I could write a book about selling. Cause I’ve done it, in one way or another, all my life.

Some notable experiences:

I have been a door to door salesperson:  Tough. With a capital T. If you can do this you can do anything. Trust me. A door will slam shut in your face. A lot.  Suck it in. You gotta smile and be enthusiastic on each and every door. Make a sell and you will love that person forever.  Proudest moment. Selling someone a photo of their house…which wasn’t there. It hadn’t been built yet.  

I’ve been an estate agent.  I learnt from this how to tell, very quickly, what people want and to best achieve their desires. I also learnt I had too much moral integrity to stay too long.

I’ve sold books. In fact I held the store record for most books sold to a single customer : )

I run my own business. This is selling a service.  And a damn good one at that!

In truth every single occupation is about making money for yourself or someone else.  Universities sell an education, shops sell products, millions of people sell some kind of service be it websites, cleaning, dog walking. It is all a sale.

That’s how the world works. The successful ones are those who can sell well.

There are a few universal truths about successful selling no matter what business you are in.

·         SMILE. It is the most simple and most powerful sales weapon you will ever have. FACT. Smile when you meet someone not just for the first time, but every time. Smile when you answer the phone. Honestly people can hear your smile. Do it when you’re charging you customer and they will leave with a positive feeling even if the rest of the sale was nothing out of the ordinary. Smile when you’re on your own doing shit you hate. Trust me, it rubs off and you will be doing a better job. Go on try it NOW!

·         People don’t buy your product. They buy you. Or the experience you provide. It could be the atmosphere you provide, the aesthetics, the genuinely better service you give (is everyone smiling?).  It could be anything. It is that one thing you can give that no one else does. That’s why people buy from you and not (let’s face it) the same product further down the road. It is up to you to work out what this experience is. Try to define it exactly so that you know what you are aiming for.

·         The customer is not always right. But hey, they don’t have to be. I guarantee that you will meet a total moron who has  absolutely no idea what they are talking about. The most natural thing in the world is to give them a piece of your mind. But don’t. Try to build good will. It will pay off later. People often know when they’re being an asshole but don’t want to lose face. They will remember the person who rose above it all and continued to be professional. 

·         Customers will tolerate complications if they genuinely believe you are doing your best. You know that grumpy acne faced teen who talks on their mobile while scowling at anyone who wants to be served? That’s the same as the business owner thinking that they are doing their customers a favour by serving them. WRONG! They are doing you a favour  by spending their hard earned cash at your establishment. Remember that. Smile and say thank you! And mean it.

·         Trial and error. If you learn nothing else remember this. Some things will work.  Some won’t.  You need to spot what works and drop what doesn’t. Stagnancy is suicide. Keep innovating keep trying new things. You will learn so much and you confidence will sky rocket, I guarantee it.

Selling one thing is easy. Selling again and again and again is hard. It takes some skill and a lot of attitude, the good kind.  How do you know if you have what it takes? GO AND DO IT.

“Don’t end your life thinking what if, I wish I’d tried, I wonder what would have happened if I.. GO out and ******* do it!” – Doug Pitchers, DP Web Development

A website is a carefully and thoughtfully designed interactive sales piece.

It works by guiding each visitor through the steps you want them to take first, second, third and so on.

The price is not the first thing they should see.

Most people wanting a new website are not web developers (otherwise they would build their own website wouldn’t they?). As such they will think that all web developers are the same. A web developer is a web developer. Just like a pound coin is a pound coin. Or a jerk is a jerk.

So as soon as these people land on your site they will want to know one thing: the prices. Because that’s all they will care about at this point. They don’t care about your blog, they don’t care about your examples and they don’t care about those testimonials saying what a great person you are.

Price comes first.

They will look at the prices first. If it’s not what they expect they move on. They won’t want to look at the rest of the website and feel bad about not having the best. Sod that. Let’s just go

And just like that. They’re gone. Bugger.

Often, when people say they don’t have the money, they do. It’s just they think it’s not worth the money. A web developer is a web developer right?

It is up to you to show them that it is worth it. It totally is. You need to show them that it’s a no brainer to want you. How did they survive without you? Forget the price.  That doesn’t matter. They have found the only one that understands them. Totally gets them. And that’s what matters

But how do you do that?

It comes down to design (doesn’t everything?) Often developers don’t think about the steps they want people to take and just whack up pages that they think should be there. Like price first. WRONG!

You need to know what steps you want people to take. Where they should go and in what order. Because if you don’t know this how are you doing to encourage others to take these steps? Plan ahead. Clue, you don’t put prices up first. Would you buy a house for £1,000,000 or even £100,000 without seeing it first?  

Product, Desire, Price is a good starting order.

Do I have to include the price?

Yes. You do. Don’t follow in the footsteps of those shady bastards who go all secretive about their fees.  I don’t trust them and neither should you.

You should never make a user have to guess. Studies show that if you don’t show the price most people will click away assuming the prices are crazy expensive. (They could be right).

So what should you do?

Three things that will help:

1.       Develop a shit hot landing page with an introduction that speaks directly to the customers you want. They should be saying “wow, yeah, amazing, show me more” by the end. This content should grab their attention and not let go like a crazy lover.

2.       Encourage visitors to see your examples or your greatest hits. Something that will build their desire. Below the first paragraph put a big bold link. Visitors should feel that you’re talking directly to them and will click on this link. Example:  if you’re a great parent and there was a link saying “if you’re a great parent click here” you will probably do so.  Trust me. Get this right and you’re ahead of the game.

3.        Pricing. On this page have some copy on the top reminding them why it is a no brainer to want your service/ product. Photographs can help (make sure they actually serve a purpose don’t use them to distract the visitor!) And while they are still in love with you put the price info at the bottom of the page.

 A kick arse website brought to you by DP Web Development. Rocking : )