Ok so first thing first, I used to sell advertising for a living. And just like anything else (like coding, for example) the more you do something...
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Great post. Congratulations on your sale, you must a good salesperson. Most software developers myself included are not good at sales. What would you recommend we do to maybe improve in that area? Any particular websites, podcasts come to mind?
Thanks.
Thanks! It took me about a year and a half of getting kicked in the teeth to actually figure out what I was really doing (during a phone conversation with a prospect) then the 'switch flipped'. Just like anything else, I recommend doing prospect meetings as much as possible. Do homework on the company you're about to talk to and ask lots of questions. Learn to listen to what they're saying between the lines. And, check out codersales.io for help and blogs - also, look for our new free Facebook group!
Yeah Exactly we need some tips
Ask lots of questions... then ask more. Ask why the company is interested in a new website and what that will ultimately solve. Nobody just buys a website. There is a particular reason and it's up to you to find that out. Find the real 'why' and you'll have a deal.
Congratulations on your accomplishments! Sounds like your experience in sales taught you a lot! I could use lessons from someone like you.
Thank you, it took a long to of blood, sweat and tears to figure things out and I'm still learning. Feel free to go to codersales.io and check out our resources for more help.
So you basically sold air. You didn't had the skills you were selling nor could guarantee the results you were promising. All you had was $19k and somehow you thought that would solve the problem, plus you'll learn something along the way. That's not ethical in any way, I don't think that client would've handed you those $19k if you honestly had said "hey I'm not an agency, I'm a freelance that's learning and wants an opportunity to do something great while gaining experience along the way".
Anyways, SEO is moving away from old practices like keywords and moving into AI territory, predicting chances of click based on your behavior, profile and demographics.
My dream in one article. Thanks for the motivation!
Happy hunting!
Hi! Would you like to partner?
My email: warpspeedm@gmail.com
Thank you for the offer but we do not do those kinds of partnerships.
How do you get paid for cold call work, up-front/after work, or is there some more nuance to it.
I am web developer specialized in e-commerce. I have contacts with web agency in Ukraine. I worked as sales manager for them on commission.
They paid after they recieved payment. If client makes 50% down payment you can get commission from that.
They paid 20% from that.
Thanks but no thanks. Good luck.
Good question. ALWAYS 50% down. Then after the initial development phase, get the next 40%. Finally, right before deployment and migrating from staging to production server get the last 10%. This way it protects you as the freelancer to be paid, keeps the client invested and if the ghost you on the last 10% of the project you still have your $$$.
Great article, It is exactly what I needed to hear.
I love this!
So when starting out, you’re NOT a freelancer. You’re a CEO of an agency and are presenting an idea that will completely change their digital identity & footprint.
Literally, one of the greatest articles I've read ever. Thanks for it and for showing your experience!!!!
Very interesting post.
Could you give us the link to the site?
Wish, I could do the same and get started. But it's rather a very competitive market.
There's no better time to start than right now... I know that's corny but there really is no 'perfect' time to start. Pick up the phone (or send cold emails) and just start getting kicked in the teeth over the phone. Learn from your mistakes and record your calls. The perfect way of standing out from the crowd especially now in the gig economy, is by properly presenting what problems you will solve. I'll tell you this: when you present your pricing and its double, triple or quadruple more than other quotes, that CEO is going to want to know why. This puts you in a different category and you get taken seriously. Do you think a CEO wants the Honda Accord of new websites? Or does that CEO want the Bentley of websites? You just have to give him/her a good reason as to why they should choose you.