[Ghalt]

I consider myself an expert in SEO. Maybe not compared to you guys, but compared to our customers..ABSOLUTELY we have expertise they do not...and that expertise can be translated into dollars since we can drive customers to them.

My problem is measuring the impact BEFORE doing the work.

For example, choosing keywords to target. I see other SEO guys that are getting their folks to rank for keywords like "yourtown accident lawyer", "yourtown sex harassment lawyer", etc. So...if we get to number one on that phrase...that's nice, and all, but if that phrase is getting 4 searches per month, am I really adding that much value?

[sdentrepreneur]

I charge between $1,500 to $3,000 per month. That is for individuals and small businesses.
Larger companies and Start Ups are bid out different.

Breakdown on my Hub Page Consulting

[aymen123]

Anyone advertising with Tazoodle? The concept seems nice! What do all you know about that? Do you feel it would be good to advertise there? Advertise consulting services for whatever... Offline and online. Can use Skype to reach the world!

[Katelyn Silverman]

Web hosting

[lightcam]

This is a great thread, in fact I've subscribed to it.

I just want to put out a big thanks to all the contributing experts. Anyone reading all of the comments MUST be able to use many of the strategies offered.

I'm always taking notes, researching every avenue possible, including reading books, searching forums, listening to interviews and meeting like-minded people.

Meeting like-minded people is the hardest to achieve, because there are so many negative souls around, including my own family and friends.... people that tell you what's not possible and "that wont work"

I believe the fastest way to success, whether it be online, offline, marketing, business or whatever, is to get coaching. The most important point is to make sure you're learning from experts that are doing what they're preaching. There are many fantastic coaches around - I have three.

[AP]

Originally Posted by DogScout

a few articles, a little back-linking a 30 minute consult maybe if they want input on anything.

Check to be sure business that is up is attributed to my efforts. That kind of thing. Could be a little Adwords management for that much, I would guess, but not nessesarily. It is amazing how little you really have to do to keep a ball rolling down a hill once you've pushed hard enough to begin with. Much of the value is perceived more than it is attritubited to continual $10,000 of work.

I do no backlinking, yup. Listed below are the basics of what I do. I only do a few per month for any one client. Even my one client for 12k per month only gets a few of these.

I'll bet most of you don't know the Key to my success. Care to guess? I'll give a hint, it has very little to do with the Internet. The answers are found below.

But my clients don't know that.

• Article writing

• Local Maps Google, Yahoo!, etc...

• Get listed in Top Vertical Directories

• (2) 15 minute consults per month

• Handle Email marketing

• Adwords management (sometimes, minimum spend 2k per month)

• Paid traffic

• Direct Mail campaigns

• Site Design

• Customized Twitter page (one time setup, then will get client 2,000 followers via software)

• General Marketing Consulting

• Onpage SEO

• Once in a while I'll create sister sites

• Free Press Release

• Paid Press Release (Quarterly PRweb.com)

• Provide resources for Quarterly Newsletters, etc... (Affiliate)

• Some staff training

[Ben Bridges]

I charge one of my of line clients a monthly fee of a £1,200.00 for SEO work in his line of business "Luxury Cars" there is a lot of competition.
It may be worth looking out for these types of clients as there is always enough work to keep you busy a few hours a week and as he is in the car trade there has been allot of further residual customers.

[Spiros]

Originally Posted by AP

Provide resources for Quarterly Newsletters, etc... (Affiliate)

Who do you use for this?

I've been trying to find a good source...

[Thinker1]

Wow, I'm impressed. Really great info. Thanks for sharing.

[AP]

Originally Posted by Spiros

Who do you use for this?

I've been trying to find a good source...

I'm always amazed at how many people with no or few post come out of the woodwork. 5 years and 15 post!

Anyways, here's who I use.

newsletter ideas | newsletter template | newsletter templates

[Tory]

Originally Posted by AP

I'm always amazed at how many people with no or few post come out of the woodwork. 5 years and 15 post!

Anyways, here's who I use.

newsletter ideas | newsletter template | newsletter templates

"I'll bet most of you don't know the Key to my success. Care to guess? I'll give a hint, it has very little to do with the Internet. The answers are found below."

my guess is "general marketing consulting" and the "2 fifteen minute consults a month"

everything else is monkey work....

tory

[Spark]

After all the presentation. I am wondering, do you guys give guarantee to them?
As in if what i do doesn't give you a increase of 20% sales then we will make a refund, etc.

Anyone here giving guarantee to your customers? If not, do they still buy your packages?

Appreciate anyone care to say.

[Dexx]

Originally Posted by Spark

After all the presentation. I am wondering, do you guys give guarantee to them?
As in if what i do doesn't give you a increase of 20% sales then we will make a refund, etc.

