Resources/case studies of increased business from web presence.

[Jcoil]

One potential way of selling web development services to a business that doesn't have a web presence (or has a bad presence) could be showing case studies or stats on how they can increase their leads.

I dont have these yet, as I'm just starting. But my question is, if this is a good strategy, does anyone have resources they could share. Obviously I should gather my own stats, testimonials, and case studies as I build my business, but I want to show potential clients some stats as a way of getting my first clients.

 

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[Johnny boy]

The real issue is getting leads for yourself. Getting their attention to be able to show them your testimonials in the first place. That's the ticket. That's the hard part.

Make a website as awesome as you can and don't even make it your first client. Just whip one up and throw it in your portfolio. Seriously...like a fake plumbing company website.

Then go get your first clients. Say yes to everything and fix mistakes afterwards. Establish authority and don't be afraid to charge high prices. Be a firm, not a freelancer. Don't say "I charge x/hr", say "Let's create a unique plan for your business" and just do the work quickly. Tell them about your "team".

It's almost all emotion. Their budgets are based on who they think you are, what they can afford, and how much they feel that you can raise their profits. 2/3rds of that is what you sell them and only 1/3rd is based on their financial situation. If they think you're some schmuck who can't deliver, they will only talk to you if they want to pay $350 and take advantage of you. If you've got a "team" and you're just the "project manager" that works at a firm and you can sell them on how much you can help them, they'll be happy to pay $2000 upfront for a $5000 site that you can build on wordpress in 2 days.

The only real issue is getting enough people into your pipeline. You need to figure that out and become an expert at it, as it will help you in all other business ventures.

 

[Jcoil]

The real issue is getting leads for yourself. Getting their attention to be able to show them your testimonials in the first place. That's the ticket. That's the hard part.

Make a website as awesome as you can and don't even make it your first client. Just whip one up and throw it in your portfolio. Seriously...like a fake plumbing company website.

Then go get your first clients. Say yes to everything and fix mistakes afterwards. Establish authority and don't be afraid to charge high prices. Be a firm, not a freelancer. Don't say "I charge x/hr", say "Let's create a unique plan for your business" and just do the work quickly. Tell them about your "team".

It's almost all emotion. Their budgets are based on who they think you are, what they can afford, and how much they feel that you can raise their profits. 2/3rds of that is what you sell them and only 1/3rd is based on their financial situation. If they think you're some schmuck who can't deliver, they will only talk to you if they want to pay $350 and take advantage of you. If you've got a "team" and you're just the "project manager" that works at a firm and you can sell them on how much you can help them, they'll be happy to pay $2000 upfront for a $5000 site that you can build on wordpress in 2 days.

The only real issue is getting enough people into your pipeline. You need to figure that out and become an expert at it, as it will help you in all other business ventures.

This is all great advice. I guess my issue is, how do I create a concrete justification for a flat rate? Say I charge 5000, what sort of things can I tell a client that will justify in their mind that it is a sound business decision.

If it was me I would want to know how this 5000 dollar website would generate 5000 of new business. Maybe I'm considering too small a market as I was thinking of targeting local small businesses without a web presence.

 

[Johnny boy]

This is all great advice. I guess my issue is, how do I create a concrete justification for a flat rate? Say I charge 5000, what sort of things can I tell a client that will justify in their mind that it is a sound business decision.

If it was me I would want to know how this 5000 dollar website would generate 5000 of new business. Maybe I'm considering too small a market as I was thinking of targeting local small businesses without a web presence.

Okay let's use an example.

*ring ring*

"Hello this is Johnny boy from Big Balls web design. How can I help you today"

"Hi, how much do you charge for a website?"

"Haha well how much does a car cost. Depends on if you're buying a used toyota or a new mercedes right? Tell me a little about your business."

"It's a plumbing company. We just need a website. How much do you charge for that?"

"Ah so just a simple website with a couple of pages and an easy way to contact you? That's pretty easy. Of course we'll spend time making it as good as any other plumbing website that people have paid tens of thousands for, but it's nothing we can't handle. And are you going to want something that you can edit yourself or that we can edit and manage for you? We can set it up either way depending on what you're looking for. We want to make it as smooth as possible for you to run your business"

"I want to do it myself. How much?"

"Awesome. We can customize how we build it and even give you some help on doing it yourself so whenever there's an update to your business, you can manage it easily in a matter of minutes. We'll have to build that functionality in. It can take some extra time, but no worries. Also, how are you getting people to this site once it's built?"

