Offline Gurus - I've got my first appointment tomorrow - Any Advice

[jbreezy]

Hey guys..I've got my first meeting tomorrow with a local barbershop. They are a relatively new place and sent me a direct mail postcard for a free haircut. The guys a pretty good marketer for what I can tell. So I called him up, told him what I do and then set up an appt.

Here's my background.

I can design websites. I don't have a portfolio for offline stuff. I know how to sell and ask for the sale.

Here's my Preparation.

I have a 3 ring binder with with pieces of paper printed out that boasts about email marketing.

From there I'm just going to wing it I guess. But I have some basic questions.

1. Should I bring my laptop to show him a site with optin forms etc.

2. How much should I charge. I thought about shooting him a 500-600 dollar quote for a basic site and autosresponder and charging him a 15 dollar monthly fee for maintainence. I know that's low..but dudes a start up barber with I'm sure low cash reserves.

3. Any Hot buttons I should touch on in my presentation?

Thanks. Look forward to hearing your replies!

[AndyCamden]

I like that you are taking action.

1. Bring the Laptop for sure just in case he is not familiar with internet marketing.

2. That's probably the right price but you need to sell him on the benefits and convince him that the investment is worth the cash.

3. Benefits of email marketing and keeping in touch with his clients. Offering them discounts on haircuts and products. Benefits of getting him to be #1 in the google search engine. If you can get some real numbers using wordtracker, then show him those. Make sure that he understands that if he doesn't get a website up in 2009, he will be leaving massive money on the table!

Let us know how it goes and remember you are doing more than most people on these boards are doing!

[FoodForThought]

Become a person/man of value...give value.....What r you going to give your client for opting into the website. A free report or a ebook, video, cd free haircut or wash or what? eg only.

Your product is not the business

Your the product. (The barber)

[jbreezy]

Good ideas guys. I'll keep you guys posted.

[RevenueRabbi]

You might want to find a smiliar type of site of a barber anywhere in the world and show him that this is what you can do for him... only better...

[jan roos]

I go in without anything. No binder, no laptop just myself and I start talking about how we can build the customer a list of targeted buyers, build relationships with them and market to them for years to come.Thats all they need to hire you. Trust me
Just be confident and thats about it. Its actually a walk in the park once you get the appointment. Getting the appointment is the hardest part in my opinion.




Cheers

[Keith Boisvert]

Originally Posted by jan roos

I go in without anything. No binder, no laptop just myself and I start talking about how we can build the customer a list of targeted buyers, build relationships with them and market to them for years to come.Thats all they need to hire you. Trust me
Just be confident and thats about it. Its actually a walk in the park once you get the appointment. Getting the appointment is the hardest part in my opinion.
Cheers

Agreed. I always do my research before going in for the first time. I go in with a notebook, but that is more for taking notes to document what we talk about.

My research includes looking at similar businesses and how they use the internet and marketing so I am understanding the owner when we talk. I usually have a further meeting where I will really dig in deep with my plans, show what I am going to do etc(3 ring binder). But for the first meeting as stated, YOU are the product. You need to sell yourself and have the owner feel comfortable with you.

I know others feel that this is where you hard sell, but to me the 1st meeting is where you sell yourself first, and the rest automatically.

You want to sound knowledgeable but not conceited, you want to listen more than talk. Most owners will not know what they want so you may have to ask pointed questions that get them to open up. You can explain the systems and technology available today, but dumb it down so that a 5th grader can understand it.

Trust me, once you get the owner talking about his business (with input from you about how others are marketing themselves(research)) then you got him. Owner love to talk about their business. They might not have a clue on what to do or how to do it, which is fine, that is your job. You need to explain the possibilities and as you do they will keep feeding you info that can help you help them.

It's hard to come up with a preset list of questions as each business and owner are different. The best thing is to is to listen. Get them talking first, to help open up the lines of communication. Then explain what you do without sounding like a complete tech geek, then at that point you both are talking WITH each other and the ideas will flow.

BE friendly! Never put down anyone or any site. Some owners that have sites that may suck had those sites designed by friends and/or family members. Never tell them their site is bad. Never talk bad about anyone in town or other designers, you do not know who knows who in town.

Be confident in yourself. There might be questions you do not have the answers to. Don't bull**** them. People can see right through it. Be honest. You can say what you do know but will find out.

And lastly, I like to take notes. It helps me remember what we discuss, and it shows the owner you are prepared and care enough about what you two are talking about to write it down.

Anyway, that is what I do, maybe you find some tidbit of helpful info. Of course every person is different, so ultimately you must do what feels comfortable for you. The more you do the easier it gets and you will develop your own style.

keith

[Andrei Rotariu]

I need some extra cash during the holiday period and was thinking of asking a couple of the business owners i know if they want me to market their sites but... I was a little worried that they might ask to see my own personal site. Have any of you had this before?

