Selling Your Web Design Services

Truth #1: As a web design company owner you are a sales person FIRST!

If you don’t want to sell your company’s services and you only want to build websites you need to go work for a great company or hire yourself an awesome salesperson.

Before I became a web designer I told my husband my only skill was selling. It was true.  I had been in sales since I was 18. It wasn’t my passion, but it was my gift.  I came by it naturally.  My gift was enhanced by sales training from some of the top sales people in America: Zig Ziglar, John Lawhon, and Floyd Wickman.

Today I want to share the #1 tool that took me from good to great in retail sales and that has only enhanced my ability to sell web design services.

Selling is: Giving people the information they need to make the best buying decision. -John Lawhon

I memorized that quote from John Lawhon’s book Selling Retail.  Most salespeople don’t give a potential customer or client the information they need to make the best buying decision.  Instead a salesperson usually gives the customer irrelevant information they feel the customer needs to hear as they try to convince the customer that “you need to buy today and you need to buy from me”.

As a web design salesperson how do you give the potential client the information they need to make the best buying decision?

Qualify Your Potential Client. This is the process of asking questions to find out the needs of the potential client. Before you can tell the lead what you can do for them, you need to know what they want.

Ask questions such as:

What type of business/project do you need the website for?
What pages did you have in mind for the website?
Do you want a brochure website that is more informational or do you want the website to be dynamic?
Do you have a budget for the project?

The Lesson: The more you know the potential client’s needs and wants the better you will be able to give them the information they need to make the best buying decision when it comes to hiring a web designer. 

You will get hired if you stand out as a different salesperson. The type that really cares and will do their best to make sure to meet the client's needs.

Is Your Small Business Stuck in a Rut? 6 Tips to Help You Get Out

Dictionary.com defines a rut as: A long deep track made by the repeated passage of the wheels of vehicles.

How deep is the rut your business is in?  Have you been passing over the same track everyday with your small or home based business and you have now come to a stand still?

Do not feel it’s time to figuratively “close shop” or turn that business into a hobby.  It’s time to step outside of your front door, look at the world around you, and start fresh.  

Treat TODAY as the opening day of your business.  Rekindle the love, excitement, and joy you had when you started your business.

1. Commit. No matter how long you have been in business.  Commit yourself again to being a success. Create a new mission statement for your business.  What is your purpose?  What is your goal?  Why are you offering your service or product?
   
2. Write Down the Positives. Make a list of the top 10 great things about your business.  Have you successfully served many clients?  Do you offer a quality product people recommend to others?  Remind yourself about the good your business has accomplished.
   
3. Be Honest.  Write down the top 3 reasons you feel business is not what it used to be.  Have you experienced personal challenges? Have you slipped in customer service?  Have you just gotten lazy?  Be honest with yourself and identify the real issues.
   
4. Be Proactive. Once you have acknowledged the top 3 reasons your business has suffered, write down how you plan to change those negatives into positives.  Do you need to redo your schedule to be more realistic?  Does your work area need to be away from distractions so you can work more focused?
   
5. Listen. Ask those around you who understand you and your business what they would do to promote the business if it was their own.  Hold your own “board meeting”. Fresh ideas can come from a great brainstorming session with people you trust.
   
6. Be a future thinker.  Think about how your business will benefit you, your family, and community in the years to come.  Will it provide your sole means of financial support?  Will it allow your family to go on a great vacation every year?  Can you help your loved ones in their time of need?  Will you be the “next big thing” that has the Internet buzzing?

Now is the time to climb out of that rut.  Don’t allow yourself to get stuck. Find the love you had at first for your business and you will find the way to success.

How to Pronounce Meme

I saw a funny meme the other day and was excited to share it with my husband.  As I was getting ready to call him over to the computer to look at the meme I asked myself,

"Am I pronouncing the word "meme" correctly?"

So I consulted Google.  Needless to say I was surprised by all the detailed dissertations people have posted online about how to pronounce this word.  Then I found this great YouTube video that sums up the answer in 8 seconds. Enjoy!