Forem: CoderSales.io

Get your (freelancer) sales process/presentation reviewed and improved for FREE this Friday

CoderSales.io — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 02:23:40 +0000

ARE YOU STRUGGLING TO CLOSE CONTRACTS AND MAKE $$?

We had a meeting cancel Friday which opened up a time slot.
So this Friday, February 26th at 11am MST, let's hop on a Zoom call and help you guys out. We'll put this on the YouTube channel as well so more people see it.

We're only taking 3 freelance web developers who will also be provided our Sales Framework which I used (and developed with help) to close my very first freelance web design job for $19,950 USD.

In this Zoom call we'll go over:
*How to market yourself
*How to find clients
*How to approach companies
*Improve your sales process
*Practice presentation??

Like what you hear?

Comment your website/portfolio and what you need help with.

Pending response to this, I'm thinking this could be a semi normal event so let's see who we can help!

More information: www.codersales.io

[Workflow/Pics] Use this process when freelancing to land high paying clients - Part 2/2

CoderSales.io — Wed, 24 Feb 2021 21:19:33 +0000

OL' GIL

He's a hardworking guy. But, he fell on hard times and never recovered; he never got back to basics and just grinds it out hoping to see change. He doesn't work smart.
Don't be like Gil. The desperate commission breath reeks of low status & neediness. Flip the dynamics in your favor and control the sales cycle. Have a repeatable proven framework in place to follow and get results. In this part 2/2, we're going to go over how to control a presentation, build value and ultimately close the deal AND ensure payment.

STAGE 2

So you have an interested party, they are the decision maker and recognize the value of what your skillset can bring. Great. You're 50% there. Be sure (from the previous Stage) that they have booked a time on your Calendly and answered the qualifying questions. Now, to ensure a high % show up rate, you should have an automation sequence setup with Calendly (reminders) that have at least 1 prior job completed with measurable results. That way, it warms up the client and they at least lower some of their perceived risk with you before the Zoom call even starts.

DID THEY SHOW?

First thing first, you should be ready at least 15 minutes prior to the meeting with all the open tabs you need loaded. Have their website, the SEMrush data, the keywords they want to rank for, your process in place and results to show. Start the meeting 5 minutes before the scheduled time. If they don't show 10 minutes after the scheduled time to start, send them a text (you should have their cell number from Calendly) with the Zoom room link. If yes, => Part 1.

PART 1

Ask good questions and be a detective. How is the website currently being handled? Are there internal KPIs setup and how do updates happen? Who makes the updates? Who decides the updates? Be interested in the company and what they're doing. If you get any CEO on the line and ask good questions, they WILL give you good answers. You should be writing those down as fast as you can. Take as many notes as possible and keep mental notes and voice inflection until you find their 'hot button'. This is what will make them move. It could be that a competitor is out ranking them (this is why you should have SEMrush up) or sales are down or even a new product launch in the near future. Whatever it is, it's up to you to find and you achieve that by asking questions.

PART 2

This is when you have enough information about the company, website and objectives to provide them something of value. Share your screen and go over their data (SEMrush) and show how their design is outdated and/or inefficient. Look at competitors and what they're doing. Show your ideas here and how it helps them promote XYZ. Use the information gathered from Part 1 here and demonstrate how you can help. What is holding them back? Solve that problem for them. Show. Your. Process. They'll probably want to see an old wireframe so show them that then the 'after' and the results that brought for the client.

THE CLOSE

Here it is. They're agreeing with you through your presentation/screen share and are on board with what you have. You ask them, "Can you see why this process is so effective?" that right there, boys and girls is the trial close. If they say "yes" which they should because you're prepared, have a process in place and can effectively communicate it, you then show them your pricing. Have 3 options ready to go based on their budget discussion from the first phone call. This will take some practice, but once you get this down, you'll be seeing the $$$$$ come in quick. So once the pricing portion comes, they will reply with something like "what results will I see" etc. Address that and hit their hot button(s) you uncovered from Part 1. This is called looping. So for a new web design client, they could have a new product coming out and you'll dedicate a product page and testimonial page, for example. DO NOT BRING UP THE CODING LANGUAGE unless they do. They most likely have no clue and you're just going to bore/confuse them. And the confused mind always passes. Focus on the increase of traffic, conversions and revenues this will bring them.