I can set up a blog within minutes, but thats not really where i want to go with it. i just kind of want to make some extra cash for the holidays.

p.s. I would go in and be yourself. If that means laptop in hand, than so be it. remember that people are excited by visual senses and makes it real for them.

[GoGetta]

Congrats Jbreezy, Go Get 'Em!

My advice would be to completely forget about selling and enjoy yourself!

Go in and ask questions and just have a good laugh with the business owner and build a little rapport. Enjoy yourself!

Secondly as for what to price, I would ask what he is currently doing in regards to advertising and company promotion so far and what he's paying if you get the opportunity. Then you can work out what to charge!

I honestly wouldn't go in thinking, I am going to charge this or this! I would go in with an open mind and match it to his spending. Do not undercut yourself though!

This maybe a little different from other peoples advice and you may get told to go in and charge thousands but I would play it by ear and work out yourself what to charge when you are in there and talking.

The best advice I can give is:

Listen more than you talk, get excited about what you do and show a little passion and just enjoy yourself! Do this and this deal will close itself without you realizing!

Good Luck!

GoGetta

[absolutelee]

I sold face to face for a decade. Here's what you need to do to be prepared. Have about five simple open-ended questions you can ask the guy. Simple stuff. Also, stuff that doesn't back him in a corner "egowise". (Make him feel like he's the offline idiot.) These open-ended questions will get him talking, but will allow you to control the flow of the conversation. Important thing...you ask the question, then shut up! Let him talk as long as he wants to. You just sit there and make a few notes.

Questions could be something as simple as...what kinds of marketing are you doing, how do you market your busienss, what do you think about getting some of your marketing online, etc. That sort of thing.

Once he's answered all the questions, you use his answers to structure what you're telling him about his service.

For instance, if he says he wants to get online because he noticed that two of his competitors are online, then when you're talking about the benefits of having an email list, you would say something like..."your competitors may be online, but they probably don't know what to do with their web presence. With an email list...blah, blah, blah".

For a close, you could say something like, "when do you want me to get started?"

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by GoinDeep

I need some extra cash during the holiday period and was thinking of asking a couple of the business owners i know if they want me to market their sites but... I was a little worried that they might ask to see my own personal site. Have any of you had this before?

I can set up a blog within minutes, but thats not really where i want to go with it. i just kind of want to make some extra cash for the holidays.

p.s. I would go in and be yourself. If that means laptop in hand, than so be it. remember that people are excited by visual senses and makes it real for them.

One way to answer this question is to use humor. I usually poke fun at myself by bringing up the fable about the shoemaker's kids going barefoot.

You've been so busy working on other projects, you haven't gotten around to building your own site yet...

Originally Posted by GoGetta

Congrats Jbreezy, Go Get 'Em!

My advice would be to completely forget about selling and enjoy yourself!

Go in and ask questions and just have a good laugh with the business owner and build a little rapport. Enjoy yourself!

Secondly as for what to price, I would ask what he is currently doing in regards to advertising and company promotion so far and what he's paying if you get the opportunity. Then you can work out what to charge!

I honestly wouldn't go in thinking, I am going to charge this or this! I would go in with an open mind and match it to his spending. Do not undercut yourself though!

This maybe a little different from other peoples advice and you may get told to go in and charge thousands but I would play it by ear and work out yourself what to charge when you are in there and talking.

The best advice I can give is:

Listen more than you talk, get excited about what you do and show a little passion and just enjoy yourself! Do this and this deal will close itself without you realizing!

Good Luck!

GoGetta

This is a big one. When it comes to pricing, it's all about context.

If I'm used to paying $4,000 for a Yellow Pages ad, $2,500 for a newspaper ad, $75 for 30 seconds of radio time, and you come in with $15/mo, I'm going to have a hard time taking you seriously.

If you hit me with a one-time fee of $2,500 + $75-$150 per month, that's what I'm used to paying and it sounds 'right'.

It's along the same lines as online people pitching money-making schemes (scheme=formula or process for doing something, no negative intended).

If you pitch making $10,000 per month to someone who has never made more than $100, you have a long row to hoe because making that much is outside their context. They just don't believe you.

If you pitch making $10,000 per month to someone making $100,000 already, they'll just laugh at you. They can't afford to drop what they're doing and follow you; they can't or won't take the pay cut.

On the other hand, if I'm used to doing all my marketing passing out flyers at the bus stop, $10 classified ads in the Penny Saver and such, your prices are in line with my normal context.

[GoGetta]

^^^^^ Exactly,

Its all about what the business owner is paying already. Some biz owners find that $5000 is fine, others may look at $5000 as there full yeary ad budget!

So listen and ask questions and make a decision depending on what they are already doing.

GoGetta

[sylviad]

GoinDeep...

