I can not believe how easy this was. $5900 income in a week so far. Cha-Ching...

66 replies
Ok, I have been following the offline marketing threads and pretty much $2000.00 dropped in my lap.

I was sitting at a local bar (which is almost my 2nd home, go figure a person that has been sober all my life hanging out in a bar.) and I picked up the newspaper and read the horoscopes. Then the manager of the bar comes over and takes the same section I had just finished reading. He was reading an ad that he had put in the paper, which was free (which I asked how much it cost them) for him to put in.

So, I talked to him about his advertising and that they do not have a website. I told him I could setup a website with 2 years hosting and he said what do i need to do, I replied give me a check for $2000 and I will get started. He said here ya go.

I never thought to ask them if they wanted a website because I know the owner is a tight with money.

So from reading all this great information from all you great people I have land a job that could possibly land into another because the owners father owns one of the largest night clubs in the area that has no website.

A BIG THANKS goes out to all you Warriors.

Thanks, John
#easy
  • Profile picture of the author Shane N
    Congratulations John!

    That is a very nice sum for a first job!

    If I were you, I would get some business cards made, build yourself a website about your design services (if you don't have one already) and let the word spread around about your services.

    Keep up the good work!

    Best,
    Shane
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  • Profile picture of the author Inbound
    Nice work! Could be a calling!

    Inbound
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  • Profile picture of the author mookinman
    Congratulations, John. It's great when things like this happen "by accident". A lot of web designers spend their time calling everybody who advertises in the local press to try and sell their services, so you did good to get in there first.

    This is just the sort of deal that leads to more work through recommendations.

    Be sure to post a link to the site when you've created it, so we can see your handywork in action!
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    • Profile picture of the author jasmithjr
      Thanks, I know if i can do it i know anyone else can also. Just get out there and start talking to people.

      Like I said I can not beleive how easy it was to get my first client and make some money.

      I will post the link to the website when I am done to show everyone.

      Again thanks to all the warriors on this forum.

      John
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  • Profile picture of the author AndyMi
    Keep it going!

    Inspiring story


    Andy
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  • Profile picture of the author alpalino
    I had similar experience. I was taking the taxi to train station and was talking to the driver. He asked me what I do and I told him I design websites. Then he told me about his business (it is private car hiring for people, who comes to visit London). So aked me if i can build a website for him. I said yes and agreed on the price. I got deposit(£200) after 2 days. And will get another £600 after the job is finished.

    So yes, I agree. Just tell people what you do for living. You never know, where you would get the job from.
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  • Profile picture of the author Zeus66
    Yep, this is similar to my story, too. I've probably built about half-a-dozen websites for people that I just happened to get into conversations with over the years. To a lot of people, it's still like magic, even though we all know it doesn't really take much extensive knowledge to put up a nice site. Good going, and here's to lots more where that came from!

    John
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  • Profile picture of the author lukesimon
    Congrats, John. It's amazing how things seem to work out when you're confident in your skills and knowledge. I agree with Zeus that website creation does seem like magic to a lot of folks, but that doesn't mean this guy didn't place a whole lot of trust in you and your abilities. Congrats again, can't wait to see the site.

    LS
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  • Profile picture of the author coreytucker
    people pay this much for just a standard website to be built?
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    • Profile picture of the author Josh Lobley
      Originally Posted by coreytucker View Post

      people pay this much for just a standard website to be built?
      People that have no clue about the internet don't want a bar of building websites in most cases.

      I guess many people would get their friend's son or whatever to whack their business up a website and others would consult a local web solutions business - you can bet these guys charge a pretty penny.

      Business owners have probably heard that websites cost a lot to get running and can't fathom profitable results.

      Whether they are ignorant or oblivious to the benefits I'm sure they could be sold with good reasons.
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    • Profile picture of the author JohnMcCabe
      Originally Posted by coreytucker View Post

      people pay this much for just a standard website to be built?
      I recently did a survey of web designers in my area, and the ones who posted rates ranged from $500 to $10,000. For $500, they'd get a two page website (plus a few standard pages like a Privacy Policy) created with FrontPage, using a standard template. The average ran around $5,000.

