Attracting online website business demands a bit of sales expertise. If you are a designer with no sales ability you may find it difficult to market your product. When this is the case, for your own business survival, it may be best to partner with an outside marketing firm. You could also consider hiring an in-house sales representative to sell your website services.
When you can turn over the day to day sales to a professional, you can focus primarily on building a great website to rise above your competition. Another advantage that an in-house sales rep will have is to know of any company change first hand. When company specials are available, they can advertise this immediately to attract new business.
Website competition and choosing a DIY option:
For new freelance designers, the competition in 2019 from the many website design companies is daunting. Since the number of companies needing a website design has increased, there are many online web design options for DIY development. But experience has taught us that most businesses don’t have the necessary expertise to set up a functioning website (no matter how easy it may seem). Nothing worthwhile is easy and we caution you before signing up with a DIY website company. Make sure they have 24-hour support because it may be needed.
But don’t fret, we have found that after they try the DIY option, they find there are some disadvantages of DIY web design. Many website clients come back to us (as professional multi-media designers) for a better looking and properly functioning site. We are the ones who are there to pick up the pieces. When a competitor’s site is better looking and functions better, it is easy to see why a company would prefer to have their site professionally done to compete with peers.
Selling your web design services:
Most often we have noticed that potential clients contact you to get their questions answered and to help them solve problems they are experiencing with their website or to find out the cost of creating a new website. Be aware you may not be their first call so you have a small window of opportunity to assure them that you are the right firm to fulfill their needs.
Success in sales always begins with good customer service. If your sales demeanor is convincing and knowledgeable you will quickly gain their trust. They will feel comfortable enough to move forward with an in-person meeting or with you preparing a custom proposal for their project.
Provide them with projects you have completed and with reviews and good testimonials of others that have used your service. No one wants to hire a professional web design service if they cannot provide this information. At the time they contact you if you are advertising any special savings, be sure to include this savings as you talk with them. Share anything which will benefit them should they choose to hire you. My honest feelings when it comes to selling online is this: It is all about making friends and building good relationships.
Be personable and provide the services needed at a reasonable cost. This will go a long way in convincing them to choose your firm for the project. The answers to the questions below will be needed as you prepare a custom proposal for a website design.
- What product or service do you represent?
- Is this your first website or are you needing a re-design?
- Do you have a budget we should respect?
- Can I take a look at your current site (if available)?
- What are the issues with your current site which need improvement?
- Have you found a competitor’s site which has elements you require as well?
- Is your logo available in digital format, or do you need a new logo developed?
- Do you have a graphics package or other mechanicals we could use?
- Do you have great company images we can use for the site?
- If no images are available are you ok with us using royalty free images?
- Do you have a company brochure outlining your services?
- Do you hope to remain with your current hosting account?
- Are you the administrator of your domain name?
- Will you be needing any custom programming?
- How are you planning on promoting your website?
- Do you need a content writer or a blogger?
- How soon do you need the site to be done and published?
Educating your website clients:
In our humble opinion, it is extremely important to educate our clients once the site is “live.” We offer an hour of training to prepare the client going forward. There are things the client can do themselves to keep their sites fresh and new. If the site is built on a WordPress platform they can easily make content changes, add videos and pdf documents for client download. Staying ahead of the curve by keeping all of their plugins updated and providing new page content once in a while will also go a long way in staying current. Hiring a professional blogger is another choice offering big payoffs by building brand awareness.
Conclusion:
It is usually what the client “does not know” which gets them into big trouble. We feel it is definitely our responsibility to keep them as aware as possible to avoid scammers online hoaxes.
Thanks for stopping by and hurry back for more from the design wizards at Inside Design Orlando. Contact us for your next design project.
