Here's a tactic i used successfully to get offline webdesign clients - including my sales letter!

61 replies
What i did was this:

I searched for local companies, e.g. "nail design denver" and looked at the google maps results (the so-called 10pack).

Every once in a while, you'll spot a company that ain't got a website.. that's your potential new client.

I set up a wordpress blog (cms style) with customized header and design elements on a subdomain ("whatever.mycompany.com").

To fill this sample page with content, i simply write the details of my offer, including a link to the order form or to my companies homepage.

Then i send out the letter to the company.

Note: this is just a quick translation from my original letter, i'm sure you can improve it a LOT.
Also note: The "this is a STEAL.." at the bottom is actually written by hand, not using a font that just looks like it is..


Cheerz,
Chris.
#clients #including #letter #offline #sales #successfully #tactic #webdesign
  • Profile picture of the author Mark Brian
    Nice way to give an irresistible offer.
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    • Profile picture of the author Paul Ashbrook
      I like your approach. I can see this working with small business people. I especially like the personal touch on the bottom with the handwritten note. Oddly enough, I bet that is the first thing that many people will notice, and then return to the top of the letter to see what is available for a 50% rebate.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adaptive
    Thanks, Chris. I like that this approach makes discussing "your portfolio" completely irrelevant.

    Regards,
    Allen
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  • Profile picture of the author GoGetta
    Nice approach Chris and even better with the salesletter so you can pick this up and run with it!

    Nice stuff!

    GoGetta
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  • Profile picture of the author Richard Tunnah
    Thanks Chris. Sometimes it's great to 'think outside the box' with your offline clients. Love the reverse engineering style!

    Rich
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  • Profile picture of the author iw433
    Hey that is an excellent idea. I was working on something like that your letter just pulls it all together for me. Thanks a bunch.
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  • Profile picture of the author Noah Fleming
    Are you actually building unique websites in advance? What's your time spent to finish a site for the letter purposes and what's your response rate?

    letter looks good.
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    • Profile picture of the author ChrisByrns
      Originally Posted by Noah Fleming View Post

      Are you actually building unique websites in advance? What's your time spent to finish a site for the letter purposes
      Yes i'm actually building sites in advance. Takes me an hour to do that, using my own custom wp template (think of something like the flexibility theme) where i just need to change the header/footer/background/colors/menu style.. (creating a pro looking header in photoshop, for example, takes me about 20 minutes)

      Originally Posted by Noah Fleming View Post

      and what's your response rate?
      Using this approach i got 3 clients from 25 letters. They pay $79 per month for hosting, maintenance and the domain.. Again i hear the voices "you're whoring yourself out!" - just like in my thread about my hooker business, LOL! But times are tough, and small companies are hesistant to shell out 250 bucks per month.. at least over here.

      Originally Posted by Noah Fleming View Post

      letter looks good.
      Thanks!
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  • Profile picture of the author LMC
    It would be interesting to see your ROI on this method.

    Meaning, hours spent building the site, from a designer point of view, to make a header and turn a wordpress blog into something unique, it would take me 3 hours.

    That is $240 worth of my time.

    If I received a 1 in 10 conversion, I've done 27 hours of work, $2,160 worth of my time.

    All that for the $120 with the 50% rebate, and $20/M for hosting and maintence.

    I think you see where I am going with this.

    This is a great method, but how can you make it more efficient?
    Also, if the business does not have a website, you should BUY their domain name.

    This gives them another reason to work with you and only you. Otherwise they get some crappy, www.mynewbusinessonline.com with some other designer instead of www.mynewbusiness.com
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    • Profile picture of the author mikecowles
      Originally Posted by LMC View Post

      It would be interesting to see your ROI on this method.

      Meaning, hours spent building the site, from a designer point of view, to make a header and turn a wordpress blog into something unique, it would take me 3 hours.

      That is $240 worth of my time.

      If I received a 1 in 10 conversion, I've done 27 hours of work, $2,160 worth of my time.

      All that for the $120 with the 50% rebate, and $20/M for hosting and maintence.

      I think you see where I am going with this.

      This is a great method, but how can you make it more efficient?
      Also, if the business does not have a website, you should BUY their domain name.

