How I closed 11 out of 11 meetings in the last 4 weeks

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Sup guys, I just wanted to share this recent run of good form and hopefully pass on some tips which have led to me closing my last 11/11 meetings. All of the meetings were with brand new prospects I was meeting for the first time after successfully arranging the meeting by phone.

With the exception of 1 meeting, I walked out with either cash or a cheque there and then! The total gross income from the past month has been just more than £6000 (roughly $9,200)

All 11 sales were for websites which I charge £500 (plus £20 per month) however one of them was for an extra special website for a larger company at £1000.

As an important side note, many of these sites will be pure profit because I have just discovered, the Colourway theme for wordpress which is ludicrously easy to setup and looks stunning: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...gle-click.html

When I discovered that I felt like it was Christmas

My tactics in the meetings have changed as my level of experience has grown and my style in the meetings is now 100% assumptive. This is huge.

I go in there with my notepad and ask questions about what they would like to see in there new website. Its that simple.

I build the website there and then with them as the guide. Start with the homepage and what they'd like to see on there right through the entire site structure to the contact page and whether they'd like their office to be shown on a Google map. Their participation is key.

Throughout the process you are creating a visual image of the customers brand new site in their mind. They then buy into that.

The fact is, when they agree to meet with you about a website, they are already made up on the fact they need a website. Why wouldn't they buy today? There is no good reason.

I have found in the many meetings I have walked away with "I'll need to think about it" or "need to run it pass the Mrs" you rarely get the business

Assuming the website is going to be built weeds (most) of these indecisive sorts out.

Being relaxed is vital Being assumptive does not mean you go in being aggressive and try to pull every trick in the book to get the deal closed. Believe me, in the beginning I lost enough sales like this, trying to use scarcity tactics and so on. The customers see right through this.

Be assumptive, be friendly, ask for the sale with a smile and you're in good shape

Final point which I think has been a big help has been taking out my ipad and showing a couple of examples of top of the line websites I've done. On the lovely HD screen of the ipad the sites look even nicer. This has been the final nail in the coffin in a few of my meetings I'm quite sure. You show them some of your work and the rest is history.

For any cheapskates like me out there who didn't go for the 3g ipad2, this is an app I have found to be amazingly useful for my business purposes App Store - Offline Pages - offline web page reader

Want to give props to John Durham and all the guys over at the Telemarketing forum, they have been a massive help to me as i have negotiated the learning curve of both cold calling and maximizing meetings. If you do any kind of offline work, even if you don't use the phone, get yourself over to the Telemarketing forum and register, you'll benefit in ways you could not imagine

Any questions, please ask away and I'll do my best to answer you promptly.
#closed #meetings #weeks
  • Profile picture of the author sirblade
    Fantastic results, great pricing too, not too cheap or expensive !

    Did you get the appointments by cold-calling?

    cheers

    steve
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Yeah cold calling got me the appointments. Its the quickest way to get peoples attention I've found. John Durham's offline on crack audio helped alot at the beginning :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author mjbmedia
    Hi great news mate well done Are you in the UK too is so whereabouts , Im in Cardiff?

    So do you literally actually build the site there and then infront of them (at least the basics to give them the idea) as in on youre WP or am I misunderstanding your post a bit there as I know that would be bloody powerful to do that infront of them.
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    Mike

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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Hi Mike. Yeah I'm in the UK, I'm from Glasgow!

      When I say "build the site" I mean on paper. I start off with the home page and work through that finding out if they have/need a logo, whether they want any specific colours etc. When we're done with that, we move on to services and work out whats needed there. From there its on to any other specific needs that the customer has and finally we move on to the contact page and what they require there.

      The whole time the customer is collaborating with me, telling me exactly what they want.

      I recap at the end of that and this normally prompts them to ask how much its going to cost, which is the perfect lead in to me naming the price and then: "I usually take half up front then half on completion. Whats best cheque or cash?"

      Very casually with the last bit and they normally reach for the chequebook

      I think actually building the site there and then could turn into mayhem lol...
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  • Thanks for sharing the explicit story and for closing 11 of 11 sales. Is it possible to share an example of the drawings that you put together during the meeting? That would be a great example of creating a visual depiction that leads to a sale that leads to something being manifest into reality. Very powerful.
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by Justin Finkelstein View Post

      Thanks for sharing the explicit story and for closing 11 of 11 sales. Is it possible to share an example of the drawings that you put together during the meeting? That would be a great example of creating a visual depiction that leads to a sale that leads to something being manifest into reality. Very powerful.
      Again I have to apologise, I am not making myself clear

      When I say build it on paper, I don't mean draw pictures. I just thrash out exactly what the client wants and note it all down.

      I am absolutely hopeless at drawing so actually drawing the website would not work for me.

      An important thing to remember is that when you discuss everything that the client wants from a website as I have mentioned and note everything down, the client draws the picture of the website in their own mind, which is 10 x more powerful than any drawing could be.
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      • Profile picture of the author massiveray
        Originally Posted by PositiveVibe View Post

        Again I have to apologise, I am not making myself clear

        When I say build it on paper, I don't mean draw pictures. I just thrash out exactly what the client wants and note it all down.

        I am absolutely hopeless at drawing so actually drawing the website would not work for me.

