock photos off of google or do you pay for them from a stock website such as Shutterstock, or do you have a photographer take photos for you at a location they own?

Been struggling to find appropriate images for my clients and I was curious about what you would recommend!

Thanks
~Primelf

I use adobe stock at the moment, but I usually try to avoid the count going up. I usually try to find pictures on free stock photos pages like

Unsplash | Free High-Resolution Photos

First before even using up my picture count.

 

[SindbadtheSailor]

I would love to know what information's you look for to decide what you need to fulfill for your client and to make the process of making a website faster.

That's my list:
My Questions - English.odt .

 

[Deleted44974]

I got two larger sites that are between 10-20k very close to closing this week so this could be my biggest week ever.

Is there anything different in a $15,000 website compared to a $4,000 one? Features, services, etc. or you're just pitching to better clients?

 

[DaRK9]

One issue that I've run into is often these business owners are truly convinced they need all that. Either from some old school SEO "guru" that told them more is better, or stemming from the fact they believe people want all that information at once. Despite my best efforts, when I run into people like this I can never convince them that their website would be better with less text. Any suggestions? Or are they really a lost cause?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I encountered this recently with an enormous block of text a client sent to me for a project. I asked him to read it back to me while we were on the phone. Out loud you realize how much text is actually there. Most of this stems from what Fox said about old SEO's and the fact that business owners LOVE to talk about themselves and their business.

 

[Deleted44974]

My conversion rate is something like 30 - 50% with a warm lead, 80% with a referral. (...) I don't do much/any cold calls anymore - I have guys for that and they are very happy making 30%.

Ah, @Fox, almost forgot. Recently I was about to get a list of business to email/call and I started thinking about this again. You personally may be 30-50%, but probably your sales guy is closer to 1% or so. Or am I wrong?

For example, I chose a niche I think I can provide great value, and a quick Google search for this type of business in NYC yielded maybe 30 results. So let's assume that'd have around 300-400 businesses if I got the 20 most populated cities in the US. If I can close 1-2 of those I'd be happy, but by then I'd probably have exhausted all my possibilities, in such a way that I'd have to look something different.

Either way, the math doesn't look very sustainable, which probably means I'm approaching this from the wrong angle.

Is there something you would correct/do differently from my approach?

 

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[Denim Chicken]

Ah, @Fox, almost forgot. Recently I was about to get a list of business to email/call and I started thinking about this again. You personally may be 30-50%, but probably your sales guy is closer to 1%. Or am I wrong?

For example, I chose a niche I think I can provide great value, and a quick Google search for this type of business in NYC yielded maybe 30 results. So let's assume that'd have around 300-400 businesses if I got the 20 most populated cities in the US. If I can close 1-2 of those I'd be happy, but by then I'd probably have exhausted all my possibilities, in such a way that I'd have to look something different.

Either way, the math doesn't look very sustainable, which probably means I'm approaching this from the wrong angle.

Is there something you would correct/do differently from my approach?

If its a truly cold lead, then no 30-50% is not realistic. But he said warm lead. Which means, yes the sales guy probably has a lower close rate. But the sales guy isn't closing anything, he's just qualifying and handing off the warm leads.

 

[Deleted44974]

Yes, by "closing" for the sales guy I meant passing leads to Fox that ultimately closed (even if the sales guy wasn't involved at the second part). Point being - even if he has a high close rate on warm leads, somebody still have to call 100s of business, and as such... isn't there the math problem that I mentioned above?

 

[Fox]

Is there something you would correct/do differently from my approach?

Yes - start taking action and stop doing napkin maths. You are shutting yourself down before you even do anything.

 

[Daniyal Anjum]

What to you do when you can't find the owner name?

For example, I went on a website Industrial Cleaning Company & Facility Maintenance | Team Solutions and tried to find the name of the owner/decision maker, but couldn't.

What I do is ask: "Can I speak to a decision maker"? Which probably puts up a few barriers.
If you can't find the owner name, how do you get past the gatekeeper?

 

[Fox]

What to you do when you can't find the owner name?

For example, I went on a website Industrial Cleaning Company & Facility Maintenance | Team Solutions and tried to find the name of the owner/decision maker, but couldn't.

What I do is ask: "Can I speak to a decision maker"? Which probably puts up a few barriers.
If you can't find the owner name, how do you get past the gatekeeper?

Just ask...

"Hi I am looking for the name of the person in charge of sales / your website...

...great and what is the best email for them, I have some info to send them...

...Thanks"

Might not always be that easy but lots of times it is. If you can't get it over the phone send a basic email to the generic email address and ask too.

