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Making Money With Web Design 2017/2018

Fox

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What do you guys put into your contracts? What about proposals?

- recap of phone call
- overview of the value of the project and why they should move ahead
- short preview of how the job will go about
- payment directions and structure
- invoice
- blended together with more sales copywriting (it aint sold till its sold!)
 
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Richard Gao

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Do you have any other resources on redesigning or adding on to an already coded theme for your clients? I checked out the udemy course, but $200+ is a little steep for me as of now.

https://www.udemy.com/design-and-develop-a-killer-website-with-html5-and-css3/

After this you will now know how to edit and work with HTML themes. What does that mean?

Well there is no point creating a website from scratch. That takes years of coding experience and a lot of time for each new clients. Luckily enough people have gone and created HTML themes - its an already coded website where you just rearrange, switch out the pictures and text and add in a few extra bits (I will show how to do all of this at a later stage).

Thanks
 

MattR82

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Don't pay more than ten bucks for it. It's on sale for 10 more often than not!

By the end of it you won't want to hear a Scandinavian accent for awhile though lol.
 

eagleye101

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Do you have any other resources on redesigning or adding on to an already coded theme for your clients? I checked out the udemy course, but $200+ is a little steep for me as of now.

https://www.udemy.com/design-and-develop-a-killer-website-with-html5-and-css3/

After this you will now know how to edit and work with HTML themes. What does that mean?

Well there is no point creating a website from scratch. That takes years of coding experience and a lot of time for each new clients. Luckily enough people have gone and created HTML themes - its an already coded website where you just rearrange, switch out the pictures and text and add in a few extra bits (I will show how to do all of this at a later stage).

Thanks

It's on sale if you log in from Greece. Screenshot: Image 2018-06-03 at 10.14.17 AM.png
 
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MattR82

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Where can I get it for $10?
The make killer websites with html and css by Jonas?
Whenever I've looked at it over the last 2 years or so it's only not been a $10 sale on udemy once. So I'd either check back or I've heard something about some people finding another way to get it for ten, maybe through an affiliate link somewhere if you Google it but not sure on that.
 

Maxboost

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The make killer websites with html and css by Jonas?
Whenever I've looked at it over the last 2 years or so it's only not been a $10 sale on udemy once. So I'd either check back or I've heard something about some people finding another way to get it for ten, maybe through an affiliate link somewhere if you Google it but not sure on that.

Also, when you guys complete the course, make sure to use it as a template and start adding sections so you can save some money for building free websites for your first few new clients instead of buying templates.

LittleSnippets.net - A free collection of CSS3/HTML snippets. New entries crafted and added daily.
 
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Utopia

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What about prospecting?

You talk a lot about solving people's problems with the website, how do you first start this? Say for example, do you start with and say I want to work with someone that has a lot of money? Okay let's try lawyers, then do you just call up a bunch of lawyers and try to figure out their problems with their websites, or how do you start this?

You say often that you rarely cold call them, is this just from having a lot of experience solving different problems in different industries, what if you just don't know?
 

Richard Gao

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Also, when you guys complete the course, make sure to use it as a template and start adding sections so you can save some money for building free websites for your first few new clients instead of buying templates.

LittleSnippets.net - A free collection of CSS3/HTML snippets. New entries crafted and added daily.

Thanks, that sounds like solid advice, will the the templates the course gives you be compatible though? Are you or did you use the templates with success and not breaking your clients websites?
 

Richard Gao

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I am still getting PMs and question daily on how to best get started with web design, scale it, and potentially make some great money. My web design journey has progressed a lot since my original thread on web design.

While I love that thread my approach and methods have changed a lot also since I first started. That thread is a great primer on web design but I wanted to have a new thread with my most up to date advice. Some of the things I mentioned before I no longer do and others I now do way more effectively.

So from now on this will be the thread I update with my recent developments and tactics. Also If you feel like asking about a web design topic please ask here from now on. Thanks everyone.