Setting up a blog is a good idea, but make the max out of it.

Rather than making it a serious site for you, make it as a sample of what you can do for them. Once they see exactly what you're offering, the more comfortable they will feel.

Think of it this way. Just because they have a web site doesn't mean they do any surfing or that they have any idea what other businesses are doing... or what they can do to promote online. They will have a more difficult time grasping what you're telling them.

Samples are an excellent way to demonstrate your offer. So what if you take a half day or whatever? It will benefit you in the end.

Remember, it doesn't even have to be "real" - you can do a fictitious site just to get your point across easily. Also, many people prefer to actually 'see' the physical side of your offer and this is a great way to do it.

If you don't have access to a computer for the presentation, print it out at least.

Also, you might find that the businesses owners aren't doing their own web sites. It might be someone they've hired and they know basically zip about it. So make sure you're talking to the right person... it could be someone in the family who does all the promos or the site for them.

Sylvia

Originally Posted by GoinDeep

I need some extra cash during the holiday period and was thinking of asking a couple of the business owners i know if they want me to market their sites but... I was a little worried that they might ask to see my own personal site. Have any of you had this before?

I can set up a blog within minutes, but thats not really where i want to go with it. i just kind of want to make some extra cash for the holidays.

p.s. I would go in and be yourself. If that means laptop in hand, than so be it. remember that people are excited by visual senses and makes it real for them.

[4morereferrals]

Its actually a walk in the park once you get the appointment. Getting the appointment is the hardest part in my opinion.

Get a good system for setting appointments - its all downhill from there.

[mikemac1]

Congrats on your appointment, I continue to sell to offline business for my 9-5 and do some additional IM on the side. I've literally sold everything from print ads to websites to thousands of small businesses for the last 7 years, so here's some advice...

1) The appointment will NOT go the way you think it will. Sorry, I've been doing this for too many years and too many times and it amazes how different every SALES call goes...

Now the good part...

2) The website sale will be easy, the biz knows they need one, so honestly pay attention, listen more than you talk and ask good questions. Just get them to commit to purchasing a website package from you and move on.

3) As for your laptop, definitely bring it and to be honest, you should have a mock site with their name on it already built. When the time is right show that to them and get them to say what they like and don't like. If you do this you just sold them something.

4) I think your price is high. My $0.02, offer them a site for a lower amount up-front and more for the monthly. Mayber $199 and $50/month. Now they don't need as much cash upfront and the monthly is very manageable (Plus you make more).

FYI, just know that there are very cheap alternatives that they might have already been presented with. Superpages Reps can offer a site package at $9.95/month that's it, no upfront costs. The sites are junk but sometimes price is everything.

5) As for hot buttons...that totally depends on how your conversation goes with the biz owner, you need to find that out.

Here's a tip...and this could involve even something as simple as Google Calender or just a datebook or planner...most people get their haircuts on a routine, i.e. every couple weeks, once a month, etc.

Help them setup a schedule so that everytime someone gets done getting their haircut and is paying, the barber setups their next appoinment.

This is huge and to be honest would be alot more beneficial then sending an email to attract more business with a discounted offer.

1) It will help to establish regular customers
2) Helps them build a list...when every appointment is made, a customer should have to give their email so that the barber could send a reminder a day or two in advance.

When you get the site sold and after you deliver it to them, YOU now have a customer and as long as they receive (or perceive) value, now you have some who will always take your call and listen to all your other ideas.

[jimcal]

Hi,
Since he has a new business, he needs a total marketing program to bring in new clients. Get him some photo business cards with a discount coupon on the back and then post them on boards in gas stations, grocery stores and convenience stores that have boards. A lot of them in my area do. Just a thought to try and drive some clients to him.
Thanks,
Jim

[jerbol]

Something that has always worked well for me is being interested in them as a person. And not just in regards to their business. If I see pictures of them on vacation say on a beach I will chit chat about it. Maybe go something like:
me
"Oh wow thats a pretty beach, where is that?
them
"yea thats down in Florida, my cousin lives down there so we visit when ever we get a chance"
me
"that must be nice! all my family lives here, if they lived somewhere nice like that I might actually visit them"..snikcer a little so they know your joking. In my case I am being serious lol

Ofcourse you can tell when someone isn't in the mood to chit chat or joke around, but I find many people open up and are much warmer when you care about who they are.
I like to B.S. a little and so do a lot of other people. Just feel it out and go with your gut.


Hope it helps.

,Jerry

[Andrei Rotariu]

Yes, go in as if your friends. What is better is to actually go to your friends or family members who are business owners or someone you know through another person who owns a business. I know handful of business owners first hand and im sure most people know more.

The other thing to do is go local. If you live in the suburbs this is perfect. "So i have lived here my whole life, how long have you been here etc?"

