What is required when charging monthly fees to clients?

13 years ago

Originally Posted by herbaluss

Hello im just soaking this forum in getting as much info as possible to make sure i do things properly when i start getting clients. Of course i want to get monthly income from these clients i get but also dont want to do too much admin work as i have a full time job and doing this as an extra form of income.

What exactly are we to be doing monthly for these clients to justify a monthly fee?
How much time are we spending in front of a screen if we do it outselves (weekly,nightly)?
what is the fastest way to do these monthly services if were not oursourcing and have multiple clients?
would it be best to just outsource the SEO aspect of things as thats what seems to be the bulk of the work.

Im just thinking that it could be another job in the end which everybody seems to be trying to avoid, how are you guys managing this ?

What exactly are "we" doing for a monthly fee?
"We" are not doing anything.

As far as what you are doing, that is up to you.
It all depends upon what you will offer to clients.
And internet marketing is not about doing as little as possible for the maximum rate of return. Sure, do that. But don't quit your day job.
You will need something to fall back on.

Internet marketing is about helping clients. If you look at them like a vulture waiting for a meal, you will starve.

Thanks
2 replies

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marciayudkin 13 years ago

Im just thinking that it could be another job in the end which everybody seems to be trying to avoid, how are you guys managing this ?

Just another job?

Yes, you do need to be providing something that both the client and you value, and you need to do so conscientiously. That is what makes it a sustainable business.

If you're looking for something you can make money from with both hands tied behind your back and your head elsewhere, then you're in the wrong place.

Marcia Yudkin
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nikkijames

13 years ago

Originally Posted by vndnbrgj

What exactly are "we" doing for a monthly fee?
"We" are not doing anything.

As far as what you are doing, that is up to you.
It all depends upon what you will offer to clients.
And internet marketing is not about doing as little as possible for the maximum rate of return. Sure, do that. But don't quit your day job.
You will need something to fall back on.

Internet marketing is about helping clients. If you look at them like a vulture waiting for a meal, you will starve.

Great response. I have always taken the people first response and i have always been successful. I love seeing that kind of information put out especially about IM. So many people give this business a bad rap because its just about a quick buck for them.

Thanks

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jacquic

13 years ago

Originally Posted by herbaluss

i get but also dont want to do too much admin work as i have a full time job and doing this as an extra form of income.

That is fine, but you will need to outsource the admin, because admin there will be. There's not a lot of it, though, so long as you set things up propely from the start - a CRM, diary, spreadsheet - whatever you prefer.

What exactly are we to be doing monthly for these clients to justify a monthly fee?

It's best to balance what you can offer (and/or confidently outsource) and what people want/need. Remember that what people say they want isn't necessaily what needs doing - dig.

How much time are we spending in front of a screen if we do it outselves (weekly,nightly)?

That's really up to you. You can do this from one day to seven days a week. It depends on your skills, want you want to be doing, if you want to outsource or not, and so on. Reckon on things taking 2-3 times longer than you think they will, at least until you have some experience under your belt. Also consider if you will be offering consultancy, services or both.
what is the fastest way to do these monthly services if were not oursourcing and have multiple clients?
Having a process and sticking to it, and not getting distracted by irrelevancies.
would it be best to just outsource the SEO aspect of things as thats what seems to be the bulk of the work.
Yes, but make sure you take care to find the right people, and to give them exact instructions, and insist on regular updates.

Im just thinking that it could be another job in the end which everybody seems to be trying to avoid, how are you guys managing this ?

Yes, it is a job until you are outsourcing and managing, at which point it becomes a business. The thing is jobs per se aren't all bad! Identify what it is you don't want to be doing (that you think a 'job' would be making you do), and set up your business to avoid this.

Really enjoying trying to find good solutions for clients makes it feel like a fun time, not a job.

One benefit of having a job is that you don't have to go out and find clients. When you are self employed you do, and that can be challenging at the start.

Thanks

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NuZu

13 years ago

I spent my first year working harder at building my firm than any job I've ever had. I have yet to meet someone who has built something successful by "trying" to do the least amount of work.

Having said that... my business is now 95% outsourced. I suggest putting in as much work as you "need" to reach the goals you have set for yourself. When you have it rolling.... start outsourcing.

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Alexandru

13 years ago

Here are a few suggestions for recurring services you could offer:

Online Marketing - Advertise on different platforms with their money. If you're just starting out then I don't recommend outsourcing this. It's better if you stay in charge of setting up these campaigns. Of course, you can only do this if you're familiar with at least some advertising platforms.
Link Building - Easy and cheap. Outsource it!
Search Engine Optimization - Cheap. Outsource it!
Hosting Their Websites - If you're getting customers with no web presence then you can charge them for hosting their website. Get a reseller account or a dedicated server and host their sites there.
Maintaining & Updating Their Websites - This depends on the content of their website. They might want to post articles about some services that they offer. In this case you could get an outsource worker to write articles for them.

You'll need to put quite a lot of work into your business if you're just starting out. You'll be able to outsource 90% of your business after a period of time, just don't start outsourcing everything too early because you might get burned.

So, in short - outsource whatever you can, but don't run from work!

Best of luck!

Thanks
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herbaluss 13 years ago

Hey thanks guys for all the info...
And really im not trying to seem like im not serious about things and lazy i was really just trying to figure a way to make this more of an automated process.
I am prepared at first to work my brains off good thing i can also do this at work so it wouldn't be too crazy.

Im sure i can do the updates on a on-call basis (like updating picture,flyers,prices) for clients and im guess thats where i can justify monthly charges.

Link Building ,Search Engine Optimization and Article writing <<<< These are the things that seem like they are going to be the hardest of all services i offer to my local clients.

How do you all manage these things??
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- lewiswharf 13 years ago
  
  Originally Posted by herbaluss
  
  i was really just trying to figure a way to make this more of an automated process.
  
  If it's repetitive, you can automate it with software. I just started playing with a couple programs and find that what you can automate is almost, "the sky is the limit," type of deal.
  
  Thanks
  
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pethanks

13 years ago

It depends on what kind of service you will offer. That is the basis of your monthly charge. For me, I work very hard for the success of the client's business.

Thanks

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What is required when charging monthly fees to clients?

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