Selling websites/marketing services to small businesses over the phone?

davidle

davidle

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Aug 30, 2010
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I'd like to generate some cash. I was thinking I could put my programming/cold call skills to use by selling businesses on the idea of updating their websites and the idea of getting more leads.

A few concerns:

1. Is this even a good business model? Lots of people complaining about it here on reddit, but no business is a cakewalk. It seems like a lot of their complaints could evaporate if I manage client expectations well?

The reddit thread: Web designer/developer looking to get into selling to local small businesses. What is the best pricing strategy? : startups

2. I won't be able to sell meet clients in-person. I live in a small-ass town (insanely small...it's not even a town), and I frequently travel overseas. So, ideally, I'd be able to land clients w/ persistent phone and email communication. I'm sure this will be a "no-go" for some prospects, but does anybody else tend to do it this way?

My plan is to put up a few websites targeting a few select industries, get on the phone and try pimping out my marketing/website services to them.

For those of you who have done or do this...what have you learned?
 


You're too late to the party. This model was great 15 years ago and maybe up to about 5 years ago. Industries change and things change. Websites are free now. Every small business has tried SEO and marketing services from 5 different companies by now. This is all stuff that small businesses have been through and getting a website and basic online marketing is no longer a problem for small businesses. Yeah, sure the free stuff isn't completely the best, but it's everything most small businesses need. The market is completely saturated and there are few untouched areas of the market anymore.

You're better off making money building someone an app then you are a website. You're better off putting your programming skills to some type of unique product that you, yourself can offer. Working with clients just isn't the cash king it was back in the day. Sure, of course you can grind through it and outwork, outcompete and outproduce the other web firms who are already established, but why? Why not go where nobody is? Why not keep looking for an industry where people want what you have?

If there's one thing I've learned in business it is that the industry and timing of that industry is everything. The timing is not right for a dev firm. Timing is much better in other industries. Look for industries where you're not competing with free products. Look for industries that are new and confusing to people. The web is no longer that world. The web is becoming the new yellow pages. The web has been around a long time now. Everybody has a website and everyone with a website is still broke. I'm just giving you my honest, experienced opinion. I've been in the industry for 15 years and I've followed markets and businesses for a long time. Keep looking. Find the right industry. You're better off being ok in the right industry than really, really good in a mediocre industry.
 
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I've had zero luck with cold calling lately. Hell, I've had zero luck trying to even sell web design work anymore. It's a waste of time these days. Back in 2007-2010, I couldn't even keep up with all the work I was getting but now shit is bone dry.

Everything slayerment said above is 100% truth.

Personally, I'm moving into app development.
 
Completely agree with Slayerment.

I go after recurring marketing services now. SEO, PPC, Email Marketing, Etc. and only focus on companies that have a decent budget to work with. It's just not worth building websites anymore, unless it's something they need to better their marketing.
 
Why don't you just register on Upwork and offer your services as a freelancer? Create a nice profile, describe yourself well and bid for work.
 
Ciaobella said:
Completely agree with Slayerment.

I go after recurring marketing services now. SEO, PPC, Email Marketing, Etc. and only focus on companies that have a decent budget to work with. It's just not worth building websites anymore, unless it's something they need to better their marketing.
Click to expand...

Couldn't I sell these over the phone w/ cold calling? Instead of saying "do you need a website"...I could say "do you need leads?" (I'd have to rework that into something more polished).
 
MyOwnDemon said:
I've had zero luck with cold calling lately. Hell, I've had zero luck trying to even sell web design work anymore. It's a waste of time these days. Back in 2007-2010, I couldn't even keep up with all the work I was getting but now shit is bone dry.

Everything slayerment said above is 100% truth.

Personally, I'm moving into app development.
Click to expand...

How many cold calls did you make before you decided it's no longer worth it? The reason I ask...I keep hearing about people getting simple brochure site gigs...even recently. Some are simply calling people with a quick sentence saying "Do you need a website?" (or something simple) and calling people by the hundreds...but getting guaranteed business. Are they full of shit (they could be).

I just figure, if I can make 1000 calls, surely a sale isn't out of the question. And, if I keep things direct/short to the point, it wouldn't be hard to churn through 400 calls a day with an auto-dialer...so a sale every 2 and a half days. I guess that's a lot of work for one sale...but if it's two sales, things look better.

Have you tried cold callings leads and selling marketing services instead of leads?
 
slayerment said:
You're too late to the party. This model was great 15 years ago and maybe up to about 5 years ago. Industries change and things change. Websites are free now. Every small business has tried SEO and marketing services from 5 different companies by now. This is all stuff that small businesses have been through and getting a website and basic online marketing is no longer a problem for small businesses. Yeah, sure the free stuff isn't completely the best, but it's everything most small businesses need. The market is completely saturated and there are few untouched areas of the market anymore.

