How to get a potential mobile website client hooked?

Hi-

One of the best tactics disclosed here on WF was by Scotth in that really long thread he started (I read every page and took notes). The tactic is to show your prospect the mobile website of one of their competitors, no one wants to be out done by the competition. If there are no businesses in your area, in that particular field with a mobile site, show them one of their large corporate competitors(ex. for pizzerias use Dominos Pizza) and how corporations are embracing mobile marketing as a way to keep growing. After you show them the competitions mobile site show them the home page mock-up of how their mobile site will look. Remember it is not a question of 'can they afford to get mobile website' it is a question of 'can they afford not to get a mobile website', and keep there business growing in these tough economic times.

Also, when things stagnent for me I log on to WF and look around here, someone is always offering really good help and inspiration that helps me keep going.

I hope this helps you.

Have examples (if not a mockup of their ACTUAL business) and a proposal ready at the first meet. Get them to sign something and CLOSE the deal right then and there. Then instantly schedule an appointment to complete a questionnaire and after completing that, write them a few different complete marketing package proposals (low, med., high end, or whatever).

Great advice. I've always used the comparison for the mockup compared to their regular site but that's a great idea to show them their competition using it.

I remember using some type of google search to find sites that had a green mobile icon next to them to let people know that they had a mobile site. Does anybody know what I'm talking about? Or the best way to find a restaurant in my area with a mobile site other than the ones I've designed for other clients?

Google

Any site that Google can tell has a mobile optimized version has a green cell phone next to it.

I always like to do a live demo - have the prospect get their phone out (hopefully it's some kind of smartphone) and let them see first hand how crappy an experience it is to navigate their own site... Once they get the idea that it sucks I tell them to check out a demo mobile site and show them the benefits of a mobile site...

This then opens up avenues to qr code marketing, qr code tracking and custom qr codes... And then fof course the SMS upsell...

Hope that helps

Cheers

Jay

i just have a basic mobile site with usual features that i swap out the logo and click to call feature so the number matches the clients info - that way when they click on it before it dials it shows them their number

i really dont spend a lot of time developing a demo version - have found people understand this type of technology if they can physically see it and play around with it

hope that helps

jay

For me, I target businesses who area already running print ads. Then I show them how they can put a QR Code in their print ad and users can scan it and be taken to a mobile website.

Explain (or better yet, show) the business owner how looking at a normal website on a smartphone can be difficult to navigate. You have to scroll and pan and it is just a pain. By having a mobile optimized site, the users are much happier. I always go into the meeting with a demo to show the owner what I mean by this.

I would really start integrating QR Codes with the mobile sites if you aren't already, doing a demo of scanning the code really gets business owners excited.

-Ben