DEAL!

They agree. Boom! You're 95% there. Get their contact information for the agreement (DO NOT SAY CONTRACT) and send it over for their signature. State that the payment terms in the Statement of Work as follows: 50% down to fund the project, then 40% after the initial wire framing to start the development phase THEN the remaining 10% before deployment. This way you get more $$ sooner and you're protected if they ghost you. Which will happen at some point. Develop everything on a staging domain so they must pay you before migration & deployment. Also, do not get started until they pay. Ask how they will pay you (credit card/check/ACH) and if need be set up Stripe then send the invoice. The project isn't real until the money is in your bank account. I've been burned before (I think we all have) in the past and I'll never start a project just on verbal confirmation again. Get it in writing & make them authorize the first invoice.

www.codersales.io

[Workflow/Pics] Use this process when freelancing to land high paying clients - Part 1/2

CoderSales.io — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 20:22:56 +0000

HAVE A PROCESS IN PLACE AND DON'T WING IT

In order to succeed in freelancing and make over six figures a year, you MUST have a process in place. Which is exactly why you should take this one I'm giving you. This is developed from my 6 years in the advertising space (with some guys having 30 years experience) landing clients like US Army, Mattel Toys, Cleveland Clinic and LiftMaster/Chamberlain. After that, I landed my very fist freelancing client for $19,950 USD using this exact framework. So it works. Let's dive in.

THIS PROCESS HAS 2 STAGES:

Stage 1

This is where you are hunting and gathering. You're looking for new companies to work with. DO NOT rely on word of mouth. The goal here (and this is the most important skill you'll learn) is know what companies to work with and what companies to not work with. Which ones have budgets to support a website valued at $15,000 USD and will be easy to work with - get good at finding this and your life will be 10000000X easier. Just like anything else, it will take time to learn.

So let's say you've identified 50 companies in your niche that you believe would benefit from a new website. Now what?

OUTREACH

Start with the phone. I'll make a future post about how to cold call but start there and if they don't answer use email. While email is way more scalable than calling, it ruins the element of surprise which you can play in your favor if done right. With the cold outreach you need to get across that in your niche you're the expert and have your act together. This process helps you communicate that. So let's say that you cold called an HVAC company and you get the CEO on the line. You want to keep the conversation brief! You want to have their website in front of you with ideas ready to go because at first, you're going to sound like every other developer/agency that has called them. BUT, when you niche down and have their stats in front of them (use SEMrush) they listen. Learn their industry and carry the conversation about it. Ask them "why hasn't the website been updated in X years?" "are you looking to get a modern facelift" "what problems would a new site solve?" "I'll show you how a new design can boost sales/revenues". Ask their timing on something like this. You want to ask those questions to vet them, not the other way around. You want to be sure the person you're talking to is the decision maker, recognizes the need for a new website and is currently in the market for a new site. Or at the least is open to the idea of one.

FIRST TOUCH...QUALIFY THEM

What this means is you want to know who you're talking to. Is this person the decision maker? That's the biggest thing, can this person put ink to paper? They know the heartbeat of the company and are willing to invest if presented with the right opportunity. How do you qualify? Ask these questions in a non robotic, conversational way:
-are they the decision maker?
-do they like the idea of a new website?
-do they have budget to cover the cost?
-does the timing make sense?
Use Linkedin or just go to the 'About Us' page on their website to know you're talking you're talking to the dm. Everything else can be covered in the ~10 minute phone conversation for the most part. If they say they are not interested, Great! You know what company to NOT waste time on. Fantastic. Go to the next one. In the event they would like to chat more, awesome schedule a Zoom call. Ask them what their email is and let them know that you'll be sending a Calendly link to schedule. Have Zoom integrate with Calendly.
here, ask to schedule a 45 minute Zoom call so you can share your screen and ideas along with your internal design process... along with a past project you've done and what results that has brought to that business.