      This gives them another reason to work with you and only you. Otherwise they get some crappy, www.mynewbusinessonline.com with some other designer instead of www.mynewbusiness.com
      Hi LMC,

      It should literally take you one minute to create a wordpress blog. Also to change the theme (which would definitely add value) should take about 3 minutes. I made a short video demonstrating how to change a wordpress theme at Free Tools & Tips Videos.

      If you look at it this way, you can create ten to twenty sites in an hour and see what happens!

      ~Mike Cowles. <><
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  • Profile picture of the author ChrisByrns
    Oh, and another thing about the ROI.. creating a professional site for a small business doesn't mean that you have to go all crazy and do a high-tech, flashy, stuffed with all the latest gizmos kind of site. Most small biz owners are perfectly content with a clean looking, user-friendly design, showcasing their services, products, prices and contact info. Usually, while i'm at it i throw in some logo styles (vector/illustrator).. again, basic stuff.
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  • Profile picture of the author LMC
    Awesome!

    It seems as you have everything set... I smell backend services, start some SEO packages on there.


    Get some college students to do what you do on the Wp-template, crank out 300 sites and get 36 more clients lol
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    • Profile picture of the author TimCastleman
      Using this approach i got 3 clients from 25 letters. They pay $79 per month for hosting, maintenance and the domain.. Again i hear the voices "you're whoring yourself out!" - just like in my thread about my hooker business, LOL! But times are tough, and small companies are hesistant to shell out 250 bucks per month.. at least over here.
      It is a shame you have such a self limiting belief. I guess I should return the $1,875 worth of checks that were waiting for me when I got back from my honeymoon as a result of offline marketing.

      The only person that limits you is you. If you can show how you are an investment and not an expense then business owners have no problem shelling out cash.

      Congrats on the victory, now win the war with a bigger fee each time.

      Tim
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      • Profile picture of the author ChrisByrns
        Originally Posted by TimCastleman View Post

        It is a shame you have such a self limiting belief. (...)
        The only person that limits you is you.
        I don't fully agree. I have talked to a LOT of small business owners in the past few months and the general consensus was, they DO see the value of my services but just can't afford a premium fee of, say 200 or 300 bucks per month. So, for me, it was "adapt or die" and IMHO - having 3 clients at $79/mo beats having zero clients at $300/mo.
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        • Profile picture of the author TimCastleman
          Chris -

          It is your business you run it how you want to. Enjoy the $79, I'll take my $450 checks.

          If you are talking to business owners who can't afford you then it is time to talk with the ones who can.

          A nail salon owner can't afford you but I bet a car repair shop can. What about a cosmetic dentist or a laser eye care center.

          Get a better class of clients and charge what you are worth.

          Also think about it like this if you get one client at $300 that means you are getting paid the same as 4 clients $79. Who do you think you'll be able to service better 1 or 4?

          Best of luck to you seriously, and congrats on the good work.

          Tim
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          • Profile picture of the author ChrisByrns
            Originally Posted by TimCastleman View Post

            Chris -
            If you are talking to business owners who can't afford you then it is time to talk with the ones who can.

            A nail salon owner can't afford you but I bet a car repair shop can. What about a cosmetic dentist or a laser eye care center.

            Get a better class of clients and charge what you are worth.
            I fully agree with you here, and thanks for the tip, re: laser eye care - totally forgot about those, there's even two of 'em in my quarter! ..and i know for sure they don't have a website.
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          • Profile picture of the author Micheal Perkins
            Originally Posted by TimCastleman View Post

            Chris -

            It is your business you run it how you want to. Enjoy the $79, I'll take my $450 checks.

            If you are talking to business owners who can't afford you then it is time to talk with the ones who can.

            A nail salon owner can't afford you but I bet a car repair shop can. What about a cosmetic dentist or a laser eye care center.

            Get a better class of clients and charge what you are worth.

            Also think about it like this if you get one client at $300 that means you are getting paid the same as 4 clients $79. Who do you think you'll be able to service better 1 or 4?

            Best of luck to you seriously, and congrats on the good work.

