ukescuba
Senior Member
- Feb 24, 2008
- 994
- 640
which version of joomla do you use?
White Hat Website Business?
- Thread starter senecapharm
- Start date
which version of joomla do you use?
senecapharm
Registered Member
- Oct 18, 2008
- 88
- 8
@ ukescuba - I use the latest 1.5, I guess a lot of ppl still use 1.0.1x but no more support or security updates for it so...
@ dbomez - Where can I get that book? Looked it up on here then google and its about $250! Maybe a PB search? Wonder if they scanned the manual...
@ dbomez - Where can I get that book? Looked it up on here then google and its about $250! Maybe a PB search? Wonder if they scanned the manual...
virtualgeorge
Junior Member
- Sep 20, 2008
- 181
- 162
Man a lot of good info in this thread, especially about the lead generation systems. I screwed up by not learning enough about seo. I like building cool looking sites with lots of flash because that is fun for me and people seem to be willing to pay more.
But there are some people who may have been haggling with me on the price a little for a 1000 or 1500 website and then a few months come back and ask me about some spam email they got where someone was offering to do seo and guarantee the results for like 5 - 10k.(of course they can't guarantee seo and its probably a scam) They don't have a clue what the person is really selling and it surprises me how willing they are to part with that much money. So that's how I found this place was when trying to learn more about seo.
When I was starting out and trying to get new clients I was offering to work cheap and that didn't work to well. Then when I started charging more I got a lot more clients.
I get a lot of local people who mention that they would just rather work with someone nearby that they can easily get in touch with. They really like it when you respond to phone calls & emails right away which is easy to do especially when your starting out & don't have a lot of clients yet.
But there are some people who may have been haggling with me on the price a little for a 1000 or 1500 website and then a few months come back and ask me about some spam email they got where someone was offering to do seo and guarantee the results for like 5 - 10k.(of course they can't guarantee seo and its probably a scam) They don't have a clue what the person is really selling and it surprises me how willing they are to part with that much money. So that's how I found this place was when trying to learn more about seo.
When I was starting out and trying to get new clients I was offering to work cheap and that didn't work to well. Then when I started charging more I got a lot more clients.
I get a lot of local people who mention that they would just rather work with someone nearby that they can easily get in touch with. They really like it when you respond to phone calls & emails right away which is easy to do especially when your starting out & don't have a lot of clients yet.
You may hate the Warrior forum but there was a thread there that has grown to way over 50+ pages and people are charging and getting $300 just to set up autoresponders and some messages to start.
You heard the term "all show and no go"
Not to diminish nice graphics, it is the copy that sells.
So, as far as lead generation, could you set up your own sites, sort/select/collect qualified leads and sell them to businesses?
One marketer sells lead gen to the business by outright giving a few leads for free. Then when they are surprised and happy with the results they are hooked for life.
You heard the term "all show and no go"
Not to diminish nice graphics, it is the copy that sells.
So, as far as lead generation, could you set up your own sites, sort/select/collect qualified leads and sell them to businesses?
One marketer sells lead gen to the business by outright giving a few leads for free. Then when they are surprised and happy with the results they are hooked for life.
As for setting up your own lead gen sites I guess it's doable but probably a pain in the ass unless you are getting a high fee per lead. The problem becomes how you track the leads you produce. Yes you could track through contact forms but how do you do it through the phone if the person calls from a number on the site? Yes they have phone systems that will do this but for me this is all too much trouble.
I will though do a joint promotion for a saleable product on the site.
For instance one of my friends has a laser hair removal/spa business and wants to sell these $50 coupon books that offer big discounts on services. I'd get $35 for each book sold via the site or where ever else for promoting it and handling the web functionality.
I just got him to convert his site to Joomla and now I just need to throw in Virtuemart and IDEV Affiliate and everything will be in place to track the sales and my commissions. I'll let you know how this goes..
I will though do a joint promotion for a saleable product on the site.
For instance one of my friends has a laser hair removal/spa business and wants to sell these $50 coupon books that offer big discounts on services. I'd get $35 for each book sold via the site or where ever else for promoting it and handling the web functionality.
I just got him to convert his site to Joomla and now I just need to throw in Virtuemart and IDEV Affiliate and everything will be in place to track the sales and my commissions. I'll let you know how this goes..
senecapharm
Registered Member
- Oct 18, 2008
- 88
- 8
I just wanna clear the whole thing up about doing my first job at a low price... I'm charging a low price also because she's a friend who's got a startup business and not much money also. I thought the reference would be the big bonus. The only trouble with references and testimonials is, you need more than one!
