WebMasters Only

[Jeffery]

Digital Greetings WebMaster,

Just want to share a little money making tip that I used when I originally joined the WF in 2004. With this tip I have built a long list of clients that I work for today. That is..

Rebuild Warrior's Websites!

This is all too easy.

1. Scour the forum member's signatures that link to their website.
2. Determine if you can do it better.
3. Do it better!

Next, Private Message the member and explain that you rebuilt their website and ask them to take a look. If they like it and want it.. sell! Keep the price low because you are a Warrior helping another Warrior!

Who knows, you might make a friend and a client at the same time.

Jeffery 100% :-)

P.S. Don't SPAM! Keep the Private Message to one send and only one send!!

[Mark Brian]

Good tip for designers. I just have a question, what is an acceptable (or other warriors) low price for a better/improved design?

[entrepenerd]

Originally Posted by Jeffery

Digital Greetings WebMaster,

Just want to share a little money making tip that I used when I originally joined the WF in 2004. With this tip I have built a long list of clients that I work for today. That is..

Rebuild Warrior's Websites!

This is all too easy.

1. Scour the forum member's signatures that link to their website.
2. Determine if you can do it better.
3. Do it better!

Next, Private Message the member and explain that you rebuilt their website and ask them to take a look. If they like it and want it.. sell! Keep the price low because you are a Warrior helping another Warrior!

Who knows, you might make a friend and a client at the same time.

Jeffery 100% :-)

P.S. Don't SPAM! Keep the Private Message to one send and only one send!!

Thanks Jeffrey,

One note I would add though is to use this only if you are a new web designer that doesn't have a portfolio or are really in need of new business. Doing "speculative" work like this can really bring down the value of your work. Another approach that doesn't have this same negative impact on value is to find Warrior sites that you "can" rebuild better, and then contact the Warrior with a friendly note that explains how you would improve their site (be specific) and provide them a link to some examples from your portfolio. An even better approach would be to create a video review of their site that explains what is currently wrong and how you would change it. Then send a link to the video to the Warrior with a link to your portfolio examples.

[Chris Cavalli]

Good tip for people who would like to go that route.

You can also build a nice JV relationship with the right people doing this as well.

[ruchirkc]

Hmm, that's a nice tip for new designers looking for some work...

[MizzCindy]

Good tips here, however, a word of caution is in order.

Be gentle when making these approaches. Many folks are very emotionally tied to their sites...their babies! If you swagger in with guns ablazing you may alienate the very potential customer you're trying to win over.

I've seen this tactic backfire and I've seen it succeed. The success/failure almost always had to do with the communication factor. So be gentle. :-)

Cindy

[jensrsa]

Well, hopefully they will do it on other forms and not here.

We currently have over 1200 people online and over 5000 active members.

Imagine if only a portion of those start bugging members with their services - you say web design but it applies to anything (we all think our services are great and people need it)

Sorry, bad idea.

Read Big Mike's post: Don’t Tell Me How To Run My Business!

Jens

[Jeffery]

Yes, you must be gentle when you approach another webmaster. Webmasters are usually professionals. However, there are many business persons that are not webmasters and they would love to have their site touched up. A good business person never turns down a fair opportunity to improve their business.

Portfolio wise, my own method is to illustrate my own talent incorporated into the site and contact the owner. To throw up a portfolio and wait for customers is a difficult method to earn a consistent income. After all, one person can only do so much. Once word gets around that you are a honest and talented webmaster others will follow.

A fair offer is always.. fair. The worse that can happen is the offer is turned down. It happens. Its business.

Illustrating a website is very different from telling someone how to run their business! How you choose to run your business and how you choose to publish it are two different animals.

Jeffery 100% :-)

[sparrow]

I don't know about that technique, back then the warrior forum was young you could get away with things like that back then.

But today, if you start approaching people by pm eventually this stuff is not going to be tolerated. Espeically if you come out of no where.

I think your threading on thin ice with that approach.

Ed

[jensrsa]

The WF offers you the opportunity to post, signatures to advertise, WSO, Classified ads, blogs to say your say.

I'd say there's enough opportunity to promote what you have to offer without spamming the PMs.

I see promoting one's business the way that is suggested as an abuse of the PM system.

Jens

[Barbara Eyre]

I have taken a twist to this idea.

I frequently load products for clients' sites (online stores). I have to use wholesale/drop shippers sites to grab images and such (naturally, with the vendor's permission!).

I end up contacting the vendor and re-doing their website cause it was not user friendly for their wholesalers, whether they were online or offline. Product descriptions were poor, images were poor, broken scripts, etc.

Although, I do end up seeing these products more than once LOL. Tedious, boring, but $$$

[eprenuer]

I'm saving this one. Good work!