Anyone here giving guarantee to your customers? If not, do they still buy your packages?

Appreciate anyone care to say.

Unless you can predict the future (which I'm sure you'd have used to win the lottery by now) DO NOT guarantee Anything!

You can let them know what you PREDICT the results MIGHT be, but the internet is a constantly changing thing, and what works one day might not work the next.

Certain things like list building etc. will typically improve sales/results if they aren't doing it already, but it's not your place to guarantee...its your place to provide the service you claim you will.


~Dexx

[Spark]

Originally Posted by Dexx

Unless you can predict the future (which I'm sure you'd have used to win the lottery by now) DO NOT guarantee Anything!

You can let them know what you PREDICT the results MIGHT be, but the internet is a constantly changing thing, and what works one day might not work the next.

Certain things like list building etc. will typically improve sales/results if they aren't doing it already, but it's not your place to guarantee...its your place to provide the service you claim you will.


~Dexx

Hey Dexx,

Thanks for your help on this. So you mean we only mention that by doing this will increase your sales however we can't guarantee the future but what we doing will improve your sales rates?

Is it right to go alone this mindset?

[Tory]

Originally Posted by Spark

After all the presentation. I am wondering, do you guys give guarantee to them?
As in if what i do doesn't give you a increase of 20% sales then we will make a refund, etc.

Anyone here giving guarantee to your customers? If not, do they still buy your packages?

Appreciate anyone care to say.

Great question..... I hear alot about "paid for performance" type garbage. And I will admit that when I was a "seo salesman", I was worried about it.

Business consultants.... (even if you only have a few SATISFIED clients) should never think that way.

No pro gives a guarantee. no lawyer, no doc, no financial rep, not even most auto mechanics.....

honestly its not an issue, if you are properly positioned you are selling expert "get more customer advice".... ok.... that is talking to you like an owner. which I assume you are.

However, with that said.... and I'm giving away the farm here... I have a "small biz division".... that my salespeople call on and only sells to small mom and pops.... I have small pre-set packages.... very basic stuff.... with page 1 google guarantees! (we do a competition check first) why, you ask after all my blabbering about positioning??

simple.... EMPLOYEES DON'T GET BRANDING/POSITIONING ECT... Or else they would become my competition! They NEED the "crutch" of the guarantee to sell because of where they are at mentally....

Maria G mentions this strategy....( she calls it tri-branding) and you NEED to be VERY in tune with the difference between corp clients, mid-size, and small biz owners. Corp clients don't care about a guarantee.... that will not come up in meeting with decision makers unless you say something dumb. They are smart enough to know that all of what we do is a PROCESS.

It's the "magic bullet" crowd that wants the guarantee. small, desperate biz owners..... I only present to them in crowds.... and have my reps follow up with them, as well as the ambitious reps that really like to cold-call, yes, they are out there..... freaks :-)

EDIT... Spark, after reading your question I may have blabbered on and not answered it... my seo salespeople can close a small biz owner with google page 1 guarantee in 120 days or we will continue to work on it for free for up to a year at no more charge. ( trust me... that 1 month off payroll I will "juice up" the package to make sure my salesman will keep getting his monthly residual off that account ).... but NEVER a % sale or new lead guarantee.... I do not ever sell these very basic packages to "anyone with a decent budget".

[Marketstriker]

I had this kind of problem. I asked myself what could make my clients life easier and my service more comfortable. For every new service I charged a fee. That's how I began to sell subscriptions to my reports. I offered exclusive contracts, some paid webinars.

[AP]

Originally Posted by Spark

After all the presentation. I am wondering, do you guys give guarantee to them?
As in if what i do doesn't give you a increase of 20% sales then we will make a refund, etc.

Anyone here giving guarantee to your customers? If not, do they still buy your packages?

Appreciate anyone care to say.

I do give a Guarantee.

I have a printed Guarantee that looks like a Diploma. It simply states if the Customer isn't 100% satisfied after (2) months (and they paid in full) they can get 100% of their monies paid to me.

A 100% Money-Back Guarantee.

That's right, the set-up fee (normal is 5k+) and the monthly fee (usually $1,997). So, in theory I will return almost $9,000 after the 2nd monthly premium has been paid.

They must allow me to do my full setup, normally 15 days to get started, then the next 60 days of marketing.

In those 75 days or so I will make improvements that will Guarantee my success and they will not want to leave me because they see more positive results coming down the road.

My guarantee states I will stop marketing for them effective immediately and I will stop whatever marketing systems I have completed, they must return any copyrighted materials I have provided and they can not use my intellectual property rights in any of their marketing.

Of course, I can't undo any training I've done.

I have NEVER had a client take me up on this offer. Never.