[tomw]

First rule of any consultancy is to sell yourself first, your services second.

By the very nature of business consultancy, it involves change. Often very difficult change on the part of the organisation. Just because you get the opportunity to go in and do your thing, never lose sight of the fact that the effects of what you do can have a profound impact on the operations and sytems of the company that you are consulting with.

You need to get buy in from the key decision makers that not only will your services be valuable to them, but also and more importantly that there is a good fit between you and the attitudes and culture of senior management. They also have to believe that you have enough about you to help them make the transition - and often this is only achievable by confronting some pretty rigid processes and people lower down in the organisation.

The good news is that if you sell yourself successfully, there will numerous opportunities to sell countless different services.

Also, before you do any work at all, make sure that you set up ACCOUNTABILITY on both sides by having appropriately AGREED AND SIGNED SLAs (Service Level Agreements).

Good luck with it.

Thomas

[DeontaWalker]

Am looking forward to hearing what happend with this.

[nicholasb]

sell yourself, detach yourself from the outcome. learn from your mistakes, and keep at it.

[Michael Mayo]

Hi jbreezy,

Congrats on the appointment!

One thing I like to do when I visit the prospect is to bring them some thing
such as a Valuable Gift. I don't mean a gift that costs you big bucks to
purchase, what I mean is a gift of value.

Let me explain.

Each of the last few meetings that I've had with prospects went some
thing like this and they all succeeded in gaining the prospect.

When I first arrive I locate the person that I'm to talk with.
Once I locate the person I ask them if it is still a good time to discuss the
info.

I then ask them what type of off line marketing they are presently doing
while taking notes.

After they have finished I then ask them what they expect from marketing
online.

Next I show them a few of their competitors via a print out and explaining
what they are attempting to do.

Then I show them an printed out example of what I believe will help them
to gain the advantage over their competition.

After a few minutes of their asking me more about my thoughts I then say
some thing like...Oh, I almost forgot to give you this(While I'm pulling it
out of my bag). I then give them some thing they can read that will help
them with their Off Line Marketing. It is basically and Off Line Marketing
Guide that I have PLR Rights to.

I tell them that I will create a mock up site so that they can see what
their site might look like before they commit to the deal.

9 out of 10 time they will take the deal after seeing their Business Name
up on the site because they have already been told what everything is
and also seeing hat theirs looks 10 times better than their competitors
site.

They then Thank me, I thank them and It's a done deal.

I typed that pretty fast so I hope you got the jest of what I have done in
the past.

Hope that Helps!

Have a Great Day and Good Luck!
Michael
Back to work now I go!

[jbreezy]

bad news. the guy called and rescheduled. that sucks. anyways, i'm going to get this figured out. I'm just gonna call some more people and get more appts. set.

[Eric Stanley]

Originally Posted by michael-mac

4) I think your price is high. My $0.02, offer them a site for a lower amount up-front and more for the monthly. Mayber $199 and $50/month. Now they don't need as much cash upfront and the monthly is very manageable (Plus you make more).

Garbage in, garbage out. As a business owner I would be thinking what type of crap I was going to get for $199 / $50 a month. Those prices are FAR, FAR too low. It's an absolute shame that the internet is laced with a plethora of make your website for $99 businesses. They should educate their "clients" that they will not have a 'functional' website.

[Michael Mayo]

I Agree.

The past 6 clients I captured all paid more that 2K for what I offered them
and I out sourced most of the work which still left me with a tidy profit for
my future business ventures.

Never sell you self short and never price your self out of the market.
Study you area and see what other people charge for doing what your doing.

If there is no one in the area doing what you do then Your Price can be
higher as long as you can back it up with examples and facts.

If not, then you may have to do a few lower priced jobs to build your
reputation and portfolio for future reference.

Just my .02
Have a Great Day!
Michael

P.S. Even though the guy rescheduled the appointment, look at it as time
for you to get better prepared and then when you meet with them you
will be much more confident in your self

P.P.S. Never sell your services!
It has to be their decision that they want what you have to offer so make it irresistible
because you may not get a second chance with that person.

Originally Posted by Eric Stanley

Garbage in, garbage out. As a business owner I would be thinking what type of crap I was going to get for $199 / $50 a month. Those prices are FAR, FAR too low. It's an absolute shame that the internet is laced with a plethora of make your website for $99 businesses. They should educate their "clients" that they will not have a 'functional' website.

[P_Cerrito]

I've done a lot of b2b sales in the day like the folks above. The info above is great! Each salesperson has a different style which may work for someone else or be disasterous(like me trying to be funny) for the next person haha Anyway, this sale won't make or break you so relax and let him buy. Nudges are ok. haha

I agree with above- have a sample site, have your game on, and all the other good stuff,etc you would expect in a professional.

