Journal - Offline Mailing (Three Methods tested)

ashj1893

ashj1893

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 5, 2011
Messages
212
Reaction score
120
Alright, so I just mailed out 3 batches of letters, 55 in total;

4 ORM
14 Web Design
37 SEO

Mailing.jpg

Most will get the mail tomorrow since I made it before pick up, but I won't be doing follow up until Monday/Tuesday unless I get calls before then, which would be totally cool. In other news, I did get my first client last night for web design. Only making $300 for a small redesign, but I will be doing other projects, as well as further improving the site, for a MUCH bigger price as I'll have proven my value. I'll also be picking up shitloads of referrals since I'll be attending the launch party :D

Back to the thread, I'll explain more in detail later, but I won't spoon feed anyone. Don't PM me asking questions that could go here, unless you're someone I've interacted with in the past. Will update only in response to questions or major developments.

Till then.

P.S. To all you people that keep reading threads, STOP doing that and TAKE ACTION! Otherwise, you'll always be broke.
 
Last edited:
Advertise on BHW
The results should be promising, can't wait to see them!
 
UPDATE


Alright so the job I have from clients that are paying me $300 for a redesign, a LOT tougher than I expected. A slew of unforeseeable problems came up, and they're unnecessarily difficult, although I did make a lot of mistakes, mostly because of a lack of miscommunication on both ends but I rushed right in as I needed the gig really badly and didn't present contracts, or a design brief or the like. Now it come to re uploading the FTP files and editing it from there. I've also accepted that design isn't my strong point. I'm more of a visionary guy with the determination guts, and skill to pool together the resources needed to get the work done form me. I'm getting better at sales and marketing too.

So I did what I should have done in the first place, and just outsourced the work. I've got a CL ad up and should be getting lots of replies.

As far as follow up calls, I'm curious as to whether I should today or tomorrow as my site is being worked on by my hosting company. But I don't have time to waste, I'll be getting all 55 follow up calls made TODAY! After that, I'll be using another method calling for SEO clients. While working on getting the current gig done as well.
 
Congratulation. Your starting the right way. The only way to improve is to try, make mistakes and learn from your mistakes. Now that you know designing is not your a strong point fix your pricing accordingly, a designer remains a web designer where as an business minded person hire designers and other resources. BTW, no need to wait for your website, it's better to have it, but it is not essential to make sales. Good luck!

ashj1893 said:
UPDATE


Alright so the job I have from clients that are paying me $300 for a redesign, a LOT tougher than I expected. A slew of unforeseeable problems came up, and they're unnecessarily difficult, although I did make a lot of mistakes, mostly because of a lack of miscommunication on both ends but I rushed right in as I needed the gig really badly and didn't present contracts, or a design brief or the like. Now it come to re uploading the FTP files and editing it from there. I've also accepted that design isn't my strong point. I'm more of a visionary guy with the determination guts, and skill to pool together the resources needed to get the work done form me. I'm getting better at sales and marketing too.

So I did what I should have done in the first place, and just outsourced the work. I've got a CL ad up and should be getting lots of replies.

As far as follow up calls, I'm curious as to whether I should today or tomorrow as my site is being worked on by my hosting company. But I don't have time to waste, I'll be getting all 55 follow up calls made TODAY! After that, I'll be using another method calling for SEO clients. While working on getting the current gig done as well.
Click to expand...
 
timmy79 said:
Congratulation. Your starting the right way. The only way to improve is to try, make mistakes and learn from your mistakes. Now that you know designing is not your a strong point fix your pricing accordingly, a designer remains a web designer where as an business minded person hire designers and other resources. BTW, no need to wait for your website, it's better to have it, but it is not essential to make sales. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Yes, after wrapping up this work - NO more small jobs for me, only big money for me. I learned the hard way the "small and easy" jobs for a few hundred bucks are NOT worth your time, especially via CL, seeing as you're likely to have clients bitching about the most trivial design elements when for all the time and travel makes the job almost not worth it. I am considering not doing web design OR just making sure they fill out a design brief - with a MAX of 3 alterations of any kind outside of the brief. Also didn't expect to extract and reupload the FTP files would take me and my guy 6 HOURS to do thanks to technical difficulties - ridiculous considering it's a small site. From now on, NO work gets done by me without it being big money and upfront pay with contracts signed.

Coming forth as a COMPANY, and not a freelancer gives you big bargaining chips that will makes them either say no, or play your game, right where you want them, which is why most people looking for workers on CL refuse to hire a firm, as they don't want to pay the extra money, but you get what you pay for more often than not, which they usually don't understand. I've also noticed a lot of the freelancers themselves on CL are complete idiots. Might even upload screenshots. Will update later as appropriate.
 
Last edited:
UPDATE


FINALLY got that damn site finished. Had to hire a second person since the first guy bailed on me to finish the job. (He did do his intended work however so it's cool)

Sent my invoice last night and getting paid today:

Pay: $300
Expenses: $62 ( $7 for public transportation for meetings, which I won't be doing anymore except for the initial meeting, unless I'm collecting a check. + $55 for Craigslist hired Freelancers. For the time they spent dealing with tech issues and making edits for those picky clients, I got a DEAL here.
_________________________________
Net Profit: $238 - NOT taking small jobs anymore, EVER. Not worth the time I spent or money I paid or was paid, but I needed this and will take the $300 to invest in a monthly transit pass ($100) and the rest will go to bills and other expenses.


Also - I'm implementing a new service to my business I found has been very profitable for people both on this forum and others. Learning to use the software I'll need to create the product for it. It converts better than SEO and the like, money comes faster, and easier to scale as you don't have to worry about outsourcing the work overseas if you don't want to. Will post results on this and my original methods later.