      Scan the business magazines (Inc., Wired, Entrepreneur, etc.) and you read over and over how some business paid $10,000 to $25,000 for a website.

      $2,000 paid to someone the bar owner already knew probably sounded like a bargain...
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  • Profile picture of the author dentil
    As a relative newbie, I am amzed by the power of serendipity. If we just take the time to look, everything we want is right there. Thanks for your post and wish your friend good luck for me!

    Dentil
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  • Profile picture of the author mmpieri
    Congrats John,

    It's amazing to know that other people needs your service.

    Well done!

    MM
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  • Profile picture of the author coreytucker
    wow, I might give this a try. Might hit up some local businesses and see what happens.
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  • Profile picture of the author Joseph Then
    Now that's what I call "Get Paid to Drink!"
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    • Profile picture of the author Keith Boisvert
      Congrats! The great thing about this is that not only did you land an account, but chances are very good that that one site will pull in more work for you...either from word of mouth, or if your name is on it at the bottom as the developer.

      My first clients were all acquired from talking to owners of places I frequented or had acquaintances with.

      That was tier 1. Tier 2 was all referral based from clients from tier 1. This continues on and on, eventually to the point where you don't have to "call" anyone, they call you.

      Great job!

      Keith
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  • Profile picture of the author robd1302
    Congrats!

    I always find it difficult to charge a lot for website design, even though I know my competitors are charging far more than I ever would!

    For a high-quality design, setting up hosting, html, php, etc., not only is a lot of work involved, but a lot of experience & practice, which amounts to a ton of time that I put in that I'm not getting paid for.

    Just like when you pay a doctor $20,000 for performing surgery, you're actually paying for his expertise and his years of intense training, not for the few hours of his time. That's what I have to keep reminding myself.

    Robert
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    • Profile picture of the author buckye024
      Its all about being at the right place at the right time with the right idea! Congrats!
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  • Profile picture of the author adorton
    New business plan.

    Step 1: Hang out in bars

    Step 2: Buy people lots of drinks

    Step 3: Rake in the riches!

    John I'm writing an ebook right now on your secret path to wealth, mind if I quote you?
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    • Profile picture of the author jasmithjr
      Thanks everyone. Like the title states "I can not believe how easy this was."

      I stopped by the local liquor store I had mentioned in another post. Talked to the owner and they have no website, till I talked them into it. Cha-Ching, $2000 in the bank. And also I talked to a local realestate agent and pulled $650 for a autoresponder setup an his website.

      Not a bad weeks pay. I am going to night to a gathering that alot of local business owners goto everyweek and see if i can pick up some new business from there.

      What I offered to the bar and liqour store was a website with hosting for 2 years and also includes the 2 years of autoresponder service. They ate it up like a fat boy eats cake. The best thing is do what David Preston and Andrew Cavanagh said "K.I.S.S." keep it simple and that is what I did.

      So, again Thanks to all the Warriors for all your great help.
      John

      p.s. I will keep everyone updated and post the final websites up to bee viewed.
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  • Profile picture of the author Traffic101
    Congrats John. So I'm wondering what exactly is included in that $2,000? And what kind of program are you using to build this website? I've been thinking about venturing that kind of stuff too...just wasn't sure how to go about it.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasmithjr
    I will gladly post how I approach the business owner and what I say to them. I do not know why I can not make money online. I use to work at Kinkos copies 8 years ago and had alot of experience dealing with customers face to face. I would upsell like crazy, I remember a time when a customer came in and wanted a book printed and stapled into a booklet (which cost about 15 cents) and convinced him to coil bind it with nice plastice covers for $4.95 per book. what a upsell for 200 books, went from a $30 job to a $1000 upsell.