PS- Something I like to do is invite a prospect to a lunch and offer dutch (we can go dutch if you wish). I let the customer recommend the place and tell him I have a lunch budget and only have a half hour or so

((courtesy time restriction so he doesn't think he's married to you for the rest of the day))

so something quick where we can sit down and eat affordably. The reason I like this when I can do it is- it gives a more friendly environment to open up(do not talk about serious business until the end- get to know the customer). This is just another way and not the only way.

* Also, I am not a big fan of being in the chair across the desk in the same place a new hire would sit while applying for a job. I like to meet on neutral turf if possible. It brings out the best in me.

PSS- I always offer Dutch but I always end up buying.

PSSS- I do dress up to meet a customer but not over dress to the point they feel uncomfortable. haha

PSSSS- I never bring a huge bag or box with sales material- when a prospect see it you can almost see the look on their face-> "like darn this is gonna take all day!" haha

Just having fun...

[Chris Lockwood]

Originally Posted by michael-mac

4) I think your price is high. My $0.02, offer them a site for a lower amount up-front and more for the monthly. Mayber $199 and $50/month. Now they don't need as much cash upfront and the monthly is very manageable (Plus you make more).

Are you freaking kidding us? $199? I wouldn't do anything in this area for that amount. If the prospect is that cheap, let them figure out how to do everything themselves.

[Eric Stanley]

Originally Posted by Chris Lockwood

Are you freaking kidding us? $199? I wouldn't do anything in this area for that amount. If the prospect is that cheap, let them figure out how to do everything themselves.

My sentiments exactly.

[ninja newbie]

Congrats, I'll be looking forward to your updates as this will inspire me to get going with this business model.

Terry

[mikemac1]

How many of you have actually sold a website to a barbershop?

Guess what... I have...

So you don't agree with the $199/$50 - no problem fellas...

But remember JBreezy your sales sales call is with a barbershop!!

The $199/$50 would be an appropriate website solution for a NEW BARBERSHOP!!

Honestly...what new barbershop would start out with a thousand dollar website solution...how can you justify the ROI per 'net' on a monthly basis...the shop's (and your) focus should be getting customers...having a simple website at first would be appropriate then as the business grows you have the opportunity to add more.

Think about long-term success...if you can solve their web solution today and they are happy with that (as I stated previously) you now have a customer for life that you can help grow and solve more of their solutions in the future.

And don't give me this garbage-in, garbage-out crap...how long does it take to make a simple website that is SEO'd for their local market and would be appropriate for a barbershop...maybe two hours? That's including some pics and MAYBE a short video of the barbershop owner introducing themselves (always a nice touch).

Look JBreezy, I'm not trying to sell you a WSO on making millions offline or blogging on random crap, I've managed an internet advertising division for the largest media company in Philadelphia and I currently consult on a monthly basis with 82 small and medium sized businesses around the Philadelphia and South Jersey area so take my advice however YOU want.

[ebookdaddy]

Congrats on your appointment with the Barbershop Owner. I have read many interesting ideas from fellow warriors and most are good. If it where me I would dress casually, meet with the owner on a friendly basis and not try a hard sell. Get to know him and his business and ask questions that will allow him to open up and talk about himself.
We all like to talk about ourselves, especially when there is genuine interest from the person sitting across from us. Definitely bring some examples of what you can do to help him grown his business and try to set your pricing at a reasonable rate. Ask yourself what you would be willing to pay for the services you offer. Do on to other and all that. I think people can tell when someone is trying to take advantage and if you show him you are genuinely interested in helping him grow his business then price will only be secondary.
I also think it’s a good idea to setup a mock site for him so he can have a visual representation of what to expect for his money. Oh, and $199.00 plus $50 a month may not sound like a lot but consider this will be a lifelong customer who will come to you whenever he needs help. So, in the long run you will make much more money than if you nailed him for $2000.00 up front plus your monthly fee.
Well just my two cents worth.

[creative producer]