 

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[Daniyal Anjum]

Thank you, I'll be doing that from now.

 

[Chimp]

How do I help business owners acquire more customers besides making a site which looks good, fast, some CTA's etc... Like how do I pull in more people? Thanks

 

[MakeItHappen]

How do I help business owners acquire more customers besides making a site which looks good, fast, some CTA's etc... Like how do I pull in more people? Thanks

With Online Marketing?
For local businesses the best online marketing tools might be:
- optimized Google My Business listing
- Google Adwords
- Facebook Ads

Done right most local businesses should be fine this way.

 

[KingPong]

Oh, man. I have trouble because everyone I called said me "what are you selling?". It's not best way to making sales... Everyone is ready for guys who's selling and they just trying to get rid of that guy (like me). It's hard for me to defeat this barer. Any tips?

 

[lowtek]

Oh, man. I have trouble because everyone I called said me "what are you selling?". It's not best way to making sales... Everyone is ready for guys who's selling and they just trying to get rid of that guy (like me). It's hard for me to defeat this barer. Any tips?

You're selling $10 bills for $5. How many do they want to buy?

 

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[Canuker]

Two noob questions:

1) I was looking at the Foundry template you posted. I clicked on their builder and it seems like drag and drop to me. What makes this an html builder? Do you just have to code in the commands for one page to the other? Because it seems like the framework they offer is similar to squarespace (minus the hosting etc)

2) You mention that HTML sites require no management when WordPress sites do. What do you actually have to "manage" compared to an HTML site?

Amazing thread by the way.

*Edit* @Fox Are you still looking for leads? I might have a good one coming down the line in a week or two.

 

[Fox]

Two noob questions:

1) I was looking at the Foundry template you posted. I clicked on their builder and it seems like drag and drop to me. What makes this an html builder? Do you just have to code in the commands for one page to the other? Because it seems like the framework they offer is similar to squarespace (minus the hosting etc)

2) You mention that HTML sites require no management when WordPress sites do. What do you actually have to "manage" compared to an HTML site?

Amazing thread by the way.

*Edit* @Fox Are you still looking for leads? I might have a good one coming down the line in a week or two.

Hey man...

So 1) Foundry has both a theme builder and the actual html page files so you can do both. But even when you use the theme builder it still exports it as a html file.

2) Since wordpress is based on "live" systems you have to maintain the plugins and pages somewhat. Stuff can expire, break or get hacked.
HTML is just a document so it can't really change by itself. It just stays there until someone edits it.

I am okay for leads but thank you. I have a little too much work at the moment. Also as a sidenote this is why I havent been posting as much as I used to. Hopefully I can get back to getting some new content up here for you guys soon.

Thanks.

 

[Radu Ionut]

Hello Guys!


How do you manage Google Rankings?

If you make a website topekatowing.com.

If the webpage will be at 30 th page on google search page, does not benefit the towing company, right?

Are you using Google Ads? What SEO strategy do you use?



Thank you!

 

[lowtek]

Hello Guys!

How do you manage Google Rankings?

If you make a website topekatowing.com.

If the webpage will be at 30 th page on google search page, does not benefit the towing company, right?

Are you using Google Ads? What SEO strategy do you use?

Thank you!

Do some basic SEO, including a google business listing, and the business should start to rank reasonably quickly. If you're redoing websites, chances are high the previous version wasn't mobile friendly, so fixing that alone should have a significant impact on their rankings. Also, if you're going after keywords pertaining to their locale, it is highly unlikely there are 300 other towing companies in the area that will appear above them. Most likely they will be on page 2 - 3, which is an easier climb to make.

Most important thing is to set up 301 redirects for any of their old pages, so none of their juice is wasted. If they were really low ranking in the first place, this doesn't make much of a practical difference, but it's the right thing to do and will distinguish you as a professional rather than an amateur.

Ads are an option, but that's a whole other beast you gotta deal with. These require active and on going maintenance, and will probably be reasonably expensive. Running ads are a perpendicular skill set to making websites - I would pick one or the other and focus on that, rather than try to be an expert at both.

 

[SkyLake]

I really wanna start this.

I live in a country where I can't charge as I could in the US. Software Developer salaries here are one of the lowest in the world.

I was thinking of directly working with clients all over the world, mostly North America.
Problem is, we could never meet, only talk via email and phone, and I have an accent!! :|

Still, I think I'm being a little bitch, after all, if I offer value to the market, I'm welcome.

 

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[Ika]

What are your thoughts on recurring revenue?