FIGURE OUT THE PAIN POINT

What is it that would make the decision maker move? What will drive them to make a decision quickly and in your favor? I'll cover that in the next post but when you know that information, you have leverage. And leverage is a great thing to have... combine that with timing (sense of urgency) and boom you have yourself a deal.

QUESTIONS?

If there are questions on this initial phase, ask me and I'll get to them. This process while simple, took me about 3 years to refine with the help of many people and trial and error.

www.codersales.io

[GUIDE, PICS] From cold email to scheduled time with a company-templated emails for you to use with this real email conversation

CoderSales.io — Thu, 11 Feb 2021 21:26:31 +0000

Sending emails. The magical (and scalable) way to get CEOs to respond to you and get new projects behind a screen so you don't have to cold call. After all, fish don't jump in the boat, right? At least not at first. So in this guide/breakdown I'll walk you through each email we use in our process and the responses from the prospect. Names, companies and site data blacked out for obvious reasons. Let's go!

EMAIL #1

Have a templated cold email to use. It should have these components:
1.) who you are and what you do
2.) finding common ground in your niche
3.) broad enough to cover the companies you're mass sending them to
4.) address the person by first name... {first name}
5.) point out a few pain points with the company's website - this can be with web design or SEO
6.) what those errors are causing on their site
7.) case study/example of previous work to demonstrate your authority and expertise
8.) call to action

EMAIL #2

Here is the response. Because the initial email was sent to the CEO, they INSTRUCTED the marketing person to get back. ALWAYS START WITH THE CEO. So because they responded back saying she is the correct person, then we do the 'data pull' on SEMrush. Which literally means doing a Domain Overview look into their website which takes under a minute. The key here is seeing who is actually interested and not interested so you aren't wasting your time screen grabbing every single company you find which would take hours.

EMAIL #3

In this message, the website's information is then sent back along with a few components:
-pointing out the keywords the site is ranking for
-the organic competitors
-current estimated traffic
-hitting the pain point and issues of what these technical errors have caused... missed traffic thus no sales opportunities. That's the end game here. Helping them get more sales, that's the problem you're solving.
-looking into their competitors and getting their strategy. This is playing to their ego and emotional decision making. Play this hard.

-asking a few questions at the end keeps them engaged and communicates that you have your act together. Which you should.

EMAIL #4

The top email is the marketing contact saying yes, she would like to talk about this. The bottom email is the response to 'pin them down' with a Calendly link (which is connected to Zoom) AND will pre vet that company with 10 questions before they can schedule a time. With those 10 questions, we are able to know who they are, their estimated budget for the project, the timing, goals for the website and so on. The idea here is to know whether or not if this company is a good target and to spend more time on or not.

REMEMBER: PROBLEM => PROCESS => PARTNERSHIP

So obviously this is led with SEO but this can easily be done with web design. Simply tailor the email message body to lead with design & keywords (saying we'll redesign your site isn't enough, NOT when your design rates are over $15,000 USD) and that you will kill two birds with one stone to save them money. Make everything about them and what you can do for them. When you get good at communicating how you will solve their problems watch your calendar, workbench and bank account fill up.

www.codersales.io

How to know what companies to talk to - 5 questions you MUST ask, guide for freelancers

CoderSales.io — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:02:27 +0000

Ok... so you've talked to a company about web design and they agree that they could benefit from it. What now? There could be a frustrating few days or even weeks where you're basically in the dark on what happens next. This guide will help you remain in control so that doesn't happen.

Remember these 5 pillars to qualify your prospect:
1.) Are they the decision maker?
2.) Do they have a need for web design?
3.) Do they have budget for your services?
4.) Timing aligns with your work bench
5.) There is nothing standing in the way of you and them working together

I'll go one by one but just know that by asking (in a conversational manner and NOT sounding like a robot/scripted) these questions, you can get to the real reason why someone sees risk AND why a prospect would not want to move forward with your web design services. All in all, you know what prospects to spend your time on and which ones to not.