        An important thing to remember is that when you discuss everything that the client wants from a website as I have mentioned and note everything down, the client draws the picture of the website in their own mind, which is 10 x more powerful than any drawing could be.

        Not so much for you because you can't improve on 11 out of 11 but I use an app DesignStudio for iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPhone 4S, iPhone 5, iPod touch (3rd generation), iPod touch (4th generation), iPod touch (5th generation) and iPad on the iTunes App Store to make web page mock ups, it lets you place all of the essential element with the touch of a finger.

        I usually have some fun with it, take a pic of the owner and use that as the site image etc etc, it's a very basic design but let's them visualise the layout, you should check it out.
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  • Profile picture of the author Jude.A
    Thanks a lot for this post. The Colourway theme is excellent, gave me a lot of ideas.
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by Jude.A View Post

      Thanks a lot for this post. The Colourway theme is excellent, gave me a lot of ideas.
      Yeah it rocked my world!
      I would have given anything to have a tool like that when I first started out so I'm glad to have been able to share that link with everyone.
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by Jude.A View Post

      Thanks a lot for this post. The Colourway theme is excellent, gave me a lot of ideas.
      Yeah it rocked my world!
      I would have given anything to have a tool like that when I first started out so I'm glad to have been able to share that link with everyone.
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      • Profile picture of the author Phillip M King
        100% - that's an audacious success rate! You might want to head over to the casino tonight.

        Seriously - well done. You've clearly got your act together.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Wow PV, nice. Also I have watched your journey enough to believe this and not even question it, as you have to do with some... I once closed 21 sales in a row... lol Not tryin to one up you (Of course you know enough of me to know that)... But I know the feeling is amazing for you, and you gotta share it because you have a sharing heart. Just dont be like me, on pitch #22 I choked and got a complex about not closing it, and couldnt make a sale for a month after that! Lol I thought I was jinxed. :rolleyes:

    Keep going ! Keep going! You have some serious traction! FREEKIN Awesome share!

    Ps. I draw the site on paper for them too, that same way. K.I.S.S.

    The more you can make it easy to assilimilate for the customer, and the more you can get them into the creative process themselves (it becomes a co creation), the better chance that they will ask for the close instead of you having to ask... You are awesome!

    EDit: Pps. "Thanks for the props"!

    The process you describe here - To my personal taste of closing is PERFECT, without blemish! This post is a printer. If people do this they will close deals. Go in ready to have a "creation" session with the biz owner. Assume he wants to do the same thing "Alright then, now lets get down to business about building your site (square drawn on paper in shape of web page)...do you folks have a logo already that you want to use... Okay, great and it looks like I see alot of burgundy around here, is that your company color...okay so Im thinking you are wanting to go with that then on your site (Business owner: "Yeah but I was hoping we could do more of a razorback red" - as he pulls out a picture to show you- "Can we do that"?" (Fill in the blanks...)... He's into the creation process with you now - Now its BOTH of your co-creation meeting more than a sales meeting.

    Sorry, Im out. Dont mean to hijack PV, but this is great news, and an exciting way of presenting these thoughts, you should expound and teach some people here.

    Wish I could think of a question to ask... but I kinda get what you mean.


    ooops...Mis read. Yeah, I actually draw out the square myself, and divide it up into sections to give them a general idea...but SAME CONCEPT!
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

      Wow PV, nice. Also I have watched your journey enough to believe this and not even question it, as you have to do with some... I once closed 21 sales in a row... lol Not tryin to one up you (Of course you know enough of me to know that)... But I know the feeling is amazing for you, and you gotta share it because you have a sharing heart. Just dont be like me, on pitch #22 I choked and got a complex about not closing it, and couldnt make a sale for a month after that! Lol I thought I was jinxed. :rolleyes:

      Keep going ! Keep going! You have some serious traction! FREEKIN Awesome share!

      Ps. I draw the site on paper for them too, that same way. K.I.S.S.

      The more you can make it easy to assilimilate for the customer, and the more you can get them into the creative process themselves (it becomes a co creation), the better chance that they will ask for the close instead of you having to ask... You are awesome!

      EDit: Pps. "Thanks for the props"!

      The process you describe here - To my personal taste of closing is PERFECT, without blemish! This post is a printer. If people do this they will close deals. Go in ready to have a "creation" session with the biz owner. Assume he wants to do the same thing "Alright then, now lets get down to business about building your site (square drawn on paper in shape of web page)...do you folks have a logo already that you want to use... Okay, great and it looks like I see alot of burgundy around here, is that your company color...okay so Im thinking you are wanting to go with that then on your site (Business owner: "Yeah but I was hoping we could do more of a razorback red" - as he pulls out a picture to show you- "Can we do that"?" (Fill in the blanks...)... He's into the creation process with you now - Now its BOTH of your co-creation meeting more than a sales meeting.

      Sorry, Im out. Dont mean to hijack PV, but this is great news, and an exciting way of presenting these thoughts, you should expound and teach some people here.

