Getting first paying client - advise please..

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slyGTR

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Need some advice from experts here..

I've been struggling to get my first offline client almost 2 months now.
Service I offer, guaranteed google first page using some tools - white hat method that is.
Yes, 200% guaranteed google first page result and their website will stay there as long as they want.
The thing is, I need to get my first paying client so that I can use his money to buy tools and resources as the price for the tools and resources i need are out of my budget.
I have tried email marketing but negative even after follow up emails sent.
I'm new in this business so i have no portfolio.
I have very basic website.
I wanna try PPC but the result might be negative as well since I don't have portfolio. No one would trust me when I only selling words to them.
I can even offer DOUBLE money back guarantee if it can buy their trust. It just that i am so confident with service i provide though.
I know there are so many threads on finding clients in BHW but all the methods are not work for me.
So what should I do to get my first paying client? Any advice appreciated....
 
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Your honestly probably best off going through the yellowpages (err, google?) and cold-calling a bunch of local businesses. Aim for the service based ones that charge a lot; ex: doctors, lawyers, dentists, massage therapists, etc. You have to be persistant for it to work, but most of these people don't know much about SEO and make enough per customer that extra advertising is worth it. If you're afraid of calling them directly (which is understandable for most people) you can send them mail or an email as well. Good luck!
 
You got nothing to offer them at all based on what you described as your service. You can offer them additional incentives like top quality traffic (this would make it SEEM like what your service is doing is making them go viral) and you can also offer them retweets, facebook posts, fake review sites, about their site and products / services, etc. The problem is since you are new you need to be total BlackHat. If you need to somehow get people to write you a Yelp review or pay people on Fiverr to make fake testimonials for you to get a customer do so. I mean you got a huge arsenal of information on this site that you can use as benefits in order to hook that first customer. The only problem it seems is that you don't have any money.

You need to make sure that you can fake your stuff very good until you can actually provide what you said you could.
 
That's what I did this whole month. Email my target group - Real Estate Agents/Brokers and the results are negative even after follow up emails sent. I'm not living in US so is cold calling work?
 
Another option, since you are new, is to offer the services for cheap (or free) to family, friends, family friends, etc. Once you do some work for them you 1) have the beginnings of a portfolio, and 2) have the ability to ask for referrals. Then all you have to do is live up to your reputation and ask for more referrals when your done. That's how you grow.
 
slyGTR said:
That's what I did this whole month. Email my target group - Real Estate Agents/Brokers and the results are negative even after follow up emails sent. I'm not living in US so is cold calling work?
Click to expand...
Cold calling should work anywhere. Its much harder for a business to say no to a real person than to just close out of the email. When your speaking with them you have the ability to tell exactly what you are going to do for them. Don't give them an option; tell them how much more money they can be making with your services - real numbers only. If your services cost $500 a month, but they are guaranteed to make $1000 because of the work they do then they would be dumb to turn it down.
 
therage said:
The problem is since you are new you need to be total BlackHat.
You need to make sure that you can fake your stuff very good until you can actually provide what you said you could.
Click to expand...

I think I got your points there, therage. Thanks for the ideas anyway. I might work on it.
 
slyGTR said:
That's what I did this whole month. Email my target group - Real Estate Agents/Brokers and the results are negative even after follow up emails sent. I'm not living in US so is cold calling work?
Click to expand...
Are you trying to get business in the US, while living elsewhere? That could be very tough. I would try local businesses and talk to them in person, and offer only 100% guarantee. If you offer 200%, people will not trust you. Talk to friends, associates, neighbors, anyone who could refer you or use your services. The basic tools don't cost that much to start, save as much as you can and purchase the desired tools, then offer to provide your service at a deep so you can build your portfolio. You may be surprised how many people will accept that offer to help you out. When I use a new vendor, I'll seek out the one with no portfolio and start with a small job. They are usually very helpful and bend over backwards to make sure I'm happy so they can get a good review. Motto: Under promise, over deliver. Good Luck.
 
imdaily said:
Another option, since you are new, is to offer the services for cheap (or free) to family, friends, family friends, etc. Once you do some work for them you 1) have the beginnings of a portfolio, and 2) have the ability to ask for referrals. Then all you have to do is live up to your reputation and ask for more referrals when your done. That's how you grow.
Click to expand...

Right. The thing is, I need my first paying client so that I can buy the tools and resources. Once I got that, 2nd 3rd 20th client will be easy for me. It just that I cannot figure it out to get my very first paying client.
 
ScoopMaster said:
Are you trying to get business in the US, while living elsewhere? That could be very tough. I would try local businesses and talk to them in person, and offer only 100% guarantee. If you offer 200%, people will not trust you. Talk to friends, associates, neighbors, anyone who could refer you or use your services. The basic tools don't cost that much to start, save as much as you can and purchase the desired tools, then offer to provide your service at a deep so you can build your portfolio. You may be surprised how many people will accept that offer to help you out. When I use a new vendor, I'll seek out the one with no portfolio and start with a small job. They are usually very helpful and bend over backwards to make sure I'm happy so they can get a good review. Motto: Under promise, over deliver. Good Luck.
Click to expand...