"I don't really know".

"We manage marketing for our clients as well. A website is worthless if there's no one to see it. How do you get your customers now?"

"Word of mouth"

"And they just give you a call?"

"Yeah"

"Do you ever lose track of customers when they call randomly or at bad times?"

"Yeah"

"We can actually set you up with an automated response system that sends customers a link to your website via text. And on the website, it collects their information and sends them an automated email giving them more information. We can make sure all of your leads are easily managed so you never lose them again, and especially as you grow in size. It all happens without you lifting a finger, and at all hours of the day. It's all about saving time right?"

"Wow. That's pretty cool".

"And you mentioned you get customers via word of mouth? Can you handle more work?"

"Yeah I could probably double the amount of work I'm doing now".

"I bet you could triple your profits though. When you get more leads, you can increase your rates, and combing that with a full schedule will really help. Let's manage your social media, advertising, marketing, and email systems. All while building you a website that takes care of everything automatically so all you do is grow the business. How does that sound?"

"Wow....how much?"

"$3,000 and a monthly charge of $250 a month"

"Wow, I was really hoping for something more like $750 maybe $1000. That's too much"

"Let's spread things out monthly so you see some results and there's less commitment. You're probably worried about just paying all that money and it not working out right?"

"Yeah"

"If we couldn't double your business I would say it's too much too. Fortunately it's going to knock things out of the park for you so it's not too much. Face it, if you aren't online in the year 2019, you're irrelevant to almost all people who are actively looking for your services. You're doing yourself a disservice by hiding from them. How about we start the ball rolling for $1250 upfront and the rest comes later? Just regular monthly payments and once we are managing your marketing and are done with the site, there's no commitment. We know we can produce for you"

"Okay that sounds good".

That's your justification.

Spend 3 hours building a website with wordpress, divi, and a premade template. Manage his social media, make some ads for him. Don't turn over control until he's paid you.

 

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[Johnny boy]

I guess a straightforward way to answer your question would go like this....

"Why does my business need an online presence?"

"Are you getting enough business to satisfy your goals and ambitions?"

"Yes"

"Okay have a nice day"


or....

"No"

"Okay.....and how do you think the vast, vast, VAST majority of people find (insert industry)?"

"They search online"

"That they most definitely do. And do they find YOU?"

"No"

"No they do not. That's right. They find someone else. Someone named Bob or Suzie. Do you like letting Bob and Suzie steal your customers?"

"No"

"No...Fvck Bob and fvck Suzie. They're the enemy. I want to help you destory Bob and Suzie. And here's how we do that...."

 

[Jcoil]

Okay let's use an example.

*ring ring*

"Hello this is Johnny boy from Big Balls web design. How can I help you today"

"Hi, how much do you charge for a website?"

"Haha well how much does a car cost. Depends on if you're buying a used toyota or a new mercedes right? Tell me a little about your business."

"It's a plumbing company. We just need a website. How much do you charge for that?"

"Ah so just a simple website with a couple of pages and an easy way to contact you? That's pretty easy. Of course we'll spend time making it as good as any other plumbing website that people have paid tens of thousands for, but it's nothing we can't handle. And are you going to want something that you can edit yourself or that we can edit and manage for you? We can set it up either way depending on what you're looking for. We want to make it as smooth as possible for you to run your business"

"I want to do it myself. How much?"

"Awesome. We can customize how we build it and even give you some help on doing it yourself so whenever there's an update to your business, you can manage it easily in a matter of minutes. We'll have to build that functionality in. It can take some extra time, but no worries. Also, how are you getting people to this site once it's built?"

"I don't really know".

"We manage marketing for our clients as well. A website is worthless if there's no one to see it. How do you get your customers now?"

"Word of mouth"

"And they just give you a call?"

"Yeah"

"Do you ever lose track of customers when they call randomly or at bad times?"

"Yeah"

"We can actually set you up with an automated response system that sends customers a link to your website via text. And on the website, it collects their information and sends them an automated email giving them more information. We can make sure all of your leads are easily managed so you never lose them again, and especially as you grow in size. It all happens without you lifting a finger, and at all hours of the day. It's all about saving time right?"

"Wow. That's pretty cool".

"And you mentioned you get customers via word of mouth? Can you handle more work?"

"Yeah I could probably double the amount of work I'm doing now".