You're better off making money building someone an app then you are a website. You're better off putting your programming skills to some type of unique product that you, yourself can offer. Working with clients just isn't the cash king it was back in the day. Sure, of course you can grind through it and outwork, outcompete and outproduce the other web firms who are already established, but why? Why not go where nobody is? Why not keep looking for an industry where people want what you have?

If there's one thing I've learned in business it is that the industry and timing of that industry is everything. The timing is not right for a dev firm. Timing is much better in other industries. Look for industries where you're not competing with free products. Look for industries that are new and confusing to people. The web is no longer that world. The web is becoming the new yellow pages. The web has been around a long time now. Everybody has a website and everyone with a website is still broke. I'm just giving you my honest, experienced opinion. I've been in the industry for 15 years and I've followed markets and businesses for a long time. Keep looking. Find the right industry. You're better off being ok in the right industry than really, really good in a mediocre industry.
Click to expand...

It sounds like you're speaking the truth.

Just to be contrarian, there are plenty of web firms like revelry.co and cremalab.com who have teams of like 20 people. Sure they're developing apps, but a lot of their work is simply churning out WordPress sites.

What do you think of this blog's claim?:

133 Lessons I Learned Selling 2000+ Websites In 5 Years

If true, that's a lot of sales and a lot of demand. I've heard if you focus on improving the prospect's existing website, that can result in business.

I was thinking of not selling just a website, but monthly marketing services as well...could that be more viable?

Again, I believe what you said is correct...but I'm just asking for the sake of playing devil's advocate.
 
davidle said:
How many cold calls did you make before you decided it's no longer worth it? The reason I ask...I keep hearing about people getting simple brochure site gigs...even recently. Some are simply calling people with a quick sentence saying "Do you need a website?" (or something simple) and calling people by the hundreds...but getting guaranteed business. Are they full of shit (they could be).
Click to expand...

I'm not a cold calling pro by any stretch, but I would say they are probably full of shit. I'm not saying they didn't get business, however I am saying that there's no way anyone made any kind of quality sale with a shitty 1 liner. They are either embellishing or not giving you the full story.

Think about this: how many times has a telemarketer called you? How many times have you actually bought their product?

I just figure, if I can make 1000 calls, surely a sale isn't out of the question.
Click to expand...

It's like throwing darts in the dark though. 1000 calls for 1 sale is doable, but really, is the effort worth it?

If you are going to do it, you need to start small and do your research. Target a few local companies, study their existing site, and then call them with a plan. If you are educated about what the company does, and how you can improve their bottom line, they will be more willing to listen to what you have to say.

Also, be prepared to be hung up on. A lot.
 
Saturated? Yes.
Is it hard? Sure.
Is it dead? Absolutely not.

The majority of people I call are not happy with their websites. Sure, you can get a free website online, but most business owners know that if you want quality, be ready to pay for it. That being said, calling them and offering them a website does no good. You need to offer them value, and most business owners couldn't give a shit about a new fancy website, especially if it's going to run them $2k+

If somebody has tried marketing through five different companies, they've obviously seen some kind of results, or are pretty fucking stupid. If the latter, you'll have no trouble selling to them. Either or, just make sure you have properly defined objections in your script beforehand. As you make more calls, hear the same old shit, add an answer to your script.

Explain to them how they may be losing leads due to how long their website takes to load, how outdated it looks, how it's not mobile compatible, etc. Ultimately, try getting the words "more clients" or "more revenue" into their mind, not "nice/new website". If this means combining your design skills with marketing, so be it. If you want a reoccurring income, sell the marketing packages. In my opinion, the best option is to approach them with a marketing service, and upsell them a website for a "discounted rate" (if they sign a contract for your marketing services). Say something like "it will compliment our marketing and result in higher conversions, earning you more revenue" or something along those lines.

With that being said, all of this can be outsourced, including the sales side. You could even do voice drops and use sequential dialing on a 1800 number to route to your sales people in India/Philippines (make sure they pass an English proficiency exam).

Even if you're doing all of the work yourself, if done right, you'll still be earning far more money than some shitty support desk roll - with flexible hours and with a scalable business model. Keep your head up, and push forward.
 
VoidGhost said:
Saturated? Yes.
Is it hard? Sure.
Is it dead? Absolutely not.