I have (mostly) everything in place when it comes to learning web dev and such, but I have one very important question:

How will you connect your design or theme to your client's back end system? Do you even have to?

For example if I have a client in lead collection or manufacturing, they'll have a back end system for the inquires they get, and you've stated earlier how you didn't even learn javascript when you started, so I'm a little confused how I would deal with this problem, or if I even have to.

Thanks, your threads are very helpful!
 
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franklynroth

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I have (mostly) everything in place when it comes to learning web dev and such, but I have one very important question:

How will you connect your design or theme to your client's back end system? Do you even have to?

For example if I have a client in lead collection or manufacturing, they'll have a back end system for the inquires they get, and you've stated earlier how you didn't even learn javascript when you started, so I'm a little confused how I would deal with this problem, or if I even have to.

Thanks, your threads are very helpful!

Most of @Fox 's sites were static html/css sites where no back end integration was needed. If it was needed he probably outsourced it and focused more on sales.
 

Fox

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What about prospecting?

You talk a lot about solving people's problems with the website, how do you first start this? Say for example, do you start with and say I want to work with someone that has a lot of money? Okay let's try lawyers, then do you just call up a bunch of lawyers and try to figure out their problems with their websites, or how do you start this?

You say often that you rarely cold call them, is this just from having a lot of experience solving different problems in different industries, what if you just don't know?

So my method for prospecting is a mix of my growing network, my best recent projects, and what way I feel like things are going for certain niches.

The best way to get future work is by showcasing recent success for someone else. Think of all the fitness businesses that work this same way > before/after results to land more and more clients.

So I am always trying to find the best client I can who will ALSO have the best results. One good client with solid results can being in 5-10 more jobs over two years. You want to look at your strongest areas and pick the perfect client to showcase all of what you can offer.

For me its sales systems for "boring-enough" industries. I do really well with web sales systems for engineering, oil and gas, manufacturing, steel, and also the legal niche.

Now how I do this is I turn most of these sites from "content" to sales. Nearly all of the sites in this niche just list of technical info with very little attention to what will sell. Its a big topic but I redo the site with a focus on what will cause users to take action and reach out to this business. It isn't a closed sales as such but its a much more highly motivated potential buyer for the business. They will still have to do some closing but the lead is a lot warmer. My websites are built as a link in a chain > not a whole chain.



I have (mostly) everything in place when it comes to learning web dev and such, but I have one very important question:

How will you connect your design or theme to your client's back end system? Do you even have to?

For example if I have a client in lead collection or manufacturing, they'll have a back end system for the inquires they get, and you've stated earlier how you didn't even learn javascript when you started, so I'm a little confused how I would deal with this problem, or if I even have to.

Thanks, your threads are very helpful!

I separate sales from systems and usually work on the sales part. So lets say they have some huge online ordering system > I won't touch that and just do ahead and redesign the sales part. Then when they get the lead they can move them there.

Most of these types of industries are suffering from too few leads so I usually advice them to keep the gates wide and only screen once they have made contact. I don't want potential buyers getting caught up in heavy online systems until they have shown some interest first. Ideally not at all but definitely not to start.

Think of it like booking flights. They let you enter in all your details first and then hit you with all the T&Cs, upsells, details, contracts etc. You want that commitment first before you push them to invest time and effort into your own systems.


Hope that helps guys - hit me up with more questions if you got them. Last month was crazy busy but I am online a bit more next few weeks.
 

Richard Gao

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So my method for prospecting is a mix of my growing network, my best recent projects, and what way I feel like things are going for certain niches.

The best way to get future work is by showcasing recent success for someone else. Think of all the fitness businesses that work this same way > before/after results to land more and more clients.

So I am always trying to find the best client I can who will ALSO have the best results. One good client with solid results can being in 5-10 more jobs over two years. You want to look at your strongest areas and pick the perfect client to showcase all of what you can offer.

For me its sales systems for "boring-enough" industries. I do really well with web sales systems for engineering, oil and gas, manufacturing, steel, and also the legal niche.

