37 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
37 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Have you ever had a client ask for this?

by yianni
31 replies
Hi

I have been in recent discussions with an offline client
to build a site, do SEO and IM for them

and got this email from them

how would you respond to what they are saying?

"For me, I am not happy to consider working for two years with you, if the agreement isn't what I am requiring for starters.* At this stage I have no guarantee that what I would be paying for is going to give me the required traffic that I am wanting from a new website.* You may be able to get me onto the front page of Google, but the traffic is what I am needing for future monetising success.
*
I do feel that if you were really confident that you are able to deliver to future clients you would not tie them into a long-term contract.* If we worked today, I would, of course, continue with you if I was achieving what I wanted in the first place.* This of course would be the same for any client you worked with.
*
I would want a guarantee of the daily unique traffic I would receive if I as working with you.* I am not aware of the daily unique traffic that you are achieving from xxxxxx's website, let alone your own.* This is what I am wishing to achieve and is imperative with whom I decide to work in the future as I am proposing to have a lot of product on my site.* I have no knowledge of any other clients you have and how their sites are going or the success they are having from a traffic and monetising perspective.
*
I do wish you well with the building of your business but feel that the agreement needs to be a win-win, which I am feeling that this may end up not being in the long run."

Some of the issues I had were.....

1) impossible to offer level of traffic guarantees

2) other clients may not want their specific financial numbers disclosed

3) how do you manage the long term issues of someone like this? especially given most of the work is upfront and payoff does not really occur into later stages of contract; and i had also reduced a much longer term contract to two years at their suggestion.

I appreciate your thoughts and advice

Thanks
#client #contract issues #offline
  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    Some of those requests seem reasonable but some are not.

    A guarantee of daily unique traffic is impossible, as you noted.

    I dunno, I'd probably just move on unless you "REALLY" want this account.

    If you do then maybe you should make some concessions but also be firm about the things you don't control and try to get them to understand.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2887463].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author John Durham
      Originally Posted by Rus Sells View Post

      Some of those requests seem reasonable but some are not.

      A guarantee of daily unique traffic is impossible, as you noted.

      I dunno, I'd probably just move on unless you "REALLY" want this account.

      If you do then maybe you should make some concessions but also be firm about the things you don't control and try to get them to understand.
      Money goes fast, but a thorn in your flesh doesn't. If a client is going to be hard for you to manage, and you are just doing it for money... Dont.

      Its better to spend your time trying to find people who are a match for what YOU offer, and want it, than to try and cater to every little whim of a demanding prospect who wants you to jump through hoops, and who requires things that are clearly outside of your area of expertise.

      In short, you could have two clients in the time it would take you to prove your worth to this person, and you may question your own self worth or ability to succeed in the process and take a beating... its not worth it.

      Be clear about what you offer, and find someone who wants THAT!

      Focus. Focus clearly on what YOU offer, be able to say it in one paragraph, and go clearly hunting for who wants that clear thing that you are stating is your offer.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2888067].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author thesanto
        Per the tone of the letter, this guy is a pain and it will be if it become your client. He will drive you nuts, I would move on to the next sale!

        Good luck,
        Henry
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2888182].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Kay King
          I don't know why the negative responses here toward the customer. He is negotiating - and is probably a savvy business man.

          I do feel that if you were really confident that you are able to deliver to future clients you would not tie them into a long-term contract.
          You may have reduced the time - but he's not happy with a two year contract. He knows there is no guarantee of profit and knows should it not work out he would still be obligated to pay for a full two years. In business, that's a long time.

          Clearly, you can't promise a specific amount of traffic but you should have some idea (through your own research of his business) of what traffic you might expect.

          Have you asked him exactly what he thinks would be an acceptable contract?

          kay
          Signature
          Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2888278].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author willz605
            Kay......my response wasn't negative....I am only responding to the letter....and I don't think it's a negative response by stating I would walk away...often times the best deal is the deal you walk away from because the next stone you turn over could be a blessing....then again who knows....it's simply my opinion...

            And negotiating fees? I'm savvy but does that mean I can get my doctor to lower his office visit fee for me because I don't agree with his diagnosis or treatment......even if the treatment doesn't work? Just something to think about....

            respectfully....Bill


            Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

            I don't know why the negative responses here toward the customer. He is negotiating - and is probably a savvy business man.



