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How's this for an Offline Business Plan?

by kelimarie
11 replies
So I have been lurking around here for a while and I want to get into offline marketing.

First I'd like to thank all the great people here on WF for giving me some great ideas.

Here's my plan so far:

1. Register a domain name for my business.
2. install a subdomain on that site for "testing".
3. install a Wordpress theme on this subdomain and customize it for a made-up business. Then take a screen shot of the site.
4. Repeat step 3 until I have 10 screen shots of different sites. Now I have 10 "dummy" site designs to add to my portfolio
5. Do the same thing for mobile sites and facebook pages.
6. Go back to my main site and add the screen shots on a portfolio page.
7. Create a blog on the site and add some offline plr articles. Have them autopost every 3-5 days.
8. Add some basic pages like "About Us", "Contact", and "Services".

Now I have a professional looking site complete with content and examples of design work.

The Services I will offer are:

web design/redesign
mobile site design
web hosting
facebook page design & management
SEO
email marketing
and text marketing

I plan to get clients by cold calling small businesses and posting on classified sites like craigslist.
My starting goal is to get at least 1 new client/week.

My questions are:
Should I register a DBA name or just use my own name?
Should I add other other services? Should I have less services?
Should I put prices on the website or quote prices to clent over the phone/in person?
Should I focus on one niche or work with different types of small business?

Thanks in advance for the help. :-)
#business #business plan #offline #plan
  • Profile picture of the author ewenmack
    Howdy Kelimarie,

    Getting your legal business structure can come a little later after you get clients.

    Am I right that your strong skills are design?

    If so, work on just providing those services,
    not the seo, email and text marketing.

    Here's a little secret that will get you in front of hot prospects...
    without competition.

    For under $50 you can get a list of all the new businesses that have
    just started up in your area, or any area you choose.

    You can get these lists, and as many as you want
    for that one fee at infofree.com.

    Depending on your budget, get postcardmania.com to come up
    with a design and offer to these new business owners.

    The'll even do the mailing, cheaper than you could possibly.

    Think about it, they will need design for all their marketing and branding.

    Right at that moment, and nobody else will be contacting them because
    they don't even know they exist!

    You have a ready to buy market all to yourself!

    I should sell the list and mailing service to graphic designers!

    Best,
    Ewen
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    • Profile picture of the author kelimarie
      Originally Posted by ewenmack View Post

      Howdy Kelimarie,

      Getting your legal business structure can come a little later after you get clients.

      Am I right that your strong skills are design?

      If so, work on just providing those services,
      not the seo, email and text marketing.

      Here's a little secret that will get you in front of hot prospects...
      without competition.

      For under $50 you can get a list of all the new businesses that have
      just started up in your area, or any area you choose.

      You can get these lists, and as many as you want
      for that one fee at infofree.com.

      Depending on your budget, get postcardmania.com to come up
      with a design and offer to these new business owners.

      The'll even do the mailing, cheaper than you could possibly.

      Think about it, they will need design for all their marketing and branding.

      Right at that moment, and nobody else will be contacting them because
      they don't even know they exist!

      You have a ready to buy market all to yourself!

      I should sell the list and mailing service to graphic designers!

      Best,
      Ewen
      Thanks Ewen. This is a really great idea!
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  • Profile picture of the author uppway
    You can find great leads for client that looking for your new service on craigslist and target them for free... good luck
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    • Profile picture of the author kelimarie
      Originally Posted by uppway View Post

      You can find great leads for client that looking for your new service on craigslist and target them for free... good luck
      Thanks uppway. This is what I plan to do
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  • Profile picture of the author Patrick Powers
    hey kelimarie.

    Congratulations for taking your business out in the real world - you will have a real edge if you do it the right way.

    From coaching and training thousands of startups and entrepreneurs I can see from your questions, that your thinking is not quite going in the right direction. Meaning... most of them are not that important - I'll explain what is in a second, but first let me answer your questions. I've put my answers in bold.

    Should I register a DBA name or just use my own name?
    Not that important

    Should I add other other services? Should I have less services?
    Depends on a lot of different things, but I would start out with fewer and focus on the ones you are good at. Become the very best at those before you expand to more services.


    Should I put prices on the website or quote prices to clent over the phone/in person?
    Not important

    Should I focus on one niche or work with different types of small business?
    Niche is usually better, but not crucial.

    Your most important questions should be: Where can I get in touch with my target market? Who's already selling to them and how? How can I win their trust? Who do I know that might know someone needing my services, and how can i get them to introduce me to them? How can I create more relationships with high quality people that are in need of my service.