    So when i talk to the business owner I keep it simple and just tell them what I can provide for them and how much, that is it. I really do not get too much into detail since they look at me like I have six heads on my shoulders. I see there eyes bouncing around looking for the right head to pay attention to.

    Some one had posted a compiled pdf of the thread from Simply Cash Cow by David Preston, I downloaded it and printed it out for offline reading (my friend still works at kinkos and he printed and coil bound it for me).

    I want to Thank you all for all the great information and I am happy to share my experiance with everyone.

    Thanks, John
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    • Profile picture of the author Micheal Perkins
      Originally Posted by jasmithjr View Post


      Some one had posted a compiled pdf of the thread from Simply Cash Cow by David Preston, I downloaded it and printed it out for offline reading (my friend still works at kinkos and he printed and coil bound it for me). If any one wants a copy let me know i will email it to you.
      Sending you a PM now. I'd like to see what you have.
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      • Profile picture of the author jasmithjr
        I am going to set up a basic website, about 6 pages. And for why I charged $2000 up front was a 2year hosting and 2year email capture autoresponder and I am going to charge a monthly fee to send out emails and to update the website.

        I have done research on web hosting companys and found Host Monster to have everything I want, unlimited space, unlimited bandwidth, and a bunch of other things I can use. And it is cheap, $5.00 per month.

        I set up a affliliate link for the hosting and for the autoresponder so i will get more money in my pocket.

        The $650 from the realestate agent was just a setup fee. I am charging per month for email blasting to the list for him. The Simply cash cow thread mentioned charging $300-$500 and had the client be charged per month for the email autoresponder and a maintenence fee. i figured rolling the 2 years service and setup fee into one worked better.

        When I finish with the sites I will post a link to show everyone my work.

        thanks, John
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  • Profile picture of the author mpeters7
    Congrats John! I'd also be curious as to the kind of sites your putting up. Are they Wordpress deals or something more labor intensive?
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Dulisse
    Fantastic.

    And if you have some good templates, you can get that site up in a hour...

    Mark
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  • Why arent you charging for setup, then charging monthly for the autoresponder maintenance?

    On your Real estate agent, did that $650 cover 2 years of service as well?

    It seem that you could make more in the long run, and build a flow by charging less up front - $1500, and charging $100 a month for maintenance or something.
    Right now, $2000 divided by 24 months is only $84 a month minus hosting costs.

    Could you give your reasoning behind the pricing for us?

    GREAT JOB!!!!!!!
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    • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
      Originally Posted by shkad14 View Post

      Why arent you charging for setup, then charging monthly for the autoresponder maintenance?

      On your Real estate agent, did that $650 cover 2 years of service as well?

      It seem that you could make more in the long run, and build a flow by charging less up front - $1500, and charging $100 a month for maintenance or something.
      Right now, $2000 divided by 24 months is only $84 a month minus hosting costs.

      Could you give your reasoning behind the pricing for us?

      I can't speak about the thinking behind this pricing plan but generally speaking you get better clients if they have to pay more upfront...they're more committed to the process.

      But yes you should probably be charging a monthly, biannual or annual fee as well unless you just don't want to be tied to your client for some reason.

      Kindest regards,
      Andrew Cavanagh
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  • Profile picture of the author Lewis Turner
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    • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
      Bars and nightclubs are a good example of businesses that have low transaction values (a drink doesn't cost much) yet typically have high advertising budgets and won't hesitate to hire you to help them in the $2,000 to $6,000+ price range.

      Many of them are paying out more than that in a week in advertising and marketing.

      One word of caution.

      Before you get too creative be aware that there are all kinds of liquor licensing regulations governing the way you can promote bars and nightclubs and they vary enormously from area to area.

      Be sure to check with the owner and be sure he knows his stuff before you take a lot of time implementing any new marketing ideas.

      They often have very hefty fines for breaking the regulations.

      (Just as an aside you'll find many bars and nightclubs have already been fined far more than they'll ever pay you for accidentally infringing on one regulation or another. Generally speaking these guys are running plenty of money through the till).