It's called the "Puppy dog approach." The owner of the pet store allows new parents (of the puppy) to take the pet home for the Weekend. Show the kids, the neighbors, your family, etc... if you don't like the puppy by Monday you can return him "No questions asked."

Very similar to a Divorce, it's NEVER one-sided. One party always wants to stay together. People who say it was Mutual are liars. It may have been at the end, but not when the 1st person proposed it.

The "Pain of Disconnect" is too strong.

Learn NLP.

[Spark]

Guys,

Thanks for the answer that i ask regarding the Guarantee issue that i believe people who love to know when pitching to clients.

Should we add in Guarantee? If yes, what's the max Guarantee that we can give before it will drain our time if we didn't make their target.

Guys just a few questions pop-up my mind while i was taking train back home. What guarantee we avoid to get ourselves drain off if we didn't make the target? Do we not mention certain percentages that will increase in sales? Or just the rankings, more viewers looking at their sites [SEO Reports, Ads Click]

Any suggestions on the do's and don'ts for the guarantee?

Appreciate someone can help on this.

[sb]

AP,

Thank you (and others) for the excellent advice you've given here. You can always tell a serious student of Dan Kennedy.

I've been helping brick and mortar businesses since 2002 and it has provided me with a very comfortable lifestyle. I've tried many other things during these years, some that have been profitable for me and some that have not. However, I've always had my core consulting business and this is what I really enjoy.

Anyway, I've been putting a workshop together and was wondering if you would mind sharing some more of your advice about them? Specifically, what have you discovered to be the best price to charge? You had mentioned a couple of different prices that you charge here but I was wondering if you've settled on one that seems to be the sweet spot?

By the way, I think it's a GREAT idea to give the proceeds to charity. I'm going to do this as well.

Thank you and keep up the great work. More than ever, in today's economy we can make a MASSIVE difference in the lives of others and the backbone of America - small and medium businesses.

[sunnycal]

@AP
I have a few questions re your list of services....

- "Get listed in Top Vertical directories"
What are Top Vertical directories?

- "Adwords management (sometimes, min spend $2K/mth)"
Do you mean you sometimes do Adwords management? When you do, you spend a minimum of $2K?

- "Paid traffic"
Can you give some examples of this?

- "Provide resources for Quarterly Newsletters, etc (Affiliate)"
Does that mean you show them where they can get the newsletters and they implement it while you get the affiliate commission for referring them or do you implement/manage it for them also?

[AP]

Comments in Blue.

Originally Posted by sunnycal

@AP
I have a few questions re your list of services....

- "Get listed in Top Vertical directories"
What are Top Vertical directories?

(Attached pic)

- "Adwords management (sometimes, min spend $2K/mth)"
Do you mean you sometimes do Adwords management? When you do, you spend a minimum of $2K?

Yes. Minimum is 2k for me to even bother. Most spend 5k+

- "Paid traffic"
Can you give some examples of this?
I'd have to kill you.

- "Provide resources for Quarterly Newsletters, etc (Affiliate)"
Does that mean you show them where they can get the newsletters and they implement it while you get the affiliate commission for referring them or do you implement/manage it for them also?

See below:

newsletter ideas | newsletter template | newsletter templates <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

[Joseph.]

AP,

Based on your posts, is it safe to assume that you generate your clients through direct mail and client referrals?

Do you generate business roughly using the following sequence:

direct mail

---- your website

----- phone call from a prospect

----- evaluation of potential client over the phone

----- initial consultation/face-to-face meeting (free?)

[Dexx]

Originally Posted by AP

Comments in Blue.

- "Adwords management (sometimes, min spend $2K/mth)"
Do you mean you sometimes do Adwords management? When you do, you spend a minimum of $2K?

Yes. Minimum is 2k for me to even bother. Most spend 5k+

Hey AP, I was looking into PPC management, question for you:

If the client is willing to spend $2,000 on PPC, are you charging say...15% management fee to handle this?

So then if the client decides to spend $10,000, you're earning more as well?

Or is it a set fee you charge?

[Joseph.]

Originally Posted by Dexx

Hey AP, I was looking into PPC management, question for you:

If the client is willing to spend $2,000 on PPC, are you charging say...15% management fee to handle this?

So then if the client decides to spend $10,000, you're earning more as well?

Or is it a set fee you charge?

I'm interested in this as well.

I often find PPC management to be quite labor-intensive. Client's website often receives poor QS ----- to get high QS means I am in "website re-design" business now.

Some clients think that such redesign work is covered by PPC management fee.......

[AP]

Comments in Blue.

Originally Posted by Joseph.

AP,

Based on your posts, is it safe to assume that you generate your clients through direct mail and client referrals?

Mostly referrals. I get a lot of referrals but politely turn down most. They can't afford my services or maybe I don't want to work that niche. Yesterday, one of my clients gave me an attorney and a salon owner. I will contact the lawyer but not the salon.

