PDA

View Full Version : How to go out and sell a website?



ahl
01-06-2010, 10:26 AM
Hi friends,

I started a web development company and for now I'm planning in targetting small/medium-size businesses. I've though about restaurants and/or nigh clubs since most of them have very basic websites or none at all.

We can offer much more than that, not just a plane website but many ways of interactions with their customers: emails, forums, VIP club managements...etc...

Now my dilema is that I have none-zero-nada selling skills.

How can I just walk through the door, ask for the owner, be able to get his attention and sit down with him to sell him a new website for his company...which probably has a crappy one?

For those having the same kind of business...how did you guys get your firsts clients?

I will really appreciate any tio you can give

Thanks in advance!

cbscreative
01-06-2010, 12:29 PM
When I started my first biz, my situation was very similar. I did not consider myself a salesman either. In reality, that could be your best asset.

I would give the advice to read books, must most of them are full of you know what. I will say this instead...Just do it. Yes, that's the Nike slogan, but treat the people like you would like to be treated, and your selling skill will improve through practice.

You'll find the people you talk to, for the most part, will respect you for taking the time, and if you're not pushy, they may even provide referrals even if they themselves don't buy.

Bottom line, there's no substitute for practice. Just be yourself and you'll find you don't need to be a "natural salesman." You'll also find you make a lot of mistakes when you reflect back later after your meetings. Those are learning experiences to improve.

BTW, I totally agree with you on crappy or non-existent web sites for restaurants. I'm continually amazed at how the industry, for the most part, just doesn't "get it" when it comes to a web site. You need to help them understand and see the opportunities they are missing.

cbscreative
01-06-2010, 12:40 PM
I had one more thought in regards to targeting restaurants. They are generally slow between 2 and 4 in the afternoon, so that would be the best time to avoid being a nuisance to them, and give you the best chance of meeting the owner or decision maker.

ahl
01-06-2010, 01:00 PM
Thanks cbs!...I really appreciate your post and positive encouragement.

I bet it was really tough for you too to start up. Would you share some of what you did to get your firsts clients on-board?

In the other hand..should I have something in hand to show to potential clients and buy them in? I was thinking in creating a completely functional "showroom" website (which takes time) and prepare some kind of broshure to hand over even if they "dont have time" to sit down and talk. In this way they will see and test by themselve what they can have and are missing....the question here is ...does it worth the time of making all that beforehand?

Any other tip??

Thanks a lot

vangogh
01-06-2010, 01:15 PM
I was in the same situation as well and I did try going into a business or two. It wasn't so much planned as it was just being inside a business and striking up conversations about their website and then working that conversation toward me being a web designer. I didn't have any luck with it, though I can't say I tried all that hard at it either. It wasn't me.

Mostly what I did early on was to get the word out to everyone I knew about what I was doing. I let friends and relatives know and also started building a presence in various online communities where I could answer questions and display my knowledge.

I also looked through job boards and things like Craig's List.

It took awhile, but little by little one connection would lead to a job or I'd find something that was decent on Craig's List. As I did well by one client that client would recommend me to another. As I was more active online a few more people would call as well.

Harold Mansfield
01-06-2010, 02:10 PM
Thanks cbs!...I really appreciate your post and positive encouragement.

I bet it was really tough for you too to start up. Would you share some of what you did to get your firsts clients on-board?

In the other hand..should I have something in hand to show to potential clients and buy them in? I was thinking in creating a completely functional "showroom" website (which takes time) and prepare some kind of broshure to hand over even if they "dont have time" to sit down and talk. In this way they will see and test by themselve what they can have and are missing....the question here is ...does it worth the time of making all that beforehand?

Any other tip??

Thanks a lot

I'm in your situation right now..in the start up stage of offering services. Let me speak on the nightclub thing first.
I worked in nightclubs for many..many years and if you are targeting clubs in a big city, most nightclubs (larger ones at least) are owned by a parent corporation who handles all of the marketing and brand management.
Those type of Nightclub managers don't make that decision, so you would have to tackle independently owned clubs and restaurants and determine who actually makes that decision, the owner or the manager.