            Tim
            I'd rather have the $79 per month than the $450 one-time payment. Same amount of work, but let's say you get 10 clients this month and 5 the next.

            That means after one month you have $4,500, and I would have $790. But then I'm going to get the $790 again next month, and the month after, and the month after, and it'll keep going.

            So the client that made you a one time fee of $450, is going to make me $948. And it will continue to make that for me year after year.

            Ideally a combination of both would be best. A higher initial price point of maybe $200 or more for set-up, with a monthly fee of $79 after that.

            Just my 2 cents.
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            • Profile picture of the author TimCastleman
              Micheal -

              That hosting is what you should be charging for each month, not just a one time payment. Also you example doesn't mention the fact that I am going to get more clients every month just like the other person is.

              So all I have to do is get one $300 client a month on reoccurring billing to equal about 4 at $79.

              The real goal is to show them how big of a value and what a great investment you are. That along with a few other secrets is what gets you the bigger fees.

              And I have been at the Pulse and a paycheck stage early in my career. Nothing wrong with living in the basement, you just don't want to retire there.

              Off to watch hockey.

              Tim
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              • Profile picture of the author Micheal Perkins
                Originally Posted by TimCastleman View Post

                Micheal -

                That hosting is what you should be charging for each month, not just a one time payment. Also you example doesn't mention the fact that I am going to get more clients every month just like the other person is.

                So all I have to do is get one $300 client a month on reoccurring billing to equal about 4 at $79.

                The real goal is to show them how big of a value and what a great investment you are. That along with a few other secrets is what gets you the bigger fees.

                And I have been at the Pulse and a paycheck stage early in my career. Nothing wrong with living in the basement, you just don't want to retire there.

                Off to watch hockey.

                Tim
                All I can say is WOW Tim.

                After reading this I have to tell you I completely misunderstood your post. I thought your fee was a one-time fee. $300 a month recurring, WOW! I was obviously thinking small time in this regard, because I was thinking $79 was fairly high.

                I'm still working on getting out of the mindset of marketers online trying to get everything for low ball prices. I realize offline business owners are used to paying large sums of money for something that will get them less results than we can get them. I just still keep reverting back to thinking along the lines of marketing online, rather than offline.

                Thanks for pointing that out. If you don't mind revealing, what services do you offer for that price every month? If you don't want to share here, would you be willing to send me a PM? Just curious what you're doing and how much time you spend each month.

                Mike
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              • Profile picture of the author Micheal Perkins
                Originally Posted by TimCastleman View Post

                Micheal -

                That hosting is what you should be charging for each month, not just a one time payment. Also you example doesn't mention the fact that I am going to get more clients every month just like the other person is.

                So all I have to do is get one $300 client a month on reoccurring billing to equal about 4 at $79.

                The real goal is to show them how big of a value and what a great investment you are. That along with a few other secrets is what gets you the bigger fees.

                And I have been at the Pulse and a paycheck stage early in my career. Nothing wrong with living in the basement, you just don't want to retire there.

                Off to watch hockey.

                Tim
                All I can say is WOW Tim.

                After reading this I have to tell you I completely misunderstood your post. I thought your fee was a one-time fee. $300 a month recurring, WOW! I was obviously thinking small time in this regard, because I was thinking $79 was fairly high.

                I'm still working on getting out of the mindset of marketers online trying to get everything for low ball prices. I realize offline business owners are used to paying large sums of money for something that will get them less results than we can get them. I just still keep reverting back to thinking along the lines of marketing online, rather than offline.

                Thanks for pointing that out. If you don't mind revealing, what services do you offer for that price every month? If you don't want to share here, would you be willing to send me a PM? Just curious what you're doing and how much time you spend each month.

                Mike
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  • Profile picture of the author Andrew E.
    We do that sometimes - and it really works in most cases. The client loves to see their site completed even before they thought about it - in fact, they don't even have to think.
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  • Profile picture of the author tonyscott
    Hey Chris, kudos to you. I understand the position of others re. fees but you're raking in money every day in a variety of markets. Ramping that up to serious income is way easier than trying to charge top dollar from the outset.