I am new to the forum and seems like Jbreezy's appointment may have come and gone, but I'll add my thoughts, too, for future readers. I'm no big expert, but here's my chime in:
A) Do research prior-Before the appointment, I'd google him and his business, see what may be out there already, then, google the industry + location to see what his neighborhood competition is doing. Google maps will show a map of his neighborhood. Print out that page and do a little legwork to see what each of the top 5-7 industry/neighborhood competitors are doing online. You may discover that none of them have optin boxes, or that none of them even have websites. Now, you have a great selling point for him AND you have a way to motivate him to take action right away. After all, if he doesn't use you, you can always go to his competition and see if they are interested. Give that analysis or report a name and now you have left him with something of tangible value whether he buys right away or not.
One thing that motivates new businesses to invest in your services is having confidence that you 1) understand their needs, 2) have some understanding of their industry and 3) that working with you may give them some competitive advantage.
B) Ask pre-appointment Questions-Ask him at the time you set it up, "What are the top 3 questions you have about setting up your website?" His answer to that question will give you great clues about how deeply he has thought about it, how tech savy he is (or isn't), even what his hot buttons may be.
C) Listen-As others have said, the key in the beginning is to listen more than you talk. What does he want the website to do for him? What are his goals for the business? Has he seen other websites that he likes? Who created the postcard you got from him? Was that part of a marketing campaign someone else created or did he do it himself? How much did he spend on it? Ask him how that campaign worked for him. How much does he have budgeted for marketing in the first 6-12 months?
How would he like to supplement his direct mail efforts with an online campaign?
D) Give him a sample of your work-Show him how you can create a quick online coupon replicating his direct mail postcard "free haircut" offer with the Google maps coupon tool for free. Now, thanks to you, he has exponentially increased the exposure and range of his marketing campaign for free and you haven't even gotten started yet.
E) Finally, plan on learning from the appointment. Make notes immediately afterward that will help you tighten up your presentation for the next time.
Congratulations for getting out there. I'm eager to hear how the appointment went. -CP

[jatchue]

I'm gonna try a new approach myself.

For businesses who have an existing website, I'm going to visit their website and write up a brief critique of ways it could be improved such as an opt in and autoresponder, more SEO optimization for the local market etc...

I think that this is more personal, and would only take a few minutes to do. More value on the front end to build some trust. I am also creating a 7 day email course on the value of an autoresponder and have them opt in themselves so they can see first hand just how great it could be for their business.

Most offline biz owners might have a hard time understanding just how awesome it is by trying to explain it in words.

Just a thought, let you know how it works in the real world.

[haridasz]

I would go for bigger ticket clients.
A barber shop (especially a start up) seems
to be a bit risky.

Just my 2 cents!

hari

[jbreezy]

the douche bag barber kept canceling on me but I have landed a few clients since then.

[rlnorthcutt]

I have put together a web system specifically designed for small businesses based on the offline/cash cow concept.

I am waiting for a WSO offering free training to be approved, but the goal is to setup a network of independent developers and internet marketers that can work together and share referrals.

There is a free webinar tomorrow to discuss the system and I will show you exactly how I do things and give everyone the opportunity to ask direct questions.

Use this link to sign up for the webinar, or to get access to the video if you can't make it:
Free Intro Webinar | 4500 Percent

[AndrewCavanagh]

The biggest key is in ASKING QUESTIONS.

You want to find out where the major turnover and profits of the business are coming from.

You also want to find out what the business owner wants out of his business.

Then you start suggesting customized solutions to increase the sales and profits of the business and help the business owner get what he wants.

You keep suggesting ideas until you hit on one the business owner gets excited about and you run with that idea.


For a barber there are a couple of things:

# 1: Can they raise their prices?

My barber was charging $10 for a basic hair cut.

I told him to try increasing that price to $14 and see what happens.

Increased his turnover by 40% overnight and no one complained.

Now I get to pay an extra $4 for a haircut!

I should have kept my mouth shut.


# 2: Can you get people to come in more often for a hair cut?

You could have an email notification list that tells people they might be due for a haircut and encourage them to get it done slightly more often.

You may even have a special deal.

If every client at a barbers gets his haircut every 3 weeks instead of every 4 weeks that's a MASSIVE increase in turnover.


# 3: Can the barber offer other products and services to his existing clients?

When you're getting your hair cut with a barber you're a captive audience for 10-30 minutes.

The barber can tell you you should be on an email list to get special offers and deals and he can cross promote the products and services of his clients.

etc etc.

Barbers are interesting because many business owners go to a local barber...it's a meeting place of men where they're often more open and relaxed (because there are no women around).

It may sound sexist but it is true.

I've seen a lot of business deals done or initiated at a local barbershop.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

[Michael Mayo]

Hi Andrew,
You took the words right out of my mouth!

Thank you for saving me the time typing that reply...lol
I couldn't have said it better myself and I agree with you 110%

Have a Great Day/Night!
Michael

Originally Posted by AndrewCavanagh

The biggest key is in ASKING QUESTIONS.

You want to find out where the major turnover and profits of the business are coming from.

You also want to find out what the business owner wants out of his business.

Then you start suggesting customized solutions to increase the sales and profits of the business and help the business owner get what he wants.

You keep suggesting ideas until you hit on one the business owner gets excited about and you run with that idea.


For a barber there are a couple of things:

# 1: Can they raise their prices?

My barber was charging $10 for a basic hair cut.

I told him to try increasing that price to $14 and see what happens.

Increased his turnover by 40% overnight and no one complained.

Now I get to pay an extra $4 for a haircut!

I should have kept my mouth shut.


# 2: Can you get people to come in more often for a hair cut?

You could have an email notification list that tells people they might be due for a haircut and encourage them to get it done slightly more often.