            You may have reduced the time - but he's not happy with a two year contract. He knows there is no guarantee of profit and knows should it not work out he would still be obligated to pay for a full two years. In business, that's a long time.

            Clearly, you can't promise a specific amount of traffic but you should have some idea (through your own research of his business) of what traffic you might expect.

            Have you asked him exactly what he thinks would be an acceptable contract?

            kay
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2888337].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author pappyy3
            Originally Posted by Kay King View Post

            I don't know why the negative responses here toward the customer. He is negotiating - and is probably a savvy business man.



            You may have reduced the time - but he's not happy with a two year contract. He knows there is no guarantee of profit and knows should it not work out he would still be obligated to pay for a full two years. In business, that's a long time.

            Clearly, you can't promise a specific amount of traffic but you should have some idea (through your own research of his business) of what traffic you might expect.

            Have you asked him exactly what he thinks would be an acceptable contract?

            kay
            Excellent response.

            The 2 year contract has spooked the client. They are not 100% confident you can deliver, and they are looking for an exit clause in the event things don't work out the way they planned, or you have not lived up to your promise (Just hypothetical).

            I think this is a very savvy business owner and is negotiating in the right way ... I would do the same -- IMO
            Signature

            Tonster

            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2902788].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author GuerrillaIM
    If they don't want to sign a long term contact then make an alternative offer with an initial retainer to cover your work. Asking someone to sign a long term contract before they see results is never going to be easy unless they found you through a referral or are aware of your reputation.

    Nowadays I dont take clients on for SEO on a service basis like this. I would create the site myself and make it clear that I owned the site. They could then have a risk free period and either lease the site from me or pay per lead (where applicable). If the client is clued up the agreement might state that after they have leased site for x months they have the option to buy ownership and have a set fee for maintenance.

    What usually happens is that the client gets a taste of the extra business and prestige having a top ranked site gives them without having a contract in place. They then try to negotiate it but they are in a weaker position as you hold all the cards.

    This approach is not for everyone (you have to be able to get the results for a start, its completely performance based) but for me it works well. I'm like a drug dealer giving them a cheap hit on some crack. Before long they will be begging to have a long term contract or to buy the site from you.

    I got fed up with people being rude to me when I approached them as they labelled me with all the fly by night grab the money and run con men who have been in this market space for years. Now I call them up and say "Hi, would you like a lead" then "Hey, would you like some more?".

    People on this forum usually make sarcastic comments whenever I mention this approach so I know it's definately not for everyone, but thats the way I like it. For me being different works best. Rather that trying to sell myself I make myself a desirable commodity and let people chase me.

    I have been doing lead gen for 10 years now, and after a while dealing with clients becomes a bit soul destroying. This is why I have moved the goal posts so I don't have to take any crap.

    **EDIT**

    One thing your prospect needs setting straight on is traffic doesn't equal profits. You can generate 10,000 hits to his site a day from a traffic broker but he wouldn't make any money. Educate him a little and if he wants you to take some of the risk for the project, make sure you protect yourself with an upfront payment to cover your work or by retaining ownership of the optimized site.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2887714].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author willz605
      the entire tone of his response indicates a "difficult" client.....I would walk away now....
      ***might even be a tire kicker...***and waste a lot of your time.

      I love the approach Guerrilla uses....almost an exact match of what I offer to local clients....almost a try before you buy approach....I give lease or buy option at any time and all the information is given to the buyer upfront....its the easiest sale ever once the client sees results....

      most important though.....target high-end service sectors...
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2887877].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author GuerrillaIM
        Originally Posted by willz605 View Post

        the entire tone of his response indicates a "difficult" client.....I would walk away now....
        ***might even be a tire kicker...***and waste a lot of your time.
        To me he sounds like a guy that is clueless about SEO and has got a notion in his head somewhere about traffic figures. He probably read in a book somewhere that said x% of all traffic converts and has built up a business plan around it without fully understanding the dynamics.

        I know of a few companies that do a "guaranteed traffic" deal and they just whack a load of junk traffic at the clients site. My line is always "Do you want traffic or do you want sales?".

        Search engine traffic is highly targetted so if you get the right keywords you will make sales.