Its tough isn't it? It is, for first paying client only. So i'm working hard on it. Thanks for the ideas anyway.:)
 
I agree with what others said above. If yoe are targeting US and living else, it will be very tough.

Imagine if someone offers you something that you don't know much, and you can't meet up with him/her. In addition, that person has nothing to prove his credibility or previous work... I doubt you will trust this person as well. At the very least, I wouldn't. Why would I go thru all the trouble for this?

Unless you have something unique and some great offer; something like free trial, free first 10 leads, pay after milestones reached etc. That might be something you should consider.
 
originalposter said:
I agree with what others said above. If yoe are targeting US and living else, it will be very tough.

Imagine if someone offers you something that you don't know much, and you can't meet up with him/her. In addition, that person has nothing to prove his credibility or previous work... I doubt you will trust this person as well. At the very least, I wouldn't. Why would I go thru all the trouble for this?

Unless you have something unique and some great offer; something like free trial, free first 10 leads, pay after milestones reached etc. That might be something you should consider.
Click to expand...

Yes, you're right. That's the challenge I have to take. Basically, what are the common things that clients will look into the service provider before they hire him? Other than reputation, portfolio, or cheap service maybe?
 
if i had to get granular, what kind of tools do you require that will get you 100% on google?

because, if that is the case and if you truly believe this, then you should just buy the tools and build your own sites and then sell them to offline clients. Throw up a couple of adsense ads to see the ecpm and figure out how long it will take for you to break even on that investment.

my 2 cents
 
The real main problem is not addressing the buyers desires and wants. you aren't clearly addressing a emotion that will cause them to buy something from you. To them it just either seems way to good to be true, not worth the time and money invested, or that they simply don't want what you are offering. The first one can be fortified by results from tests, clients etc. The second one can be addressed by the results and facts / benefits of your service. The final one can be addressed by causing emotions to buy your product. Now don't be discouraged when people still reject the offer, since they might not have the money to actually invest in your service. Not everyone is a client, only about 1/100 people are considered your clientele or prospects, and in some cases you hook 6 additional people because you spark a emotional buying response out of them.
 
When I got my first paying client I too had nothing to show him, he was from BHW itself. Mate you only need to talk. Be confident and talk like who you are, don't fake to be a pro or something, because to hide one lie you will have to tell many more lies. Till today I get my clients without showing them any portfolio. I never show any of my work to the other clients. So I would just suggest you to talk confidently to whatever lead you get.
 
So you don't already have these "tools" to guarantee first page rankings?

Tip: Get your tools, figure out your strategy.

Then target local companies. If you are not in the US and your goal is to get your first paying client in the US then it is going to be an uphill battle.

Focus on your local market. Master your sales pitch. Why not do that?

You are trying to fish for a whale with a stick and piece of string...when there are commercial fishermen with nets cleaning up.

Not to say you can't do it...but get your business up and rolling in your local market first.
 
jinsandy said:
if i had to get granular, what kind of tools do you require that will get you 100% on google?

because, if that is the case and if you truly believe this, then you should just buy the tools and build your own sites and then sell them to offline clients. Throw up a couple of adsense ads to see the ecpm and figure out how long it will take for you to break even on that investment.

my 2 cents
Click to expand...

Thanks for your thought. But i prefer to charge my future clients on yearly subscription basis rather than one off payment. As i secure his website on google first page as long as he want, i don't think he will think twice to pay me every year. Sounds over confident isn't it? :p
 
OP, I haven't read the whole thread but the guarantees you give in your opening post seem too good to be true and maybe that is why you have struggled to get clients.
I don't think your service has been tested properly to be able to give those sorts of guarantees.
Maybe you should offer something realistic such as a guaranteed increase in SERPS.
 
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therage said:
The real main problem is not addressing the buyers desires and wants. you aren't clearly addressing a emotion that will cause them to buy something from you. To them it just either seems way to good to be true, not worth the time and money invested, or that they simply don't want what you are offering. The first one can be fortified by results from tests, clients etc. The second one can be addressed by the results and facts / benefits of your service. The final one can be addressed by causing emotions to buy your product. Now don't be discouraged when people still reject the offer, since they might not have the money to actually invest in your service. Not everyone is a client, only about 1/100 people are considered your clientele or prospects, and in some cases you hook 6 additional people because you spark a emotional buying response out of them.
Click to expand...

Therage, you really are psychological artist. Thanks for your point of view from psychological angle though. Got to read that twice to digest.:) There is a statement that i believe useful not for me but also for many others. "People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fears, confirm their suspicions and help them throw rocks at their enemies." Ever heard that? As long as you can give all or either one of these, you good to go. At least that's what makes me.
 
Am I missing something here OP? If you are so confident you can rank any site on first page and keep it there, why not just rank your own website first and get a steady 100/day going and fund yourself with that. String clients afterwards will be a lot easier plus you have a portfolio of sites to show them.
 
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