I already quoted her the price so I can't renig and charge her $1000, although that's what I should be charging her because I'm throwing in a $250 free adwords voucher.
I already quoted her the price so I can't renig and charge her $1000, although that's what I should be charging her because I'm throwing in a $250 free adwords voucher.
ukescuba
Senior Member
- Feb 24, 2008
- 994
- 640
i need to update my base template for 1.5 will get back to you when ive updated it
- Nov 28, 2008
- 1,450
- 1,329
Lots of good solid info here...
My primary company sells lead sites to local business owners for $6000 in this economy. It's all in how you present yourself.
Yes, others can underbid you -- offer to create a site for $300 or even $50 but you have to understand the mindset of the owner. They're expecting to pay a lot for a good website. So when you walk in the door with a low price then you lose credibility.
Keep in mind that these owners are paying $2000 and more a week for advertising that doesn't work. All you have to do is show them something that will work and explain how it will work for them.
As far as SEO I've found extremely few owners who know what SEO is much less care. SEO really doesn't play that much when you're talking about local businesses. Submitting to directories and the other stuff also is not all that important on a local level. Don't make your job any harder than it has to be. It's not that hard to get your client on the first page of Google. The harder part is showing them how to get local traffic to get to their site and what to do with it once they're there.
Business owners are far more interested in RESULTS than anything else. You provide RESULTS and they'll pay you whatever you want to charge.
My company basically sells the same website over and over and over again. Takes about an hour to set up. The only difference is the graphics, video and AR messages. No content. Our focus is producing RESULTS for our clients.
As far as salesmanship. You don't really have to be a sales person. I don't sell. I educate my clients. However, in your case you may want to outsource the job to someone with experience with outside sales. Pay them a straight $500 commission.
BTW: As mentioned above references can come back to bite you if you don't structure them correctly. I'd go ahead and do the job you promised her at the price you agreed to but I would not use her as a reference. As mentioned above anyone she refers to you will want the same thing for what you charged her and then will want to get a better price. It's just not worth it.
Next time, take courage and charge more. If you're worth it then they'll pay it. But always keep in mind that business owners are not buying a website. They're buying RESULTS .
That's how I maintain a steady stream of referrals and keep all my clients happy.
My main problem is that I tend to get bored easily and am always looking for something else to do.
My primary company sells lead sites to local business owners for $6000 in this economy. It's all in how you present yourself.
Yes, others can underbid you -- offer to create a site for $300 or even $50 but you have to understand the mindset of the owner. They're expecting to pay a lot for a good website. So when you walk in the door with a low price then you lose credibility.
Keep in mind that these owners are paying $2000 and more a week for advertising that doesn't work. All you have to do is show them something that will work and explain how it will work for them.
As far as SEO I've found extremely few owners who know what SEO is much less care. SEO really doesn't play that much when you're talking about local businesses. Submitting to directories and the other stuff also is not all that important on a local level. Don't make your job any harder than it has to be. It's not that hard to get your client on the first page of Google. The harder part is showing them how to get local traffic to get to their site and what to do with it once they're there.
Business owners are far more interested in RESULTS than anything else. You provide RESULTS and they'll pay you whatever you want to charge.
My company basically sells the same website over and over and over again. Takes about an hour to set up. The only difference is the graphics, video and AR messages. No content. Our focus is producing RESULTS for our clients.
As far as salesmanship. You don't really have to be a sales person. I don't sell. I educate my clients. However, in your case you may want to outsource the job to someone with experience with outside sales. Pay them a straight $500 commission.
BTW: As mentioned above references can come back to bite you if you don't structure them correctly. I'd go ahead and do the job you promised her at the price you agreed to but I would not use her as a reference. As mentioned above anyone she refers to you will want the same thing for what you charged her and then will want to get a better price. It's just not worth it.
Next time, take courage and charge more. If you're worth it then they'll pay it. But always keep in mind that business owners are not buying a website. They're buying RESULTS .
That's how I maintain a steady stream of referrals and keep all my clients happy.
My main problem is that I tend to get bored easily and am always looking for something else to do.
Last edited:
simplybebop
Regular Member
- Oct 24, 2008
- 371
- 182
I PM'd you OP