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BIG meeting in three days, help me prepare!

by warmchords
15 replies
Hey folks,

I'm hoping this thread turns into a first client success story in a few days, but I might need some guidance to seal the deal.

I've talked to less than a dozen business owners since I started, and my whole presentation was pretty awful for the first several, but I lucked into a GREAT first meeting two days ago with a new spa owner in a very wealthy community. He's only been open for six months, and from what I can tell the majority of his customers have come from either Groupon or Living Social, as the only other advertising he has done is a couple of radio spots. The Groupon got hundreds through the door and his small staff must be great at upsells because many of these walk-ins have turned into $1200+ customers who do their body contouring program to lose weight.

Anyway, he's excited to grow. His daughter made their website...it needs to be seriously reworked, I think he knows it. I told him I could help develop his web presence and start tracking how new clients find him so he doesn't ever waste a dime on advertising that doesn't work. We talked about his website, Google Places (I showed him how to get started and at least claim his listing), his FB page, getting some videos done, SMS Marketing to text clients about last-minute schedule openings due to cancellations (he REALLY likes this idea), and briefly explained that he will eventually want to look into SEO.

I talked with him for 90 minutes and as he was closing up for the day he asked me to come back on Sunday so we can try to work out a plan. He's still working another job, so I know for sure he doesn't have time to do this stuff or even think about it and seemed really happy to have met me.

Needless to say I REALLY don't want to foul this meeting up! I've never been paid a dime to do any IM work before, but I'm seeing a lot of potential here. I'm thinking about proposing a huge up-front package to take care of EVERYTHING with recurring monthly payments and offer a big "discount", and as an alternative offer a much smaller package to include a design overhaul of his website & FB page, SMS marketing, and throw in a free mobile site.

Seasoned offliners, how would handle this situation? Any suggestions on how much money to ask for? How to create a campaign outline to get him excited? Should I go ahead and make a quick website mockup from a WP template for his business to establish myself since I don't have a real design portfolio yet? All I have are mobile designs and my own WP site showcasing them.

Pretty nervous & excited about this one, this could determine whether or not I need to find a more steady income stream in the near future. Any tips greatly appreciated!
#big #days #meeting #prepare
  • Profile picture of the author TopKat22
    This sounds like a great first opportunity and you are correct in wanting to be prepared.

    So that you don't change your game plan during the nervousness of the meeting, have it all written out before hand.

    Remember, most business owners do not know anything about the technical side of this and a confused mind says "NO" so don't go into what or how you will do it.

    Instead, tell how this will bring more targetted clients to them, as that is all he really wants.

    Have your Big Campaign spelled out in simple bullets points on a single sheet of paper.

    I have worked with many business owners and millionaires and most say that if you can't make a presentation on a simple single piece of paper, they aren't interested.

    If the big plan doesn't go, have another, separate piece of paper hidden away and only pull out if he hesitates or says I have to think about it.

    Then have the contract with more details ready to sign with a blank to fill in which campaign he decides and only bring that out once he decided.

    And here is a key point most sales people forget.

    Actually, ask for the sale. I know it seems too simple but it is vital.

    Once you are done, actually say the words: something like.

    ok, so which campaign are you wanting to start and have the contract out and be ready to fill in the blank.

    DO NOT ask if he wants to use your service or any question that only has a yes or no answer.

    Ask WHICH option he would like to use (that way you are assuming it wants one of the options).

    If he really hesitates or won't make a decision, ask him what he wants and make a custom option for him, made especially for him.

    But practice this ahead of time so you know exactly what you will charge for what ever combo of items he wants, even if you have to break it down and price each thing separately for yourself to use as a "cheat sheet".

    And remember, it will get easier as you do more of them.

    Some sales people will just go make presentations to lots of people even if they know they won't buy just to get the experience down of making the presentation and then surprisingly enough, they make some sales.

    Good Luck.

    :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Have your presentation prepared and simplified like TopKat suggests.