      Kindest regards,
      Andrew Cavanagh
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      • Profile picture of the author aekaplan
        Would love to see what the final version of your website looks like! This has been a very interesting thread to follow.
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  • Profile picture of the author rob6188
    I built a 5 page website for a massage clinic. I only charged $100 and $10/month for hosting with free minor updates.

    BUT! I also worked into the deal free massages for life! Priceless.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bo Mill
    Nice work. I love those things.

    I have a similar story.

    I was at High School roaming around the hallways for no particular reason. I then see a man doing the same, the only difference that this person certainly didn't belong to my High School.

    "Hey kid, kid!"

    "Yes sir?"

    "Could you please figure out where professor Ivan is and if he could come out?"

    "I'll see what I can do"

    I called professor Ivan and he said he'll be in a minute. Me being polite, I went back to the guy to hang out with him and talk.

    "May I ask what you need him for?"

    "Blah, I was hoping I can ask him about some internet stuff...he's kind of a tech person, you know?"

    "What do you want to know about internet?"

    "Pff...I'm a photographer and I need a website..."

    "I can make you one!"

    The rest is history.
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    • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
      Originally Posted by Bo Mill View Post

      I was at High School roaming around the hallways for no particular reason. I then see a man doing the same, the only difference that this person certainly didn't belong to my High School.

      "Hey kid, kid!"

      "Yes sir?"

      "Could you please figure out where professor Ivan is and if he could come out?"

      "I'll see what I can do"

      I called professor Ivan and he said he'll be in a minute. Me being polite, I went back to the guy to hang out with him and talk.

      "May I ask what you need him for?"

      "Blah, I was hoping I can ask him about some internet stuff...he's kind of a tech person, you know?"

      "What do you want to know about internet?"

      "Pff...I'm a photographer and I need a website..."

      "I can make you one!"

      The rest is history.

      I think what's important about this story is that you took an interest in this guy and started asking him questions.

      Most people are letting fantastic opportunities pass them by because they never bother to really get to know the people who are around them every day.

      Being genuinely interested in people and being genuinely helpful can pay amazing dividends.

      Kindest regards,
      Andrew Cavanagh
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      • Profile picture of the author jasmithjr
        Thanks for all the posts. Been really busy these past few days. i had to get my friend involved and help me. I have not had the time put up an update yet, but I should be able to over the weekend.

        Taking tomorrow off since it is my birthday, well making money is more inportant so I will just take 30 minutes for my b-day and work the rest.

        Ok, back to the grind.

        Oh, by the way I picked up 2 more autorespond jobs, $1300, cha-ching......

        Good Luck All...
        John
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  • Profile picture of the author arclight
    Yeah there is a lot of money to be made in making websites....even simple one's. Many business owners have no idea bout the web and how to use it so there could be a big market in it.
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    • Profile picture of the author MichaelGk
      Well done.
      There are many people who will be inspired by this. Anyone who has been consuming IM ebooks, audios and videos for the past few years knows so much more than many business owners about the little twists you can place on email contact with a customer base.

      Heck, there is now so much free online video and audio about list building you could very quickly find a solution to any question put to you by a business owner. And there is always the unspeakable joy of outsourcing.

      Michael
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  • Profile picture of the author AndyCamden
    Congrats on the sale man. Keep up the hard work and just get out there and help local businesses!
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  • Profile picture of the author CPAffiliate
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    • Profile picture of the author motiv8
      That is cool. Very inspirational post.
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  • Profile picture of the author Bob Monie
    Good effort mate.
    Signature
    Will be the next authority article directory. Come take a look around. Submit and Publish your own articles.
    200,000+ Articles, 48,000+ Authors, Articles indexed in Google in under 1 minute
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  • Profile picture of the author millionareteam
    That's awesome! Great job... Keep up the good work!
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  • Profile picture of the author Nathan Denton
    With the "autoresponder" service you are offering for a monthly fee, do you allow the customers access to the control panel and email addresses or does this come under the "management process"?