        I think the main problem is this prospect has trust issues. If I was in the OPs shoes I would look to overload him with social proof and references from happy customers. I always played the take away pitch from day one though. I build myself up with lots of social proof and examples of what I have done so I can turn the tables so I am qualifying THEM as a client-- I don't work with just anyone .

        I love the approach Guerrilla uses....almost an exact match of what I offer to local clients....almost a try before you buy approach....I give lease or buy option at any time and all the information is given to the buyer upfront....its the easiest sale ever once the client sees results....

        most important though.....target high-end service sectors...

        GuerillaIM, I can't see why anyone make a sarcastic comment about what you do. With your method you own the process. Client is a pain, doesn't pay their bill, whatever. You can fire them and move on. You also have the ability create effective sites from the word go and not get wrapped up in someone else's train wreck. It's great to hold all the cards! Especially in today's economy. Good for you is all I can say.
        It's good to see people here get it. I mentioned this on main forum and received some patronizing and sarcastic remarks from some people who are actually selling courses on how to do this stuff lol.

        The method behind my madness is to lower the barrier of entry and generate a long term residual profit. It leaves you free to manage the actual SEO process and not worry about fluctuating sales or pain in the arse clients.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2888093].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author InSource1
      My question: How do you (should one) manage the email addresses, logins and pswds you use when setting up new sites, lists, directories, etc., for a client? You're potentially going to turn it all over to the client at some point and having all your own persona scattered around would seem a problem?

      Thanks.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2903296].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author marciayudkin
        I agree with those who say that the person questioning the 2-year commitment is a savvy business person.

        I do not understand why anyone with their head on straight would want to tie themselves into a 2-year contract.

        Therefore I'm puzzled by those who advise the one asking the question to simply move on.

        The savvy business person is actually pointing out a very serious flaw in the SEO provider's business offering, unless I'm missing something and other people are finding it very easy to sign up business owners to 2-year contracts.

        Marcia Yudkin
        Signature
        Check out Marcia Yudkin's No-Hype Marketing Academy for courses on copywriting, publicity, infomarketing, marketing plans, naming, and branding - not to mention the popular "Marketing for Introverts" course.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2903692].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author redlegrich
    GuerillaIM, I can't see why anyone make a sarcastic comment about what you do. With your method you own the process. Client is a pain, doesn't pay their bill, whatever. You can fire them and move on. You also have the ability create effective sites from the word go and not get wrapped up in someone else's train wreck. It's great to hold all the cards! Especially in today's economy. Good for you is all I can say.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2887824].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author LasseKohau
    Hi Yianni,

    If you are an unexperienced seller and negotiater - move on. The client is to difficult for you to handle. It wont be a happy marriage.

    Why dont you make the best out of it, and sell the semi hot lead to an exp. offline consultant.

    regards, LASSE
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2888029].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author GuerrillaIM
    Most of the time objections are a sign a customer is genuinely interested and thinking about the proposition.

    Come up with a response to his objections and see what he comes back with. If you end up going in circles make a final offer and move on. Can't win them all.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2888383].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      the entire tone of his response indicates a "difficult" client.....I would walk away now....
      ***might even be a tire kicker...***and waste a lot of your time.
      I was referring to comments by sever - but I do that's a negative reponse becuase you are assigning a trait ("difficult") that might not be true.

      Nor did I say anything about negotiating price. If anything a shorter term contract might carry a slightly high price. Two years is a long time - and it does seem to be the length of the contract that is an issue for the customer.

      There is nothing wrong with a potential customer asking hard questions - those people (if you do the job well) will become your most loyal clients in my experience.

      kay
      Signature
      Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2888417].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author willz605
    my apologies Kay.....not all comments were meant for you....

    the other referred to a general comment about negotiating fees.....I find negotiating fees desperate and not necessary.....clearly if I was negotiating the price of a $60k car than by all means negotiation needs to be done.....but we're talking about a long-term commitment

    however....even in the most competitive niches...attorneys in the largest cities...it could take up to a year to even penetrate the first page of google and other search engines.

    I do agree that you could shorten the contract length....that should already be an option though....in the contract you could add a termination agreement at any time too.....
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2888546].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      I do agree with you about fee negotiation - and I don't do it for writing clients. Just think there are other terms tjat may be open for negotiation.

