Need Advice From Offline Marketers

I actually had a similar discussion the other day with a client. Obviously I'm not trying to think small and just do some blog posts with them but they were insisting that we use some third party seo company that was just a waste of money.

After a little more discussion I found out that it was because a buddy of his used it for his seo for his sites.

So we jumped onto the interwebz and saw how horrible the buddies rankings were for any terms that mattered.

He saw me as a "programmer/designer" because that's how we had been introduced. Once I showed him HOW his buddies site was being promoted wrong, and what I would have done..........

Case closed - new client (redesign, network of supporting sites, monthly link building campaign, and ppc). (I meet with his buddy soon as well).

I wouldn't have taken the job if I didn't end up with full control of the whole process. It's to much of a pain in the rear working with third parties on seo jobs. If you do it -- OVERCHARGE for the headache or don't take the job.

In your case it's a software system or a program or god knows what. I read over that page and I just don't see the big deal either. It's a lot of presentation - that's a nice looking site. However: New customers are required to buy a 4-hour consulting block for $500 to get started.

That's 500 bucks for him to learn what your going to be doing for him I hope. Read through everything they offer and come up with a plan to match it.

Thanks Ed for your advice. There seems to be so much on the hubspot site I feel a bit intimidated. But I think you're right, it's all just a nice presentation. I do intend to read through everything they offer and come up with a plan to match it.

Carol

Hi Carol

My question is why do you want to convince him?

I don't know where you're at with your business, or your skill set, but is "doing blog posts and starting twitter" what you want to be doing? You've got to do a LOT of that to make a half decent income.

Remember you don't have to let what a client wants dictate what you're prepared to give him.

Ask questions and find out why he wants those things and how they'll fit into his business. You might find a better alternative, such as...

a) Another high value service you can provide him that will fix his problem better/faster/cheaper.

or

b) Hubspot is perfect for him and you can be the consultant who manages it. (Turn a $250/m job into a $2500+/m job.)

or

c) Any number of possible scenarios that allow you to work less, make more money, and provide more value to your client.

Keep asking questions until you get to the core of WHY he wants what he does. Never take what they say they want at face value.

Hope that helps
Kyle

Thank you all for taking the time to reply and give me some suggestions. I researched some reviews on hubspot and gave him impartial feedback based on what I found. Basically, I highlighted the fact that most users found the software very helpful but it needed about 5 hours a week minimum spent using it in order to see positive results. I know this biz owner has little extra time, so could end up asking me to manage it if he goes ahead.

This potential client is in a competitive niche and wants to increase traffic to his site and build his online presence. From all the buzz about social marketing, he feels that might be the way to go.

I'm coming at this as someone who isn't sure if I'm in over my head. I'm a writer and Internet trainer, so blog posts and tweeting a few times a week are easy for me. I know a certain amount about SEO but am not sure if I want to get into all of that. Managing hubspot for him might be a better option for me.

I'll also take a look at the OfflineMoneyBlueprint. My only gameplan so far is that I think he needs to become known as an expert in his niche. That's why we thought that informative tweets and blog posts would help with that.