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Question about closing website deals

by BluesPlayer
13 replies
Hi guys, is it possible to close a minisite deal with a local small business without talking to the company on the phone or seeing them in person at all? Can it be done all through email? Or does only communicating via email look unprofessional?

Thanks
#closing #deals #question #website
  • Profile picture of the author Karen
    Hi BluesPlayer,

    Haha, yes, at least it happened to me about 11 years ago.

    I had an offer online for portfolio websites for photographers, and a photographer found my site, and signed up for the deal. First I knew of it was when I got the notification of the payment. (We had a system that was unique at the time, I think, where the photographer only had to upload a batch of photos, and our system made a gallery out of the photos automatically, with thumbnails displayed and clickable to the large version of the photo, it also included an automatically generated shopping cart system.)

    At that point, though, I phoned the photographer and we talked over the details and I got him to send me his logo and the initial pictures he wanted in his gallery. (I love talking to my website design clients.)

    The problem with website design offers though is that the competition is humongous, so being found by the people who need your service is the big obstacle. But if you can get them to your site via email or some other advertising method, then it is definitely possible to close the deal without speaking to them in person. Your site has to be very simple to understand, so they know exactly what they are getting, and I think it needs to make them feel that the whole process will be easy for them.

    The site from which I sold the portfolio sites laid out the process into a simple 1, 2, 3 step outline. All by itself it convinced at least that one. Several others were sold after we chatted on the phone. I never relied on just emails to communicate in the initial stage leading up to them signing up. Emails are very practical though as the site development progresses. But, often a phone call can get you an answer you need much faster than email.

    Hope this anecdote from the way back past of the Internet is some help.

    Karen
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  • Profile picture of the author Jason Kanigan
    So, Blues, it looks like the answer is:

    * niche down to one super-specific market segment

    * have a website that shows off a very straightforward process, and makes it easy for a person in that niche to get started with you

    * get a lot of traffic from that niche to visit your site

    and eventually you'll get an order. But it will be 'out of the ordinary', and slow to get.
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    • Profile picture of the author Karen
      Originally Posted by kaniganj View Post

      So, Blues, it looks like the answer is:

      * niche down to one super-specific market segment

      * have a website that shows off a very straightforward process, and makes it easy for a person in that niche to get started with you

      * get a lot of traffic from that niche to visit your site

      and eventually you'll get an order. But it will be 'out of the ordinary', and slow to get.
      Hi Kaniganj,

      What a great summary in bulleted points of my story!

      LOL

      Karen
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      • Profile picture of the author BluesPlayer
        Thanks guys for the responses. If I hire someone to cold call these businesses, would I still have to talk to them on the phone (as the web developer)?

        Has anyone here successfully hired someone to cold call the businesses and then you personally take care of the rest via email?
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        • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
          Originally Posted by BluesPlayer View Post

          Has anyone here successfully hired someone to cold call the businesses and then you personally take care of the rest via email?
          Do you have a specific reason for not wanting to talk on the phone?

          people will have a hard time being descriptive enough in an email to you
          that describes all the little details you need to know if your doing design work.

          You will leave yourself open to a million redo's. and every time you re doing something, your not making any new money, possibly putting your self behind deadlines, ect

          can it be done. sure. will you be happy with the outcome? will your clients?
          prob not.

          Now if you can address why you don't want to get on the phone, maybe some one here can help you with that issue.

          I would be willing to try to help
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          • Profile picture of the author BluesPlayer
            Thanks for the response. I'm hesitant to talk on the phone because I'm shy. There's a lot of pressure to sound confident and professional.

            The type of site I would like to start out making for local businesses is a basic template type minisite (not a full blown site with a shopping cart etc). So there won't be a need to do a lot of customization because the company in question will know that it's a basic site to begin with.
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            "Money isn't the most important thing in life, but it's reasonably close to oxygen on the 'gotta have it' scale" - Zig Ziglar

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            • Profile picture of the author jacquic
              Originally Posted by BluesPlayer View Post

              Thanks for the response. I'm hesitant to talk on the phone because I'm shy. There's a lot of pressure to sound confident and professional.
              The pressure is coming from you, I suspect!

              If you're shy, don't worry - just ask them questions about what they want and their business. Before you know it, they will say something you just know you can help them with, and the words will pop out. Remember, they may feel shy talking with you - they may be good business people, but now they're in an unfamiliar environment.

              One tip: if they try to beat you down on price, offer a bonus instead. If they demur, just walk away. In my experience they are the ones who will be so picky, it's just not worth it.

              Of course, if they are just a start up and are truly short of cash, then offer to to do them a free one if they get three others to sign up
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            • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
              Originally Posted by BluesPlayer View Post

              I'm hesitant to talk on the phone because I'm shy. There's a lot of pressure to sound confident and professional.
              You are correct, you do have to sound confident.

              There are a few things you can do to help yourself be confident.

              1) absolutely, 1000% believe in your product.
              One of the best phone guys i ever met had the worse stutter i have ever heard. It was horrible, when i heard him sell on the phone i would literally cringe.

              i never understood why people did not hang up on him.
              it took me a while to figure it out. He simply believed in the product he was selling. That was it. Period, and it came through on the phone.

              2) Product knowledge.
              If you know your product inside and out, forward and backwards.
              you cant help but get confidence in your product as well as your self.

              3) Practice.
              An easy way to practice, plus a darn good education, is to simply
              start calling people, to make it super easy on yourself, start by calling people that you really dont even want to sell. ( like a bizz 3 towns over ) or some type of business, that you know before you pick up the phone, that it really does not matter if you make the sale.

              this way you can simply practice talking, relaxing, answering questions and gain an understanding of what it is that your potential clients will ask you on the phone. After a few days of practice, you will feel much more secure, and who knows, maybe you will make a sale. nothing on the planet will make you more confident, then making a sale on the phone,

              you will feel like a million bucks.


              Try some of that, see if it helps. if it doesn't, and you really tried
              hit me up in a PM. ill see if i can help you over come whatever hurdle your dealing with
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              • Profile picture of the author More Ideas
                Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

                3) Practice.
                An easy way to practice, plus a darn good education, is to simply
                start calling people, to make it super easy on yourself, start by calling people that you really dont even want to sell. ( like a bizz 3 towns over ) or some type of business, that you know before you pick up the phone, that it really does not matter if you make the sale.
                A fantastic tip!

                If the issue is one of shyness, compounded by the stress of having to make the sale, this will help tremendously.
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  • Profile picture of the author KohenD
    It is possible , but much much harder.

    If I were you I would make cold calls or actually hire somone to make the calls.

    When I hire telemarketers, I make sure that they get paid only after you land clients.

    And no I am not talking about commission based. There are great ways to do that.
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    • Profile picture of the author jacquic
      Originally Posted by KohenD View Post


      When I hire telemarketers, I make sure that they get paid only after you land clients.

      And no I am not talking about commission based. There are great ways to do that.
      What method are you using for that, KohenD?
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  • Profile picture of the author danielkanuck
    Are you shy? Why don't you want to do cold calling or talking to potential clients? I can see where you're coming from regarding doing everything via email... but like kaniganj said... it's gonna be slow.
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  • Profile picture of the author fuzzycorleone
    I've actually had a similar question but I'm just going to hire a telemarketer. It's best to leave the sales pitch to the professionals.
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