      Wish I could think of a question to ask... but I kinda get what you mean.


      ooops...Mis read. Yeah, I actually draw out the square myself, and divide it up into sections to give them a general idea...but SAME CONCEPT!
      Thanks John, I appreciate your comments! :-)

      Your right, I really had to share this good run with other peeps that understand what it is we do and thought 'why not?' since in sharing, I can probably help others who are yet to get in the mix!
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  • Profile picture of the author Not So New
    Hey PositiveVibe,

    Thx for the great post and information. I really like your business model. I would be interested in your sales pitch to set up the meetings? Where are you getting your leads from and how you are approaching them?

    Shawn
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by Not So New View Post

      Hey PositiveVibe,

      Thx for the great post and information. I really like your business model. I would be interested in your sales pitch to set up the meetings? Where are you getting your leads from and how you are approaching them?

      Shawn
      Hi Shawn,

      I am a student of the Offline On Crack Audio series, so the pitch is me just calling up to say hello, introduce myself and find out if they have a website set up :-)

      From there the conversation usually goes down the "not interested" route, or they spill their guts about needing a website or help with some other online advertising. Then I set the appointment.

      The recent batch of leads I am using were purchased from a UK company called Market Location and before that I was using leads from Yellow Pages, Google etc.

      I have to admit, the leads from Market Location have been of a high standard and pretty targeted. The cost of £180 for 1500 leads seems really insignificant compared to the amount of money I have generated using the list.

      I would recommend investing in a good list as soon as the cash flow is loose enough for those who haven't yet taken the leap, it has undoubtedly been a big help to me.
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  • Profile picture of the author JimRiley
    Originally Posted by PositiveVibe View Post

    As an important side note, many of these sites will be pure profit because I have just discovered, the Colourway theme for wordpress which is ludicrously easy to setup and looks stunning: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...gle-click.html

    When I discovered that I felt like it was Christmas
    Hello PositiveVibe,

    Wow great, love to here your story and many best wishes for you.

    As you have mentioned about the Colorway WordPress Theme. I also purchased this wonderful theme and really love this Wordpress Theme. I purchased this theme from the official website as i get to know about this WSO later but anyways my experience with the Colorway theme is really awesome and support provided by the Neeraj is really appreciated.

    Before that i never believe that I could get site ready for my clients so easily and your story really inspires me to do what you accomplished.

    -- Jim
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    BTW PV, the OOC series has been taken off the market I believe/hope. Cuz I think I can do it better the second time(and shorter)... But you are obviously a master practitioner, so anyone here that wants to know Im sure you can teach em. Plus you have a great concise way of relaying these things that people can easily grasp

    - Not a fan boy- just a fan.
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      A new offline on crack audio sounds pretty damn good, I'd listen.

      The previous version was long, but it was crammed full of good stuff.
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    • Profile picture of the author Not So New
      Originally Posted by PositiveVibe View Post

      Hi Shawn,

      I am a student of the Offline On Crack Audio series, so the pitch is me just calling up to say hello, introduce myself and find out if they have a website set up :-)

      From there the conversation usually goes down the "not interested" route, or they spill their guts about needing a website or help with some other online advertising. Then I set the appointment.

      The recent batch of leads I am using were purchased from a UK company called Market Location and before that I was using leads from Yellow Pages, Google etc.

      I have to admit, the leads from Market Location have been of a high standard and pretty targeted. The cost of £180 for 1500 leads seems really insignificant compared to the amount of money I have generated using the list.

      I would recommend investing in a good list as soon as the cash flow is loose enough for those who haven't yet taken the leap, it has undoubtedly been a big help to me.
      Thx for the info PV .. great strategy

      Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

      BTW PV, the OOC series has been taken off the market I believe/hope. Cuz I think I can do it better the second time(and shorter)... But you are obviously a master practitioner, so anyone here that wants to know Im sure you can teach em. Plus you have a great concise way of relaying these things that people can easily grasp

      - Not a fan boy- just a fan.
      John, When is the "Better" version of OOC coming out?
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      • Profile picture of the author John Durham
        Originally Posted by Not So New View Post




        John, When is the "Better" version of OOC coming out?
        Not sure... But maybe within a couple of months... I actually liked the other too but it was real long, and I think it could be alot more concise. Thanks for asking. I wanted give myself a chance to slip a new one in there that doesnt make me cringe in spots... Lol

        Good news is the people that have it will be the only ones who ever do, so thats kind of novel... About 1,000 people I think.

        I personally want to hear PV talk more here... I accidentally hijacked I think, and PV is just flowing with the right words to convey this stuff... This will be my last post (at least for awhile).

        Lets hear positive vibe. This is Real. This is the real stuff....
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    Obviously you are also doing something to create higher quality appointments... What do you think you are doing different on your cold calls that is making your appointments so high conversion, or is it just the face to face style alone that contributes??
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

      Obviously you are also doing something to create higher quality appointments... What do you think you are doing different on your cold calls that is making your appointments so high conversion, or is it just the face to face style alone that contributes??
      Good question, I have been asking myself the same thing over the past week. I think I've really upped my game in terms of the actual meeting of the client, but as well as that, I am automatically being much more inquisitive before setting up the meeting, which I think weeds out the window shoppers.

      Personally I'd rather not drive miles and miles to meet someone who is not in a position to spend any money or not ready to make a decision. To that end, I like to make sure I find out all about their reason for needing a website, what they hope to achieve and what kind of website they think would suit.