I do Direct Mail Campaigns once in a while. I may be testing a certain zip code, testing a certain niche, or just staying on top of my game.

Do you generate business roughly using the following sequence:

direct mail

---- your website

Yes. Prospect sees my Free report (email capture), video, long sales copy, and a link to my book.

Drip campaign starts.

----- phone call from a prospect

Yes. I tell them they will be calling a Pre-recorded message. Please leave your name, company name, and phone number and I will get back to you within 1 business day.

I then research prospect, complete my due diligence, then I call them.

----- evaluation of potential client over the phone

Yes. I ask questions that give me some idea about their business, their sales, competition, overall feel and then I send a Questionnaire.

----- initial consultation/face-to-face meeting (free?)

After they complete a 7 page questionnaire, I will call them and go over some basic questions I need answered. If they are forthcoming and answered most of the questions I will set up an appt at their office for the initial meeting. I always go to their place of bus first so I can get a feel for what is really happening.

Hope that helped.

[AP]

Comments in Blue.

Originally Posted by Dexx

Hey AP, I was looking into PPC management, question for you:

If the client is willing to spend $2,000 on PPC, are you charging say...15% management fee to handle this?

15 -20% is my affiliate fee based upon volume. I outsource the work to one of the top rated firms in the country. Minimum is 5k, but I will start someone at 2k to give them a test of PPC.

So then if the client decides to spend $10,000, you're earning more as well?

Absolutely, my management fee has nothing to do with PPC. I recently had a client who was spending 7k -8k a month. We cut his spend down to 5k a month, raised his QS, client had NO negative keywords, cut his per click cost down and I make 15% ($750 per month for doing nothing).

Or is it a set fee you charge?

[AP]

Originally Posted by Joseph.

I'm interested in this as well.

I often find PPC management to be quite labor-intensive. Client's website often receives poor QS ----- to get high QS means I am in "website re-design" business now.

Some clients think that such redesign work is covered by PPC management fee.......

I will review a clients Adwords campaign briefly. Most suck. I do no redesign work, have no time.

I could care less what a client "thinks." That's why I have agreements in place.

[sb]

AP, is this your website? Text

[AP]

Originally Posted by sb

AP, is this your website? Text

NO. I have a real website, lol.

That guy doesn't even have a title tag. :rolleyes:

[greff]

Yes, you can make good money offline.

But whenever I see this subject brought up on WF I must shake my head. $50K per month consulting, eh? $10,000 upfront, eh?

Pardon me for being doubtful. Too many IM people blowing smoke.

I feel a WSO coming soon on this post.

[Fernando Veloso]

Originally Posted by greff

Yes, you can make good money offline.

But whenever I see this subject brought up on WF I must shake my head. $50K per month consulting, eh? $10,000 upfront, eh?

Pardon me for being doubtful. Too many IM people blowing smoke.

I feel a WSO coming soon on this post.

Not fair Greff.

Maybe you can read all the posts again and realize some people do make serious amount of money offline.

Some people... not everyone.

[Dexx]

Originally Posted by greff

Yes, you can make good money offline.

But whenever I see this subject brought up on WF I must shake my head. $50K per month consulting, eh? $10,000 upfront, eh?

Pardon me for being doubtful. Too many IM people blowing smoke.

I feel a WSO coming soon on this post.

While some people will "blow smoke" regarding potential results, it is hardly uncommon to secure client deals for $10,000+...I have already done three of these myself and I'm just getting started.

At the end of the day it boils down to three things:

1) The market you are targeting
2) The value of the services you are providing
3) You belief in what you are worth

Are you going to approach a Mom and Pop business that spends $500 a month on advertising with a consulting package for $1,500 a month plus $5,000 setup fees? Maybe...but mostly likely they won't be able to afford your services.

Now you approach a business spending $25,000 a month on billboard, Yellowpage, and Radio Ads (which my 3rd client happened to be doing) and voila...3 meetings later I secured a $13,000 website re-design agreement with marketing services to be implemented shortly. (working out details)

Did it take any more effort to approach a larger business than a Mom + Pop shop? No, I just analyzed where they needed my services and made them an offer to help....they responded within 24hours and the rest is history.

Just like BMW and Lexus don't target their marketing to the same demographic as Kia or Honda, I don't go after smaller businesses with smaller budgets.


Now if people go in with the mentality of "no way can I charge much" or "those guys are full of crap, nobody will pay that much" ... then you WON'T get clients paying that amount.

If you believe your services are worth $100 - $400 a month...then guess what you'll be willing to accept for payments and clients.

For example I had a lady contact me this week inquiring about getting marketing for her small interior design company that she owns. She has a few clients already, and contemplated doing bus stop advertising etc. but didn't want to waste money as she didn't know how to do it properly.