You may even have a special deal.

If every client at a barbers gets his haircut every 3 weeks instead of every 4 weeks that's a MASSIVE increase in turnover.


# 3: Can the barber offer other products and services to his existing clients?

When you're getting your hair cut with a barber you're a captive audience for 10-30 minutes.

The barber can tell you you should be on an email list to get special offers and deals and he can cross promote the products and services of his clients.

etc etc.

Barbers are interesting because many business owners go to a local barber...it's a meeting place of men where they're often more open and relaxed (because there are no women around).

It may sound sexist but it is true.

I've seen a lot of business deals done or initiated at a local barbershop.

Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh

[david-forer]

I reckon its sort of the wild wild west out there. No real rules of engagement and no concrete pricing structure. I work with a company that won't charge less than 15k for a website. They sell plenty but someone down the street maybe willing to pay 1500. The key is gaining the trust od the client first. IF THEY TRUST YOU THEY WILL FOLLOW YOU! the next part is determining what the budget is and going from there. Once you have that then you can close. Heres a simple inoffensive way to close the deal. Do you believe I understand your concerns? Do you think I have the expertise to handle your problems effectively? would you like my help?
If you asked enough questions they will say yes to all three and you can get the check good luck

[rlnorthcutt]

I have found that price is relative to your market, and often to the (implied) amount of work involved.

The sweet spot for me has been around the $1500-2000 mark while aiming for the typical local business. I do this by offering a website package that I know will take about 15 hours (including consultation) to complete.

Then I have a suite up upsell services and products that can be added on if it makes sense. Once I get them as a client, its alot easier to keep selling them the stuff they need.

As a custom developer, I have also done $15k projects.. but these usually take a longer time and are much more complex. I agree that you set your own prices and should charge what you can, but taking care of your clients also means giving them a good deal... referrals from happy clients are usually pre-sold.

I think the smart money is on having a basic system that is reproducible and relatively easy to get going... which is why I created the 4500% system.

Complex/custom sites can be fun, but can also easily spiral out of control in terms of expectation and cost. Once you start to go over budget, clients can get nasty.

You can visit my newish site 4500percent.com to see what packages I am offering, and use that to help. You can also sign up for the free training I am offering for WF (see sig).

Above all, focus on creating a system that you can easily replicate WITHOUT sacrificing quality. It will increase your income per hour, keep your clients totally impressed and really make your business boom!

regards,
Ron

[VegasVince]

Originally Posted by jbreezy

Hey guys..I've got my first meeting tomorrow with a local barbershop. They are a relatively new place and sent me a direct mail postcard for a free haircut. The guys a pretty good marketer for what I can tell. So I called him up, told him what I do and then set up an appt.

Here's my background.

I can design websites. I don't have a portfolio for offline stuff. I know how to sell and ask for the sale.

Here's my Preparation.

I have a 3 ring binder with with pieces of paper printed out that boasts about email marketing.

From there I'm just going to wing it I guess. But I have some basic questions.

1. Should I bring my laptop to show him a site with optin forms etc.

2. How much should I charge. I thought about shooting him a 500-600 dollar quote for a basic site and autosresponder and charging him a 15 dollar monthly fee for maintainence. I know that's low..but dudes a start up barber with I'm sure low cash reserves.

3. Any Hot buttons I should touch on in my presentation?

Thanks. Look forward to hearing your replies!

1. SHOW HIM THE FRIGGIN' MONEY!!!!!!!!!

Never forget there is only one reason a business hires a consultant.....and that reason is very simple: It aint your warm and fuzzy personality....a business wants MORE MONEY! PERIOD. END OF FRIGGIN' STORY. Anything else...is fairy tales and little elves and green men! MONEY IS THE ONLY REASON SOMEONE CUTS A CHECK!

So show him the money. Or show him the money he's losing or leaving on the table because of this or that....no lead capture...no site...no search engine presence etc.

2. SHOW HIM THE COMPETITION...IN HIS NICHE. Show him how so and so down the block is kicking his ass!

Cuz sometimes the best way "to show them the money" is to show them the money they are giving up...to the competition! Capiche!

3. Do not complicate this stuff. It's not hard. Do not go in with some bull**** canned presentation cuz you don't have to! Offline marketing done correctly does NOT require you to come off like the typical salesperson filled with facts and figures and this and that.

Do your job...and show him the cash. That's all you have to do. It's that friggin' simple. No manifesto needed. And remember..anything he needs done you'se can do! Cuz if you can't do it....you can find someone who can do it for you.




xxx Vegas Vince
Legend.

[toushay]

All the best !

[daleshorse]

I like to treat the 1st appointment like a 1st date, I want to find out if I actually want to be around the person, then see if we can work together so both of us get something of value out of a continuing partnership. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it's better to shake hands and say goodby.

