Anyone who starts a business and says they are not really interested in bringing in money is either lying or crazy! Seriously, once you set up shop bringing in dollars just makes sense. Of course it's worth noting that before you can start generating revenue you actually have to sell and that's the part that most of us seem to hate. Starting the business is exciting. Designing the logo is fun. Building the website makes it all feel real, but the truth is the business doesn't actually become real until you start making sales.
Let's take a look at the big questions first:
- How do you get people to buy your services?
- What are you doing to generate sales right now?
- Are you a service professional - web designer like me, a personal trainer, a publisher, or coach?
- Are you just starting up?
- Do you have fabulous offerings, great packages, a beautiful site and social media all set up?
- Are your current marketing efforts not working?
- Are your potential customers and website visitors not buying as much as you would like?
Our next live call (happening in a few days) is all about 7 ways to close more deals and make more sales. This teleclass is especially for my fellow service professionals out there: freelancers, designers, trainers, and coaches.
To access the call in details:
- The date, time and access codes are in your member area
- If you are not a member join here, it's $7 per month
- Missed the live call? No worries, all the replays are here
Before we actually get on the call, let's talk now about the scary and often complicated world of selling your services online.
When I decided to work from home back in '07 I was truly a shy entrepreneur. In an effort to not interact with people I tried to find revenue streams that avoided direct sales at all costs, so I started building my own websites in the hopes of strictly selling products and ad space. It didn't take long before people began praising my sites and asking about my web design services. I honestly fell into being a service professional.
At first I HATED it because I just knew working for other people was going to turn my passion into a pain:
- I didn't know how to get a steady stream of customers
- I didn't know how to charge what I was worth
- I didn't want people calling me or picking my brain
- I was afraid of dealing with customers over the phone
- I was afraid of customers with crazy demands
- I just wanted to do my own thang
Truth is there were were a lot of things that scared me in the beginning... things I didn't really understand or want to do, but momma didn't raise no fool!
As I explained in a previous post on my methods to generating steady income as a service professional, the best way to quickly make more money online is to sell a high price point service based product and for me that's website design.
I pretty much went though all the growing pains you might be going through now. I gave away too much information on free consultations. I talked clients out of bigger packages by over selling the smaller ones. I did deep discounts to close deals, only to find myself working too hard for little to nothing. And I often times gave up too much of my power to clients, trying to meet their deadlines and demands, work within their budgets, going above and beyond with revision requests and the list goes on.
The sum total of my frustration with web design clients was one of the biggest reasons I only took on a handful of new projects per month. Keep in mind, my hubby insisted that I was crazy for leaving so much money on the table because every body needs a website. My rational was that its too hard and sometimes too frustrating working as a service professional, but he would always say the same thing - "You are the boss, so act like one! Instead of feeling powerless to clients assume your role as the boss, set boundaries, be clear and concise, be firm but professional at the same time."
It honestly took a long time for me to settle into my role as the boss, but once I got the hang of it I fired all crazy clients and turned my pain back into a lucrative passion.
- I created better pricing packages for me and my clients
- I learned how to make at least 50% more per sale
- I created clear policies for all client relationships
- I prepared for all calls, questions and requests
- I learned client attraction strategies that actually work
- I learned to value my skills and time more
Knowing that I had the potential to generate thousands of dollars monthly just from being creative, I decided to work through all my complaints, mistakes, and fears until I got better at selling services online.
I say all this to say that this stuff is frustrating and there is a learning curve, but I know you can get better at it. Hopefully I will see you on the next call - sign up details here.
My fellow service professionals might also like:
- Last call replay: Increase your profit per sale by 50%
- Selling Your Services Online - SistaSense Solutions
- Back to Business Webinar Replays
Love it links: Join Our Weekly Calls | Previous Call Replays
Comments