The majority of people I call are not happy with their websites. Sure, you can get a free website online, but most business owners know that if you want quality, be ready to pay for it. That being said, calling them and offering them a website does no good. You need to offer them value, and most business owners couldn't give a shit about a new fancy website, especially if it's going to run them $2k+

If somebody has tried marketing through five different companies, they've obviously seen some kind of results, or are pretty fucking stupid. If the latter, you'll have no trouble selling to them. Either or, just make sure you have properly defined objections in your script beforehand. As you make more calls, hear the same old shit, add an answer to your script.

Explain to them how they may be losing leads due to how long their website takes to load, how outdated it looks, how it's not mobile compatible, etc. Ultimately, try getting the words "more clients" or "more revenue" into their mind, not "nice/new website". If this means combining your design skills with marketing, so be it. If you want a reoccurring income, sell the marketing packages. In my opinion, the best option is to approach them with a marketing service, and upsell them a website for a "discounted rate" (if they sign a contract for your marketing services). Say something like "it will compliment our marketing and result in higher conversions, earning you more revenue" or something along those lines.

With that being said, all of this can be outsourced, including the sales side. You could even do voice drops and use sequential dialing on a 1800 number to route to your sales people in India/Philippines (make sure they pass an English proficiency exam).

Even if you're doing all of the work yourself, if done right, you'll still be earning far more money than some shitty support desk roll - with flexible hours and with a scalable business model. Keep your head up, and push forward.
Click to expand...

Good to know. I asked the same question on reddit and there were a lot more people echoing your sentiments...including a dude who wasn't selling anything who owns a marketing agency in LA and seemed to be doing pretty well for himself.

So, maybe it's not as good or easy as it was 7 years ago, but it's possibly still doable. Especially if you emphasize increased leads/revenue/business over "website".

Are you targeting certain businesses or industries? What types of packages are you selling monthly? I imagine a lot of small business owners are pretty burned out from past SEO vendors/marketing peddlers. That's why I'm thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to specifically call a mixture of new businesses, testing a variety of scripts on different industries, then targeting the types of businesses that were most receptive.
 
All I'm going to say is that there are many members here who are still growing their web design and digital marketing businesses every day/week/month. Maybe they just aren't hanging out here anymore, and the people posting here are ones not doing any business. I even know people from here who were struggling during the supposed glory days of SEO who are doing much better now.

I'm not speaking about the "cold call" method or specific ways they are getting clients, just that they are. I see it every day.

There are a lot of locations that are still behind the times, also. I moved away from a place about a decade ago, and when I check in with friends/family and the general business scene I find that most businesses still have a limited web presence. And I'm talking about a place with a lot of big-money ballers, a very healthy business scene, and a lot of money being spent on marketing- still mostly print and snail mail, etc. Even people with great websites are doing 1990s style ads. I personally do a lot of local marketing business, but none of it places that are actually local to me. That used to bother me, but I've grown to like it that way. Personally, I can't cold call or sell worth a shit but I know others who do all day long. Accepting that has opened a world of possibilities.
 
These types of questions make me laugh.

Do you not see the irony in cold calling businesses, to ask them if they need more leads from their website?

Put yourself in their shoes. A random guy phones you, who you have no reason to talk to. He asks you if your website generates enough new business. The conversation goes on, and you see that he's telling you to improve your website to generate more leads. For a second, would you not think "Why is this guy cold calling me, not doing this to generate his own business?".

If you can help them generate more leads, with marketing services, or a new website, then why don't you just do that for yourself to generate your own leads?

If you think you can do better with cold calling, then why the hell are you building a digital marketing agency / web design shop, not setting up a prospecting / sales development shop?
 
davidle said:
2. I won't be able to sell meet clients in-person. I live in a small-ass town (insanely small...it's not even a town), and I frequently travel overseas. So, ideally, I'd be able to land clients w/ persistent phone and email communication. I'm sure this will be a "no-go" for some prospects, but does anybody else tend to do it this way?

For those of you who have done or do this...what have you learned?
Click to expand...
Don't bother. At least not for now and not until you can get settled somewhere.

I was in your position for the last 8 years or so.

I was with someone else who was constantly moving. And the last place were were at was small population. It had a tourist season, but that didn't seem to make things any easier.

Moved out end of last year and all the sudden finding clients went from needle in the hay stack to fish in a bowl.

The small business owners in my experience want to really meet with you in person.
 
mituozo said:
These types of questions make me laugh.

Do you not see the irony in cold calling businesses, to ask them if they need more leads from their website?

Put yourself in their shoes. A random guy phones you, who you have no reason to talk to. He asks you if your website generates enough new business. The conversation goes on, and you see that he's telling you to improve your website to generate more leads. For a second, would you not think "Why is this guy cold calling me, not doing this to generate his own business?".

