Recommended
More Related Content
Recently uploaded
Recently uploaded (20)
Featured
Featured (20)
Crank Up the Volume on Your WordPress Business
- 3. #WCTPA @emagineBill The vast majority of people I’ve met are greatly undervaluing themselves and not securing their future … And I would like to help with that.
- 5. #WCTPA @emagineBill You don’t have to aspire to build a big agency or earn a huge fortune. The point is to maximize your business potential in order to achieve a level of financial security and a comfortable lifestyle.
- 6. #WCTPA @emagineBill Brief History … December 1999
- 7. #WCTPA @emagineBill one conclusion: we weren’t charging nearly enough.
- 8. #WCTPA @emagineBill 30x what we were charging some companies were charging 30x
- 10. #WCTPA @emagineBill charge more! we immediately decided to
- 12. #WCTPA @emagineBill purpose of this talk whoisitfor? • Anyone who is working on projects for a fee • Anyone who wants to get paid more for the work they are currently doing
- 13. #WCTPA @emagineBill purpose of this talk whoisitnotfor? • You don’t want to make any more money or improve your life • You aren’t willing to make change, take chances and try new things
- 14. #WCTPA @emagineBill fact: there are companies that will pay you much more for the work you’re doing
- 16. #WCTPA @emagineBill who am i?
- 17. #WCTPA @emagineBill My background: • son of a dentist and psychiatrist • went to Phillips Exeter Academy • won awards in math and science • Harvard - full scholarship • was considered a “programming prodigy” at Harvard • dropped out of Harvard my sophomore year
- 21. #WCTPA @emagineBill My actual background • grew up poor with a single mom of 4 • no father figure or emphasis on education • dropped out of college • self-taught marketer • built my first website in 1996 for $800 • met Brett Cohen (co-founder) by accident • started emagine with literally $300 in the bank
- 22. #WCTPA @emagineBill Most (if not all) of you are better at building websites than I was.
- 23. #WCTPA @emagineBill History of emagine • two broke college dropouts, started as “2 guys in a garage” • took on any project / no focus • gradually added industry/company focus • added employees slowly • built portfolio • grew projects from $1,500 to an average of $100,000+ • today 50+ employees, projected to grow to 75 in 2017 • have always maintained a sales/marketing obsession
- 26. #WCTPA @emagineBill Crank Up the Volume what does it mean?
- 27. #WCTPA @emagineBill It means: • removing mindblocks and knowing that you can do bigger things • making the decision to grow • creating more value, allowing you to charge more • continuous improvement, refinement and advancement • dealing with the right companies (stop wasting your time) • learning to say no
- 29. #WCTPA @emagineBill Cranking Up the Volume 5 steps …
- 30. #WCTPA @emagineBill Step 1: Identify and decide
- 31. #WCTPA @emagineBill Identify and decide. •don’t be everything to everyone •determine what you’re good at •SWOT analysis •determine which efforts make you the most $ •choose targets: industries, company size, etc.
- 32. #WCTPA @emagineBill $1K- $5k $5k-$10k $10k-$20k $20k-$50k $50k-$100k $100k+ find your sweet spot sweet spot find and replace
- 33. #WCTPA @emagineBill Step 2: build your portfolio (at almost any cost)
- 34. #WCTPA @emagineBill Why your portfolio matters • gets more traffic than any other part of your website • shows your ability • gives you the opportunity to highlight certain projects • shows relevant industry experience
- 35. #WCTPA @emagineBill you will win more deals because you have relevant industry experience the deals you win will be at a higher price than your competitors without relevant industry experience
- 36. #WCTPA @emagineBill “No one ever got fired for buying
- 38. #WCTPA @emagineBill get creative • take on less profitable jobs if they fit your market • take on jobs that aren’t quite perfect • partner with established companies in your market Goal: build your portfolio
- 40. #WCTPA @emagineBill Step 3: obsess over sales and marketing (every day)
- 41. #WCTPA @emagineBill Accept this truth: Sales/Marketing is arduous and requires tremendous patience and perseverance … But it works.
- 42. #WCTPA @emagineBill Marketing • choose your targets strategically • contact them consistently • inbound, outbound, nurturing, content marketing, etc. • don’t relent • shift gears as markets change
- 43. #WCTPA @emagineBill “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” Work harder than your competitors and try new things.