    Since it doesn't seem like you know your prospect's budget yet, develop some services that you can offer separately or combine into a larger package. Before you demo any solution, you want to find out what he can afford. "My clients typically choose one of packages A (small), B (medium) or C (large). Which of these best fits your budget?"

    Make sure you get your prospect to paint the picture of the results they want, rather than you telling them what you can do. I ask "If we were wildly successful with this project, what kind of results would you be seeing?" (I do this in job interviews as well). Then tailor your presentation to the activities and services that will result in those outcomes. Keep it non-technical and straightforward!
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  • Profile picture of the author sdentrepreneur
    Congrats, here is a breakdown of the kind of services I would offer client like yours.

    Internet Marketing Retail Business Package

    Set Up 15+ Social Media Accounts
    Social Networking such as Facebook
    Multiple Micro blogs such as Twitter
    Multiple Video Sites such as YouTube
    Multiple Directory Sites for Google Places/Maps


    FACEBOOK
    • Create Custom Graphics For Fan Page
    • Add Custom Facebook Apps/Tabs
    • Post Status Updates 1-3 Times Per Day
    • Grow Fans/Likes By 100+ Per Month
    • Comment and Interact with Fans
    • Set Up Facebook Places Deals and Maintain

    TWITTER
    • Create Custom Twitter Backgroud
    • Post Tweets 3 To 5 Times Per Day
    • Grow Twitter Following By 500+ Per Month
    • Interact with Followers

    YOUTUBE
    • Create Custom Graphic Background
    • Customize YouTube Account
    • Link YouTube To All Social Media Accounts
    • Get Videos On Google Page One For Selected Keywords

    GOOGLE PLACES
    • Claim or Access Google Places/Map For Client
    • Optimize Google Places For Page One Results
    • Set Up Google Places Deals and Maintain

    FOURSQUARE
    • Claim or Access Foursquare Business Account
    • Optimize Foursquare for Search Results
    • Set Up Foursquare Deals and Maintain
    • Create System To Grow Foursquare Following

    * Client to provide all content including Articles, Blogs and Video
    * JMH Marketing will provide coaching and training on content creation.


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    (Minimum 3 Month Contract)


    JMH Marketing Group
    Contact James Hickey
    Internet Marketing | Social Media Marketing | Business Marketing - My Business Marketing
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  • Profile picture of the author SuperKC
    Its tricky because there are sites now days that offer everything your about to do for $99 a month.. mobile marketing, seo, local integration, facebook, website design, backlink building.. all in one. So very tricky.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jason Morris
      The key here is to work out with him how much an average customer spends, with that info you can gear the conversation around how much you will bring to the bottom line rather than how much you cost.
      This makes pricing less of an issue.
      For instance if he tells you that an average client is worth £200 ($ to you!) per month then if you talk about bringing him 10 new clients he would be adding £2000 per month. If you were charging say, £600 per month its a good return on investment.
      I always gear the conversation around the potential. You want him to see you as revenue generator for his business and not a cost.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bojacked
    You've already gotten great advice so far. I would leave a site design out of the initial meeting because his daughter made it. You could shoot yourself in the foot going in with a site redesign/seo for a big price tag, just because his daughter made the site. Offer the packages that everyone has described above but DONT LEAVE without at least getting him to commit to the SMS VIP club program 300$ setup 1st month included + 250/mo. He will then have the power to book his openings on demand and this can be crucial for a new business! It is also easy to track and gives him direct access to his customers any time that he needs business. Make sure he understands his list is his life blood and help him organize a promotion to get people to opt in to the text program (IE 5-10% off their first appt. or something else that won't cost him too much). This way he can really see what customers you are bringing in when he has you ping out a text on a slow day, and he will be VERY interested in your other services when you consult a month or two down the road to see how he would like to optimize the program further.
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  • Profile picture of the author Wild
    A lot of good advice, but I have a slightly different take. I wouldn't go for the big price on this one. If this is your first client and you get a $2k deal or something and then blow it, you might not do another one. I would give him tons of value and charge very little. Make one business owner very very happy and you will more than make up the money you left on the table. (He knows tons of business owners) Build value. Build confidence. The money will come.
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    • Profile picture of the author TheLocalCoach
      Chords,
      Congratulations on 2 things: getting the meeting and starting a GREAT thread! There are so many great issues and so much great advice already here for you! If this is truly your first or one of your first clients, I would be careful, as Wild suggests, to set yourself up to "under-deliver".