Oh, and I'm re hauling my staff - Adjusting my prices to pay the best price for the best work. Will always let prospects know I have "assistants" that work for me, and I'm the head of the business/project manager.
 
Last edited:
Still quite a good profit for your first web design job and considering how much you learnt from the experience I would say it was well worth it.

How did the follow up calls go?
 
Nice job going for it....but saying you only want the big jobs and big money is the wrong attitude at first, and this is why:

You had to seach for help on a small $300 job on CL? CL!? That place is crap...sorry, but avoid that place. You will wind up with headaches. Wait until you are working with a big company - when deadlines and contracts come into play you can't scramble to finish by posting an ad on CL looking for help.

You need to have your entire system in place before you land the big fish or you will have several headaches. Line up a good outsource team if that is the route you are going. There are good options right here on BHW. Then you need to test them and make sure you are 100% confident in the team you put together. Test them on little jobs before you give them the mother load.

That is how you land the big $$$ jobs. And don't refer to them as "gigs" - that is fiverr mentality.

Just trying to give you some solid advice...because if you scramble to find an outsource option each time you land someone it will be a shit show waiting to happen. Being unprepared is a quick way to ruin a brand. Get your team in place and treat them as part of your company. But you need a relaiable option that you can send deals to, especially if you are going after "big deals" - they don't play. Also, giving site details and login details for a clients site to some random guy on CL can open a can of worms too. Just be careful...

Good luck, you seem motivated. Just need to walk before you run in this situation.
 
netmoney1 said:
Nice job going for it....but saying you only want the big jobs and big money is the wrong attitude at first, and this is why:

You had to seach for help on a small $300 job on CL? CL!? That place is crap...sorry, but avoid that place. You will wind up with headaches. Wait until you are working with a big company - when deadlines and contracts come into play you can't scramble to finish by posting an ad on CL looking for help.

You need to have your entire system in place before you land the big fish or you will have several headaches. Line up a good outsource team if that is the route you are going. There are good options right here on BHW. Then you need to test them and make sure you are 100% confident in the team you put together. Test them on little jobs before you give them the mother load.

That is how you land the big $$$ jobs. And don't refer to them as "gigs" - that is fiverr mentality.

Just trying to give you some solid advice...because if you scramble to find an outsource option each time you land someone it will be a shit show waiting to happen. Being unprepared is a quick way to ruin a brand. Get your team in place and treat them as part of your company. But you need a relaiable option that you can send deals to, especially if you are going after "big deals" - they don't play. Also, giving site details and login details for a clients site to some random guy on CL can open a can of worms too. Just be careful...

Good luck, you seem motivated. Just need to walk before you run in this situation.
Click to expand...

You're exactly right, I think I'd mentioned some of the above mentioned mistakes - I've now officially gotten my team in place. All BHW, lol. I don't deal with individual outsourcers except for small tasks I just don't wanna waste time doing myself. I've been swamped with financial pressures to get a cheaper, easier to sell service rolled out. Will be doing most of the work myself eventually. I'm also following up on those voicemails I left a couple weeks ago since I haven't been called back by anyone. Another mistake I believe I made was with the letters - targeting the city instead of the burbs since there's much less competition there and they'll be more likely to actually sit down and read the letters I send out. I'm in a BIG city, btw. The lawyer who agreed to send me referrals told me he was being rocketed by so many businesses he just wanted to stick to PPC.

I'm eventually going to package both sites as one business and sell them in the future and go into tech, which is really what I want to do. Until then, money to make NOW!
 
Don't give up. I haven't had success but I always wanted to try what your doing.

Your letters you sent out. Where they customized per client? did they have dice in them or something so they were sent as package? I think that would grab attention more and increase call rate.
 
Mufasa HF said:
Don't give up. I haven't had success but I always wanted to try what your doing.

Your letters you sent out. Where they customized per client? did they have dice in them or something so they were sent as package? I think that would grab attention more and increase call rate.
Click to expand...

The letters were all typed out to address the individual regarding their business. They didn't have dice or anything in them as I didn't have the money to do so. Businesses in my city (ESPECIALLY those niches) are HAMMERED day in and day out, and they're so busy with their patients/clients that they have no time to read them in most cases. I'm going to try the burbs or even go into different niches in the suburbs. If that fails, I'll just run internet marketing campaigns to be more widespread - automate the service even more.
 
your journal is impressive..keep up the good work..!!
 
In so many replies you still didn't mentioned the letters campaign results..
 
**UPDATE**

I failed miserably in this venture. I simple caved in and gave up on it. However I didn't stop working for myself. I've been busy making money trading and promoting an IM program. My money is all online.
 
ashj1893 said:
**UPDATE**

I failed miserably in this venture. I simple caved in and gave up on it. However I didn't stop working for myself. I've been busy making money trading and promoting an IM program. My money is all online.
Click to expand...

Just now seeing this post but would love to hear what made you cave/give up? Lack of response? Too much time? Not enough closed deals? I'm starting some online/offline hybrid ventures and would love to learn from your experience.
 
Advertise on BHW
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sign up now!

Main Menu

Home Main Forum List Black Hat SEO White Hat SEO BHW Newbie Guide Blogging Black Hat Tools Social Media Downloads

Marketplace

Account Selling Content / Copywriting EBooks / Methods Hosting Misc Proxies For Sale SEO - Link building SEO - Packages Social Media Social Media - Panels Web Design More

Making Money

Affiliate Programs Hire a Freelancer IM Journeys Making Money Pay Per Click Site Flipping Want to Buy

BlackHat World

Dispute Resolution Forum Suggestions & Feedback Introductions Lounge
Back
Top