[haridasz]

"# 2: Can you get people to come in more often for a hair cut?

You could have an email notification list that tells people they might be due for a haircut and encourage them to get it done slightly more often.

You may even have a special deal.

If every client at a barbers gets his haircut every 3 weeks instead of every 4 weeks that's a MASSIVE increase in turnover."

Hi Andrew,

How can I set up AR to do this?
Interesting.

[rlnorthcutt]

Dale,

Excellent point! I have learned the hard way that its often not worth working with some people, and Dan Kennedy suggests that you should "fire" your clients if they are too much trouble.

Sometimes we are so caught up in the process of acquiring clients that we will take anyone...

The initial post was about a barber, but later we found out that the barber was a bit of a flake. Thats great! It saves you the trouble of working with a troublesome client.

Of course, persistence is good... but be wary of problem clients!

Ron

[Adam Kenzington]

Originally Posted by jbreezy

Hey guys..I've got my first meeting tomorrow with a local barbershop. They are a relatively new place and sent me a direct mail postcard for a free haircut. The guys a pretty good marketer for what I can tell. So I called him up, told him what I do and then set up an appt.

How much should I charge. I thought about shooting him a 500-600 dollar quote for a basic site and autosresponder and charging him a 15 dollar monthly fee for maintainence. I know that's low..but dudes a start up barber with I'm sure low cash reserves.

Thanks. Look forward to hearing your replies!

Hey man,

DO NOT go in there with a pre-determined price. You need to ask questions and listen carefully to the answers, so that you can tailor fit a program for him. THEN you will know what he actually wants/is comfortable with and can determine your price appropriately.

This isn't a cookie cutter business. This is a custom-made solution. Treat it as such, if you want to have success.

Also, this barber would need to pay at least $20 dollars for an autoresponder, each month, and you are doing his messages, too?

You need to ask for at least $50 per month! (and that's cheap)

$20 mo for autoresponder, $10 mo hosting, the rest for your copywriting skills.

Make sure he understands you are giving him a deal that you won't be offering to the rest of your customers. For this deal, you expect 2-4 referrals to other businesses, and a great testimonial.

Adam

Hey, I hit send by mistake before I was finished.

When you set this up, you will be using your own Autoresponder & hosting account. This will increase your profits on the cheap price you are offering for the maintenance. This also helps stop him from hiring some cheap high school kid to do the work for him. All his customers will have to re-opt-in to his new list. Leverage!

[JohnMcCabe]

Originally Posted by haridasz

How can I set up AR to do this?
Interesting.

Very simple...

The first time they get their hair cut, they opt into the responder. You program follow up messages to go out on day 21, day 42, etc. Every three weeks, they get a reminder to come in for a haircut.

[kierenm]

Great work with actually taking your first step with the offline stuff- I hope we can hear your results with more clients in time.. I've been interested in doing similar stuff myself.

[intratec10]

Originally Posted by jbreezy

Hey guys..I've got my first meeting tomorrow with a local barbershop. They are a relatively new place and sent me a direct mail postcard for a free haircut. The guys a pretty good marketer for what I can tell. So I called him up, told him what I do and then set up an appt.

Here's my background.

I can design websites. I don't have a portfolio for offline stuff. I know how to sell and ask for the sale.

Here's my Preparation.

I have a 3 ring binder with with pieces of paper printed out that boasts about email marketing.

From there I'm just going to wing it I guess. But I have some basic questions.

1. Should I bring my laptop to show him a site with optin forms etc.

2. How much should I charge. I thought about shooting him a 500-600 dollar quote for a basic site and autosresponder and charging him a 15 dollar monthly fee for maintainence. I know that's low..but dudes a start up barber with I'm sure low cash reserves.

3. Any Hot buttons I should touch on in my presentation?

Thanks. Look forward to hearing your replies!

Remember to act natural and be interested in finding what bothers and then what intrigues them most. Just my 2 cent.

[rlnorthcutt]

Adam,

I certainly agree with you that this is not a cookie cutter business, and you need to be flexible sometimes to provide the solution that works.

That being said, I do find that there is alot of value in having a list or "menu" of services. It sets the foundation and gives the client some structure for what to get and how much to spend.

I mean, they may be thinking that they will get a website for $200-300 (as there are low quality services that offer this)...

also, by seeing a range of services and prices, it puts it all into perspective. BUT - this menu or price list is really a tool... you should still be flexible and change it up depending on a client's needs.

Consider that if you were to offer $50/month for hosting, newsletter and managing, this should be considered a discount... but how does the client know that?

When they see your service list and see that the price is $100/month, then they know you are giving them a discount. You can also treat all your clients this way, but I don't suggest it.

Now, with all of that being said... throw it out if it doesn't work for you!

Everyone is different with different styles and strengths. Use what works FOR YOU...

Ron