Decision maker

Ahhhhhh yes. The 'ol DM. The one you ultimately want to talk to. The DM has their 'finger on the pulse' and a vested interest in the company. The DM is the one you want the Zoom call with and the person you want to bring issues with the website up to. Challenge them. Ask questions. But all in all, make sure they are the DM. Use Linkedin to double check their position at the company website you're discussing. Also, press releases are a great way too. Always remember: never take a 'no' from someone who cannot say 'yes'. You should know that this person is the DM before you chat with them so be prepared.

Does the company even need a new web design?

Is the pain great enough that they want your services more than they want their $$$$$. It's up to you to show them. Use a tool like SEMrush and pull up the website's data AND show 2 of their competitor's stats too. Show them that a new design will increase traffic, conversions and sales. Why is the company interested in a new design? They're talking to you for a reason and it's not to just waste their own time. CEOs don't have a lot of time so make a good impression by bringing value to the table. Point out areas of improvement (which you can fix for them) and ideas you have already planned out. Hit the pain point otherwise... no deal. At least not one in the 5 figures.

Does the company have budget to invest in a new web design?

You must figure this out so you don't waste your time. Can they afford a $15,000 website? What is their estimated budget? What are they wanting to invest on the project? Is there a budget they want to stay in? If the budget is under ~$1,000 US... play that how you will. I'm a firm believer that there is so much opportunity now that you want to find high quality companies to work with that have no problem investing $15,000 USD and above for good web design. I can say that because I've done it and it's not as hard as you think. Will a company with big budgets spend time in a rinky dink trade magazine or a high profile niche Linkedin group? Establish budget early in the conversation to know where they stand and so you know what to work with.

Timing

The magic ingredient. With timing (natural sense of urgency) on your side, your prospect will make a decision quickly and if they like you, like your skills and believe in the tech it'll be in your favor. So ask what their timing is. When do they want a new website up? When are they wanting to get design/wireframe phases started? How soon do they want results? Are they just shopping around... no problem, but just know you're probably not going to get a 'yes' on the first meeting.

What if anything is standing in the way of working together?

Ask this and stay silent for as long as possible. Let them just talk and they'll literally tell you everything if you've built trust/rapport earlier in the conversation and shown your process with results. This question should be at the end of your presentation and after your other qualifying questions. This could be budget or timing, shopping around or just curious about you/your company.

Learn how to bring up these questions in a clear and methodical manner and magically watch your closing % increase. Happy hunting!

www.codersales.io

How to protect yourself when freelancing - a guide to properly vet companies for the sake of your own sanity

CoderSales.io — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 01:20:39 +0000

Ok. So maybe you’ve cold called a company or had a referral. Either way, you have a scheduled time on the calendar to talk to a company about web design/development.

Here’s the thing… for your own mental well being & financial well being, this should be a good fit for both parties. I remember right before I started freelancing (I was procrastinating and was too scared to start) I watched the video from RealToughCandy about when she had to drive to the dentist’s office an hour or so away then hear all the BS that they were doing. Check it out if you haven’t watched it yet. It’s a real eye opener.

DEVELOP YOUR SPIDEY SENSE

What you want to do is avoid those prospects and keep an eye out for the red flags. In other words, qualify the companies you talk to about your services FIRST before you start talking web design so you know if they’re worth your time:

*You are talking to the decision maker
*The timing of the website is reasonable… say 8 weeks or so depending on scope
*The budget works for you AND them
*Does this company actually want/desire/need your web design services and why
*What if anything would stand in the way of you guys working together

Over time, you’ll develop a spidey sense of BS and companies that just want to waste your time or are just seeking to get pricing. Both red flags.

By asking uncomfortable questions, you get right to the root of WHY a company is looking for a new website and everything you need to know. BUT. You MUST talk to the decision maker. In other words go to the CEO. They are very busy and generally won’t BS you if the company is somewhat established and not looking to screw a developer.