      When they start spilling all this kind of info, you know your onto a very hot prospect and then its time to get the appointment booked, either for that same day or tomorrow.

      On Tuesday my 2nd call of the morning was to an accountant who had been struggling to build her own site with some website builder tool. Honestly she sounded frazzled but had invested a lot of time into it. I sold her on the idea of taking a look at one of my websites, for another accountant in the area. She checked it while I had her on the phone and I closed her there and then and picked up the payment later that afternoon to begin work on the site.

      That was a combination of me highlighting the number of hours she had already wasted on the site builder, (which at her accountancy hourly rate was a small fortune) coupled with me being able to show her an excellent example of my work.

      Having a strong portfolio to show people on my iPad has had a massive impact without a doubt.

      And another thing that just sprang to mind there was "flexibility", more teachings from the school of JD ;-)

      I've made a habit of saying to every customer that due to being a new business "I'm prepared to be really flexible with ya".

      I say this early on in the conversation and I think this plants a seed that I am going to be really easy to work with.

      The cool thing is, this has never been the cue for an outragous list of demands or difficult penny pinching customers. For the most part, all of my customers have been great to work with and I rarely get any hassle from any of them (with one exception)

      Final thought, before I put a sock in it...

      Being a nice guy gets you places with business owners. When I go out there and meet them, I strike up some nice friendly conversation for a while before getting down to business. Throughout the process even when we're talking business my tone is nice and friendly, relaxed and I joke around whenever the opportunity arises.

      It is a combination of the above that has led to this winning streak but I have to also hold my hands up and say to get that far without a duff meeting, there has been a bit of luck on my side.

      Hopefully it will carry on :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Isaiah Jackson
    good work, how do you find your clients
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  • Profile picture of the author BuyLandOnline
    Very nice! Thank you for sharing!
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  • Profile picture of the author Nathan Alexander
    John - I can imagine you would improve it if you say so, but I gotta think it'd be hard. I finished it not too long ago and found it to be fantastic and a great length. I really like the mindset stuff in the beginning. It makes the rest of what you say have more weight to it.

    I'll bet though, if you're like me, YOU see a lot wrong with it, things you don't like, care for or whatever. But it was gold and much appreciated.

    I'm excited to listen to a second version when it comes out. Sorry to derail (to the op).
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  • Profile picture of the author cannons
    thanks for sharing this... nice stuff
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    @PV.

    Talking about dropping their guard with the word "flexible"...My brother says he broke his record in car sales...years ago, when he decided to start opening up to lot customers with the line; "Just looking around today..."? Lol.

    He said it saved them the trouble of having to worry about being pitched and telling you they are just looking... (Famous last words of everyone who buys a car the same day).

    Dropping their guard early on can be the thing that makes the difference.

    What I get is that your relaxed approach put biz owners at ease and they dont feel threatened...so its easy for them to give you an answer. Usually you wouldnt be there if they didnt believe they needed a site.

    People dont invite you to their business if they arent interested usually... in most cases the only thing you can do is either blow it or not by making them feel funny on the face to face..., because they half want it if they are inviting you out...

    Its no streak. You are just good.
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    • Profile picture of the author Bobster0007
      Great Job PV... If it aint broke, Dont fix it...keep Rockin it...
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

      @PV.

      Talking about dropping their guard with the word "flexible"...My brother says he broke his record in car sales...years ago, when he decided to start opening up to lot customers with the line; "Just looking around today..."? Lol.

      He said it saved them the trouble of having to worry about being pitched and telling you they are just looking... (Famous last words of everyone who buys a car the same day).

      Dropping their guard early on can be the thing that makes the difference.

      What I get is that your relaxed approach put biz owners at ease and they dont feel threatened...so its easy for them to give you an answer. Usually you wouldnt be there if they didnt believe they needed a site.

      People dont invite you to their business if they arent interested usually... in most cases the only thing you can do is either blow it or not by making them feel funny on the face to face..., because they half want it if they are inviting you out...

      Its no streak. You are just good.
      Cheers John ;-) I like that little car sales technique. Very simple but ingenious!
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      • Profile picture of the author keldog
        That was a combination of me highlighting the number of hours she had already wasted on the site builder, (which at her accountancy hourly rate was a small fortune) coupled with me being able to show her an excellent example of my work.
        I think this is key. From a sales perspective, you've pointed out her pain and offered her a solution. Classic, simple and very effective. The only thing left is the agreement. Nice.

        And from her perspective, well I gather she is grateful to have the burden lifted and be relieved of this "website stuff".

        These business owners are frazzeled from what I found, and need help. And it's not getting any easier for them to navigate the intricacies of the internet, eg; Websites/Mobile Sites/SMS/Reputation Management/Email Marketing and so on. (Good for us though, right?)

        And if they don't know these things now, they soon will, so be patient with those ones. Either they will figure it out and come around or a new business that has sprung up (replacing the one who didn't "come around") will need your help.

        My first two and only clients, so far, seemed more than happy to shovel some money my way when they felt they would be taken care of and could rely on someone else to do it for them. They had both tried and failed at the "do-it-yourself" route.

        I believe the business owner would rather hand this kind of thing off to someone they feel they can trust to help them. It seems savvy business owners would know they don't have time for this kind of thing, and those are the ones in fact that we want to work with.