I spoke with her for about 15 - 20 minutes asking my prelim. needs analysis questions, and she could use a ton of help, she saw the value in my business and was excited to get started...then I asked her marketing budget... and it was $500.

For $500 she was hoping to get a small website designed (she owns a domain URL for a company but has nothing setup). Unfortunately I've already made a minimum price for my services (in my head) of $1,997 for website creation etc.

I explained to her that at this time her marketing budget wouldn't be able to retain my team's services, but gave her some advice as to where to get started (social media, etc.) and explained that in the future (budget permitting) we would gladly sit down with her and develop a marketing strategy ($997 for marketing blueprints).

Could I have helped her do something for $500? Sure...I mean simple blog setup etc. would take maybe an hour or two...but then I devalue my business for a cheap buck. No deal. I work with business that can afford the price that I have positioned my business to be at.

By the way, the client that I mentioned above has already passed me referrals (them calling me) as their business connections have asked for recommendations as to who to work with... and once I work with them...I'll most likely get more referrals of the same caliber in business size.

So yes, target who you want, but expect results that match your expectations.

[greff]

Guys,

When people think of "offline prospecting" they are usually thinking about mom and pop stores or small corps. that produce products. Sure, you can make the big bucks (I have - we spent gobs of time developing websites). I think we need to define our terms.

Chances are that many will read these posts and think that most businesses that line up on Main St. USA are willing to part with that kind of money. So, if you take a walk down that Main St. how many businesses would be able and willing to pay you $10,000 up front? I bet you can't find one until you dig deep into the manufacturing directories for your area.

Not only that, I challenge anyone to walk into a ANY company and land a $10,000 check without first establishing yourself and proving that you can get results (not guaranteeing, but maybe through referrals).

Let's be honest about this is all I ask.

The original question is "what will they pay on a monthly recurring basis?"

If you offer a host of services (including training the employees, teaching how to work the phones, helping them build a sales team, etc- the real hands-on stuff), then, YES, you can pull in the big bucks.

Doing SEO that brings in an additional 20 clicks a month, well, that is worth almost nothing. If I were to hire ME as an SEO person I would first say "Show me the results"

I don't want to get into a flaming match here or anywhere else. I just want to see some actual, long term results of offline marketing please.

greg

[Dexx]

Greff, great point!

Sorry I missed that element, I don't *just* do SEO, I do a full marketing strategy implementation from beginning to end with clients.

If you are going into a business and selling a commodity (web design, SEO, video marketing etc.) then you have no more "worth" than the next guy who shows up and offers to do it at a fraction of YOUR cost.

Be invaluable, be unique, be a trusted PARTNER...and you'll get your big money days.

[greff]

Also, let's tell them how many hours we rack up just getting in to see the decision maker and what kind of guts it takes to do the cold calling on the phone or in person.

Adding those concepts creates more believability and possible more success stories here as well, rather than hyping what is possible. That is what I meant by the IM quip.

[AP]

I can understand where you're coming from. Different paradigm.

Most IMers don't make any real money, it's a very small percentage.

You and I are both on an IM forum, yet I am not a true IMer. I know the IM world, but I work offline.

The money in the offline world, taking Brick & Mortar businesses online can be very lucrative. If done correctly.

Yes, I do make 50k+ per month, yet here's the sad part. I could honestly make 200k+ per month if I wasn't so Lazy and got organized. I have a friend of mine who pulls over 300k a month, offline. Yep, 300k+. He works part time to boot, even harder for you to believe. However, he only works with One niche. Does the work once, and resells his ideas to all his clients. Now that is SMART.

I am what Perry Marshall refers to as the Lazy-Smart guy. If given a task Perry will always give it to me. I will figure out the fastest, easiest, most efficient way to do something. That's Perrys favorite employee.

Go back and read all of my post. My Free Post are a WSO in itself. I have more to share, all for free. I have literally received over a 100 request from fellow WF members to do a WSO or for me to coach them for a fee.

Those who want to post that they have PMed me are free do to so. I received (2) request already today. To date, I have turned down everyone. I simple don't have the time.

I can assure everyone of this.

If you have the "Right Mindset" (see Frank Kern video) have a decent P-R-O-C-E-S-S, Target the right business owners, have a solid source of Traffic (Perry Marshalls 1st step) and can follow-up with confidence then $20,000 per Month is very achievable in less than (6) months.

Monday I am going to post a list of books, websites, and ideas that I think would be very helpful for anyone working the Offline World. Free!

I could SELL this info on Monday as a WSO itself.

I actually thought about posting my Firefox Bookmarks, this alone would be Gold ;-)

Until then...

Have a great weekend.

Originally Posted by greff

Yes, you can make good money offline.

But whenever I see this subject brought up on WF I must shake my head. $50K per month consulting, eh? $10,000 upfront, eh?

