Wondering how to sell web design services to small and local businesses? When you offer a digital service, convincing others why they need it can be tricky, especially if they have no digital presence. But if you’re willing to work, local businesses can be great conversions.
Among other advantages, you have the benefit of location; business owners nervous about going digital will be reassured that you aren’t far away if they need help.
Of course, you can’t rely on location alone to sell your services to local businesses. Check out the five tips below to help you make those connections and sales.
Table of contents
1. How To Sell Web Design Services By Planting The Seed
Start by letting people know you’re in the neighborhood and how you can help. Use direct mail to target neighborhoods within a specific radius of your location. Send out flyers advertising your business and what you do. Outline what makes you stand out from your competition and the benefits you can provide to businesses handling their websites.
To increase your chances of getting the mail opened, put it in a branded envelope. Keep the design simple and professional, and use fonts that mimic handwriting for a personal touch.
In addition, get out and get to know the people in your community. Set up a booth at a local fair or festival with business cards and promotional materials. Gifts such as branded pens and buttons are old standbys, but consider handing out something a little more creative, such as Frisbees (see FlyDiscs.com for possible examples).
Strike up a conversation with attendees and collect names and contact information for your mailing list. Alternatively, participate in local community service events. This allows you to get to know people in the area and shows your commitment to the community at the same time.
Also read: How do conversion-focused landing pages help a business?
2. How To Sell Web Design Services By Building A Connection
Stop by local businesses and introduce yourself. Remember, you only get one chance to make a great first impression. Don’t take up too much time because, like you, the business owners are busy. Instead, please take a few minutes to let them know who you are and what you do.
Then, focus on getting to know them. Make sure this interaction is more about getting to know them than talking about yourself. This will make them more receptive to speaking with you and show that you genuinely want to help them. Offer to meet with them again for a consultation at a convenient time. Leave a business card behind so they can look you up when they have free time.
In between meetings, research the businesses in your area to learn more about their demographics. Then, check out their websites to brainstorm ways to improve them.
Also read: Why You Should Use Infographics To Promote Your Business
3. Prepare A Takeaway
Though your website design for small businesses is digital, sometimes providing something tangible is the best way to leave a lasting impression of your brand. Create personalized sample packets for the business owners to give them an idea of what you can do for them.
Sometimes, printing something in front of people (instead of just on a screen) can help them visualize the final product. Include color palettes, logo images, and other house samples to help bring the design to life.
You can keep your takeaway materials packaged together using paper clips or folders, but custom-branded binders allow you to give your presentation a much more professional look. They also show how much time and effort you dedicate to each account.
Don’t forget that your binder is the first representation of your work that business owners will see. Make sure it stands out with a professional, unique design. To see how other businesses have used binders to build their brands and boost business, check out some examples at Company Folders.
Check out this blog to learn about best practices for website design.
4. How To Sell Website Design Services By Comparing & Contrasting
After you show them what you can do for them, show them their competition. Offer an analysis of their competitors’ websites and explain what they are doing to be more successful.
They’ll likely be surprised to discover how much they miss out on because of their poor or nonexistent web presence. Once the business owners’ competitive spirit kicks in, you can show them how your web design services for small businesses can help them beat their competition.
Also: A Guide to Validate Product/Business Ideas to Save Your Time and Money
5. Play To Their Budgets
Whipping out all the bells and whistles is great, but it won’t do you any good if local business owners can’t afford your services. Provide various options to cater to your potential clients’ budgets. Show them that you understand running a business is expensive, and that’s why they might not have as good of a website as they desire.
Consider offering a special introductory rate for new clients. This will allow them to try you out and discover what they are missing. Highlight the value of your web design for small businesses so they can see the return on investment. Remember, the local business scene is a tight-knit community, so word will spread quickly if you do good work and even faster if the business owner feels wronged.
Getting local businesses to use your services is a process, but if you are authentic and stick with it, you should be able to add them to your client list. Remember to reassure business owners that you will not leave them high and dry once you’ve created or updated their websites.
Let them know you are available for site maintenance, troubleshooting, and fixing any issues that come up. Many times, people have a basic website or no website at all because they don’t have the time and/or knowledge to keep it up. This will help ease their fears about going digital and allow you to build a stronger relationship with clients.
Hopefully, you now understand how to sell web design services, and these tips will help you boost your business. Do you have other strategies? Please share them in the comments below.
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