Now how I do this is I turn most of these sites from "content" to sales. Nearly all of the sites in this niche just list of technical info with very little attention to what will sell. Its a big topic but I redo the site with a focus on what will cause users to take action and reach out to this business. It isn't a closed sales as such but its a much more highly motivated potential buyer for the business. They will still have to do some closing but the lead is a lot warmer. My websites are built as a link in a chain > not a whole chain.





I separate sales from systems and usually work on the sales part. So lets say they have some huge online ordering system > I won't touch that and just do ahead and redesign the sales part. Then when they get the lead they can move them there.

Most of these types of industries are suffering from too few leads so I usually advice them to keep the gates wide and only screen once they have made contact. I don't want potential buyers getting caught up in heavy online systems until they have shown some interest first. Ideally not at all but definitely not to start.

Think of it like booking flights. They let you enter in all your details first and then hit you with all the T&Cs, upsells, details, contracts etc. You want that commitment first before you push them to invest time and effort into your own systems.


Hope that helps guys - hit me up with more questions if you got them. Last month was crazy busy but I am online a bit more next few weeks.


Thanks, that cleared many things up.

So lets say they have some huge online ordering system > I won't touch that and just do ahead and redesign the sales part.

I understand many of the websites you design are for businesses that do not have intricate ordering systems in place, but I'm wondering what happens with the business that DO have a somewhat intricate order system (add to cart, payment gateways, etc)

How are you supposed to replace their website with a new customized theme (sartre) without altering the systems they have already in place? You talk a lot about NOT designing a website from scratch and using a theme. I'm sure the (sartre) theme folders would interfere with the site's folders if you were to just lay them on top of each other, and deleting their theme folders and replacing them would surely interfere with their payment gateway, ordering system, etc, (correct me if I'm wrong)

Thanks! Very helpful thread!
 
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Fox

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Thanks, that cleared many things up.

So lets say they have some huge online ordering system > I won't touch that and just do ahead and redesign the sales part.

I understand many of the websites you design are for businesses that do not have intricate ordering systems in place, but I'm wondering what happens with the business that DO have a somewhat intricate order system (add to cart, payment gateways, etc)

How are you supposed to replace their website with a new customized theme (sartre) without altering the systems they have already in place? You talk a lot about NOT designing a website from scratch and using a theme. I'm sure the (sartre) theme folders would interfere with the site's folders if you were to just lay them on top of each other, and deleting their theme folders and replacing them would surely interfere with their payment gateway, ordering system, etc, (correct me if I'm wrong)

Thanks! Very helpful thread!

I rarely deal with ecommerce sites. The only one I do manage is my own school site.

The last time I did I had an ordinary site that sold the concept then directed the user to a third party shopping platform. Worked fine and got decent results. I general though I would either outsource that side of it or just split the site fully. Plus ecommerce is so well covered by shopify etc that I don't think it makes sense for someone to build that side of it "custom".

Lots of different ways to do it though, thats just my own style and preference.
 

Richard Gao

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I rarely deal with ecommerce sites. The only one I do manage is my own school site.

The last time I did I had an ordinary site that sold the concept then directed the user to a third party shopping platform. Worked fine and got decent results. I general though I would either outsource that side of it or just split the site fully. Plus ecommerce is so well covered by shopify etc that I don't think it makes sense for someone to build that side of it "custom".

Lots of different ways to do it though, thats just my own style and preference.

So I just put the sartre theme in separate folders with links pointing to the ecommerce page? That's sounds pretty solid. Do you do that with the forms too? (as they're less complicated then payment gateways) or do you just delete their old forms and make new ones with sartre? (it comes with a form system)
 

Crazy GG

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Hey Fox, wanted to ask you a quick question of how you get your client's feedback on site ASAP?

For example, you know how the website should look but if the client doesn't like, all your work kind of goes to waste...So do you design a small section upfront or pay someone to do a photoshop file and then the client can give you his/her opinion ASAP instead of waiting until the site is actually finished?
 
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Smuggo

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I have a quetion.