    I forsee privacy issues here if you have access to a business' customer information without the user's consent.
    Signature
    Online marketing, offline marketing and various other things.
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  • Profile picture of the author lexilexi
    Face time. Networking. It's funny, isn't it. We do so much online that we think it's the only way to promote - but it's hard to make a real connection with someone over the internet.

    I'm a web designer amongst other things and now that I come to think of it, most of my design gigs either come through referrals or through actually meeting people and having the "what do you do?" conversation.

    I'm thinking, I might go into town tomorrow and just walk into some small stores and businesses and simply chat to the owner. Let them know I'm a web designer, smile, give them a card.

    The psychology of this makes sense. Think about it - a lot of people "know that they need web design" a long time before they actually do anything about it. They don't know enough about web design to go online and select a web designer from the available candidates - so if you go and actually meet the person, they can suddenly ask you all those questions that have been building up inside them. You present well, you demonstrate ability, knowledge and experience, you show them some sites you've done, you answer the questions, the price is right... you get the gig.

    Legal aspects are v. important (and becoming ever more so) if you are creating sites for businesses. Do you know how to create a privacy policy, terms of use etc? Do you understand important ramifications i.e. that if the client wishes to sell a contact database collected from the web site along with the sale of the business, this must be mentioned on the privacy policy? There are reasons why pro business web sites cost a lot of money - because at a certain point you are crossing over into e-commerce solutions, not just web design, and all the complex logistics that go with it.

    Here's a few links on that score:

    Business law

    Business Law | Business.gov
    Online Business | Business.gov

    Next up - FTC regs concerning e-commerce, advertising, consumer privacy, disclosures, etc etc:

    FTC Business Information - E-Commerce
    FTC Business Information - Identity Theft, Privacy, & Security

    Are you aware that if you purchase a domain name, you may risk losing it if it infringes an existing trade mark? I wasn't:

    Small Business Trademarks - Who Needs 'Em?
    Shannon Moore - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
    Signature

    "If there is no door, it becomes necessary to break out through the wall."

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  • Profile picture of the author jasmithjr
    I do charge a monthly fee. and for the autoresponder I maintain the list and the website. They do not want anything to do, they just want to email me a calendar of events for the month and to email specials to the list once or twice a month. I do not think charging $50.00 per month for 10 minites worth of work is not bad. And if anthing comes up that is going to take more time, I charge according to my time.

    Thank you, lexilexi for the post on the laws. I understand that I have to be careful in what i do, that is why I have a lawyer on a retainer so i can be within the guidelines.

    Thanks for every ones replies.
    Back to the grind, Again. Got 4 appointments to meet business owners about setting up websites and autoresponders.


    Good Luck All, John
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  • Profile picture of the author ArthurRose
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    • Profile picture of the author jasmithjr
      Originally Posted by ArthurRose View Post

      Wow, you got lucky. It is hard to get that much money right now from anyone ,even if he/she isn't computer savvy. It was kind of a ripoff actually.
      I must be in the right place at the right time. But I do not understand what the ripoff is. I am not scamming my clients, I am providing a service that they do not want to deal with. I show them how valuable that a website can be to thier business and they want me to do it. I guess it is my great sales pitch attitude and the way i can show them how a few thousand $s spent can result in tens of thousand in thier pocket.

      I just do not throw a sales pitch to them, I go in and introduce myself and gather some tidbit information about thier business and set up and appointment to visit them again. I then go home to my office (which is a homemade pvc pipe desk that I can pull up to me as I am sitting in the recliner in front of the tv) and do what I love to do RESEARCH them. I get all the information I can and then package it up for the appointment.

      I guess the reason for my success is i took ACTION and followed David Preston and Andrew Cavanagh's advice that posted here on the forum. And I also love to sell on a face to face level.

      I have been on this forum for a couple of years. I could not make it online I always tried to find that magic solution to make money online. But, I guess my greatest ability for making money is offline.