For instance, where I live all of the clubs are owned by larger corporations and many of them are headquartered in other cities.

Yes it does help to have some samples to show..the first of which is your own website(s). If you are going in the field, you cannot go without some kind of media to show..Personally I don't go out to meet clients since most of any work I get is not local, but on the off chance that I do meet with someone, a laptop is a necessity. If that's not in the budget a netbook will work too..I got mine for $350...if that's not possible either, get a used one from a pawn shop or online flea market like Ebay or Craig's list.

When you start out, you won't have any clients to show previous work, so building a sample website or 2 is a good idea..it's time consuming but you have to have some kind of visual aid and show some diversity.

I got "lucky" getting my first few phone calls. I put up 2 different websites (now three) offering my services and made them congruent with my Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter profiles..so I actually get calls from my online presence..strangely most come from the worst of the sites..but it's the one that is under my actual name ( so even if you meet people out and about and the they have your card or remember your name, they can find you..even if they forget your company name).

It's best to make an appointment instead of just walking in...most restaurant, bar and nightclub managers get salesmen all day long and duck most cold sales calls, so use all of your connections to get introductions or at least contact information...friends, employees of the club. I once got a gig by sitting at a casino bar ( drinking of course) and while talking to the bartender found out his manager had a side business and was just talking about needing a website...he called him over, we talked, I dropped a card and he called the next week.

When you are out, always be looking for opportunity in the back of your mind.

I don't have any brochures. I think a well made business card is just fine..outside of a convention or trade show...most people won't hold on to a brochure when you are soliciting them..but they will put the card in their wallet...if they are inclined or curious they may take a few seconds to check out your website...which is where you want them... to induce a phone call. Not saying that they aren't a good idea, but if you are on a budget, I would put them at the bottom of the marketing materials list and spend more on a good card, and office set up.

Also use your friends, family and associates as "salespeople". Make sure that they know what you do and have some of your business cards in case they run into a possible lead while out and about. People always ask around in their peer group for services like that first, before they venture out on their own to look for a stranger.

You can also check out the job boards, online classifieds and "looking for a freelancer" type sites. Sometimes there are some leads. Make sure you use the type of boards where you have direct contact, and billing with the clients..I have had a bad a experience using third party site that acted as the go between.

That's all I have for now.

ahl
01-06-2010, 04:53 PM
Wow....thank you very much guys for your help!

I will go ahead and start putting together a website with full capabilities. I will also spread the voice among my friends and relatives and see if someone know somebody in the field.
I think I will be better off sticking with one market at first...so I will try to go the Night Clubs way.

Thanks eborg for your tips about this market. I will do my homework about finding if the local night clubs are indeendent or part of something bigger. Anyways...I hope not all of them are.

Thanks all!!!

billbenson
01-06-2010, 05:10 PM
One of the problems with the market you are looking at is you will probably need to sell the need. They probably don't see the value in paying for a decent site and don't have any idea of what you can do with a web site.

I'd come up with some site models that produce more revenue streams through the site or more foot traffic customers. Maybe some of them may even want T Shirts or other items that you can order one offs with their logo or design.

One approach might be to build a site for a target customer before you even go to pitch them. Go meet them with your site to show them. Put it locally on your pc or you might run the risk of angering them. Show them how the site will make them more money. Things you could do to further customize the site if they desire. You might want to sell the first one cheap to get you foot in the door, but start at a price you can make money on and then evaluate discounting later.

orion_joel
01-06-2010, 07:53 PM
Many of the nightclubs that i am aware of around where i live, tend to put a lot more focus on the social media avenues. Like Myspace and Facebook. They all seem to get a lot of people connecting through those sites and hence have the largest potential to connect with their audience.

Where they probably don't see the potential in a website that people have to make an effort to visit. When they can have X number of people they know are going to see what ever they say on the social media sites.

Maybe an idea could be to service to manage the social media aspect for the night clubs. Look for which ones are not taking advantage of social media and help them with it.

ahl
01-07-2010, 09:17 AM
One of the problems with the market you are looking at is you will probably need to sell the need. They probably don't see the value in paying for a decent site and don't have any idea of what you can do with a web site.

