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How would you handle this dentist prospect?

by rmx
14 replies
I'm talking with a dentist about help getting more traffic online. We had an approx hr. long phone conversation where he saw from my screen where he was ranking now, problems with his website, examples of the success with other dentists, etc. We had good rapport and he seems to trust me. One thing he was leery about is he hired a SEO company last year and paid them a large amount upfront and next month they went out of business.

My fees were x thousands upfront with a lower monthly retainer. Not the highest but not low either. I would be doing a lot for him, completing and optimizing his GP, his website and offline SEO.

He was also talking to another SEO company. They guaranteed him #1, #2 for main keywords and a much lower amount upfront than me with a higher amount after they got him ranked (but lower than my monthly fee). Although I've always been able to get my clients in the top couple for main kw's, I never promise that I can do that for all keywords.

He isn't trying to beat me up on price and likes the idea of working with me and not a big company. However since he got burned in the past paying a lot upfront and the other company he is talking to wants a much smaller amount upfront, he wants to know if I could be more flexible with my initial pricing. I know I supply value so I wouldn't lower my prices but I would like to get him as a client and the money would be helpful and other prospects aren't exactly standing in line :-)

Looking for ideas how I can get him as a client without cutting my fees, but perhaps having different terms.

Thanks RMX
#dentist #handle #prospect
  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    Ah, the old "pressure right at the end" buyer technique. Just when you think you've got it in the bag.

    If you lower your price, you lose credibility.

    Stand firm on price.

    You're too afraid of "losing" this order. Let me tell ya: you don't have it yet.

    Is this down payment a big issue for you? If it is, then stand by it and be prepared for the prospect to walk--and for that to be OK. They qualify Out on budget.

    If not, then up the monthlies to make up for the difference.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bredfan
    Well...we all have different business models and to each his own. I'll tell you what seems to work for me....

    For local SEO, my setup fee is $500.00. If the prospect gets PPC also, I waive it completely. If the prospect buys a website design with it, I waive the start up.

    Or... I have done this too...

    I lay out my Statement of Work with a monthly timeline:

    Month 1: On page optimization, Google Places, Webmaster tools, Geo sitemap
    Month 2: Citations, reviews, backlinking
    Month 3: Citations, reviews, backlinking

    With a setup like this, you almost don't need a start up fee. If your monthly is high enough - call it 500, then just start billing them. The only difference is the type of work you're doing each month.

    Last - I think it's important to note - I have a local SEO client paying 1250/month. I also have one paying 360/month. The difference is in the competitiveness of the market and the value of each incremental customer they get. SEO can be worth a little or a lot depending on who you're selling to.

    For this situation, I'd tell him "Sure - I'll lower my start up fee, but my monthly will increase by $x."
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    • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
      A couple of things going on here...

      1 Price is being used as a negotiating gambit by him.
      To counter it, always take something away. That keeps them from
      coming back for more concessions.

      2 Tell him why you don't guarantee certain rankings like the other firm.
      That reason is because you don't OWN the ranking machine that is Google.
      However let him know past success stories which you invite him to check for himself.

      No need to be defensive on answering his stalls.

      Another way to stop the ongoing stalling is to always ask
      "If we get that taken care of, is there anything else that would prevent us from moving forward?"

      You say that right after he asks the question.

      It's all a negotiating game,
      one which you are ready to walk away from.

      Best,
      Ewen

      P.S. It's counter intuitive, but inviting him to say no
      works really well because people don't like saying it.
      After you offered your solution, then you say "Just say no if this won't work for you."
      It's not ending the deal, it's only exploring alternatives if he says it.
      The mostly likely outcome is he will come back with an alternative and you are still
      getting closer to the close.
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  • Profile picture of the author sureshots
    Don't budge on price, actually in this instance what I've done in the past is when I do a follow up call I raise the price example if I told him I was charging $2500 in my next conversation i'll say $4400 and wait for him to correct me. Don't be fooled into believing that lowering the price will make people choose you the fact remains that most people feel better about themselves when salesman charge them higher prices. Professional business people hate being looked at as cheap skates! If services are worth $4400 ask for $6600! Unless of-course you like working hard for peanuts!
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan DaSilva
    It's been said before, you should cultivate an attitude of being ready to walk away, after you offered the value you are providing.

    First of all, after he talks about his experiences and other offerings, ask him what exactly he expects from SEO and see if it is something reasonable you can provide. If expectations are not realistic, tell him so and that if he's been sold on that before he might be better off with a partner with the cheapest price.

    If the clients is intelligent enough to understand the concept of value provided by your serevice, then price as such is not an issue. Demonstrating and positioniong for value can be achieved in several ways:
    [list] Asking what exactly he's been getting from the company he's been working withIt's been said before, you should cultivate an attitude of being ready to walk away, after you offered the value you are providing.

    First of all, after he talks about his experiences and other offerings, ask him what exactly he expects from SEO and see if it is something reasonable you can provide. If expectations are not realistic, tell him so and that if he's been sold on that before he might be better off with a partner with the cheapest price.