Pardon me for being doubtful. Too many IM people blowing smoke.

I feel a WSO coming soon on this post.

[Lance K]

Originally Posted by AP

I'll bet most of you don't know the Key to my success. Care to guess?

Buy low, sell high.

[DogScout]

No doubt it would be the highest priced WSO here and would deliver 20 times the value of the cost.

That is what guys like Perry Marshall, Glen Livingston, Frank Kern and Kennedy-Glazer (whose Outrageous workshop I am at now) do. Over deliver and make a lot of money. Highly ethical and community orientated. It is surprisingly easy to do if you know what you are doing. (And even if you only know a little of what you are doing like me. Lol) Over-deliver results and like Frank says in his video, you will always be successful.

Oops, back to the work-shop
Mark

[AP]

Great post Dexx.

Originally Posted by Dexx

While some people will "blow smoke" regarding potential results, it is hardly uncommon to secure client deals for $10,000+...I have already done three of these myself and I'm just getting started.

At the end of the day it boils down to three things:

1) The market you are targeting (Targeting the right businesses is Critical)
2) The value of the services you are providing (What will be their ROI)
3) You belief in what you are worth (Confidence is a Critical part of this process. If the client doesn't believe in YOU, it's over.)

Couldn't agree more.

Are you going to approach a Mom and Pop business that spends $500 a month on advertising with a consulting package for $1,500 a month plus $5,000 setup fees? Maybe...but mostly likely they won't be able to afford your services.

Stay away from that business. I NEVER increase their budget.

Now you approach a business spending $25,000 a month on billboard, Yellowpage, and Radio Ads (which my 3rd client happened to be doing) and voila...3 meetings later I secured a $13,000 website re-design agreement with marketing services to be implemented shortly. (working out details)

My targeted client.

Did it take any more effort to approach a larger business than a Mom + Pop shop?

I can honestly say, less effort. The poorer the business the more questions they have and they are a bigger PITA.

No, I just analyzed where they needed my services and made them an offer to help....they responded within 24hours and the rest is history.

Just like BMW and Lexus don't target their marketing to the same demographic as Kia or Honda, I don't go after smaller businesses with smaller budgets.

Yes, yes, yes. I hope WF members don't think Every business is a Potential customer, they are NOT!

Now if people go in with the mentality of "no way can I charge much" or "those guys are full of crap, nobody will pay that much" ... then you WON'T get clients paying that amount.

Exactly. Mindset baby, mindset.

If you believe your services are worth $100 - $400 a month...then guess what you'll be willing to accept for payments and clients.

For example I had a lady contact me this week inquiring about getting marketing for her small interior design company that she owns. She has a few clients already, and contemplated doing bus stop advertising etc. but didn't want to waste money as she didn't know how to do it properly.

I spoke with her for about 15 - 20 minutes asking my prelim. needs analysis questions, and she could use a ton of help, she saw the value in my business and was excited to get started...then I asked her marketing budget... and it was $500.

For $500 she was hoping to get a small website designed (she owns a domain URL for a company but has nothing setup). Unfortunately I've already made a minimum price for my services (in my head) of $1,997 for website creation etc.

I explained to her that at this time her marketing budget wouldn't be able to retain my team's services, but gave her some advice as to where to get started (social media, etc.) and explained that in the future (budget permitting) we would gladly sit down with her and develop a marketing strategy ($997 for marketing blueprints).

That's good Dexx, walk away from the work and do a Business Blueprint (Mindmap) for her. Let her hire some CL guy to build a site. Both of you will be better off. When she gets her business rolling, guess who she'll turn to? The website guy from CL, lol?

Could I have helped her do something for $500? Sure...I mean simple blog setup etc. would take maybe an hour or two...but then I devalue my business for a cheap buck. No deal. I work with business that can afford the price that I have positioned my business to be at.

By the way, the client that I mentioned above has already passed me referrals (them calling me) as their business connections have asked for recommendations as to who to work with... and once I work with them...I'll most likely get more referrals of the same caliber in business size.

So yes, target who you want, but expect results that match your expectations.

Yep. If you would have taken that woman above, guess who her Center of Influence is, people who are poor like her. Do you want her telling everyone Dexx did all this work for $500.

I'm sure she was a nice lady, but it's nothing personal.

It's BUSINESS.

[AP]

Thanks DogScout. Hopefully some of you are taking advantage of these postings. It would be a shame if you didn't heed the advice from some very smart members here. There are several members here who can offer very valuable advice, been there-done that.

I can STOP you from stepping on a lot of Landmines in the Offline Battlefield. Make it easy on yourself.

It's not that hard if you have a Treasure Map for the road to success, along with a support group/mentor.