I agree. I'm planning to include some value to the site like allow people to make reservations, pay for the admission or even purchase some admission packages at discounted prices (that will depend on the club descision). This way they'll see some advantages in having a website.
I'm also working in a "showroom" version of the site, so they can go by themselve and use it.



Where they probably don't see the potential in a website that people have to make an effort to visit


Thanks orion,

I came up with this idea because last weekend I went over one of these night clubs and I tried to visit their website to have an idea of what it looked like(the club)....the website was a mess!!...I could't even find the night specials they were advertising in the radio.
I think that, like me, people use to visit the website before going for the first time.

cbscreative
01-07-2010, 01:36 PM
You've received some excellent advice from other members, but now I'll address your question about how I got clients on board when I first started.

For me, a lot of it was "pounding the pavement" much like you were asking about in your OP. Keep in mind, that my previous experience made this option more natural for me, but even with my first biz, a sign biz, I had to go find work, so I learned by trial and error how to sell. What amazed me when doing it was that other business owners respected my initiative and wanted to help. Even if they weren't buying, they often provided referrals. Not all responded that way of course, but the positives helped me deal with the negatives.

When approaching business owners, the advice above to have a web site to direct them to and a business card is right on. My main objective was to find out who the decision maker was, try to get their card, leave my own, and follow up after a couple of days. No one likes cold calls on the phone, so a follow-up call is much better received (it's the second point of contact this way). I wanted to know primarily two things on that call: did they receive my card, and did they have questions? Notice, there is no "selling" in that approach. The only thing you are doing is finding out if they are open to considering your services. Only after establishing an interest does the actual process of selling even begin.

Keep good records. If they say, "Call me back in two weeks," put it on your schedule and make the call. Seldom will you sell right away, but good follow-up without being pushy can win you some business. The rate of return for this method is not really high, it requires a lot of patience, but I got some of my best leads this way, and still do work for some of them. One in particular is still an active client and has been very profitable since about 2003.

Since everyone is different, vangogh's experience with freelance job sites is completely the opposite of mine. This did not work well for me at all. A few bites here and there, but as much time as pounding the pavement requires, I found it productive enough to justify. Freelance sites, OTOH, were a time drain that had such little reurn that I abandoned it with a feeling of disdain for the entire process (a feeling I still have). IMO, that model is fundamentally flawed, but obviously not everyone will share my opinion on that.

So really, it's what works best for you. Every method you use will take time to yield fruit, so scatter seed every way you can. Keep making the effort, and your business will succeed.

Like vangogh, I get business from all over the country (sometimes outside of it), but it took a while to do, and a good mix of methods. You are making a good move already with trying to create a niche. Get known as a restaurant site creator, and you will get more and more business in that niche.

I also agree that there will be many cases where you have to sell the value before you can sell the service. That is mostly a losing battle. Find those that are already interested and don't waste time on those who aren't. Instead, get your "revenge" on the ones who don't "get it" by helping the clients you do get make the others wonder why their business isn't doing so well. Help your clients succeed and you will get more of their business, and more referrals. Keep that vision and perspective, and the inevitable rejection won't get you down.

Spider
01-07-2010, 02:59 PM
Great post, Steve! A question -- when you are is a defined niche, like restaurants, how do you get referrals? Any referral must be to another restaurant - because that's who you serve - but will inevitably be the referrer's competition. Surely, successful clients will not want you to help their competiton, eh?

Perhaps one could operate in two niches so one could ask for cross references?

Harold Mansfield
01-07-2010, 03:06 PM
Another thing you need to do is research your market. A lot of nightclubs are already partnered with City Guide type websites to sell passes to all of the local clubs. You can go to almost any City website (such as Vegas.com) and buy passes to every club, not to mention the tons of local Party planners, V.I.P. services, Limo companies and Hosts that offer specialized services and discounts for nightclubs that they are partnered with.
There are also sites like Club Planet, Club Zone and Napkin Nights that offer V.I.P passes an reservations to clubs around the country and Want Tickets (in the U.S.) that sell tickets to big named events such as DJ appearances and special nights and parties.