        Offer to truly help them (show proof if possible), and then do it. I think you will have clients willing to continue paying for a long time. Just a handful of those ongoing/monthly type of clients, you might be able to quit your job. This would free you up to find a couple more clients, too.

        Then when "one time" clients/projects pop up, that's gravy. Man, I think I'm going to like this offline stuff.

        Just a note for those who a may be reading this that say I can't show proof. I had no proof to show my first client, just a mind map (thank you Maria Gudelis). My second client never asked to look at my or any other site.

        Thank you PositiveVibe for a great share! Show them you really care and that you can help. Then the "getting them involved" right then and there building the site technique at the meeting...smart.

        (BTW, it just occured to me, if you don't really care about your clients' success, then maybe this business won't work so well for you anyway)
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        • Profile picture of the author ndquang
          This report gives the light in which we can observe the reality. this is very wonderful one and gives indepth details. thanks for this nice post
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  • Profile picture of the author Mark Binnie
    Thanks PositiveVibe for a great post. Nice to see some putting back into the forum real results and tips to help other.

    I'm a UK offliner too and nice to hear from others based hear.

    Hope that nice week is just as good for you.

    By the way how you getting your cold call leads.


    Regards
    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author safe as houses
    PV, is your portfolio of sites you have built that you show potential customers all using the colourway theme, Regards, Mick.
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Thanks for all the good feedback people, glad my experiences have been intersting to some of ya'll

      I'm thinking of maybe putting together a free report documenting what I've done over the past 10 months in going from full time crappy occupation to running my own thing full time... If I get enough free time, I'd definitely like to do something like that...

      Originally Posted by safe as houses View Post

      PV, is your portfolio of sites you have built that you show potential customers all using the colourway theme, Regards, Mick.
      In a word no. I only discovered Colourway last week, most of my websites have been outsourced to 3 really cool web design guys and I've also designed a couple using the Headway theme for Wordpress, which is fairly user friendly.

      I am personally working on 3 websites at the moment using Colourway which are all looking pretty damn good if I do say so myself

      Colourway is easily the best Wordpress theme I've found for building local business websites. Its ridiculously easy to use and ultra versatile.
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      • Profile picture of the author safe as houses
        PV, what do you charge per site, for a WP site i was thinking round the 599 pounds mark, and more for other platforms that I would have to outsource, Regards, Mick.
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        • Profile picture of the author Joshua Morris
          Originally Posted by safe as houses View Post

          PV, what do you charge per site, for a WP site i was thinking round the 599 pounds mark, and more for other platforms that I would have to outsource, Regards, Mick.

          £600 is low... trust me..

          for a simple 5 page website you can charget £1200 or more...

          for anymore than 5 pages, you can add an extra £100 for each page.. or even more.

          Dont undersell yourself!!! everyone else is charging an arm and a leg.. so dont feel bad to charge normally!
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          • Profile picture of the author safe as houses
            Drummer, is that for a wordpress site, Regards, Mick.
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            • Profile picture of the author Joshua Morris
              Originally Posted by safe as houses View Post

              Drummer, is that for a wordpress site, Regards, Mick.
              yeah, wordpress or HTML site, both can be very easily outsourced...

              if they want an e-com type store to sell products online, then that costs much more £2,500 + depending on the size.

              dont undersell your services....... say the price with COMPLETE CONFIDENCE!!! as if you have said this price 1000 times before.

              The convo can go as easily as this..

              client: "so what are your prices"

              you: "For a simple wordpress site with five pages, you are looking at £600 or more, if you want extra pages then that will increase the price from £1200 or upwards"

              If you say this with complete confidece and without any faltering sounds or voice... then you should be fine!

              If they have a problem with it....... dont offer them a lower price, continue with your confident attitude, and say "this is very compeititve pricing.. and for the value and service that you are getting, its actually quite cheap.."

              You could also say,

              "You could go out there and have to pay £5000+ for a site, but to be honest you are being ripped off... on the other hand, if you pay any less that £600 then there is a HUGE risk of getting ripped off because of a bad service....... Our copmany offers the perfect sweet spot of excellent value, and very competitive pricing"

              You should really have no problems if you have these responses!!

              If they are still pushing for a lower price...... then you can offer them a smaller package for a lower price......... BUT NEVER LOWER THE PRICE ON YOUR NORMAL PACKAGE..

              for example you could say, we could start off with a 2 page site design for £500.... but your site would really have an incomplete feel to it, and your customers will be aware of it!... etc..

              JoshM
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        • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
          Originally Posted by safe as houses View Post

          PV, what do you charge per site, for a WP site i was thinking round the 599 pounds mark, and more for other platforms that I would have to outsource, Regards, Mick.
          Yeah I'd say £599 is definitely doable, however I would go in with that figure and be prepared to be a little bit flexible on the price. Business owners will appreciate it.

          At the end of the day, everyone wants to feel like they got a good deal.

          I personally wouldn't feel comfortable charging much more than 500/600 for a 5 page business website that takes me less than an hour to set up. After all, we are trying to help these businesses out.

          I would rather charge a fair price initially, make them a really nice website, then charge them for services to get that website showing in the right places.