SIFT THEM OUT

So let’s say you get an email asking to chat about your web design services and they want to chat. Great. You should have a Calendly account setup integrated with Zoom (which is a total of less than $25 USD/month) to handle that. On the front end of the Calendly settings you get 10 questions to prompt the person making the appointment - use those 10 questions to get a ‘feel’ for the user/company.

They should be something along the lines of:
*name
*company
*title
*phone number & extension
*email
*website
*why are they interested in a new website
*what is their (reasonable) timing to have the website deployed
*what is the estimated budget for the project
*what are 3 keywords you would like to rank for

When you get the Calendly alert and the above user input doesn't match with what you want, just email them back that you're not interested. Maybe the budget is too small or the timing doesn't work. I'll do a future post about budget and pricing...

Also, have the text reminder option on there too, you want that cell phone number of the CEO so you don't have to email or call the secretary to get in touch.

Once you have these settings, you want to then have 2 reminders for the person who scheduled with you: one 24 hours in advance and a text reminder 15 minutes before.

The 24 hour reminder should be the automated reminder BUT it should have one of your testimonials on the page. Warm up the person with a testimonial from their niche - just embed it in the email and once you get a few of those testimonials, they become your ambassadors. Basically the flywheel effect happens. Your customers end up selling your own product for you to your target audience. Boom.

All of this happens so that by the time they get on the Zoom call with you, they are completely warmed up (assuming they’re serious) and receptive to you and your ideas… before the meeting even starts.

DON'T BE THAT GUY

Use the information they provided and do your due diligence. Look into them, the company, the company website, the data and keywords. I’d even look into their competitors. Have all of this information researched before hand and ready to go. One thing we teach at CoderSales is a document sheet and specific framework to use. YOU NEED TO HAVE A PROCESS.

Anyways. Ok. You’re now on the Zoom call. Have everything (all the data in different windows, like their current website, the keywords with SEMrush etc) and have a wireframe of a past project ready too. When starting the meeting, build rapport. I hear so often that developers are hard to work with and don’t listen. Don’t be that developer. Don’t be Skinny Arms Rob Lowe.

Ask questions. Then ask more questions. Listen and write notes. During the first ~25 minutes of the call, the CEO should be doing 90% of the talking. You listen, take notes then ask questions. Here is when you qualify… when you identify the ‘Why’. Why a business wants to invest in a new website. Perhaps sales have dropped… or shot up. Perhaps a competitor is crushing them with a new product or they want to rebrand because the current site doesn’t communicate their value proposition. Whatever that is, you need to hit that button. This isn’t the same as a Marketing Coordinator telling you they want an update design. No. You need to get them emotionally invested and the ‘Why’ will do it. From there, qualify them. Ask them what the timing is and reference the timing they put on the Calendly field. “So in a perfect world, you are looking for the new website to deploy in 6 weeks, is that right?” Remember, telling isn’t selling. Ask open ended questions and let them tell you. It’s more profound when the other person tells you rather than you tell them. This in turn, keeps you in full control of the Zoom Call.

BE A DETECTIVE

Ask the uncomfortable questions now. You’ve built up to this point and demonstrated you have your act together. Ask about budget, timing and what (if anything) would stand in the way of working together. Now is when you show them your process, a previous wireframe => website build and how you got there. We give our students a Sales Framework that includes a document to show previous work and how they got to the build. Use the “Why” mentioned earlier and build that into your presentation. So for example, with a new product launch, tell them that you’ll dedicate a new page just for the product and integrate testimonials when available. Then show them a past example. It’s important at this point to mention that because you’ve niched down, you can then speak their own language and have a knowledge of the industry.

By asking those questions outlined above, you get the answers YOU need… not what they need. This is a meeting to see if it works for you to work on their website. Not the other way around. You’re not a commodity, you’re an expert and have a high bar with the clients that you choose to work with. If they balk or get weirded out by those qualifying questions, it’s probably not the decision maker OR the meeting was taken to just sus you out.