I've just finished course from Udemy about web design and I want to create a info/blog/shop (shop with 1 kind of product, not one of that big shops with milion products). In this template Canvas | The Multi-Purpose HTML5 Template there is a shop option but does it require a lot of programming knowledge such as connection between APIs, in-depth php knowledge or most of the work is already done? I don't want to blind-buy any template since my budget is limited.
 

Phillip Anderson

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I have a quetion.

I've just finished course from Udemy about web design and I want to create a info/blog/shop (shop with 1 kind of product, not one of that big shops with milion products). In this template Canvas | The Multi-Purpose HTML5 Template there is a shop option but does it require a lot of programming knowledge such as connection between APIs, in-depth php knowledge or most of the work is already done? I don't want to blind-buy any template since my budget is limited.
Do you know if they offer refunds? I don't think you need programming knowledge.
 

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Solid Snake

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You really need to talk with the owner(s) to understand what is going on. Having a bad looking site gives you an "in" but the bigger sales are nearly always based on something else. There are 100s of things but it could be to back up offline marketing, prove credibility, reduce workload, build certain systems... it all depends.

The best place to start with this is learning how to ask great questions with owners along with being able to teach them new things they can apply also.

I've started cold calling and cold emailing this week. Would you say that "improving profit margins" and "frustrated with bidding lower prices" are decent pain points to pitch for the general construction industry?

ive decided to go after companies between the $2MM-$20MM range because anything smaller than $2MM and the owner just hangs up on me.
 

Fox

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I've started cold calling and cold emailing this week. Would you say that "improving profit margins" and "frustrated with bidding lower prices" are decent pain points to pitch for the general construction industry?

ive decided to go after companies between the $2MM-$20MM range because anything smaller than $2MM and the owner just hangs up on me.

Not fully following you. I generally don't pitch a pain point up front - I work on discovering it.

What you mentioned is decent but you need to draw that out from the client and get more specific.

Post up an email (if you want) and let's have a look.
 

Fox

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New video is up...

Working hard on the challenge this week but didn't want to share a video on the latest site just yet. So this is more of a general tutorial.

 
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Not fully following you. I generally don't pitch a pain point up front - I work on discovering it.

What you mentioned is decent but you need to draw that out from the client and get more specific.

Post up an email (if you want) and let's have a look.

I think I see what you mean there. I have to talk about the exact situation that they are facing that causes the loss in profit margins or loss in revenue. Once they open up from there I can dig in, right?

For example, just right now I learned that one of the major problems these contractors face is competing with larger companies and losing big contracts to them despite giving smaller bids. It's a "trust" issue.

Dear xyz,

[Unique personalized sentence about their business, like a compliment].

I have some ideas on how I can help you get large contracts and compete against national companies without having to bid lower prices. Would you happen to be concerned about proving credibility by any chance?

Regards,
-------------------------------------------------------------------

I made that email in order to get a response first to have a conversation, rather than just straight up ask for a meeting. I'll experiment around with asking for meeting vs trying to get a response, but for now I'm trying to get the "hook" correct where I can dig in and discover their pain points.

Thanks @Fox
 

Solid Snake

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I think I see what you mean there. I have to talk about the exact situation that they are facing that causes the loss in profit margins or loss in revenue. Once they open up from there I can dig in, right?

For example, just right now I learned that one of the major problems these contractors face is competing with larger companies and losing big contracts to them despite giving smaller bids. It's a "trust" issue.

Dear xyz,

[Unique personalized sentence about their business, like a compliment].

I have some ideas on how I can help you get large contracts and compete against national companies without having to bid lower prices. Would you happen to be concerned about proving credibility by any chance?

Regards,
-------------------------------------------------------------------

I made that email in order to get a response first to have a conversation, rather than just straight up ask for a meeting. I'll experiment around with asking for meeting vs trying to get a response, but for now I'm trying to get the "hook" correct where I can dig in and discover their pain points.

Thanks @Fox

I know youre busy @Fox just wanted to bump the email draft i made to see if the phrasing is okay ^
 

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