When a Local Business Sells Nationwide and Wants SEO - What To Do?

I don't think any major prep going into the appointment is required other than making sure you have an outline of some open-ended questions to ask them. You're going to be talking to them to find out about what they're doing. What cities are they focusing in? What are they doing now? Why are they looking to market online? Etc. Your goal should just be to learn about their business, their goals, and what's important to them.

Before closing the meeting, tell them you'll get back to them with something and set a follow-up call/appointment.

Find some high-quality SEO firms that have case studies, testimonials, etc. and experience dealing with national SEO campaigns. Get an arrangement in place to receive a % on this deal from the best firm with the best offer to you.

Go back to the tire company, make the introduction, let the SEO company that you've found do the selling, explaining, fulfillment, etc.

Good luck!


Joshua

I'd still go after each individual local market where the SEO would be easier. Create landing pages for each market under subdomain aliases that ultimately direct back to the main site. Charge the client for each individual localized market campaign vs, trying to slug it out nationally.

I'm certain the kw search #s would bear out the idea in each market as well.

I would ask them, do they have a niche? is it B2B or B2C ? If so what are their sales numbers and figure out who their competiton is and how to dominate them

I'm meeting with a local tire outlet tomorrow who wants SEO on their website... but the catch is that they sell tires to the whole country - not just our local area.

Ummm... that sounds like a chain store rather than a solo business.

If that's the case, I'm (1) surprised they're talking to you at all, and (2) not confident that you'll win business. Nothing wrong with you, it's just that stores that are part of chains ("the whole country" rings bells with me; how would someone in Atlanta be buying from a Seattle tire dealer if they're not part of a chain?) typically have all sorts of hoops that you have to go through, and everything is approved in their "head office" (typically out of state; or someplace you can't easily get access to without a specific invite).

I had a personal friend who had a set of Taco Bell restaurants. He was very interested in a number of things I told him about. (Again, he was the owner, and someone I had direct personal access to!) But he told me he was very restricted in what he could and couldn't do... everything related to marketing had to be approved by all the other local-area franchise owners, and couldn't be anything that they weren't doing. And if he broke the rules he could lose his franchise. He wasn't giving me excuses... OUCH.

Just be prepared to get lots of "we'll have to talk about that with <people who aren't in the room> and get back to you." Make sure you're not holding your breath for a positive result.