    For me, your posts are inspirational, and I am getting seriously engaged in the offline market myself.

    cheers

    Tony
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    • Profile picture of the author Kevin AKA Hubcap
      Tony

      I have to disagree. I think it's easier to charge the higher fees from the start.

      We might be conditioned to think that we have to start small and work our way up but its not the smartest business decision.

      I totally understand starting with small fees but give this a try. What ever fee you're were going to charge...double it and see what happens.

      Kevin
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      • Profile picture of the author TimCastleman
        Kevin -

        Thanks for beating me to the punch when it comes to fees. I am putting the finishing touches on my offline marketing sales program and you will get much farther, much faster by charging value based fees than being the cheapest guy in town.

        Another way to look at it -

        Cheap fees don't get you nice checks like this:

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        • Profile picture of the author Kevin AKA Hubcap
          Originally Posted by TimCastleman View Post

          Kevin -

          Thanks for beating me to the punch when it comes to fees. I am putting the finishing touches on my offline marketing sales program and you will get much farther, much faster by charging value based fees than being the cheapest guy in town.
          Tim

          I think were conditioned to think like that. I really like what Dan Kennedy said....paraphrasing....'when it comes time to tell the client your fee, hold your breath, keep a straight face and quadruple it.'

          I don't know about you but I don't want to compete on price I want to compete on the value that I can provide.

          If I can produce more than I cost I'm a good investment. There is no good or bad there is only profitable or not profitable.

          Kevin
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          • Profile picture of the author Melody
            Originally Posted by Kevin AKA Hubcap View Post

            Tim

            I think were conditioned to think like that. I really like what Dan Kennedy said....paraphrasing....'when it comes time to tell the client your fee, hold your breath, keep a straight face and quadruple it.'

            I don't know about you but I don't want to compete on price I want to compete on the value that I can provide.

            If I can produce more than I cost I'm a good investment. There is no good or bad there is only profitable or not profitable.

            Kevin
            You weren't the only one - I sell high priced services in a very competitive industry and have for many years - very successfully. The point though is that we have the background and confidence to do that now.....but you probably did not dive right in at that level either.

            Chris is just starting out and he is doing very well and he will increase his prices, I am sure. BUT you can't tell him what to charge without knowing where he is either - Denver is a pretty broad economic 'neighborhood' - that is not realistic.

            You can charge a nailshop in Beverly Hills a bundle more than you could a nail shop in a suburb of Cincinnati......and that's just the reality of the demographic.
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            • Profile picture of the author BizWebMan
              Hi Chris

              Thanks for sharing this, it has come at a very appropriate time.

              Grahame
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        • Profile picture of the author annabanks
          Great post and tool especially for a newbie. I also agree with Melody, "Kudos for TAKING ACTION!! You definitely are 10 steps ahead of the majority of the population.
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        • Profile picture of the author tonyscott
          Originally Posted by TimCastleman View Post

          Kevin -

          Thanks for beating me to the punch when it comes to fees. I am putting the finishing touches on my offline marketing sales program and you will get much farther, much faster by charging value based fees than being the cheapest guy in town.
          Don't know why you put that image up Tim, doesn't do anything for your credibility.

          Being the cheapest will almost certainly get you work, getting paid for a value based proposition BEFORE you have proven to the business owner that he'll get a positive roi on his investment is a much harder sell - UNLESS you can demonstrate that you've achieved it for a previous client.


          Tony
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          • Profile picture of the author superstylefactor
            good read, new insight to the possibilities of IM! i like the way you reached out to the non internet-savvy market from inside the web!
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            • Profile picture of the author JP Wilson
              Regardless of the price-point, it's a great overall strategy! I'm inclined to charge a lot more for this kind of work, but that's just my personal preference. Like Melody already pointed out, the fact that you're already out in the market actively DOING this stuff and not just theorizing about it, distinguishes you from a vast majority of the pack. Hopefully, with the more clients you get, you will also acquire the added confidence that you have the ability to charge more and actually get the price that you ultimately deserve for your efforts.

              Cheers,

              Patrick
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      • Profile picture of the author tonyscott
        Originally Posted by Kevin AKA Hubcap View Post

        Tony

        I have to disagree. I think it's easier to charge the higher fees from the start.