Just because you don't see it on their website, doesn't meant that they don't already have something in place..just about every club does. Some clubs rely solely on third party websites for their web presence, and online reservations.

You would hate to walk into a meeting and say something like "I see you don't have..." or " I can do this...." and have them tell you "We already have that."

I agree,it's ridiculous in this day and age for a Nightclub to have a crappy website. I rarely run across many that do but if you can get a couple under your belt, it's a good op for continuing income since they need to be updated and changed weekly.

Harold Mansfield
01-07-2010, 03:11 PM
Great post, Steve! A question -- when you are is a defined niche, like restaurants, how do you get referrals? Any referral must be to another restaurant - because that's who you serve - but will inevitably be the referrer's competition. Surely, successful clients will not want you to help their competiton, eh?

Perhaps one could operate in two niches so one could ask for cross references?

Not necessarily. Almost every webmaster/designer signs his work with a company logo or link. You don't always need the personal referral. I see companies that do multiple clients in the same industry all the time.
But agree, with niche's for this kind of service. Better to be well rounded and available to work with all kinds of clients.

nighthawk
01-08-2010, 08:06 AM
let me tell you a little story. I went to university with a good friend of mine from high school, and we both graduated with an identical degree. I landed a job as a web designer before I even graduated, where I stayed for a few months, before applying for a job developing internal systems for a local company. My friend applied for the same job. I was hired, and have worked there for 5 years now. He on the other hand, works in a local retail store, and has been turned down for every interview he ever applied for.

Why have I succeeded with such ease, whereas he has failed, when we both have identical qualifications? Simple: I have a portfolio. I have been running a website for many years now, and can use this to demonstrate my skills. He doesnt have any such portfolio.

If you were buying a sofa, would you buy based on a salesmans description of the sofa, or would you insist on seeing pictures of it, or even sitting on it before you decide to buy?

I have a few concerns about your choice of niche. I agree nightclub websites are often dreadful, but as mentioned previously, most nightclubs are owned by chains, you will need to speak to head office to get any kind of decision. As a small company you might struggle to get the contract for the full chain. Also, most towns only have a handful of nightclubs, maybe 4 or so, compared to hundreds of restaraunts and bars. You may be better off starting with bars/restaraunts and then when you become established, start targeting the nightclubs.

Also I am not sure how relevent a website is for a nightclub. Many locals will always frequent the same nightclub, all they are interested in is events and chatting with others, Facebook easily covers this. The only relevence of a website may be to out of town visitors, however few of them plan ahead, and instead just go with the flow when out, and follow the locals.

Restaraunts on the other hand have a lot of competition, and need to show off what they can offer, by providing sample menus and photos of the location. These will be an easier sell for a website, although their budgets maybe limited.

Harold Mansfield
01-08-2010, 10:30 AM
I have a few concerns about your choice of niche. I agree nightclub websites are often dreadful, but as mentioned previously, most nightclubs are owned by chains, you will need to speak to head office to get any kind of decision. As a small company you might struggle to get the contract for the full chain. Also, most towns only have a handful of nightclubs, maybe 4 or so, compared to hundreds of restaraunts and bars. You may be better off starting with bars/restaraunts and then when you become established, start targeting the nightclubs.

Also I am not sure how relevent a website is for a nightclub. Many locals will always frequent the same nightclub, all they are interested in is events and chatting with others, Facebook easily covers this. The only relevence of a website may be to out of town visitors, however few of them plan ahead, and instead just go with the flow when out, and follow the locals.

Restaurants on the other hand have a lot of competition, and need to show off what they can offer, by providing sample menus and photos of the location. These will be an easier sell for a website, although their budgets maybe limited.

I happen to live in an abnormal city with a lot of nightclubs (maybe 35 night clubs, 25+ strip clubs, and probably 20 + live music rooms with dancing) and they all have fabulous websites on their own, or are included in the entertainment section of the hosting casinos website...who usually have in house people.

Nightclubs have more needs than just a website..as was mentioned they are heavy in list building, Social Networking like Facebook, and email marketing, so if you were to approach any, they would likely be interested in a continuing full service deal, rather than just one aspect of how they communicate.
Many employ either in house or outside promotions companies for their marketing which encompasses running the website.