Originally Posted by DogScout

No doubt it would be the highest priced WSO here and would deliver 20 times the value of the cost.

That is what guys like Perry Marshall, Glen Livingston, Frank Kern and Kennedy-Glazer (whose Outrageous workshop I am at now) do. Over deliver and make a lot of money. Highly ethical and community orientated. It is surprisingly easy to do if you know what you are doing. (And even if you only know a little of what you are doing like me. Lol) Over-deliver results and like Frank says in his video, you will always be successful.

Oops, back to the work-shop
Mark

[Lance K]

1) The market you are targeting (Targeting the right businesses is Critical)

Any chance you're covering that in your Monday post?

Also, out of curiosity, have you ever worked with bridal shops?

[AP]

Originally Posted by greff

Also, let's tell them how many hours we rack up just getting in to see the decision maker and what kind of guts it takes to do the cold calling on the phone or in person.

Adding those concepts creates more believability and possible more success stories here as well, rather than hyping what is possible. That is what I meant by the IM quip.

I never cold call.

It's NOT necessary "if" you have a Sales Funnel.

I would never recommend anyone cold call or walk into a prospects place of business with no appointment. Never.

[quote=Lance K;1625289]

1) The market you are targeting (Targeting the right businesses is Critical)
[/quote]

Any chance you're covering that in your Monday post?

Also, out of curiosity, have you ever worked with bridal shops?

Maybe I'll cover what businesses to contact.

I have never worked with a bridal shop. Very seasonal budgeting, not what I'm looking for.

I work with businesses that have consistent income and spend money on marketing, big money.

Comments in Blue.

Originally Posted by greff

Guys,

When people think of "offline prospecting" they are usually thinking about mom and pop stores or small corps. that produce products. Sure, you can make the big bucks (I have - we spent gobs of time developing websites). I think we need to define our terms.

Most of my businesses are Mom & Pop, doing 1M to 5M in sales.

Chances are that many will read these posts and think that most businesses that line up on Main St. USA are willing to part with that kind of money. So, if you take a walk down that Main St. how many businesses would be able and willing to pay you $10,000 up front? I bet you can't find one until you dig deep into the manufacturing directories for your area.

What about a Lawyer? Cosmetic surgeon? Plumber? HVAC? Mortgage broker? Bank? High-end remodeling companies?

Edit: I have a client in every single one of those Niches. The minimum is 30k per year and one of those clients is paying me 150k. Can you guess which one?

None of the above are in manufacturing. I gave everyone here some Gold if you read the above niches.

Not only that, I challenge anyone to walk into a ANY company and land a $10,000 check without first establishing yourself and proving that you can get results (not guaranteeing, but maybe through referrals).

We can agree here, ain't gonna happen.

You must Position yourself first to get the big money.

Let's be honest about this is all I ask.

The original question is "what will they pay on a monthly recurring basis?"

My lowest client (that I no longer take on pays me $497 month) my highest pays me $12,000 month. Average is $1,497 month.

If you offer a host of services (including training the employees, teaching how to work the phones, helping them build a sales team, etc- the real hands-on stuff), then, YES, you can pull in the big bucks.

That's what I do.

Doing SEO that brings in an additional 20 clicks a month, well, that is worth almost nothing. If I were to hire ME as an SEO person I would first say "Show me the results"

If I was doing SEO only, I would make 10k a month. 80% less. I am not going to base my income off Google dancing or any one method.

I F'n hate Google, hate them. By teaching business owners how to handle incoming calls, increase their prices, cut the fat & waste from their advertising budget, become more efficient, how to Upsell, Cross sell, downsell, send quarterly newsletters, email follow up, etc... I can keep them in the game.

I don't need no Stinkin Internet.

My family and my business owners families are dependent upon ME leading them in the right direction.

My companies will ALWAYS have consistent business and Cash flow. I am not promising them to get Rich, but grow a steady, consistent business which one day can be transferred to their kids or Sold for a decent amount of money.

I don't want to get into a flaming match here or anywhere else. I just want to see some actual, long term results of offline marketing please.

greg

Neither do I. Just trying to help.

[quote=Lance K;1625289]

1) The market you are targeting (Targeting the right businesses is Critical)
[/quote]

Any chance you're covering that in your Monday post?

Also, out of curiosity, have you ever worked with bridal shops?

Maybe I'll cover what businesses to contact.

I have never worked with a bridal shop. Very seasonal budgeting, not what I'm looking for.

I work with businesses that have consistent income and spend money on marketing, big money.

Comments in Blue.

Originally Posted by greff

[EndGame]

Hi AP,

You mention you never cold call, but you did advise people to call businesses out of hours to leave a voicemail on their phone.

Can I ask what kind of thing you say in that message that you leave? I believe your sole goal of leaving that message is to get them to your website so they can go through the sales funnel?