      So, to sum it up, if you want to make money. Stop sitting infront of the computer in your underwear and get dressed and visit your local business. I know that they would want to see a person take the effort and walk in rather then cold call them or read a email. Just like when i was a manager of a store, if you called to see if we were hiring I would say NO, but if you came in I would give you an application and chat with you after you filled it out.

      I take 2 hours to go out and visit all the local businesses that I can in that time frame. Get a business card and chat a little bit and move on. I think it is more valuable in todays market that if you want to work with a business owner that you make yourself present in person to them. And I know that if I can get the business that I am getting by what I am doing I know that anyone else can do it.

      Well I have to go to my appointments and hopefully get more business.

      Thanks for all your replies and all the views of my thread.
      John
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      You should charge a lot more for a website. I charge $5,000 and $100/month for a 5 page website with autoresponder and an ecommerce shopping cart. I hire high school/college students to pass out flyers to local businesses. Once you have templates setup, it's a matter of minor customization, and they are getting a bargain compared to going rates for other website designers.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bayo
      Originally Posted by ArthurRose View Post

      Wow, you got lucky. It is hard to get that much money right now from anyone ,even if he/she isn't computer savvy. It was kind of a ripoff actually.
      It's got nothing to do with luck.

      You're either at the right place or you're not.

      You either spot an opportunity or you don't

      You either act on that opportunity or you don't.

      You either start the negotiations on price at a high level anticipating some haggling or negotiation or you don't

      You either ask for the business or you don't.

      You either get the business or you don't.

      The business owner recognizes and agrees to the value of your offering or they don't.

      You get the project or you don't.

      Period.

      I was reading an article the other day about how some jeans were given fake lables in a consumer test and people paid 5 times the retail value (in the hundreds) because of a simple label.

      If people can pay that amount for just 1 pair of jeans, then figure out what business owners who have a budget to spend on marketing can do if they are convinced of the value.
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    • Profile picture of the author robd1302
      Originally Posted by ArthurRose View Post

      Wow, you got lucky. It is hard to get that much money right now from anyone ,even if he/she isn't computer savvy. It was kind of a ripoff actually.
      I don't understand how this could be considered a ripoff. Both parties agreed to this price, and $2000 for a website is hardly at the high end of website design costs. I've come across web designers who don't charge less than $2500 for any website - even if it's only a few pages. A top notch designer needs to have a lot of experience and be quite knowledgeable with a wide array of software, making their time pretty valuable.

      The website for a bar isn't going to use the default Wordpress theme. The website design needs to be high quality, and that's what they're paying for.
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  • Profile picture of the author Shakul
    What kind of sites do you make? WP blogs? or manual sites using HTMl editors?

    Thanks
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    • Profile picture of the author myob
      Originally Posted by Shakul View Post

      What kind of sites do you make? WP blogs? or manual sites using HTMl editors?

      Thanks
      I have a team of programmers who design websites using dreamweaver. The templates are premade for different niches, ie, accountants, lawyers, doctors, chiropractors, automobile dealer, restaurants, real estate, etc. Then it's just a matter of plugging in custom modules such as a shopping cart and preloaded autoresponder. Nobody can come close to my rates of $5,000 per setup and $100/month with the features we offer.
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  • Profile picture of the author jasmithjr
    Ok, I am building a nice and exciting website, which the owner loves as i showed him the offline demo today. I charged the $2000 and $50.00 per month maintenance fee, reason is times are bad for everyone, even owners of businesses. If I keep the price in line for them then I will get more business. After I finish this site I am told that I will have at least 6 more customers from this, we will see. I do not want to be cheap but do not want to be over priced.