      Truth is, some clients just feel better if they have some say over the terms they are agreeing to.

      kay
      Signature
      Saving one dog will not change the world - but the world changes forever for that one dog
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2888937].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author hlstew
    I would ask if they have ever done any Yellow Pages or similar advertising. If so, did they get to take the ad out if didn't perform.
    How many clients were Promised from any other form of advertising. What was their budget then? How many clients did they get? etc....
    Essentially, instead of presenting the SEO/ Traffic, it is basically "greater web exposure" that has a higher likelihood of return on investment.

    Then, I would say that you are only doing it for one of the type of business that he has and if he doesn't agree, go to his competitor and nail it. LOL

    Maybe this angle would work too - Tell him it is kind of like the cell phone contracts, you get the phone for free because you are committing. Say you charge triple without the commitment,
    Go with 6 months, higher price paid up front with a further refundable deposit in month 5 to show commitment or something like that. This client sounds like he will take the fruits of everything you did and benefit but not follow through in commitment to you.
    Signature
    Got a PULSE? YOU can earn Passive Income - Learn How Free at MoneyMindFlow.com
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2889003].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Bronwyn and Keith
    Hi Yianni

    We would take one singular approach with this client.

    MOVE ON.

    But before you do let them know that some of the things/answers/results that they are asking for don't exist.

    Tell them if someone 'promises" to provide everything that they listed exactly as it was listed to RUN for the hills.

    Then say - cya later.

    Regards

    Bronwyn and Keith

    Originally Posted by yianni View Post

    Hi

    I have been in recent discussions with an offline client
    to build a site, do SEO and IM for them

    and got this email from them

    how would you respond to what they are saying?

    "For me, I am not happy to consider working for two years with you, if the agreement isn't what I am requiring for starters.* At this stage I have no guarantee that what I would be paying for is going to give me the required traffic that I am wanting from a new website.* You may be able to get me onto the front page of Google, but the traffic is what I am needing for future monetising success.
    *
    I do feel that if you were really confident that you are able to deliver to future clients you would not tie them into a long-term contract.* If we worked today, I would, of course, continue with you if I was achieving what I wanted in the first place.* This of course would be the same for any client you worked with.
    *
    I would want a guarantee of the daily unique traffic I would receive if I as working with you.* I am not aware of the daily unique traffic that you are achieving from xxxxxx's website, let alone your own.* This is what I am wishing to achieve and is imperative with whom I decide to work in the future as I am proposing to have a lot of product on my site.* I have no knowledge of any other clients you have and how their sites are going or the success they are having from a traffic and monetising perspective.
    *
    I do wish you well with the building of your business but feel that the agreement needs to be a win-win, which I am feeling that this may end up not being in the long run."

    Some of the issues I had were.....

    1) impossible to offer level of traffic guarantees

    2) other clients may not want their specific financial numbers disclosed

    3) how do you manage the long term issues of someone like this? especially given most of the work is upfront and payoff does not really occur into later stages of contract; and i had also reduced a much longer term contract to two years at their suggestion.

    I appreciate your thoughts and advice

    Thanks
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2889024].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Foresight2020
    Hi,

    Couple of additional thoughts;

    - what is their average cost to acquire a new customer or lead?
    - what is the lifetime value of their customer? In other words, when they sign up a new customer, how long do they stay with them and how much revenue do they bring in during that time?
    ...at the very least, asking these questions positions you as the expert (most businesses don't know the answer to these questions); at best, they give you this information and you can propose / negotiate a financial arrangement that will be in both of your best interests

    Also, you could:
    - propose a set up fee and a monthly fee
    - set the fees based on either a percentage of what their current annual marketing spend is (not the best approach) or what you think you can do for them, in terms of generating new sales (best; it shows the prospect that you have "skin in the game" too)
    - propose a different contract term
    - propose milestones to be hit during the term (i.e. - get you on the first page of Google in the first 3 months, get 2 - 3 listings on the first page in 5 months, etc.)
    - I wouldn't get specific w/traffic numbers (see the above comments); I would talk about increasing the amount of traffic to a site, and use their Alexa.com ranking as a proxy measure for this. Yes, you can use Google stats, etc., but Alexa shows the relative ranking of their site as compared w/all other indexed sites on the web

    At the end of the day, it's about helping the business owner with their business goals - why are they on the web in the first place? What are they trying to do with their website? Do they want to sell / transact business through their website (an e-commerce site)? Do they want to position their products or services? Do they want to use their website to pre-qualify prospects as part for their sales and marketing funnel?