      Your main goal to come out of this meeting should be: a contract for service(s) that you know you can deliver extremely well, and your first step to becoming a trusted advisor to this business owner. If you are not yet a trusted advisor (which not only means he trusts you but believes you are capable of helping his business across multiple services- a true consultant), then you may want to scale back your pitch and focus on starting the one service that will benefit the owner the most: solve his largest pain. You may think updating his website is priority, but it doesn't matter what you think! Find out what his biggest concern is.

      On the flip side, here's where knowing a little about your vertical helps. A spa like this has huge margins (they can even make money selling Groupon!), so an approach like JamesHickey suggests (large package across multiple services discounted greatly if they buy all), may have some merit, if you really think you have earned the consultant badge and can pull off that level of sale. This is where confidence in your delivery and assumption of the sale makes a big difference! As KaniganJ suggests, float some trial balloons, see if he's prepared to pay $1K-$2K a month for all of these services before you go for it.

      And as TopKat suggests, have backup! Keep it simple (never overwhelm with options) and if you go for the big pitch, have a retreat to a high-impact service that will serve as a starting point to establish you as the go-to-guy for solving technology marketing and helping this owner create more revenue and profits!

      WOW! Can't wait to hear....keep us posted and good luck!

      PS- I'd love to talk to you about making this a case study in a new training program we're launching. Will PM you for details, thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author Top Dog Marketer
    The offline marketing game is HUGE, and many of the above comments have already covered what I wanted to talk about, but if there is one single tip I can give you when it comes to closing an offline marketing deal it is this:

    The first thing you should ask him, before you start talking and telling him everything you can do for him and blah blah blah....

    Just ask him this:

    What exactly do you want to accomplish? or What do you need?

    Why do you want offline marketing help?

    It sounds simple and stupid, but listen, the easiest way to sell something to someone in a 1 on 1 conversation doesn't involve ANY sales tactics at all.

    All you have to do is ask them what they want and why.

    EXAMPLE:

    YOU- "Why do you want offline marketing?"

    BIZ OWNER- "Because we need more sales. We need more foot traffic."

    YOU- "Ok, well is foot traffic not high now?"

    BIZ OWNER- "Well it's been kind of slow, and my employees are starting to jump ship. Plus, my overhead is high in this area and rent alone is killing me."

    SHABANG!!!!!!!

    Now, you cater your pitch to him, and say:

    "Ok, well with my super duper offline marketing skills you will be able to hold on to long term, trustworthy, loyal employees.

    And best of all sir, your rent payment will not be a problem, because the extra foot traffic I'm going to bring you is going to pack your store from wall to wall.

    It sounds simple, but I promise if you cater your pitch to their exact needs and just let them tell you about their exact needs, then you will close 99.9% of the time.
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  • Profile picture of the author RentItNow
    Become his hero. It will not take much to show him your marketing knowledge is likely just a bit more than his and his daughter's. I do a spa here and hit it out of the park but had to use gradients. I did a flyer which worked REALLY well for the guy as he was basically throwing away $500/mn on a REALLY bad ad in a local paper. We moved to aweber list building, website, facebook, blah blah...he sees me as his marketing guy and knows he can get a hold of me. Not to hard a sell actually...loads of work tho.
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    I have no agenda but to help those in the same situation. This I feel will pay the bills.
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  • Profile picture of the author warmchords
    Wow, great tips everyone! Sorry I've been away from the computer all day.