    The link to Simple Cash Cow is gone, but I did find it on David Prestons blog, David Preston's Blog: Here's "A Stupidly Simple Cash Cow" and it's FREE :-)

    Well, just got home and I am pretty tired, I will check in tomorrow.
    Thanks for all the replies.
    John
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  • Profile picture of the author roddaut
    Inspiring how just by making a suggestion you made a bunch of money. It goes to show that you should never overlook anyone as a potential client.
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  • Profile picture of the author jerdude
    I can't believe how lucky you are.. I need to go to bars more often now..
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  • Profile picture of the author Sakkid
    Hmmmmh...Now THAT is something to think about....Offline!
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  • Profile picture of the author mormel
    Hi,

    Maybe it will be rewarding to do some free advertising in that newspaper, too...

    Yours, warriorly, Ed
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    Get my WSO: The PPC Horizon Report (http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...ney-table.html)
    Read Why You PPC'ers Are Leaving Money on the Table!

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  • Profile picture of the author meisters
    Well..... Lucky for you to get easy money. I will try to hang out at bar or cafe and maybe somebody will give a check for me.
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    • Originally Posted by meisters View Post

      Well..... Lucky for you to get easy money. I will try to hang out at bar or cafe and maybe somebody will give a check for me.
      Why are you bumping all these older offline threads? This is like the fourth one in a short period of time.
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      • Profile picture of the author AndrewCavanagh
        The local restaurant/dance club I go to is one of my clients...kind of.

        I never have to pay for food and drinks and the owner makes an absolute fortune from my suggestions.

        It is neat to take my whole extended family out for a meal, tell them to eat and drink as much as they like and never have to pay a cent.

        Times are tough in our city (it's a tourist town...off season and monsoonal rains for over 2 months) but the different internet marketing strategies this business is using are keeping him afloat...even thriving while everyone else in the same area is losing money at an alarming rate.

        Kindest regards,
        Andrew Cavanagh
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  • Profile picture of the author mr2020
    Hi Jasmithjr,

    Thank YOU for two things.

    One, asking for what some people would consider a steep amount of money.

    And Two, for following through. I'm assuming since you made more money than just the one sale would indicate, that you do what you say, and probably go the extra mile.

    What's cool about that, is that not only do you and your customer win, so do we. Anyone who works on sites, or on the net gets a better overall reputation, when any one of use goes the extra mile and kicks arse!

    Have a great day mate, keep sharing your stories!

    Twenty Twenty
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  • Profile picture of the author ahlexis
    One man's ripoff = another man's bargain, I guess! Someone once pointed to me that there are two main types of people in this world when it comes to money. And the major difference is in the perspective on expenses.

    One person looks at how much something will cost and says "Wow, that's a LOT! That's too much!" Yet it doesn't matter what the amount is, type number one is always looking for a way to get it cheaper, not considering how much time (which in business equals money) is spent looking for a cheaper solution that just might be an inferior solution.

    Another person looks at the same expense and says "Wow. That's all? What does that buy me?" And depending upon the value, the second type takes into consideration that spending that money will save time (and in business, therefore money) and headache and solve the problem or fill the need. And that is the person who will write the check and be glad to have you solve their problem.

    As a business person building web sites as your business, your primary business goal is to land yourself in front of as many type two business people as possible.

    Why?

    The average type two customer is a breeze to work with, and often happy with your competent results. While the average type one customer ends up nickel and diming you two death and complaining all the while.

    So, why make life harder? Seek out those willing to write the checks easily.

    I didn't used to understand this. But I have watched someone who saved a lot of people a LOT of money by starting off charging small amounts of money for their services thinking they are helping out "the little guy" have tons of headaches in their business. They changed their prices upward, and at each price increase their business ran smoother and smoother. Eventually they went from charging $3,000 to over $100,000 for their services, the exact same services. (Not web page design, by the way.) Their business is now trouble-free and runs a lot smoother, their stress level is way down, and they are more successful than ever. Furthermore, the type of clients they have are different and by having a different type of client they are able to get a lot more done as well.
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  • Profile picture of the author takingaction
    I always come away inspired after reading success stories such as these. Thanks very much for sharing and keep it up!
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  • Profile picture of the author hotlinkz
    Way to go John! Congrats.

    Next step...start hanging out at more bars :rolleyes:!
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