    If the clients is intelligent enough to understand the concept of value provided by your serevice, then price as such is not an issue. Demonstrating and positioniong for value can be achieved in several ways:
    • Asking what exactly he's been getting from the company he's been working with
    • Asking what he's been offered by the company with low fees
    • Explaining why promising #1 spots in Google is against proper SEO ethics since nobody knows Google's algorithms
    • Offering a different and much higher value than the other companies mentioned, explaining that what his company really needs is solid permanent visibility, no one hit wonder, and that the methods you use are meant for long-term

    Take the pulse and see where he's at now. Ask him if this is someting he would want forr his business. if he's still unsure, then he has an issue with trust, based on his past experience. Now you do one final attempt to establish trust before you walk away. Ask him the following.

    "If I could get you on the first page of Google without you paying me a penny upfront what would you agree today that we should to business together in the future?"

    If he says "yes", make him sign an agreement with the terms you stated and tell him you have never done this before. Then, come back here and get familiar with some ultra-fast methods to rank a site featuring your client on the first page (best use video) and you'll be his forever hero!

    If the answer is "no" say goodbye and run! Enough pain...

    Hope that helps & all the best,
    Dan
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  • Profile picture of the author RKCastillo
    I liked the idea of taking something away to drop the initial fee and the freedom to say I can walk away but I know what it feels like to need the money and the customer.

    Why not say you will drop the initial fee but will ask for a certain number of referrals in place of the set up fee?

    You could say something like "Look, I don't usually budge on my set up fee. It's a way for you to retain our services and get everything going. I would be willing to drop the price down to 'X' if you could provide me with 5 good referrals after we deliver the results. That way it's a win/win for both of us.
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    • Profile picture of the author Dan DaSilva
      Originally Posted by RKCastillo View Post

      I liked the idea of taking something away to drop the initial fee and the freedom to say I can walk away but I know what it feels like to need the money and the customer.

      Why not say you will drop the initial fee but will ask for a certain number of referrals in place of the set up fee?

      You could say something like "Look, I don't usually budge on my set up fee. It's a way for you to retain our services and get everything going. I would be willing to drop the price down to 'X' if you could provide me with 5 good referrals after we deliver the results. That way it's a win/win for both of us.
      Referrals is a great point!

      A variation of this is you tell the prospect you will credit any referral that leads to a meeting with $100 and deduct it from the setup price. That way you make sure he doesn't just provide you with crappy referrals since you're in control to decide if it's worth persuing by scheduling a meeting

      Best,
      Dan
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      • Profile picture of the author rmx
        Thanks for all the great ideas.

        I might add another service (easy to do but high perceived value) I know he wants to and keep my original price, or possibly lower down payment a little in return for referrals, or lower down payment but increase monthly or possibly just stick to my prices.

        Anyway I have some good options.

        I've worked with several dentists. They are hard to get but usually pretty good to work with after you get them. They like a bargain as much as anyone else but most are willing to pay for quality work and they can afford it.

        RMX
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  • Profile picture of the author piermichel
    If you are sure of what you are doing , i dont see why you can't close this deal quick by impressing him with a quick youtube video ranking for free if he has a video then start working on his site make him sign an agreement to pay after the completion of the on page seo, then collect the rest in several terms. Meet him half way where both parties are happy. You have the deal already , it is a matter of your flexibility.
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  • Profile picture of the author vududawg
    rmx, good job on talking so long with this dentist and thank you for not settling for less money.

    I am in this business like you and what I do... repeat what I do is always let the prospect know that I am also talking with their competition up front, I let them all know. That's the first part

    You may not have noticed how many SEOers are out their, but if you position yourself correctly, you should not have to concern yourself to much about customers getting burned before simply because that's life and it's time to move on.

    This dentist needs confidence from you, not an seo company persona. Stand your ground but keep moving, their is too much money waiting.

    Take care
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    • Profile picture of the author rmx
      UPDATE:

      Thanks for the help and suggestions. I ended up getting the gig with the dentist.

      Nice upfront fee plus monthly.

      I didn't come down on my price, but I did add something with a high perceived value that is very inexpensive to outsource. To make a long story short after I added the extra, he still wasn't ready to commit but what finally won him over was the relationship we had developed. I really set myself apart from the other SEO companies that he was talking with. He said he felt he was getting a true marketing consultant with me, not just someone who promised #1 rankings with SEO.

      RMX
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  • Profile picture of the author beeswarn
    Good job on holding your price and throwing something of low cost in to close the deal. I don't believe the relationship-building hocus pocus. A good presentation and good negotiating tactics won here.

    By your own admission, you're a beginner and not yet a highly regarded marketing consultant. Prompt yourself to get back on the phone before you start believing you really are a Chai latte-sipping relationship builder who's too sophisticated to stoop to calling more people to make actual presentations.
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  • Profile picture of the author misterme
    I saw you got the gig, but here's my 2 cents anyway:

    Schedule an appointment for him to clean your teeth and give you an exam. Once you become his paying patient, he won't want to jeopardize his income by bickering with you over a few dollars. If you don't have any teeth to examine, then tell him you'll spread out his initial payment into three installments.
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