          I always take a monthly residual when I do the site as well which is why I will be prepared to knock 50/100 off the the website asking price if I feel it has to be done.


          Originally Posted by safe as houses View Post

          Drummer, is that for a wordpress site, Regards, Mick.
          The actual platform you use to create the site doesn't matter to the customer in the slightest. All they care about is that they are getting a good site.
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  • Profile picture of the author martyJames
    Great thread -well done. On a practical matter when you build client sites using the colorway theme , where do you get the custom images , relevant to the customers business from? Do they supply them?

    Cheers

    Marty
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by martyJames View Post

      Great thread -well done. On a practical matter when you build client sites using the colorway theme , where do you get the custom images , relevant to the customers business from? Do they supply them?

      Cheers

      Marty
      I use a few sources. Sometimes stock websites sometimes get pictures from clients. Also, Google is your friend :-)
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    PV: your practice of getting the clients to tell you exactly what they want is the key here, as I'm sure you know. They're "painting the picture" of the solution and you're not getting in the way by saying things like, "You know, this could do that over there...and you could have a button here that does this..." and otherwise getting in the way. Very good!
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  • Profile picture of the author Internet Lawyer
    Banned
    That is really good news. Keep it up!
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  • Profile picture of the author rbecklund
    Great post!

    I'm using the same methods, while not batting 100% I did close $2,400 in web/seo/design work last week. I've followed thetelemarketing forum and listened to offline crack as well--it is killer.

    I think being a nice/regular person is key. I've had people tell me they get lots of calls and usually don't respond to 95%, but something about the way I came across got them to listen.

    It is also very true, you don't try to "sell" them something like google places or mobile or a facebook page, you listen to what they want and listen to their problems with getting their website finished or ranking or whatever and then talk to them about what can be done to fix/improve things.
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  • Profile picture of the author Gladiator
    What were some of the objections or were they just lay downs? I guess 100% lay down. Incredible?

    To have 100% lay downs is a little I don't know? - 21 is even more incredible!

    Did you have any previous working relationships with people?

    I don't know about you but being polite and confident doesn't usually close much!

    Why did they need a website? What will a website do for them? Was that part of your pitch?

    What was your pitch on the phone to make the meeting?

    Did you do a re-design or they never had a website?
    Who is supplying the content?
    What type of businesses were they?

    I have closed many deals in my time but 100% never!

    Good Luck!
    Andre
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by Gladiator View Post

      What were some of the objections or were they just lay downs? I guess 100% lay down. Incredible?

      To have 100% lay downs is a little I don't know? - 21 is even more incredible!

      Did you have any previous working relationships with people?

      I don't know about you but being polite and confident doesn't usually close much!

      Why did they need a website? What will a website do for them? Was that part of your pitch?

      What was your pitch on the phone to make the meeting?

      Did you do a re-design or they never had a website?
      Who is supplying the content?
      What type of businesses were they?

      I have closed many deals in my time but 100% never!

      Good Luck!
      Andre
      Quite a few of those questions I've already answered in the thread, so have a read through it all and you'll find what your looking for.

      Yeah its been a crazy hot streak and financially its put me in a strong position. I'm just looking at taking on my first full time telemarketer to do the cold calling for me

      To give you a summary of the business types:

      4 x Photographers
      3 x Accountants
      1 x Solicitor
      1 x Catering
      1 x Car Coating Supplier
      1 x Plasterer
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  • Profile picture of the author Nathan Alexander
    Keep in mind anybody can create a site. And sites can go for $200-$1000.

    But a complete online marketing system and internet sales funnel for their business? $3000-$25,000 depending on a few different things.

    The difference?

    Value - and how you present it.
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  • Profile picture of the author legitebiz
    There are two things I learned here and I thanked you for it, first your experiences provide a great insight that will definitely come in handy for me, and secondly I discovered the colorway theme, very solid and useful theme for WP. Thanks again.
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by legitebiz View Post

      There are two things I learned here and I thanked you for it, first your experiences provide a great insight that will definitely come in handy for me, and secondly I discovered the colorway theme, very solid and useful theme for WP. Thanks again.
      Great, I'm glad it helped, that was the intention of the post.

      Also glad that the guy who designed the Colourway theme will get some more business.

      Not only is the theme excellent, his customer service is beyond what you could ever hope for
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  • Profile picture of the author martyJames
    Great thread PV. Question , do you only use the colorway theme? (i bought it recently-very good). What If someone wants a different style of site - do you use different themes and if so which one have you found the easiest to work with?
    Cheers

    Marty
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by martyJames View Post

      Great thread PV. Question , do you only use the colorway theme? (i bought it recently-very good). What If someone wants a different style of site - do you use different themes and if so which one have you found the easiest to work with? Also, where do you get your images from?
      Cheers

      Marty
      I mostly used Headway if I was designing stuff, which is great and really user friendly, check this out:
      Its like $150 for unlimited use, so a slight investment but you can make that back doing a 1 page website.

      Then I discovered colourway which is great, I'll be using that quite a bit from now on and Toomorel is good as well, made by the same person as colourway.

      That being said I do outsource 80% of my web design. I just design ones that I think are going to be easy and when the client is going to be low maintenance.