I don't know what area you are in, but it is a very involved service and for most big clubs, running the marketing is just about equal to running a record company. There is no way they only have one person doing it..they likely have a team.

I am sure it is different in a smaller market, but you shouldn't limit yourself to just one niche in your area. Once you tackle the 3-10 clubs in your area...then what?

But I have to agree with the restaurant part. I live in an area of town close to what is called "China Town" and there are so many restaurants in the area that either don't have a website, or have crappy ones that don't show menu items, don't take orders online, and barely offer any information about take out or delivery options.

Outside of the major chains, restaurants are notoriously bad at marketing online. I would think that would be an "easier" target to start out with if you want to center on the hospitality industry.

cbscreative
01-08-2010, 01:08 PM
I was thinking restaurants this whole time and not referring to night clubs. I would have the same concerns already expressed when it comes to night clubs. Restaurants seem to have wide open opportunity, and like eborg said (and I fully agree with), most independent restaurants either have no web site or really bad ones.

As for Spider's question about getting referrals, there are a lot of restuarants that are part of small ownership companies, anywhere between 1 and 10+ restaurants owned by the same company. Many times, each restaurant will have a different name so without research or the manager telling you, you wouldn't know there are more links in the chain. You could get referrals to these other members once you prove yourself with one.

Another potential source of referrals is that most industries, though they compete, do so on friendly terms. The owner of an Italian restaurant knows that if people are looking for traditional American, then a competitor will get that business and he may very well be friends with the owner of the other restaurant. They are not always directly competing. The other consideration is restaurants are influenced by geography. Another restaurant on the opposite side of town will get business just because of location. By referring you to the other restaurant, it's not harmful competition.

I do agree that you can service more than one niche, and it's usually a good idea to do so. But when starting out, focusing on one gives you a good launching point.

And, Spider, thank you for the compliment on my post.

yoyoyoyoyo
01-15-2010, 08:04 PM
how to get good sales skills: do telemarketing for 3 to 4 months. (not even kidding)

This will teach you how to describe, quickly and colorfully, what it is you are trying to sell; and how they can benefit from it.

This will also teach you to hear the word "no" and continue to press on, asking and asking the same question- in a non pressing manner- in a manner of different ways.

---

one of the first jobs I ever had was as a telemarketer.

Sure, nobody likes to get called from these a**holes; it's annoying.

But it can do wonders for you, from an experience stand-point, if you want to do ANYTHING involving sales... like aquiring sales skills, if you have not a point of reference from which to work.


ALSO: attend those free Multi-Level-Marketing meetings, in all their many, various and diverse forms. Many of which are free: some even provide the coffee, some gifts, some nothing but promises of eternal riches.

However, these are good things to go through if you keep in mind who is getting sold, and HOW they are getting sold.

___________________________

Overall, the key to good salesmanship is...

- Targeting Good Prospects: speaking directly to people who you believe are in need of your service(s)

- Ease of Communication: be able to tell them, in 30 seconds or less, what you offer and HOW they can benefit.

Nobody will listen to you if you can't tell them how THEY will benefit.


Most people KNOW that a salesman is trying to make money, and will tune you out.

If you can make the conversation about THEM, and provide great reasons (usually statistical proofs) as to why they not only want but NEED what it is you offer... all the money they could save if they just make this small investment now, etc. etc.

Than you will do well.

If you can't do those very simple things, you wont make it.


Also: you must love to hear "no". You should get used to it, while developing some thick skin, and find ways to turn those No's into Yes's.

How do you do that? figure out the types of excuses you hear THE MOST, and there will be a few for every target, or thing that you are trying to sell.


For instance...

if I am selling alarm systems to people who don't think they need one, or feel rather confident about the guns they keep in the house.

I will rebuttle it with a fact: Did you know, that during a recession, your chances of being robbed have increased an extra 30%?

Did you know: people who say 'I have a gun' still get robbed?

THEN: you may even introduce feelings of inadequacy, such as, but not limited to...