Naturally, you spend time finding clients. After you do the work (you were able to overdeliver) the client wants to continue to work with you.
The problem is once you created a killer website, what additional services can you offer?
I don't want to sell some bs that does not really add value, aka "Website maintenance for 100$month" if it is not needed.

Multiple clients asked me to do their Graphic Design stuff, others asked me to do their other Online Marketing.
What additional service can you offer as a webdesigner & webdeveloper?

Split Testing might be a possible upsell.
Some businesses need constant work, for example creating new landingpages for new products (especially if they are scaling).
Some need hosting or domains.

Or are the one-time projects big enough to make the client search worth it? Or do you work with referrals instead of recurring or additional services?

Would like to hear your thoughts on this!

Thanks



- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I really wanna start this.

I live in a country where I can't charge as I could in the US. Software Developer salaries here are one of the lowest in the world.

I was thinking of directly working with clients all over the world, mostly North America.
Problem is, we could never meet, only talk via email and phone, and I have an accent!! :|

Still, I think I'm being a little bitch, after all, if I offer value to the market, I'm welcome.

Problem: Can't meet in person.
Solution: You don't have to meet. I've never met any of my clients. They all liked the idea of just working through the internet.

Problem: I can't talk in English, I have an accent.
Solution 1: Don't call someone if you don't want to talk with them. I did not want to call my first client either. I persuaded him into only communicating through email/Upwork. I told him, as we both aren't foreigners, we will have an accent. It might be easier to discuss everything through email. When writing, ask the right questions. Make it easy for him/her to answer.
Solution 2: Learn to talk in english. Different methods - get a skype buddy and have daily calls, get english speaking friends or take an english course. The direct method is to just call the client - Explain that you have an accent and that he should interrupt you as soon as he can't understand you.
Solution 3: Work with businesses in your country - you speak the same language. Maybe a Webdeveloper (different than a software developer) gets a low salary, but what about a freelancer?


And yes, if you are contacting a business whichs website looks like it's from 1998, you are able to present your message clearly, show them a mockup you created, have a portfolio and testimonials to back you up and quote a fair price, they will work with you despite the language barrier.
If you offer to create a website for free, they will won't about your accent.

You have to ask yourself, can your service and outcomes (aka your added value) make up for the language barrier (and possibility of difficult conversations)?
Are you adding enough value to overcome the obstacle?

You need to think about how you want to get sales though - depending on your confidence and the level of accent, cold calls might not be the best move. But there are other people that can offer better advice.

 

[Deleted44974]

Phew! I spent the last weeks reaching out to multiple businesses within a niche I have interest in and I found a guy who was (mildly) interested

The call was pretty fun actually: he spoke 85% of the time on his business and life, saying that he worked with marketing and knows "this online stuff" but knows nothing about design and doesn't have the time to learn as he works 12 hours/day. Good thing is, I was able to have a pretty good idea of what he wants.

He wanted to see a mock-up before paying the 50% fee, which I actually was planning doing anyways, so he can see the design is legit and will be more likely to pay a higher price. Gonna get back to him next week.

Question for @Fox or others who work in the same model: this guy's main pain is design (that sells), and while I'm sure I can pull something in regards to web design, he stressed new logos, etc as if he expected me to come up with something new. I don't design logos. Do you guys design your own logos or subcontract this?

I'd rather recommend him to go on 99Designs and pick the one that he is most pleased with, though I'm afraid this might discredit myself in his eyes.

 

[Fox]

Question for @Fox or others who work in the same model: this guy's main pain is design (that sells), and while I'm sure I can pull something in regards to web design, he stressed new logos, etc as if he expected me to come up with something new. I don't design logos. Do you guys design your own logos or subcontract this?

I'd rather recommend him to go on 99Designs and pick the one that he is most pleased with, though I'm afraid this might discredit myself in his eyes.

First off: I have been locked out of my account for a bit since I forgot the password and only had access through one phone that was still logged in - hence the lack of replies. MJ has sorted it out so I will be back to posting a lot more!

I would take the job and then sort this out yourself either through 99 designs, UpWork, Fiverr etc. Never turn down work and always try to expand upon what you offer. I outsource all the time unknown to the client but it is highly valuable for them since don't have to concern themselves with the fine details.

Always try to be expanding and improving upon your services.

 

[Dunkafelics]

@Fox It took me a few days, but I finally got through all the content and bookmarked about probably 100 posts to review and dissect a little further in the future. You are an amazing person and have provided so much value and resources to all of us, it is incredible. I hope that one day I can reciprocate it back to you!