If you can help them generate more leads, with marketing services, or a new website, then why don't you just do that for yourself to generate your own leads?

If you think you can do better with cold calling, then why the hell are you building a digital marketing agency / web design shop, not setting up a prospecting / sales development shop?
Click to expand...

So, just because inbound marketing can work don't do outbound sales? I don't think most agencies follow your model of strictly using one channel to generate leads.

Where did I say I want to run a call center?

Some percentage of business owners might act as you suggest...will they all? If somebody called me and told me they can bring me more clients and demonstrated that to me, I might at least give them the chance to convince me. Will they all convert? They don't all have to.
 
2fat4u said:
Don't bother. At least not for now and not until you can get settled somewhere.

I was in your position for the last 8 years or so.

I was with someone else who was constantly moving. And the last place were were at was small population. It had a tourist season, but that didn't seem to make things any easier.

Moved out end of last year and all the sudden finding clients went from needle in the hay stack to fish in a bowl.

The small business owners in my experience want to really meet with you in person.
Click to expand...

How were you trying to land clients when you were living in the small town?
 
mituozo said:
These types of questions make me laugh.

Do you not see the irony in cold calling businesses, to ask them if they need more leads from their website?

Put yourself in their shoes. A random guy phones you, who you have no reason to talk to. He asks you if your website generates enough new business. The conversation goes on, and you see that he's telling you to improve your website to generate more leads. For a second, would you not think "Why is this guy cold calling me, not doing this to generate his own business?".

If you can help them generate more leads, with marketing services, or a new website, then why don't you just do that for yourself to generate your own leads?

If you think you can do better with cold calling, then why the hell are you building a digital marketing agency / web design shop, not setting up a prospecting / sales development shop?
Click to expand...

One could argue this, but I assume he wouldn't just be calling random businesses and would at least have some criteria beforehand.
 
davidle said:
Good to know. I asked the same question on reddit and there were a lot more people echoing your sentiments...including a dude who wasn't selling anything who owns a marketing agency in LA and seemed to be doing pretty well for himself.

So, maybe it's not as good or easy as it was 7 years ago, but it's possibly still doable. Especially if you emphasize increased leads/revenue/business over "website".

Are you targeting certain businesses or industries? What types of packages are you selling monthly? I imagine a lot of small business owners are pretty burned out from past SEO vendors/marketing peddlers. That's why I'm thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to specifically call a mixture of new businesses, testing a variety of scripts on different industries, then targeting the types of businesses that were most receptive.
Click to expand...


I target any small-medium sized companies, and I don't ever arrange meetings (unless a brief Skype call for consulting, followed up with a PDF with more information). Having a few methods of advertising will definitely help boost your conversions. I pretty much ask the prospect if they would like more clients, right off the get-go. I quickly get into qualifying the prospect to go over some questions to see which service would be ideal to offer them. I sell the website at the very end of the pitch. I've found that I relate to blue collar workers and contractors quite well, and can sell to them easiest. Also, individual artists are usually very easy to get some interest from, but often cannot pay the amount I am looking for.

mituozo said:
These types of questions make me laugh.

Do you not see the irony in cold calling businesses, to ask them if they need more leads from their website?

Put yourself in their shoes. A random guy phones you, who you have no reason to talk to. He asks you if your website generates enough new business. The conversation goes on, and you see that he's telling you to improve your website to generate more leads. For a second, would you not think "Why is this guy cold calling me, not doing this to generate his own business?".

If you can help them generate more leads, with marketing services, or a new website, then why don't you just do that for yourself to generate your own leads?

If you think you can do better with cold calling, then why the hell are you building a digital marketing agency / web design shop, not setting up a prospecting / sales development shop?
Click to expand...

Great point, a definite objection to add to anybodies script. It's great to show the client that you have some keywords ranked for your website, and can prove (via portfolio) that you've had previous clients. It's good to make sure they know you (probably) won't be completely replacing their current marketing model, but instead, adding another stream of clients/income.

I do internet marketing, cold calling, and networking events. My main business is marketing, consulting, virtual assistance, and design. I also have a few dating websites and a few boring email lists. I love what I do, and I do help people. However, my main interests are making money and having fun. That being said, I've learned to have fun cold calling clients. I don't think I'll ever have a business model that is completely dependent on internet marketing. If it proves conversion-worthy and is easily scalable, it's in.

So if a client thinks it's ironic or "sketchy" that you're calling them and offering them marketing packages, tell them you could also provide them cold calling assistance if they would like (almost no small-medium businesses go for this, but makes you appear genuine - to which you are). In all honesty, it's extremely rare for a client to put two and two together and ask why you're cold calling them if you're such a wizard at online marketing.
 
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