      Get most of my images from Google, istock and 123rf (a much cheaper stock image site)

      Hope that helps
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    • Profile picture of the author manny2513
      Wow! Great bro. I am gald to see more people are making good $$$ Offline. Is that simple just be profesinal and show the client you know what you are talking about and be confident they al ready know they need a website just relax and close the sale.
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  • Profile picture of the author martyJames
    Thanks PV , Headway looks great . I have built a few portfolio sites now with colorway , very quick and easy but Headway might be nice if people want a different , more customisable look.
    Re outsourcing are you using odesk and the likes? For a professional quality site , whats a reasonable price to pay for outsourcing (say for a dentist /accountant or other 'professional client' website)

    Thanks again for the feedback-much appreciated

    cheers

    Marty
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by martyJames View Post

      Thanks PV , Headway looks great . I have built a few portfolio sites now with colorway , very quick and easy but Headway might be nice if people want a different , more customisable look.
      Re outsourcing are you using odesk and the likes? For a professional quality site , whats a reasonable price to pay for outsourcing (say for a dentist /accountant or other 'professional client' website)

      Thanks again for the feedback-much appreciated

      cheers

      Marty
      No problem, to to be of assistance

      (god forbid you should press the thanks button )
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  • Profile picture of the author theaer
    PV, thanks for the post. Def. interested in your report, even if you do it as a dime sale. I am curious - what do you charge for hosting services and SEO?

    As a point of reference for everyone else, I'm from one of the NW states in the US. We are known for agriculture and that still accounts for some 60% of our economy. Anyway, average starting price for a site locally is $3,000 (I charge $997). Craigslist will have things much cheaper, however they are hardly being used.

    Local computer repair shops charge obscenely high $1,999 for sites that look like they were developed in the late 90's.

    I'd say confidence in naming your price is the best thing. Starting off with the "flexible" comment would be great and then just name your price.

    "Yeah, my price starts at $997 for a 5 page website, domain, and Google Places listing. I charge another $197 for branded Facebook Fan Page, YouTube channel, and mobile sites... but like I said earlier - I can be flexible in payment arrangements."

    No 11 win streak here, but I am batting 3 for 3 with that.
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    • Profile picture of the author jimbo13
      Originally Posted by theaer View Post

      No 11 win streak here, but I am batting 3 for 3 with that.
      Do it 4 times.

      Dan

      PS: Sorry couldn't resist.
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      • Profile picture of the author theaer
        Originally Posted by jimbo13 View Post

        Do it 4 times.

        Dan

        PS: Sorry couldn't resist.
        Thanks mate, I mean to.
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by theaer View Post

      PV, thanks for the post. Def. interested in your report, even if you do it as a dime sale. I am curious - what do you charge for hosting services and SEO?

      As a point of reference for everyone else, I'm from one of the NW states in the US. We are known for agriculture and that still accounts for some 60% of our economy. Anyway, average starting price for a site locally is $3,000 (I charge $997). Craigslist will have things much cheaper, however they are hardly being used.

      Local computer repair shops charge obscenely high $1,999 for sites that look like they were developed in the late 90's.

      I'd say confidence in naming your price is the best thing. Starting off with the "flexible" comment would be great and then just name your price.

      "Yeah, my price starts at $997 for a 5 page website, domain, and Google Places listing. I charge another $197 for branded Facebook Fan Page, YouTube channel, and mobile sites... but like I said earlier - I can be flexible in payment arrangements."

      No 11 win streak here, but I am batting 3 for 3 with that.
      Glad to hear you found it useful

      I charge £20 or £30 a month for hosting

      SEO I have charged so far £100 per month, £150 per month and £350 per month.

      My biggest pitch for SEO was £750 per month but they went for the £350 option and said next year they might do the £750.

      Please let us know how you got on with your 3rd out of 3 sale
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  • Profile picture of the author Bosco
    Wow PositiveVibe,

    What an amazingly succinct (and amazing) post.

    I copied/pasted it into a text file on my desktop.

    When I make the leap to cold calling and get better
    web building skills I will be using it.

    I love your instruction re attitude, relaxation, asking for
    sale with smile. I can use that even before I get to the point
    of looking for website design work.

    I also put the url of this thread in the text so I can check
    on it from time to time.

    Thanks man.
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    Have you started ANY prepping yet? Got some back up food and water at least? (Just askin')
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    • Profile picture of the author Excel Fields
      Sounds very good. Thanks for sharing Positive Vibes!
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by Bosco View Post

      Wow PositiveVibe,

      What an amazingly succinct (and amazing) post.

      I copied/pasted it into a text file on my desktop.

      When I make the leap to cold calling and get better
      web building skills I will be using it.

      I love your instruction re attitude, relaxation, asking for
      sale with smile. I can use that even before I get to the point
      of looking for website design work.

      I also put the url of this thread in the text so I can check
      on it from time to time.

      Thanks man.
      No, thank you!

      I'm humbled that you took the information and copied it to your desktop!

      If I can do anything to help just let me know.

      Remember the key to your success is picking up that phone, don't delay just get right in about it
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  • Profile picture of the author IdrisSG
    This is key. Assume the sale.

    If its something they want they WANT IT fast.