[Jeffery]

Originally Posted by Barbara Eyre

I have taken a twist to this idea.

I frequently load products for clients' sites (online stores). I have to use wholesale/drop shippers sites to grab images and such (naturally, with the vendor's permission!).

I end up contacting the vendor and re-doing their website cause it was not user friendly for their wholesalers, whether they were online or offline. Product descriptions were poor, images were poor, broken scripts, etc.

Although, I do end up seeing these products more than once LOL. Tedious, boring, but $$$

There you go :-)

[dv8]

This can go both ways. Good idea in general.

But it may give your potential client the notion that you aren't that good. If you were so good at websites, then you wouldn't have time to look at others sites for free and then spend more time redoing it in hopes that they will pay for it.

[Jeffery]

Louis,

Yes, it can be a tricky one and leans a bit on the spam side of things. I should have said I was already friends with folks before I contacted them. I know if I contacted you and said hey check this out.. you would be ok with it because we rub elbows here on the forum.

All others tinking about this,

So, as I said in my original post (P.S) watch the spam thing AND I will add here .. it is best to get to know folks and contribute to the forum before you get tagged as a spammer.

Jeffery 100% :-)

[tommygadget]

As someone pointed out, there are many avenues to get the word out, especially in your sig. Sending unsolicited PMs is spamming the forum members. Having a sig. line like this: "Is your website optimized for maximum sales? Take our free test to see..." or something like that will get people to check your services out without forum PM spam. Most of us know if our websites suck. OOPS, I said suck again...

TomG.

[Jeffery]

Originally Posted by dv8

This can go both ways. Good idea in general.

But it may give your potential client the notion that you aren't that good. If you were so good at websites, then you wouldn't have time to look at others sites for free and then spend more time redoing it in hopes that they will pay for it.

True in some ways as there is always another side to every coin. Can't argue with that and I don't want to argue.

The "Do It Better" comment means the WebMaster actually re-creates the site and shows the person the end product. That in itself shows how good or bad you are.

To not look at other people's sites is just plain bad advise! Do you know who you comeptitors are and are you up to todays's standards? No you are not if you do not look at other people's sites.

This is a business forum and much of the business is WebMaster work, Graphics, Copy, etc. The idea is you are not limited to your own resources like brick-and-mortar store. You are part of a much bigger market. We WebMasters call it the World Wide Web. We Internet Marketers call it the Warrior Forum.

Jeffery 100% :-)

[Jeffery]

Originally Posted by tommygadget

As someone pointed out, there are many avenues to get the word out, especially in your sig. Sending unsolicited PMs is spamming the forum members. Having a sig. line like this: "Is your website optimized for maximum sales? Take our free test to see..." or something like that will get people to check your services out without forum PM spam. Most of us know if our websites suck. OOPS, I said suck again...

TomG.

"Most of us know if our websites suck. OOPS, I said suck again..." Good one :-)

Yes, you are right and I posted that other people that said the very same thing you did are also right.

I'll say it again Tom "You are right!"

Here is an idea. The new forum now allows for creating groups and blogs. Maybe a WebMaster could create a group or maybe a blog - maybe both. Then the WebMaster could start a thread and offer to redo a few sites to start a portfolio on this very forum. A portfolio was suggested earlier, but it was a off-forum portfolio, and this idea is to keep it in-house where it would be more beneficial to everyone? The benifits are Warriors that need a little help get the help and an up and coming WebMaster without a client base can get his/her feet wet.

What you think? Better than private mailing folks like the old days?

Jeffery 100% :-)

[tommygadget]

Jeffery,

The new forum has a blog feature. You can easily write a few posts about how you revamp customers' websites. Surely that will drum up sales and recognition as people read your blog here.

TomG.

[Jeffery]

Originally Posted by tommygadget

Jeffery,

The new forum has a blog feature. You can easily write a few posts about how you revamp customers' websites. Surely that will drum up sales and recognition as people read your blog here.

TomG.

LOL, we are repeating each other again. WebMasters may very well be the smartest people on the planet, LOL.

Heck Tom, maybe you and I should start a group because we think alike?

Jeffery 100% :-)

[tommygadget]

Oh yes, I see you beat me to the punch with the blog thing. Well, I think you should use it for exactly the purpose you suggested.

TomG.

PS - what would we call the group? on second thought, don't answer that!

[Jeffery]

Originally Posted by tommygadget

Oh yes, I see you beat me to the punch with the blog thing. Well, I think you should use it for exactly the purpose you suggested.

TomG.

PS - what would we call the group? on second thought, don't answer that!

LOL @

PS - what would we call the group? on second thought, don't answer that!

Funny you should ask. After the post, I actually searched for SmartestWebmastersOnThePlanet.com and variations, SmartestWebmastersOnTheForum.com. :-)

Jeffery 100% :-)