You want to protect yourself from bs clients that say they’re “in” for the project… then never pay and the mental angst is too much. Or that makes you drive all over the city to meet then end up being a nightmare. Learn to qualify early (most importantly decision maker then timing) and spend time on the ones that make the most sense.

www.codersales.io

How to get in front of companies while freelancing for web design

CoderSales.io — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 00:36:13 +0000

Target The CEO/President First

Generally speaking, with the exception of large companies (let’s just say 50+ employees) you should always go straight to the top. I’ve harped on this before BUT if you go straight to the CEO with a great idea on how the website will drive more sales/revenue/traffic/brand positioning and hit their pain points, that CEO will literally tell their marketing department lead to do the deal. I’ve had that happen numerous times. It’s your job as the developer/agency to be prepared with necessary resources to make that an easy decision AND solve their problems. That’s what it really is – you’re solving their problem(s) with your expertise. And when that company has a problem, go to the top person to get it fixed.

Incoming Leads & Referrals

So once you have ‘leveled up’ AND brought your clients great results, they will tell their friends and other companies they work with about you. So the idea is that if you hang around a certain affluent company crowd, not only will that mindset shift for you but you will be that 'go to' person for websites. Won’t matter if you’re freelance or agency owner, you have a skill set that is desirable to them, hang around in a certain ‘crowd’ thus have stature and they won’t mind premium rates. In fact, they will expect premium pricing or they’ll think something is wrong and won't want to work with you.

Email

So here is an approach I used that got a few contracts. Find a company (lead source) similar to one you have worked with in the past and get the CEO’s email. Do this by first going to the Contact page or About page and finding the format of their emails. For example, if the Sales Manager’s email is john.doe@acme.com then (once step 1 has been completed… finding the name of the CEO) chances are the CEO’s email is mike.doe@acme.com. Load up the template email shown above and plug in the variables of the name and domain. When they respond back that 'yes' they are the correct person, THEN you use your SEO tool (which you should be using) like SEMrush and screen grab their data in the response email. This way you aren’t wasting your time, you’re still pointing out issues on their website and it’s also showing that the person on the other end of that screen that you have your stuff together with proper tools used for data.

The Phone

Yup, the phone. It’s the most effective way in your first year. Similar to the email tactic, find that CEO, get the direct phone number and get that person on the other line to pick it up. So when you make the first few calls, DO NOT leave a voicemail. You don’t want to eliminate that element of surprise by leaving your name & phone number associated with your phone number. And DO NOT call more than 3 times during the day… that is so desperate. If you have to call a lead that many times during the day, you don’t have enough leads. Find that CEO’s extension from the contact page (if listed). If not, call the finance department (AP) they always pick up and say “oh…. I’m sorry. I meant to dial John Doe. I’m sorry. Can you transfer me? I’ll wait. Thanks”. That way when you get transferred, it will show on his caller ID that Becky from AP is calling him and not a random #. BTW, the goal from here is to get that prospect to schedule a time with you. NOT to pitch them. Just point out a few issues with the website (like in the email strategy above) and how you can help. More details on this in the next post.

Linkedin can be a great way to get directly in front of someone and also do the research at the same time. Find the person and company, send them a request along with a welcome message. “Thought we could connect, we work with a lot of companies in this space and {website} caught my eye”. When they accept, bring it up softly that the website is lacking W, Y and Z. You can help and here is a company similar to yours that we help and they got X, Y and Z. If you would like to book a time, please use this Calendly link to schedule. Boom. You’re directly in front of them, booked a time and they’re now warm.

www.codersales.io

How to improve your cold email outreach while freelancing

CoderSales.io — Sat, 02 Jan 2021 21:27:47 +0000

GOOD SUBJECT LINE

So we’ve played around with this for over a year and got the best open rate (over 40%) with the simple subject line ‘Question’. Perhaps it is a bit old now BUT continues to work. Why reinvent the wheel? You want something short, sweet and will make the person on the other end curious as to why they should open it. And that's the end goal => curiosity => open email.

A GOOD HOOK

A good hook meaning that you presented something that they want up front – ‘we noticed a few mistakes you are making on your website (conversion points, UI etc) but would you be the person to chat further about it?’ Hook them with a pain point, that they’re making a mistake and have a call to action that if they want to fix it, get back to you. Present the problem and the solution. Go straight to the CEO.