"I bet you could triple your profits though. When you get more leads, you can increase your rates, and combing that with a full schedule will really help. Let's manage your social media, advertising, marketing, and email systems. All while building you a website that takes care of everything automatically so all you do is grow the business. How does that sound?"

"Wow....how much?"

"$3,000 and a monthly charge of $250 a month"

"Wow, I was really hoping for something more like $750 maybe $1000. That's too much"

"Let's spread things out monthly so you see some results and there's less commitment. You're probably worried about just paying all that money and it not working out right?"

"Yeah"

"If we couldn't double your business I would say it's too much too. Fortunately it's going to knock things out of the park for you so it's not too much. Face it, if you aren't online in the year 2019, you're irrelevant to almost all people who are actively looking for your services. You're doing yourself a disservice by hiding from them. How about we start the ball rolling for $1250 upfront and the rest comes later? Just regular monthly payments and once we are managing your marketing and are done with the site, there's no commitment. We know we can produce for you"

"Okay that sounds good".

That's your justification.

Spend 3 hours building a website with wordpress, divi, and a premade template. Manage his social media, make some ads for him. Don't turn over control until he's paid you.

This example really helps illustrate how it could be done,

I guess a straightforward way to answer your question would go like this....

"Why does my business need an online presence?"

"Are you getting enough business to satisfy your goals and ambitions?"

"Yes"

"Okay have a nice day"


or....

"No"

"Okay.....and how do you think the vast, vast, VAST majority of people find (insert industry)?"

"They search online"

"That they most definitely do. And do they find YOU?"

"No"

"No they do not. That's right. They find someone else. Someone named Bob or Suzie. Do you like letting Bob and Suzie steal your customers?"

"No"

"No...Fvck Bob and fvck Suzie. They're the enemy. I want to help you destory Bob and Suzie. And here's how we do that...."

and this more generalized example really showcases a broad approach. Thanks for takign the time to really spell it out for me. I appreciate it greatly.

If i'm being honest, one of my big fears is sales. Kind of a big hurdle to get over if I'm taking the entrepreneur route. With this to go on, and persistence i'm pretty sure I can get over that fear, or at the very least deal with it.

 

[Johnny boy]

If i'm being honest, one of my big fears is sales. Kind of a big hurdle to get over if I'm taking the entrepreneur route. With this to go on, and persistence i'm pretty sure I can get over that fear, or at the very least deal with it.

Sales is about stating the obvious and getting rid of non-believers. I've never lost a sale. I just found out they were a time waster.

You should be finding reasons these people aren't good enough to work with you. If you have lots of leads you'll find sales is easy. Let the nuts hang my man.

 

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[Boab]

You should be finding reasons these people aren't good enough to work with you. If you have lots of leads you'll find sales is easy. Let the nuts hang my man.

I like you style Johnny

 

[Bekit]

I guess my issue is, how do I create a concrete justification for a flat rate? Say I charge 5000, what sort of things can I tell a client that will justify in their mind that it is a sound business decision.

This sounds like you are not quite sure that charging money is a legitimate thing to do.

I'm not sure that you have justified it, even to yourself.

If you're asking this question, you're looking at this more from a consumer mindset ("I would be horrified if someone charged ME that much!") rather than a value producer's mindset.

Will a $5000 website add $5000 or more to a business's bottom line? Yes, for almost any business. Even the small ones. It may take them a couple of months to see that turnaround, but the answer is yes.

But right now, it's almost like you're talking yourself out of the reasons why someone should buy your own service.

That needs to shift.

If your brain is hurling objections at you, take a moment to write down a watertight comeback for every objection your brain raises. Then, when you hear these objections from your potential clients, you'll be prepared with answers that keep them listening.

Otherwise, you'll be hemming and hawing and talking them out of buying from you by your sheer lack of confidence in your offer.

This weekend, we were driving home from the airport. My husband, my sister and me were all hungry. We googled which restaurants were along our route.

This one Salvadoran restaurant came up on the map, with 72 reviews, 4.5 stars, and people saying it was the best carnitas they had ever eaten.

I wanted to go.

But guess what? No website.

So there's no menu, no prices, and no way to know if this is more like a sit down place or more like a tortilleria/ convenience store with a counter where they're handing over the food in styrofoam containers.

Plus, it's 1.5 miles off the interstate on an exit that's otherwise devoid of all life.

So we go to Panda Express instead.