        We might be conditioned to think that we have to start small and work our way up but its not the smartest business decision.

        I totally understand starting with small fees but give this a try. What ever fee you're were going to charge...double it and see what happens.

        Kevin
        Hi Kevin, whatever works, works and as Melody mentioned geography comes into it.

        I just like the way Chris actually goes about building a business that he can grow quickly, with residual income as the kicker.

        Personally, I doubled my fees after I'd built half a dozen sites for clients sites AND increased my monthly charge by 33%.

        My ultimate aim (and the direction I am currently moving in) is to work with just 37 clients on a monthly retainer. The actual price point of the site becomes less important then and providing an ongoing professional service takes over.

        Tony
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  • Profile picture of the author Melody
    First of all - kudos to Chris for TAKING ACTION!! He's already 10 steps ahead of the majority of the population.

    And I agree with Tony - it's easier to start small and build both your portfolio and your confidence first. It's easier to sell a high ticket item when they are NOT your first customer. And yes, I do speak from experience!

    You are off to a great start and have a solid foundation to build on, and your prices will increase as you enter new markets, I have no doubt!

    Go for it!

    Melody
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Riddle
    Chris,

    Regardless of what other people think, YOU are in charge of your business.

    There is nothing wrong with having an established portfolio for clients to see when you talk with them.

    Just don't get in the trap of selling commodities (websites, autoresponders etc) focus on business building.

    Congrats, you made a wonderful start !

    Mark Riddle
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  • Profile picture of the author Scott Prock
    Thank you for such an interesting discussion. I myself have been considering putting my graphic and webdesign skills to use. I have never been good at marketing myself, in fact over the years I have been asked several times what I would charge for a website. My reply was always "I haven't got that far" ... this thread is an inspiration to just get out there and get it done.

    I once worked for a professional photographer as an assistant, he's one of the best in my area, and I remember when he used to charge $2000 just to book him for a wedding. This was over 10 years ago BTW. He got to a point where he was getting tired of the stress and fast paced environment he created and decided to increase his booking fee to $5000 hoping to slow his business down a bit. He figured he would end up with fewer clients that pay a higher price.

    What he quickly learned is he became even busier and more sought after. Last I heard his calendar is booked out a year in advance and he charges $10k just to book the day.

    I know for a fact that he would not have been as successful starting out at $10k, his experience and reputation has allowed him to increase his fees.

    ... Scott
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  • Profile picture of the author chrisnegro
    What free WP Themes do you recommend Chris? Do you have a link you care to share or one that you can PM with?

    Cheers,

    Chris Negro
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  • Profile picture of the author Jesus Perez
    Make your life easier. Setup Wordpress MU. You'll cut your Wordpress setup time in half.
    You can also ""rent out" the admin login info so they can make their own edits.
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    • Profile picture of the author Glenn Leader
      Originally Posted by BlueSquares View Post

      Make your life easier. Setup Wordpress MU. You'll cut your Wordpress setup time in half.
      %< snipped
      The job can be done in seconds if you avoid using WP and start using HTML templates. I'm in the middle of recording some videos that show how to find clients and build them a starter website within one minute. Simple copy and paste, then upload.

      HTH

      Glenn
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      • Profile picture of the author TimCastleman
        Don't know why you put that image up Tim, doesn't do anything for your credibility.

        Being the cheapest will almost certainly get you work, getting paid for a value based proposition BEFORE you have proven to the business owner that he'll get a positive roi on his investment is a much harder sell - UNLESS you can demonstrate that you've achieved it for a previous client.

        Tony
        Tony:

        I have to disagree with you there friend.I put up the check because I am believer you should never take advice from people on the sidelines. You guys want to offer advice and a lot of it is good - that's great. But I make my living from offline marketing and have the checks to prove it. If you are taking advice from someone who has never made money or worse put their own money on the line with something then it can be dangerous.

        Not to mention it is a great proof element. There are plenty of offline people here but how many of them can produce proof that what they do is working? Something to think about.

        And again being the cheapest will get you work - another cheap gig. There is a better way.

        All my best Tony.