'There was a guy I spoke with, just like yourself about 2 months ago. He said the same thing, "I have a shotgun, I can handle it", but while he was at work, his wife was robbed at gunpoint and he put a gun to her head and said, "Give me your wedding ring" To make a long story short, he actually kept my business card, and called me up the day after'

*proceed to hand him your business card*, walk away and say, "please, think about it."

---

Hell, read this book by Zig Ziglar... (I frickin' LOVED this book)

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VDH0MPSFL.jpg

"Secrets of Closing The Sale"

Patrysha
01-15-2010, 10:53 PM
Hmmm all I do is walk in and start talking with these friends and neighbours that happen to do be in business. In most cases I have made at least one purchase at over the past 12 months. Those that I haven't - well most of them just don't fit - like the bars, most of the restaurants, the tattoo place, the skater shop (now that I think of it, I visit a lot of places I no longer and never have shopped at...but most of them I have been in...just to talk business with the owners...not all of them are clients yet, but I keep in touch fairly regularly.

Anyway, only about every third visit to I make an overt offer beyond call me.

The thing is you are valuable to them...You know things that they just can't wrap their heads around. Most of them work so hard in their businesses they seldom take the time to work on them. If you can go in with a helpful attitude and take the time to explain things in plain English...you will get hired.

I haven't even needed to pull out the 4 line letter from Offline Biz yet but all reports are that it is really powerful.

I don't know as much about all the web stuff as other people online but I know more than anyone else in my community...and all my clients get solid publicity in the bargain (to me local publicity is much easier to arrange to drive traffic to a local site than messing around with tons of SEO work)

But that's why I restrict myself to only small businesses that serve a local client base for web stuff. Local SEO in a small town often doesn't take more than getting listed in Google Maps when it's combined with a bit of publicity and a dash of social media.

Figure out what makes you unique and head out with a positive attitude and a intent to help and it will come together for you.

Offline business owners need to be online, part of your thing out there will be to show them why and how it can help their businesses. Compare the cost of a website to a couple of full page ads in your local newspaper (less if you live in a big city) and keep in mind that most small locally owned businesses (if moms and pops are your target) can't afford a full page ad more than once or twice a year (if at all).

There are other niches like lawyers, chiropractors, dentists, realtors, car dealerships and so on but you'd have to go beyond local to create a full time steady business.

thx4yrtym
01-16-2010, 09:20 AM
Patrysha,

Terrific post! You obviously understand the difference between trying to sell someone something and helping them buy.

I have responded on this forum several times that the only thing anyone buys is a solution to a problems and good feelings. The question is how can you use this to help folks buy from you?
Perhaps this will help others:

1. Be quietly confident (without being smug or arrogant) in yourself and the solutions you bring to their problem. Be quick to say "I don't know, but I can find out" if they ask a question you don't have an honest answer to.

2. Ask questions that uncover problems in a non-threatening manner. What you learn about how people feel about these problems will tell you how to proceed. The more you listen and give honest answers to these questions, the barriers come crashing down.

3. Listen to what the other person is saying. The conversation should be very one-sided. You ask questions and listen to their responses. Think before you respond. When they ask questions realize that this is the beginning of the purchase process and answer their questions brutally honestly.

4. Don't approach a situation as a sales call. You are simply out visiting with people. (If that sounds like a waste of your time then you should probably be flipping burgers somewhere).

5. Make a habit of letting people know what you do, in every encounter with anyone. Work it into the conversation but not in an obnoxious way.

Remember, this approach is what will differentiate you from the person's idea of what this encounter would probably be like.

They get comfortable and you get paid for creating solutions to their problem.

I hope this helps someone.

Patrysha
01-16-2010, 11:40 AM
Oh and another tip...don't go in assuming that the boss is your only potential target :-) Be polite and friendly with the staff too. Not only can they connect you to the boss in cases where the boss hides from "salespeople", but they often have dreams of their own.

In two cases in just the past couple of months, it has been employees of stores that I visit who have come to me. One has a home based business and came to one of my local seminars because of me dropping by the health food store she works at. The other works at the convenience store/discount smoke shop and is starting a new business as a nail tech this coming year.