FIND COMMON GROUND

“We work with companies like yours already and have produced tremendous websites that have increased traffic/conversions by XX%”. That way, they know you know a bit of the industry you’re in, perhaps have a lay of the land and can hold a conversation with them about what’s important to them. 3rd party verification is a strong way to puff your chest and convey your stature over cold email which triggers interest and action – include 2 links of previous jobs you’ve done and how you can make theirs better.

URGENCY

Back to urgency again. Yup, that’s what makes people buy. I once sent a cold email to a major university saying we’re on deadline for our Winter issue (back when I was selling advertising in a magazine) and have a remnant spot available. I attached a piece of their artwork in the email and mentioned how it would be a great fit in our cyber security section. THEY VERY NEXT MORNING a project manager literally called the office and asked to talk to me – she said she was asked by the DM to follow up with the ad purchase because our deadline was today. She said we’ll take the ad… then asked how much it was. Use urgency in your emails to get quick responses and blast this out to your target once a quarter.

PERSONALIZE IT

These dm’s got crushed with cold email every single days from pigeons trying to sell them everything you can imagine. ‘Greetings of the day!’. No, don’t do that. Use the prospect’s first name and why you thought of them. What can you do for them? Improve their website will do what for them? What is the end results? I also include what their competitor is doing and how this will outrank them… that usually gets a reaction. A lot of times people make decisions on fear and FOMO so bring up a competitor.... which is another good reason why you should niche down.

www.codersales.io

Learned HTML/CSS then started freelancing - how I closed my very first client for $19,950 USD from a cold call

CoderSales.io — Sun, 27 Dec 2020 19:27:14 +0000

Ok so first thing first, I used to sell advertising for a living. And just like anything else (like coding, for example) the more you do something the better you get. Way back in 2013 I answered a CraigsList ad on being a ‘Sales Superstar’. I really needed the job and had no plan B. So I interviewed and got the ‘job’. I put that in quotes because it was commission only and I had no prior sales experience (at all) but had to make it work. It involved picking up the phone and cold calling 100+ times a day, getting through to a decision maker, holding their attention and making a proposal. Then closing. Oh yeah… I was selling full page ads in a magazine. AND COMPANIES BOUGHT. Companies would buy full page ads from cold calls. I couldn’t believe it. Why is this important? Because if companies & businesses like US Army, Mattel Toys, Cleveland Clinic and LiftMaster can buy from a cold call… guess what? Companies will buy websites from cold calls too. Crazy? Yes. Doable? Yup.

So here’s how.

First thing first. ALWAYS TALK TO A DECISION MAKER. When your income is on the line as a freelancer, why would you spend your time talking to someone who can’t make the decision? Which leads me to my next point… a CEO of a company wants to talk to a CEO of another company. Birds of a feather, right? So when starting out, you’re NOT a freelancer. You’re a CEO of an agency and are presenting an idea that will completely change their digital identity & footprint. You’re going to improve their customer’s experience on the website, increase sales/conversions and boost traffic from their target audience. You’re not just developing a website. If you present this idea to a Marketing Manager, what if $19,950 is out of the budget? What if they don’t even have a budget? Always go to the top. When I landed my first client, I cold called him and he was driving back from a hardware store - I completely ignored the fact that there was a Marketing Manager on the site’s ‘About’ page and just chatted (NOT pitched) about the idea of re doing their website for more conversions. He loved it. 20 minutes into the call, he already had ideas on the layout and what keywords he wants to rank for - I still have the handwritten notes to this day. I sent a quick email to the Marketing Manager (with the CEO cc’d on it so she HAD to respond) setting up a time and did a Zoom call.

Turns out, before the Zoom call the CEO couldn’t make it BUT did have some questions. And questions are good! Can the site do this or do that etc. I said “what did you guys have in mind?”. Ask open ended questions and let the prospect get ideas and start spit balling them to you. Get them emotionally involved in the project. Also, there was a very specific keyword that they wanted which I included in the Statement of Work. No problem. With margins like $20K on a 5 page website, I could simply contract SEO on it.