- 45. #WCTPA @emagineBill Once you have a sales-ready prospect: • get in front of the prospect face-to-face, wherever they are • build rapport, ask many questions, even ones that don’t matter • understand their business and their pains • spend 70% of time listening, 30% talking/selling • design and write killer proposals and presentations • details matter: thank-you cards, leave-behinds, etc. • follow up until your hear “no”
- 46. #WCTPA @emagineBill Why should they choose you? •be great at something •define a differentiator … even if it’s not that different •add value through additional services •convince them that you can support them long-term •make them like you •don’t just be another option on a freelance board •you’re a professional business, not a web developer •make it sound easy (for them)
- 47. #WCTPA @emagineBill Step 4: Increase your pricing. Now.
- 48. #WCTPA @emagineBill Pricing • pre-qualify your leads • never charge hourly for a project • charge based on value, theirs not yours • charge more for exactly what you’re doing right now • prepare a compelling justification for your pricing • never win a deal because you’re the cheapest • if you’re not losing deals on price, you’re not charging enough • sell to higher value customers and gradually move up the food chain
- 49. #WCTPA @emagineBill Price/Value • you’re worth 15%-100% more than you’re currently charging • if you don’t think so, make it true. ADD VALUE • AND DON’T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT IT!
- 50. #WCTPA @emagineBill Step 5: partner • Get a business partner • Develop strategic partners
- 52. #WCTPA @emagineBill the power of NO.
- 53. #WCTPA @emagineBill “Death by 1,000 cuts” Success and growth are a result of of many, many tactics relentlessly being tried and employed.
- 54. #WCTPA @emagineBill What I wish I knew sooner: • Charge more, take the chance on pricing • Expand out of your region • Develop a niche • Create differentiating value • Don’t take on company-killing projects • Surround yourself with great people: • partners, mentors, employees, your network
Editor's Notes
- 2nd annual CNET Builder.com Conference Introduced new technologies, service and software Learned organically through trial and error Variety of projects for a variety of businesses Biggest project was $4k Not just static, but backed by a DB and crude CMS
- 2nd annual CNET Builder.com Conference Introduced new technologies, service and software Learned organically through trial and error Variety of projects for a variety of businesses Biggest project was $4k Not just static, but backed by a DB and crude CMS
- walked the exhibit halls and attended the sessions we were happy with the $2-$3-$4k sites we were building splitting the money 50/50 However we kept seeing work that wasn’t nearly as good as ours that people were charging
- We made an immediate decision to start charging more, way more for what we were building
- proposal that we were ready to deliver very complicated database driven website going to be our most complicated and most expensive project we every worked on Our estimate was going to be for $8k
- we just listed everything we were going to do and just had a price on the last page
- The reason I wanted to start this session with that story is to illustrate to you that there are times in your businesses evolution that you will be presented with information that could change your business forever and sometimes you just have to except the fact that you don’t know what you don’t know. Aimed toward ,project based business who wants to earn more money for the work they are doing Show of hands
- next 30 minutes or so I am going to present you with 5 steps brief history of myself and our company relevance with regard to this talk and how we went through growth over the years
- dropped out of college after running out of money worked for a small company where I was exposed to some marketing and design Bought my first Mac with a credit card Got in the graphic design and printing business by accident
- dropped out of college after running out of money worked for a small company where I was exposed to some marketing and design Bought my first Mac with a credit card Got in the graphic design and printing business by accident
- Is it just about charging more? Tried same thing with another estimate Projects were similar Companies were same size/same revenue Both projects would take us the same amount of time
- Not value to you but value to the client multiple sessions at WordCamps regarding how to create value Check out wordpress.tv
- This session is more about finding the right customers who already have a high value placed on their project And positioning yourself to be able to land them.
- Who you want to be Who you want to work for What kind of work do you want to do
- Resume example we realized what we were good at and what we weren’t and we just focused Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats We did the same thing for 10 years Doing the above will help define, your industries, company size etc.
- Find your sweet spot and execute those projects successfully we spent about ten years in the $20k-$50k range and we were very good at it As you find new high value clients, replace your old clients We found that it took the same company resources to do a $4k project as it did to do a $25k one If there are enough $25k projects, why do the smaller ones. Very difficult to do both The dynamics and expectations of a $5,000 project are much different than a $25,000 even if the actual work is the same.
- How does that translate into what we’re doing with our portfolio? a person is more likely to make a decision out of the fear of making a mistake than taking a chance Even if that someone else seems better How powerfull when a client sees Even more powerfull… when they see their competitors.
- Long Term strategy
- Web design / development is what you do The business you’re in is Marketing and Selling Professional Services Become more focused and flexible Set yourself up for long term success no matter what the technology
- Had one of sales people ask me “why are you telling everyone how we do it” My answer was simple… what we do is really no secret. Its just like losing weight, everyone knows how to lose weight right? Just because you know how to do something doesn’t mean you will. I hope that some of you will employ the tactics that follow and I promise you they will work.