    Want to make more sales? Focus on driving targeted traffic to a free offer / download, and get prospects to sign up for a newsletter. Then, send the prospects on the list targeted offers that convert. Work to create highly converting offers to this prospect list.

    Want to position the company / pre-qualify prospects? Drive them to one or more videos / whitepapers / testimonials about the products / services, and educate them. Then get them to sign up for the newsletter for more information.

    I'd definitely add an autoresponder set up & maintenance service to your offer. He's asking you for it ("I don't need high rankings on Google; I need traffic). His customer list is his greatest asset - how long's he been in business? How many customers are on his customer list already?

    He wants you to deliver clients - what does that mean? You'll find them & close them, and he delivers the product or service? If so, then you could get a percentage of the revenue that that client brings to the business. Does he just want leads? Then see my above comments on how much is a lead worth to him, to determine the price to pay for a lead.

    Your prospect isn't thinking properly about what you're talking about with him. It's not the amount of traffic, it's the kind of traffic that hits his website. "Browsers vs. Buyers", as I call it. How much "daily unique traffic" does he get now, and what kind of an increase (in absolute numbers or percentages) is he looking for? What is that worth to his business? How much revenue does each unique visit to his website bring in, on average?

    Without knowing anything about your prospect or the opportunity - other than what is in the OP - here's what I'd propose to your client (NOTE: I am NOT an attorney and I don't play one on TV; consult with a licensed professional attorney BEFORE you propose a contract to a prospect, and BEFORE you sign any agreement that you and your prospect have modified):
    - 1 year contract; automatic month-to-month renewal at the end of the initial term
    - set up of of $x and a monthly maintenance fee / investment fee (you're building an asset for him, afterall) of $y. Set up fee due at contract signing; monthly fees start at the beginning of month 2
    - termination requires 30-day notice

    Help him understand that while sometimes results can be seen in hours / days / weeks, you do not make any guarantees about SERPs b/c you don't own the search engine algorithms; the search companies do. You do things that are white hat and increase the probability that his content will be easily seen by the target audience.

    You can show testimonials form other clients, but at the end of the day it's his business we're talking about; work done for another client will not help generate clients for his business.

    If you can't get anywhere with him for whatever reason, then this prospect might not be a good fit for your business, and it might be time for you to move on.

    Remember this: "Bad Business is worse than No Business." While this might be hard to believe if you have no money coming in, you're behind on your bills, or the growling of your stomach is the loudest thing you can hear, it is the absolute truth. You can't help everyone, and every prospect will not be a great fit for your business.

    Your mindset will make-or-break your business.     You are the expert, not the prospect in the OP. He knows he needs help, otherwise he wouldn't have given you the reply he did. He wants the help, which is why they were trying to give you a detailed answer. He knows his business, he knows what he has been doing hasn't been working...all you have to do is to decide if he's right for you and what scope and terms you are comfortable performing under. If you can find agreement, then you have a deal. If you can't, then there is no deal. it's as simple as that.

    HTH / Good luck; feel free to Pm me if you have further questions.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2899243].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author PaulintheSticks
      First of all, how does everyone who posted know the prospect is a he and not a she?

      Secondly, I don't think the prospect is being unreasonable or difficult. They probably just aren't educated about traffic=customers. So they need to be educated. Sounds to me like they are justified to want a shorter contract as you haven't given them enough reason to trust you long term. Obviously they are no push over.

      My $.02
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2899526].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Ashley Skuse
        What you could do is only take payment upon results, or promise a refund if results are not achieved. I see a lot of SEO businesses offering this. Many potential clients will not want to pay for something that may not be achieved. It is riskier for you of course, but it's an option with clients that are being a bit difficult.

        If you're not confident in taking payment only upon results, then that would imply you're not confident enough in getting first page results for that client in the first place, whether you're paid upfront or not. We don't all need to be in such a rush to receive payment straight away for something we haven't done yet.

        Should us local IMers really be taking money upfront and basically be saying "you've now paid us for our time and we're going to do what we can to get you to page 1, but it's not guaranteed"? I feel that local IMers are maybe just saying that and taking the money upfront to put themselves into a safe zone (no risk of not being paid), and pretend it's okay to charge customers for their time whether results are achieved or not.