Thank you so much for all this information! The collective here is sensational and it is great to know there is a community here that can help with copywriting, marketing, design, etc.

I've hit the ground running and finished the codecademy.com HTML and CSS Basics course and will be starting the Udemy course this afternoon.

I've also reached out to a friend who is self-employed and know for a fact that I can improve his websites and then use them in my portfolio. I'll be reaching out to another self-employed business owner this week as well and show that I can improve their current website design.

Last thing I want to mention is that I know there were talks of a mastermind group earlier in the thread. If this is still going, I would love to get involved. If it isn't, I would definitely like to put a group together. Thanks all!

 

[Fox]

Great to hear.

I got something coming soon

 

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[anurag]

Thanks to all the good people who contributed to this thread.
We landed our first client for website development (a logistics and shipment company) by a reference from a friend who overheard a guy at a local gym. They needed a static website to present it to their clients but didn't wanna hassle due to lack of time with web developing agencies.

And we asked for the opportunity to do it for free. They liked it and they want us to add 1-2 more pages and said they'll pay
for the website. ( Ice Cream !!!)

Its amazing how things have started to go uphill after I read mindset shifting threads @IceCreamKid @SinisterLex. I recommend everyone to start with those threads irrespective of the domain.

Although we have not yet completed the website, but there's already another client lined up, the word got around about how easy and and non technical we made it for the business owner. I think the next few days will be (hopefully) busy with that work.

So, thanks again to @Fox. Rep++

Sidenote:
I am confused about some aspects of web dev. I hope someone can help me with this:
How do you store the "contact us" page details (like Name, email, country etc) entered by visitors to the database so that the client can access it. Do we create a database, Or is it something that the domain-hosting company handles? I have no idea about this.

 

[Skyizlimit1]

I read through this forum post all week. Great post Fox. Took action today after setting up my website. the FIRST business I emailed, wants to meet with me. It's an elevator repair company with a really bad website. No prior experience in my portfolio.

I largely think I got it so easily because
1. Im a local guy, and I made sure to reference itin my email to build some sort of trust that I'm not a random scammer on the internet.
2. (This is probably the biggest reason) I made a mockup of their home page and sent them it. When they replied, they stressed how much better it looked and instantly wanted to set up a meet time.

I highly recommend doing this method. I can't believe how easy that was. Now, I have a few questions. When I meet/call with him, what order of topics should I bring up? What materials should I bring? Should I bring a contract? Just how much should I talk about? Any and all tips are greatly welcomed.

 

[OrangeFlip]

I read through this forum post all week. Great post Fox. Took action today after setting up my website. the FIRST business I emailed, wants to meet with me. It's an elevator repair company with a really bad website. No prior experience in my portfolio.

I largely think I got it so easily because
1. Im a local guy, and I made sure to reference itin my email to build some sort of trust that I'm not a random scammer on the internet.
2. (This is probably the biggest reason) I made a mockup of their home page and sent them it. When they replied, they stressed how much better it looked and instantly wanted to set up a meet time.

I highly recommend doing this method. I can't believe how easy that was. Now, I have a few questions. When I meet/call with him, what order of topics should I bring up? What materials should I bring? Should I bring a contract? Just how much should I talk about? Any and all tips are greatly welcomed.

You are going to want to in there with your listening ears on. This isn't a selling meeting. You need to understand their goals and how they get customers. It's getting a sense of how you can ease their pain and get more dollars in their pockets. Is their site for getting consultations? Is their site for booking repairs? Etc. You need to focus on them and their needs and how you swooping in will meet their needs. This is also really helpful to reference later on when you meet. Bring it back to their goals, solve their pains. All of your choices need to be around those. So, meet with them and find out what it is

 

[Skyizlimit1]

You are going to want to in there with your listening ears on. This isn't a selling meeting. You need to understand their goals and how they get customers. It's getting a sense of how you can ease their pain and get more dollars in their pockets. Is their site for getting consultations? Is their site for booking repairs? Etc. You need to focus on them and their needs and how you swooping in will meet their needs. This is also really helpful to reference later on when you meet. Bring it back to their goals, solve their pains. All of your choices need to be around those. So, meet with them and find out what it is

What other questions should I ask? Size of company? What additional components they'd want on their site? I have a phone call meeting today and am trying to draw up some questions. Also, should I use a contract, and should I send it online through a contract signing software?

Edit: Also, I signed up for freshbooks. To accept payment 50% up front and 50% after, do you send them 2 separate invoices? How does that work?