    In other words... your thinking should be constantly focused on developing relationship and sales. 24/7

    Can I ask you.. How is your selling and networking skills? If you are really good at these, then most of the other questions you have is not that important, you will do really well anyway. If you are NOT good at selling and networking then this should be your most important mission to improve those skills.

    There are too many unknown factors about your situation and market that I can give you my best answer, but ill try anyway.

    If I were you I would do lots of networking, and working through the people you already know. It's the easiest most cost effective way for startups with a small budget to get going.

    hope this helps and good luck with your new venture - i hope you will make it big.

    Patrick Powers
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    • Profile picture of the author ChrisStCroix
      Wise answers Patrick,

      The concept of small business teaching other small businesses marketing and offering other small business services is wide open.

      kelimarie,

      As an entrepreneur myself, offering services that you've used to grow your own business and have results with, credibility will be the one thing you can demonstrate with your own results. It may be a case of "What came first, the chicken or the egg", but getting your foot in the door will be the easiest with using the networking concepts Patrick talked about.

      Bottom line, your website will be a supplement to your networking. But with some experience under the belt, the networking will become much easier. Good Luck!
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      • Profile picture of the author darias
        One good way to start networking is to search Facebook to see if your town or city has a Facebook page for small business owners. Salem Oregon (my stomping grounds) has a Facebook group called 'Small Business Owners of Salem'. This would probably be a good way to start networking locally online. Introduce yourself and what you do and be sociable. Hope that helps.
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        • Profile picture of the author kelimarie
          Originally Posted by twistedfiction View Post

          One good way to start networking is to search Facebook to see if your town or city has a Facebook page for small business owners. Salem Oregon (my stomping grounds) has a Facebook group called 'Small Business Owners of Salem'. This would probably be a good way to start networking locally online. Introduce yourself and what you do and be sociable. Hope that helps.
          This is a great tip! I will definitely do this!

          Thanks
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          • Profile picture of the author Hreety
            That was a detailed and nice advice.

            "nobody can really predict any business' future." True. Yet as am running in cash strap, am unable to spend even for researching the demand of shopkeepers. It seems to be a big time problem for me. I'll take your advice seriously. Thanks again!!

            bpwfoundation.org/
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    • Profile picture of the author kelimarie
      Originally Posted by Patrick Powers View Post

      hey kelimarie.

      Congratulations for taking your business out in the real world - you will have a real edge if you do it the right way.

      From coaching and training thousands of startups and entrepreneurs I can see from your questions, that your thinking is not quite going in the right direction. Meaning... most of them are not that important - I'll explain what is in a second, but first let me answer your questions. I've put my answers in bold.

      Should I register a DBA name or just use my own name?
      Not that important

      Should I add other other services? Should I have less services?
      Depends on a lot of different things, but I would start out with fewer and focus on the ones you are good at. Become the very best at those before you expand to more services.


      Should I put prices on the website or quote prices to clent over the phone/in person?
      Not important

      Should I focus on one niche or work with different types of small business?
      Niche is usually better, but not crucial.

      Your most important questions should be: Where can I get in touch with my target market? Who's already selling to them and how? How can I win their trust? Who do I know that might know someone needing my services, and how can i get them to introduce me to them? How can I create more relationships with high quality people that are in need of my service.

      In other words... your thinking should be constantly focused on developing relationship and sales. 24/7

      Can I ask you.. How is your selling and networking skills? If you are really good at these, then most of the other questions you have is not that important, you will do really well anyway. If you are NOT good at selling and networking then this should be your most important mission to improve those skills.

      There are too many unknown factors about your situation and market that I can give you my best answer, but ill try anyway.

      If I were you I would do lots of networking, and working through the people you already know. It's the easiest most cost effective way for startups with a small budget to get going.

      hope this helps and good luck with your new venture - i hope you will make it big.

      Patrick Powers
      Thank you, Patrick, for your wise advise.

      I have worked in retail and done very well in selling and building customer relationships. I was also particularly good at up-selling other items and services.

      Also I have been doing freelance graphic design work since I was in high school (about 8 years) and in the past I only used word-of-mouth and networking to get client. But I feel like I've been selling myself short in terms of building a business and I want to take my graphic and web design skills combined with the knowledge I've gained from this forum and turn it into a profitable business.

      With all that said, taking your advice into consideration, I agree that I need to focus more on building client relationships and networking because I understand that I can have the best product/service in the world but if I don't have the wherewithal to relate to clients and get them to trust me I won't get very far.

      Thanks again for the advice!
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  • Profile picture of the author drlelong
    Many small business owners are most comfortable working with other small business owners they know and trust. Try to find real world and virtual groups where your target audience congregates and find out their biggest challenges so you can decide which services to offer that will help them the most.
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