It doesn't take much imagination to forecast how much business that restaurant could bring in, being close to a major international airport, if they just had a website.

Tell a story like this to your prospective clients. They'll understand.

If i'm being honest, one of my big fears is sales.

Not knowing how to sell is the #1 thing that will hold you back from reaching your goals. Go to the library and check out a few books on sales. Read them. Internalize what it means to sell. Practice what they tell you. If you aren't picking it up on your own, apply for one of those jobs where you go door to door selling something. The company will train you on the methods of how to do this, and you'll be set.

 

[Jcoil]

But right now, it's almost like you're talking yourself out of the reasons why someone should buy your own service.

That needs to shift.

If your brain is hurling objections at you, take a moment to write down a watertight comeback for every objection your brain raises. Then, when you hear these objections from your potential clients, you'll be prepared with answers that keep them listening.

This is superb advice. I'm going to write down these objections, first convince myself of the comeback, and then when I'm on a sales call, I can keep it handy to use.

This weekend, we were driving home from the airport. My husband, my sister and me were all hungry. We googled which restaurants were along our route.

This one Salvadoran restaurant came up on the map, with 72 reviews, 4.5 stars, and people saying it was the best carnitas they had ever eaten.

I wanted to go.

But guess what? No website.

So there's no menu, no prices, and no way to know if this is more like a sit down place or more like a tortilleria/ convenience store with a counter where they're handing over the food in styrofoam containers.

Plus, it's 1.5 miles off the interstate on an exit that's otherwise devoid of all life.

So we go to Panda Express instead.


It doesn't take much imagination to forecast how much business that restaurant could bring in, being close to a major international airport, if they just had a website.

Tell a story like this to your prospective clients. They'll understand.

This is a great anecdote. If i'm thinking of ways I would be convinced, hearing a story like this would sway me.

Not knowing how to sell is the #1 thing that will hold you back from reaching your goals. Go to the library and check out a few books on sales. Read them. Internalize what it means to sell. Practice what they tell you. If you aren't picking it up on your own, apply for one of those jobs where you go door to door selling something. The company will train you on the methods of how to do this, and you'll be set.

You post is full of stellar advice. I'm going to research what books I should check out, but I'm also wondering if you have any specific ones in mind that would be worth reading?

 

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[Bekit]

A few of the top ones I've read:
The Ultimate Sales Machine
Influence by Robert Cialdini

ETA:
You probably won't get everything you need from just one or two books. Since sales doesn't come naturally to you, I'd soak in a number of sales books over the next year or so. You'll gradually absorb more and more of the mentality of selling.

I'd also say that PRACTICE and putting yourself out there should go hand in hand with reading. It's easy to read a book and give mental assent to everything it's saying. It's not easy to actually face your fears and talk to people. Only by talking to people will you deeply internalize what works and what doesn't work. This is why I suggest working in a sales job for a year or two.

Sales is a learnable skill, so you'll get there!

 

[Jcoil]

The Ultimate Sales Machine
Influence by Robert Cialdini

Thanks for the recommendations!

Only by talking to people will you deeply internalize what works and what doesn't work. This is why I suggest working in a sales job for a year or two.

Sales is a learnable skill, so you'll get there!

Right now I'm in school full time, so I won't be able to work in sales for at least a couple years. But in the meantime I am definitely going to practice calling people and trying to sell.

 

[Bekit]

Oh wow! #applause
You're getting started early!
Way to go!!!

Oh, another good book on this topic is "Thou Shall Prosper" by Daniel Lapin. It'll set you free from the suspicion that you're doing something wrong by charging money in business.

 

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[Jcoil]

Oh wow! #applause
You're getting started early!
Way to go!!!

Oh, another good book on this topic is "Thou Shall Prosper" by Daniel Lapin. It'll set you free from the suspicion that you're doing something wrong by charging money in business.

Thanks!

By the way, I have a couple audible credits kicking around, do you think these books make good audiobooks? I know sometimes it can be better to have a physical copy with books packed with information so you can mark pages to resist, but I tend to have more availability to listen to audiobooks.

 

[Bekit]

Thanks!

By the way, I have a couple audible credits kicking around, do you think these books make good audiobooks? I know sometimes it can be better to have a physical copy with books packed with information so you can mark pages to resist, but I tend to have more availability to listen to audiobooks.

Yeah, audiobooks will work great! And then if you find yourself wanting a physical copy of some of them later, you'll already know which ones you find especially informative and helpful.