    Some interesting points being made about offering just one trial service to build trust and really over-deliver. Based on my previous conversation with the spa owner I think I could offer to start him off with some SMS Marketing, but I would throw in some freebies like a FB Fan Gate (they're already offering 10% off for "liking" their page, but only advertising it via occasional wall posts) and maybe a mobile site + QR code. I want to pad the SMS service with free bonuses because I'm a little nervous that he will want to research SMS plans on his own...any experts at selling SMS packages that would like to advise me on how to sell it?

    I think I will show him a generic WP template of a spa site that I have just to plant the seed, just to qualify myself as a website designer in his eyes since I don't have a portfolio.

    Maybe this is an unrealistic scenario, but what if try to simply "get started" with the SMS service and he asks if I can take care of a website re-design, social marketing, etc etc at the same time...should I try to rework my proposal at a higher price on the fly? I'm thinking about bring a tear sheet of "typical packages" with no pricing information as a backup so I could potentially let him upsell himself and I can price it based on his interest.
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  • Profile picture of the author warmchords
    Got my first check as an internet marketer today!

    I'm nervous that it's going to fall through though. I just met with this spa owner again. He wanted to talk about texting right away and I had a hard time changing the subject. He told me he found out his POS system (Envision Salon and Spa Management) could take care of his email and SMS marketing and I figured my shot at handling this service for him was blown...however, I think I saved myself by telling him that sending texts to his current list of 480 numbers saved in his POS system without them first opting-in was almost definitely considered spamming and therefore illegal. I went on to ask if he had the time and resources to build his new mobile list on his own and manage the messages, and he ultimately decided it would be worth paying me $150/mo to take care of it for him.

    So now I'm in a real bind. Envision's SMS services perfectly describe what he wants to accomplish. I need to call them first thing tomorrow morning to find out what they charge. I'm almost certain it's close to, or less than, what I am charging him. He'll probably call them too.

    Can someone help me save this sale if this guy calls me up in a day or two and tells me he's cancelling because Envision can do scheduling and appointment reminders (not sure if I can, haven't picked an SMS provider yet) or because Envision is just cheaper?
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  • Profile picture of the author RentItNow
    Warmchords, from my experience you have to offer something no one else has to them first. The flyer design was perfect because I was able to take an existing ad, come at it from a whole new angle (weddings, dates, etc.) and show them I'm not just a monkey pushing buttons. It showed I knew marketing, not just the technology in other words. Took me 5 minutes to come up with a better headline and they had no offer so we crafted that with about 5 questions and the call to action was simple...CALL NOW FOR APPOINTMENT.

    Again, from my experience (horror stories), I stay away from SMS as a beginner service especially with pizza places because the owner has 5 people a week calling him about it and thinks he can play them against each other for the cheapest price. SMS is costly and most owners are shying from it because of it (sticker shock).

    Congrats, btw. Probably easier than you thought, huh?
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    • Profile picture of the author warmchords
      Originally Posted by RentItNow View Post

      Warmchords, from my experience you have to offer something no one else has to them first. The flyer design was perfect because I was able to take an existing ad, come at it from a whole new angle (weddings, dates, etc.) and show them I'm not just a monkey pushing buttons. It showed I knew marketing, not just the technology in other words. Took me 5 minutes to come up with a better headline and they had no offer so we crafted that with about 5 questions and the call to action was simple...CALL NOW FOR APPOINTMENT.
      Good point John, I'm feeling better equipped to defend my service if I get a call from this guy. I called Envision today and found out they currently charge a $100 setup plus $0.12 per outbound text, which is not substantially cheaper than my offer. As a last resort I will renegotiate my price, but I intend to just remind my client that I have offered to create flyers and displays for his store front to help him with opt-ins, provide QR codes and help him utilize them, and manage the whole system for him.
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  • Profile picture of the author RentItNow
    BTW, warms, my goal for each business is to get them to use at least a hundred bucks of adwords credits to test their offers/headlines/call to actions to use on all their advertising but it is my hardest sell. Always have to sort of smooth my way into that sell after I have some kind of relationship with them.
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