[Buildingfutures]

Hey AP, I have a question.

Do any of your clients businesses reside 3+ hours away from you? Do you, or would you travel to these clients if they were further than that?

Thanks!

-Sean

[AP]

Originally Posted by EndGame

Hi AP,

You mention you never cold call, but you did advise people to call businesses out of hours to leave a voicemail on their phone.

Can I ask what kind of thing you say in that message that you leave? I believe your sole goal of leaving that message is to get them to your website so they can go through the sales funnel?

That's correct. I have my VA do that after hours.

I never call the owner 1st, it has to do with Positioning myself. It's very important who calls first. Think about some Hot chick (sorry, I'm not PC if you haven't noticed) you want to date. Is positioning important in that situation? Who has the Upper hand?

My VA simply reminds them of a letter that was sent, direct mail piece, maybe a seminar they are attending soon or will attend, etc... the message is very brief, less than 30 seconds.

I'm just trying to stay Top of Mind.

[AP]

Originally Posted by Buildingfutures

Hey AP, I have a question.

Do any of your clients businesses reside 3+ hours away from you? Do you, or would you travel to these clients if they were further than that?

Thanks!

-Sean

3 hours by jet, yes.

80% of my businesses are out of state.

I don't always go to their office. At least not at first.

Remember, I get a lot of referral business, so I come highly recommended.

I do group teleseminars, webinars, send them podcast, etc... so it seems like we are in the same area.

Would you like to know how to Position yourself Out of State?

[entrepenerd]

Originally Posted by AP

Would you like to know how to Position yourself Out of State?

Yes, please

I'm in a very small area with a limited amount of affluent clients. I'd love some insight on targeting businesses outside of my area.

[dv8]

Originally Posted by AP

I'll bet most of you don't know the Key to my success. Care to guess? I'll give a hint, it has very little to do with the Internet. The answers are found below.

First you position yourself properly (which 95% of people screw up). And then your confidence and enthusiasm is what people buy. They believe what you tell them. They see you as an expert. And people don't question experts.

I guess you could say all of the above boils down to having the right mindset.

Btw, shooting you a PM. And NO, it has nothing to do with coaching or making a WSO.

[AP]

Originally Posted by dv8

First you position yourself properly (which 95% of people screw up).

And then your confidence and enthusiasm is what people buy.

They believe what you tell them. They see you as an expert.

And people don't question experts.

I guess you could say all of the above boils down to having the right mindset.

Very good.

That's a Huge part of my success.

Another reason is because I grow their business from the "Inside."

I create a more efficient business, cut fat & waste from their ad budget, increase Conversion of "Prospects to Buyers," capture emails, start an email campaign to their existing customers, newsletters, etc..

...only then do I apply Internet Marketing Methods that creates even more leads. Now they truly believe I am a Guru. NOT!

But they think it is my IM skills that created their increase in sales. NOT!

I was joking with a client that pays me $40,000 a year last week. I told him I may be moving onward to Bigger clients. His face dropped, he looked at me eye to eye, and said "You're going to keep me on-board, correct? You can't leave me now!"

The "Fear of Disconnect" is very powerful. Use it.

Think I have to worry about his 3k per month?

[Buildingfutures]

Originally Posted by AP

Very good.

That's a Huge part of my success.

Another reason is because I grow their business from the "Inside."

I create a more efficient business, cut fat & waste from their ad budget, increase Conversion of "Prospects to Buyers," capture emails, start an email campaign to their existing customers, newsletters, etc..

...only then do I apply Internet Marketing Methods that creates even more leads. Now they truly believe I am a Guru. NOT!

But they think it is my IM skills that created their increase in sales. NOT!

I was joking with a client that pays me $40,000 a year last week. I told him I may be moving onward to Bigger clients. His face dropped, he looked at me eye to eye, and said "You're going to keep me on-board, correct? You can't leave me now!"

The "Fear of Disconnect" is very powerful. Use it.

Think I have to worry about his 3k per month?

You don't just get clients, you get clients for life!

After working as a car salesman, I only have an inkling of what that means.

Any of my previous customers I sold cars to would follow me to any dealership I had decided to go to, and bought from me again and again. They loved me!

Dv8, what you said is on the ball. My former customers didn't buy me for a salesman, they bought me as Sean Sheehan.

I have a guy I didn't even get to make the sale to (bosses were real assholes to him) but he has taken me to dinner several times just because he liked me. Guy works with big lawyers as a forensics expert.

What I see any of this work, this selling, offline or online, is this. If they see you 'working your ass off' for them, they will love you. Even if you (like AP) know that you're not really working all that hard. Its perceived.

And its damn effective if AP is anything to go by.

-Sean

PS,

Hell yeah, I'd love to learn how to establish myself out-of-state AP!