        Most of my work has been paid for upfront and that is great, but I'd always be willing to refund a client if results aren't achieved. So, perhaps offer a refund policy, or agree to only take payment upon results. Best of luck!

        EDIT: In all fairness though, looking over your post again, it is really very unrealistic for the client to expect a specific guaranteed daily amount of hits. Explain to them why this is, and if they don't like it, then I suppose it's not really a business opportunity for you.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2899607].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author Curtez Riggs
          Have some fun with him. Give him a month to month commitment and "SEND" him the traffic that he desires. Use it as a teaching point so next time he'll be more mindful of what he asks for.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2901409].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author atrbiz
    sounds like a pain in the rear lol
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2904011].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author wesleyjbeck
    I live in a very small town, and i have to adjust my offers to what the market will support. I have only been at this a couple of months,ut i start clients of with a 3 month package. If they like the results we go got the remaining 9 months. I base my offers on what i would want if it were me on the other end
    wes
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2904133].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author deus ex
    Pricing and contracts are a pain - I'd say, send him traffic to please him and just say that their organic traffic will be coming in as well. You can send cpv traffic which is very relevant or you can buy fake traffic. I'd go with CPV and give an estimate of traffic - nobody in this world can predict exact traffic unless if they buy traffic / CPVs
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2904299].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author deus ex
    I'd go the CPV route too with a month-to-month or 6 month contract or do a yearly contract with a traffic guarantee (just do CPV and paid traffic) and then offer a partial refund if you don't deliver page 1 results for their keywords.

    Shady but it's one of the only ways to do business
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2909271].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Rien
    I agree that the client does have a right to be worried
    about a two year contract, but the guarantee that they
    are asking for on traffic is impossible.

    Some may disagree, but I would just say "Thanks, but
    no thanks."
    Signature
    [Your Own Product In 7 Days!] + Auto Responder Series Bonus At No Extra Charge!

    Want To Make Money Writing Articles? Click Here To See My EXACT Blueprint

    [TOP QUALITY] Internet Marketing PLR - $5 | [TOP QUALITY] Get Your Ex Back PLR - $5
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2910260].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Amir Luis
      What this original post tells me.... There is still a deal here.


      You may want to strengthen your marketing materials. I don't know what you used for sales collateral. But is there testimonials listed in the collateral you use?

      The one objection I would like to isolate and provide a solution to is the part about the LONG term contract. I don't know the situation but if it is Local SEO just do the "Results First" guarantee. He gets results... then pays a lump sum.

      Get him to page one and keep him there for two solid weeks... and get paid all at once or a LARGE Down Payment. With the promise that you will continue working to keep him there for at least 6 months and charge monthly thereafter.

      Something I just recently learned from my SEO guy... Build the links off a site you own with a 301 redirect and then if/When he becomes a problem. Sell the ranking to his competitor and redirect the link build to The competitor.

      That way you isolated the objection. If he doesn't like the service he is getting there is no long term agreement. When he quits paying... His Direct competitor is in his place on the search engines and Google Places listings.

      You effectively covered your end of the deal. And your behind if he tries to screw you.

      Now... About the Guarantee numbers section of this rebuttal.

      "I can certainly understand your concerns _________. I wish I were psychic and able to tell you how many unique visitors would visit your site ever month, day, year... but the fact of the matter is... It doesn't matter if they are unique or not. We both know 80% of your business comes from 20% of your customer base. Are they buying is the question."

      "But... truth be told it is impossible to measure the success of your campaign if reception, sales person, or you yourself drop the ball on your end. I cannot guarantee the proper tracking or the amount of business it will bring you but I can guarantee we will make your phone ring. When we did your needs analysis it came up that with your current marketing mix you are spending $60 every time the phone rings, right? With Organic SEO in place we can get this down to about 1/2 that.'

      "You get to increase your exposure and reduce cost. That just sounds like good business. Does that sound like something that would interest you?"

      Done... and Done....
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2910515].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Kym Robinson
    Great thread with some top information!

    Im glad I sat and read through this one!

    I now have some great new ideas and also some fixes in case anything ever gets broken - thanks Warriors!

    Kym
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2911096].message }}

Trending Topics