Introduction
![Brendon Sinclair]()
Part of the ideal business
situation would have to be a continuous line of prospects beating a path to
your door. If you can achieve this with minimal effort and low costs, then
you're well on your way to owning your own jet! We'll look at some of the new
services available--including a new SitePoint initiative for web
professionals--that could just help you achieve this
goal.
In this week's Tribune, I'll deviate from the Marketplace to discuss the most
efficient way to handle thorny clients. This is one of those things you learn
through hard experience, and I hope you can use my advice--because it's easier
said than done.
Moving on, we look at a type of client you might target even if they may not
seem profitable in the first instance. Their own profitability is not the
point--read on to find out why.
We'll finish off with a very cost-effective tool that is not only useful, but
makes you look every inch the winner AND will increase your profitability
without question. Check out this worthwhile site below.
Happy reading!
Brendon
Brendon Sinclair
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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Summary
Editor's Perspective:
Generating Cost-Effective Leads Perpetually
Lead generation truly is the cornerstone of any business.
In the last issue of the Tribune, I mentioned the SitePoint Marketplace as an
excellent source for lead-generation strategies. I also touched briefly on the
new SitePoint
Services site.
What makes a great lead? That's easy--one that's qualified, has a decent
budget, and is ready to buy.
SitePoint
Services provides the opportunity to easily access these kinds of leads.
It's a service that connects companies seeking web development services with
suitably-qualified vendors. At this stage the service is restricted to clients
and vendors based in the US, but is looking to expand
internationally in the future.
The service is offered in partnership with VendorSeek.com,
and generates quality business leads. Starting at just $15 per lead for Web
Design Services, leads are priced according to their budget value; top of the
range is $55 per lead above $10,000, which is excellent value for money.
If you give SitePoint Services a try, I'd recommend you do the
following:
-
Keep a close eye on your costs: consider the price per lead, time taken for
each setup, and time per follow-up--and estimate how much that time is worth.
-
Record how much revenue is generated as a result
-
Measure how profitable these sales are.
Test and measure, test and measure. The next step on from that is to assess
each proposal's success to ensure you're making the most of every lead. After
all, it's no good spending $50 per lead only to find you get rejected each
time. Refine the proposal to identify what works best--because it's never
"one size fits all"--but having a solid base from which to work is a
great start.
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How To Handle Thorny Clients
Let's digress from the Marketplace this week. I have something more
interesting!
Over the last year my business has enjoyed a significant leap in revenue and
profitability. This increase came at a time when we initiated what we called
the "No Jerks" clause.
It works like this: if you're a client of ours and you become too demanding
or unreasonable, then we stop doing business with you. Not in a mobster kind of
way, but in a gentler "we don’t think we can help you anymore"
kind of way.
The "No Jerks" clause has some fantastic benefits, eliminating:
-
time wasters
-
unprofitable clients (such clients usually aren't!
-
clients who don't help us grow our business
This way, we have more time to spend on clients whom we like and work well
with, and who are valuable. This leads to better service, happier customers,
greater profits (because we can charge more due to the increased value), and
referrals to like-minded, quality prospects go through the roof. It's a
no-brainer.
Here's the one strategy that these thorny clients seem to use: "If you
can produce a cheap web site for me now, I'll give you lots of work in the
future and heaps of business referrals."
Right there is the biggest red flag for you not to waste any more time on
this prospect and move on. Life's too short and business is too demanding to
have to deal with people who just want to fleece you.
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From the Forums:
The Client Worth Chasing--Even If There's (Seemingly) No Profit
One of the most common topics in the forums is about winning more business.
Let's take a look now at why you should target a certain type of client--not so
much for how profitable they are, but for who they are.
Not all clients are equal. Some have clout, some don't. It's the
influential types you should want as clients. Here’s an example: In the
past few days, my business has made some sales through referrals from the local
computer repair business. The guy who owns it is the perfect client--not because
we make tons of money from him, but because he influences others to buy from us.
He's always sending his clients our way and they never question the quote--in
fact, I don't think they even obtain other quotes.
Your local computer repair shop might be a good place to unearth such a
client: you could introduce yourself, then perhaps send a newsletter, or refer
some business his way, ask for some feedback on some flyers you're having
printed, then maybe offer advice on his own web site, and on it goes. Before
you know it, you're the first business to come to mind when his new customer
asks, "Who should I go to for web site design/web
marketing/whatever?" The same thinking can be applied across any number of
business scenarios; for example, if you're a search engine guru, start
developing relationships with web designers. As you can see, the possibilities
are unlimited!
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Tips & Tricks:
We all want our web sites to perform to their optimum capability. To ensure
this, usability testing is a critical tool for businesses, though finding
quality feedback isn't always straightforward. Well, now it can be, with UserTesting.com providing
a service for a low USD $19.
When you sign up for user testing, you simply state your target demographic
and how many testers you wish to use--$19 for one, $95 for five. You receive a
video of the user speaking aloud as they browse your site, along with a written
review.
By adding such a service to your key deliverables for web development
clients, not only will you be providing qualified feedback, you'll be perceived
as being more thorough and top of your game--and thus more likely to win
projects.
Then, of course, there is the lead-generation aspect: provide some existing
clients (or, perhaps, someone else's clients) with a free User Testing report
and watch them want to update their site. Clearly, the benefits of user testing
services are manifold.
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That's it for another week--thanks for checking in.
Brendon Sinclair
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Editor,
SitePoint Tribune
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