Which also leads to knowing at least some SEO. Be able to hold a conversation about it. You’re going to make them an incredible site from a front end perspective BUT thats not enough. At least when charging $20K+. It has to solve a problem and in this case, that company wanted more traffic along with a new site. No problem. The capital was coming in which in turn gave me the resources to find the assets for SEO. Plus, I really wanted to learn SEO.

Next point. Have a plan for the presentation. I learned in selling advertising a 5 point roadmap - the (rapport) intro => the idea => your expertise => how this will solve their problems => finally the close. During the idea phase, you want to ask questions about the business (which you should already know a few things about, assuming you’ve niched down) and get ‘they why’ on a new website. Why EXACTLY they’re looking for a new website. Another reason to go to the CEO - generally speaking, a Marketing Manager will not have this answer because they don’t have a vested interest. Especially NOW (end of 2020 and COVID) revenues are everything. Build your presentation around their ‘why’ and solving their problems. One thing this company said was that their competitor’s product wasn’t that good but they just market a lot and have a perceived image to the market place. The competitor had a great site, lots of traffic and a good following. I said well, the most important part of your marketing piece (website) is a great start and here’s some ideas for it… I laid out about 5 ideas as I did lots of homework on the industry and used the answers they gave me earlier in the conversation as ammo. Learn to listen. Learn to listed well.

Get their timing too, “when are you wanting a new website up and live” and “what is your budget?” have 3 pricing options ready; one low value option ~$7500 that doesn’t really offer much, a ‘middle’ option for $19,950 then a high end option for $ 44,950. The idea here is to get the prospect the most value with the middle option as the lower one is almost a waste of time and the high end one is too much in $$ and development time. Don’t stick to these price points though, ask your prospect and play off their answers for timing and their budget. I sold ads for almost 6 years (3 time salesman of the year) and if a company REALLY wants something like a new website, they’ll find the funds. Which is why you talk to a CEO.

When prospecting, ask yourself can a local cake store afford a $20K website? That’s a whole lot of cakes they have to sell to make that ROI! OR can an industrial company that happens to by HQ’d in my city but has a national reach afford a $20K site? That’s basically 1 sale/conversion they have to make that will pay off the site you make for them. You want to talk to that CEO.

Also, be sure that on the call with the CEO, you qualify them! You want to make sure that:
-they are in fact the CEO so use LinkedIn or look up press releases about the company
-they have the budget. They have the $$ to support what you’re going to provide for them and can pay you. ALWAYS TAKE 50% DOWN BEFORE STARTING.
-They have the need. This is why having a tool like SEMrush is so important. It’s not enough saying something stupid like “I’m going to code you a mobile responsive website.. now give me $20K” you also have to show data on their site. This will also present you as the authoritative figure AND hit both sides of the prospect’s brain. The left side AND the right side. Show the analytics of their site compared to their competitor’s and then present how a website you’ll develop for them will bring more traffic. You know the saying, ‘men lie, women lie, numbers don’t’ well challenge them and show the data. The NEED is in plain sight by doing so.
-timing. The magic ingredient. With timing on your side, deals happen. The first client I had, there was a huge trade show exactly 2 months away and the new website was going to deploy just in time. The deal happened in 2 phone calls. Ask what their timing is and when they want it up and live. Assume the sale.
-lastly… what if anything is standing in the way. Is it $$? Is it timing? Is it something else? Are they just getting proposals? You HAVE to ask these uncomfortable questions to get to the root of their ‘why’.

I will say this, as the calendar turns to 2021 and things are looking better for businesses and the overall digital space, you have to stand out in a crowded area. Sales is the most important factor of any business and at some point, you WILL have to sell yourself. Don’t verbally vomit on your prospects but rather listen to what they’re looking for. Stop focusing on the latest frameworks and listen to your prospect’s needs. Focus on conversions and generating sales with new websites.

At that point, your income will increase.