    Its been my experience too that when the business owner says thigns like "I've got a business partner and I need to get his opinion on this, just leave your business card..."

    POOF

    There goes your hard work.

    Note: Once you've got a good, quality client, and you've delivered something good... don't forget to ask for referrals.







    Originally Posted by PositiveVibe View Post

    Sup guys, I just wanted to share this recent run of good form and hopefully pass on some tips which have led to me closing my last 11/11 meetings. All of the meetings were with brand new prospects I was meeting for the first time after successfully arranging the meeting by phone.

    With the exception of 1 meeting, I walked out with either cash or a cheque there and then! The total gross income from the past month has been just more than £6000 (roughly $9,200)

    All 11 sales were for websites which I charge £500 (plus £20 per month) however one of them was for an extra special website for a larger company at £1000.

    As an important side note, many of these sites will be pure profit because I have just discovered, the Colourway theme for wordpress which is ludicrously easy to setup and looks stunning: http://www.warriorforum.com/warrior-...gle-click.html

    When I discovered that I felt like it was Christmas

    My tactics in the meetings have changed as my level of experience has grown and my style in the meetings is now 100% assumptive. This is huge.

    I go in there with my notepad and ask questions about what they would like to see in there new website. Its that simple.

    I build the website there and then with them as the guide. Start with the homepage and what they'd like to see on there right through the entire site structure to the contact page and whether they'd like their office to be shown on a Google map. Their participation is key.

    Throughout the process you are creating a visual image of the customers brand new site in their mind. They then buy into that.

    The fact is, when they agree to meet with you about a website, they are already made up on the fact they need a website. Why wouldn't they buy today? There is no good reason.

    I have found in the many meetings I have walked away with "I'll need to think about it" or "need to run it pass the Mrs" you rarely get the business

    Assuming the website is going to be built weeds (most) of these indecisive sorts out.

    Being relaxed is vital Being assumptive does not mean you go in being aggressive and try to pull every trick in the book to get the deal closed. Believe me, in the beginning I lost enough sales like this, trying to use scarcity tactics and so on. The customers see right through this.

    Be assumptive, be friendly, ask for the sale with a smile and you're in good shape

    Final point which I think has been a big help has been taking out my ipad and showing a couple of examples of top of the line websites I've done. On the lovely HD screen of the ipad the sites look even nicer. This has been the final nail in the coffin in a few of my meetings I'm quite sure. You show them some of your work and the rest is history.

    For any cheapskates like me out there who didn't go for the 3g ipad2, this is an app I have found to be amazingly useful for my business purposes App Store - Offline Pages - offline web page reader

    Want to give props to John Durham and all the guys over at the Telemarketing forum, they have been a massive help to me as i have negotiated the learning curve of both cold calling and maximizing meetings. If you do any kind of offline work, even if you don't use the phone, get yourself over to the Telemarketing forum and register, you'll benefit in ways you could not imagine

    Any questions, please ask away and I'll do my best to answer you promptly.
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by IdrisSG View Post

      This is key. Assume the sale.

      If its something they want they WANT IT fast.

      Its been my experience too that when the business owner says thigns like "I've got a business partner and I need to get his opinion on this, just leave your business card..."

      POOF

      There goes your hard work.

      Note: Once you've got a good, quality client, and you've delivered something good... don't forget to ask for referrals.
      Agreed 100% on all of that!
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan B Rusu
    Can you share the general script you use when cold calling to set appointments? Also, what is your method for finding the businesses to contact and their phone numbers.
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  • Profile picture of the author Dan B Rusu
    And what industries are you targeting?
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    • Profile picture of the author StrategicCheetah
      Originally Posted by Daniel7rusu View Post

      Can you share the general script you use when cold calling to set appointments? Also, what is your method for finding the businesses to contact and their phone numbers.
      Basically:

      Hi its Nick here, how are you? Great

      Reason for the call today is that I am a local web designer in the area and just wanted to introduce myself and find out if you guys currently have a website for your business?

      Thats it. Depending on their response you act accordingly.

      Most say "not interested" however 100 calls usually throws up at least 1 client in need of webdesign or some other IM service, which I then setup an appointment to provide.

      Originally Posted by Daniel7rusu View Post

      And what industries are you targeting?
      I guess I've spoken to most industries. But the most successful have been Accountants and Photographers. Seems like every second person you speak to wants your help

      Least successful have been Beauty Salons and Solicitors. Really struggle to get speaking to any solicitor via the gatekeeper although I've managed to get 1 on my books out of about 400 calls and 1 appointment (horrible ratio).
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      • Profile picture of the author reneSmilez
        Originally Posted by PositiveVibe View Post

        Least successful have been Beauty Salons and Solicitors.
        Arrgh... no wonder my success rates are so low.
        Thanks PV for sharing.
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        • Profile picture of the author wagsgraphx
          Awesome thread, thanks PV for sharing.
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          Help People Save money while your Earn money. Just giveaway our discount cards.
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  • Profile picture of the author M Mark
    Awesome! Thanks for the input
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  • Profile picture of the author wally247
    Great post, congrats and thanks for sharing! It's nice to see that not being a jerk and using lame tactics works for some people.
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  • Profile picture of the author sniger
    Thanks for the advice Postit. I'm new here, but learning a lot.
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