        Tim
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        • Profile picture of the author Melody
          Originally Posted by TimCastleman View Post

          Tony:

          I have to disagree with you there friend.I put up the check because I am believer you should never take advice from people on the sidelines. You guys want to offer advice and a lot of it is good - that's great. But I make my living from offline marketing and have the checks to prove it. If you are taking advice from someone who has never made money or worse put their own money on the line with something then it can be dangerous.

          Not to mention it is a great proof element. There are plenty of offline people here but how many of them can produce proof that what they do is working? Something to think about.

          And again being the cheapest will get you work - another cheap gig. There is a better way.

          All my best Tony.

          Tim
          Tim -

          You may find this hard to believe - but there are many of us here that are quite capable of providing financial proof like you did - and a LOT more.

          We simply choose not to. I consider what I make to be my business - unless your name is Uncle Sam - I don't feel any driving need to share my income with you just to share my experience!

          But I learned something today - that advice is not valid unless I can show a check to go with it!

          Never in a million years, folks, never, ever!!

          Melody
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          • Profile picture of the author TimCastleman
            Melody -

            Thanks for your thoughts. My check is no different than the one that Maria or Chris have put on here. We're just showing that making good money with offline marketing is possible. I am glad that he has made money with offline marketing BUT it saddens me to see people leave large sums of money on the table and based their price on fees and not value.

            As far as taking advice. You can take from anyone but I prefer to take my advice from people who have been there done that. There are plenty of people here who are 10 to 100 to 1000 times more successful than me. Good for them. I just made it my choice to take advice from people in the trenches with money invested, not sideline people.

            For instance I am training in a fighting discipline to get back in shape. When I picked my training facility I didn't just go with the guy who said he was the best in town - nope, I went with a guy who is a documented 20 time national champion in China. I want to work with someone who has PROVEN results in the area I am interested in learning more about.

            Finally, as a copywriter I am a big believer in PROOF. If you say you can do this or that I want proof first. So when I tell people I can get them several hundred dollars or more per client I show them checks - not just words.

            Just a preference, that's all.

            Hope all is well. Have a great weekend.

            Tim
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      • Originally Posted by Glenn Leader View Post

        The job can be done in seconds if you avoid using WP and start using HTML templates. I'm in the middle of recording some videos that show how to find clients and build them a starter website within one minute. Simple copy and paste, then upload.

        HTH

        Glenn
        I'll be looking forward to those videos!
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  • Profile picture of the author willies
    This is actually one of the ways that a small business owner can start out and grow eventually. It does not matter the ROI for now. As you keep at it, others will also take up your offer and if your work is very good and produces results for your clients, they can begin to work for you by telling other companies or people about you.

    So keep at it.
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  • Profile picture of the author dejoliet31
    Chris,

    This is a great idea. I have been thinking along the same lines since I deal with mostly small business. I agree with Glenn, however, that static pages are an easier way to go, at least until the owner signs up. Then I would consider WP etc.

    Thanks for sharing your methodology.
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  • Profile picture of the author ebook
    how do you guys bill the clients? like if it's recurring do you make them pay for 12 months up front or do you remind them to pay you every month? how do you get paid: check paypal, etc?

    thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author ebook
    how do you guys bill the clients? like if it's recurring do you make them pay for 12 months up front or do you remind them to pay you every month? how do you get paid: check paypal, etc?

    thanks
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  • Profile picture of the author MarkWrites
    Nice method in the opening post and great tips and insight all through the thread. Can be adapted to many types of businesses offering many services as a number of price levels.
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    • Profile picture of the author TimCastleman
      Mike -

      You are correct about business owners being use to pay high fees. Where I live a decent sized yellow page ad will run you several hundred dollars a month, radio & TV the same. Not to mention if they use or do any direct mail they are use to paying much more.

      I understand where you are coming from with online pricing. Here $97 seems like a lot but guys like Frank K sell out their 2k courses. The key to me is finding HVT's. That is the term I learned in the military and it stands for high value targets. Basically when we were on missions we would be told of several HVT's and if we saw one to divert and go after them.

      Lucky for me they never walked into my supply shop so I never had an issue ;-)

      Anyway, I only go after HVT's - people who charge a lot for their services - auto repair, laser eye care centers, doc's, etc. Why? Because they charge a lot so I can charge a lot. Seems to simple? That is how I like it.

