by lingo
9 replies
Hey,

Advice needed from people closing SEO deals on the phone.

I am getting enquiries from people who need help with their marketing. They are all in the enquiry stage and all small businesses.

I go into my pitch about what I do, a lot of the times I mention that I already have done some work with someone in the same industry for a different town.

BUT.... I cant seem to close these guys.

Responses i get: they are on a tight budget, three months to wait for results, need to see returns straight away...

I know this is a new sticking point in my business journey, so im looking for recommended books, advice etc on how to close over the phone.

I ideally would love a salesline process to hit them up with ie initial contact, stats or keyword report > follow up call etc.

Help greatly appreciated from people who are DOING this. Thanks
#closing
  • Profile picture of the author michaelplies
    how about offer seo and for the first few months some ppc. while their waiting on the first page of google, they will still have some leads coming in.
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    • Profile picture of the author nyk24
      If you're just starting off business wise and they say they don't have the money offer them a really low monthly fee say $50-100 and when it starts earning after 3 months put the price up! I would suggest you don't warn them of the price rise.

      In 3 months time you may have picked up a few more better paying clients. If the guy won't go up either drop him as a client or accept the lower fee from him.

      A way to combat the seo taking 3 months is to say you can rank a video in 1-4 weeks for them so they have some traffic coming in while they are waiting.

      If they still try and palm you off with excuses they probably weren't interested in the first place.

      Remember cold calling is a numbers game, "the more you do the more you earn and learn."

      Can I claim that as my saying warriors...please? lol
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    You can adapt this script.

    No website can work without SEO, so just remove the references to websites. Try not to talk about SEO much, because that's a scary acronym for non-techies.
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  • Profile picture of the author EnzoBlaque
    Just build excitment.. If you already have clients enquiring about your services, they are already half sold. They wouldn't be contacting you if they had a "tight-budget". That is just their way of kindly letting you know your phone pitch needs some improvement.

    All you need to do is ask them why they are contacting you and once they tell you, you let them know the how quickly you can get the job done for them. Naturally they'll then enquire about your pricing, you then come to an agreement. It isn't as difficult as you'd imagine.
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    • Profile picture of the author lingo
      Thanks for all the replys.

      Enzo, thanks for making me realise that they are contacting me so they are already half sold. All businesses are looking to get something cheap so its probably something i need to brush off.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mav91890
    Jason's script up above will definitely help influence them to believing they are getting a good deal.
    Signature

    “The only thing standing between you and your goal is the bullshit story you keep telling yourself as to why you can't achieve it.” ― Jordan Belfort

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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    You need to add urgency...

    This deal ends "tomorrow".

    Thats why corporate robotic telemarketers work, because they can only follow policy and they cant make deals, so people know "I have to make this deal now, on THEIR terms... if I want to do it".

    Whereas they will string an indy biz guy along, because he doesnt have strict policies and he is flexible.

    You should tell him, if you wait 90 days then it will be six MORE months till you see results, which is the reason your competitor is getting all the traffic now...because he didnt wait... six months from now he will have this all sealed up, you may as well not even do it...if you want to get a shot at number one, I'd advise moving now"

    Add urgency. Close NOW or else I will spend my energy on someone who wants to have a successful site. Your call, either way is fine.

    You want to be light hearted when "greeting", but when "closing" you want to be dead serious.

    Here's the truth: You are starting a new business, you dont have time to play with people. "Close now,. or miss the deal"

    You were dialing number when you found THIS one right?

    Okay, you will find another the same way, and THAT person may be ready to do business. Dont waste time with non prospects, or even wishy washy ones...let them come around when they are done worrying over every dime...while their competitors take their market share.

    Find one of those guys who really wants his piece of the market.

    There are guys who really WANT it...find THOSE guys and tell the others they can run to catch up with you when they are ready to compete, IF they still even have a shot.
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  • Profile picture of the author AlexTee
    First of all, if people are calling you that is a good thing!

    Second, you are not going to close everyone.

    You mentioned you go into your pitch, etc.

    I would recommend you start asking questions instead of going into pitch mode.

    Take control and guide the conversation to where you want it to go with questions.

    Questions that will reveal they are in pain (isn't that why they called) and reminds them of it.

    After they tell you why they are calling, say something like,

    In order to determine if I can help you, I have 5 questions I need to ask you, is that ok?

    Then design questions that address the common responses you listed

    Do you have a budget?

    How do you evaluate the effectiveness of your current market spend/activities?

    What kind of result are they looking for? How did they come about those numbers?

    These are just some examples to give you an idea.

    After you get all the answers you need, tell them you will call them back with a recommendation……NEVER GIVE PRICING….at this juncture. Schedule a phone appointment to call back that same day or the next day.

    This way you give yourself time to craft a persuasive recommendation if they are worth the time.

    Now here's the deal! You already know if you can work with this person or not based on the budget question.

    You won't be able to close everyone because some just won't have the money.
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  • Profile picture of the author Ericparke
    Originally Posted by lingo View Post

    Hey,

    Advice needed from people closing SEO deals on the phone.

    I am getting enquiries from people who need help with their marketing. They are all in the enquiry stage and all small businesses.

    I go into my pitch about what I do, a lot of the times I mention that I already have done some work with someone in the same industry for a different town.

    BUT.... I cant seem to close these guys.

    Responses i get: they are on a tight budget, three months to wait for results, need to see returns straight away...

    I know this is a new sticking point in my business journey, so im looking for recommended books, advice etc on how to close over the phone.

    I ideally would love a salesline process to hit them up with ie initial contact, stats or keyword report > follow up call etc.

    Help greatly appreciated from people who are DOING this. Thanks
    I will recommend one book to you. It has done wonders for my businesses. (purple cow) is the title
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