      To put it another way - if you charge 3,000 for an auto repair think you're going to bitch about paying $300 to make $3000? 10 to 1 return on your investment - I'll take that.

      As far as your questions - for $300 they get hosting, access to me, an autoresponder email catcher thingie ;-). IF they want emails to go out to their members it's more. Want something else - sure but it cost.

      The only one limiting you is you.

      Tim
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      • Profile picture of the author timmykins
        Hi,

        This thread seems to be changing route slightly, in that everyone is focusing on pricing, and how much offline business owners are willing to "invest" in online services.

        In my own experience, if you can proove you know your onions and provide a decent return on their investment, then pricing isn't an issue. True story...

        When I first started in the offline niche, I secured a client who was skeptical, and to be honest I undercharged to get the work. I also only charged a one-time fee (hadn't crossed my mind to charge monthly at that time). But as the work I did on providing the client with a website that ranked well for multiple search phrase and started bringing him clients, he actually got the proof that he was looking for. A couple of month later and him gaining new clients, he actually offered to pay me a monthly retainer...He saw a return on his investment and wants to keep it that way!

        And not only is he very happy with his own return on investment he is marketing my services for me by telling others about how well his website is doing, even in the current economic climate.

        My point is, if you can proove that this works and can bring new clients to local businesses, reasonable pricing isn't too much of an issue!

        Tim
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      • Profile picture of the author Micheal Perkins
        Originally Posted by TimCastleman View Post

        Mike -

        The key to me is finding HVT's. That is the term I learned in the military and it stands for high value targets. Basically when we were on missions we would be told of several HVT's and if we saw one to divert and go after them.

        Lucky for me they never walked into my supply shop so I never had an issue ;-)
        I'm ending up off topic with this post, but I was in the Marine Corps, so I knew what you meant.

        Reminded me of when we got boots in fresh from boot camp. We would send them all over the place looking for a box of "grid squares," of course there was no such thing.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jimnopks
    Great post Chris,

    I too am thinking like Michael that $79 a month is fairly high let alone $300 a month.

    Chris, you are only charging the Hookers $29.

    What are you doing extra for the nail salon that you are not doing for the hookers.

    And Tim, What are you doing to warrant $300 a month.

    And to Meleody, you say you charge even more, Same quetion.

    Does everyone agree, that Paypal is the way to collect monthly?

    Jim
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    • Profile picture of the author ChrisByrns
      Originally Posted by Jimnopks View Post

      Chris, you are only charging the Hookers $29.

      What are you doing extra for the nail salon that you are not doing for the hookers.
      There's simply more work involved: Those small companies need more pages, the h**kers only really need one static splash page and that's it.

      Plus, i usually throw in a (simple but nevertheless pro-looking) logo for the companies that doesn't already have one.

      And while i'm at it, i also do some basic keyword research (and construct a matching title tag). The ladies don't need all that, they're happy with a simple one-pager.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jimnopks
    I read your answer what a client get for $300 Tim, Thanks,

    I watched your video Mike on changing themes and have a question.

    beings each business is diffent, like nail salon, barber shop etc, why not use the same theme for them all?

    Jim
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  • Profile picture of the author AaronSnider
    Chris, I love the post, but how am I supposed to plagarize your letter if its in picture format? =)
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    • Profile picture of the author ChrisByrns
      Originally Posted by AaronSnider View Post

      Chris, I love the post, but how am I supposed to plagarize your letter if its in picture format? =)
      Yawn.. ..MS Word or openoffice, do you know about them? Alternatively, you could just print out my low-res picture and on the backside of the sheet write: "To see the high resolution version of my sales letter, please visit my website".
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  • Profile picture of the author AaronSnider
    i'm just playin bro, this is a great idea and I did borrow your letter as a template, I rewrote the letter in myown words and am sending it to potential clients today.

    Instead of building web sites for new clients I am offering them an upgraded listing in my directory at Sacramento Family Dentist|Sacramento Family Dentist. Little different application, but your post inspired me.

    Thanx for your help man, from those of us that did use the info and may not have said anything.

    Aaron
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