5 reasons you’re not converting website visits into client enquiries

The chances are you’re doing a pretty good job at getting visitors to your site but if you can’t push them over the edge (to give you their brief), or they won’t stick around then this post is for you. I want to show you that when you’re pitching a prospective client (even if they’re just browsing your site, you should still be pitching) your messaging is everything. This post was prompted by a question from a Freelancelift member:

In this piece I’m going to cover the 5 quick tweaks you can make right now to get yourself in the frame of mind to use your site as a tool for generating more clients and ultimately, more revenue.

Stacking these tweaks will give you the compound changes required to make your freelance clients value, and then WANT what you’re offering.

But first, there’s something you need to know…

Not every visitor/prospect is ready right now

We live in an information age which for small online businesses has its pros and cons.  The con is that you’re probably not the first freelance designer/writer/coder/marketer your prospect has found, nor will you be the last.   That is to say your prospects have options and will go on a journey of information gathering and validation before even looking to make a decision.

This is where the smart win out

If you’re getting visitors to your site(s) already (as this also applies to portfolio & social channels too) you’re in a great position to be able to at least convert them into something meaningful for you.   You’ll see just by reading between the lines of Ramon’s question here that compliments don’t pay the bills.

So are you asking to start the relationship?

I mentioned the information age has its pros and cons, well the pro is that its commonplace now for prospects to trade an email address for something useful to them. That means even when a prospect isn’t ready yet, they are ready for some ‘arms length’ dialogue at least.

Normally taking the shape of ebooks, videos, guides, tools which aid a client’s end goal. If you’re a designer, would it be fair to assume that the visitor has an issue with their website they’ll want to fix in the short-term future? Could you put together a short 2-3 page PDF with a checklist of “things you absolutely must include in your next website build”?

You can use that information to hook visitors into an autoresponder process and deliver great information intermittently (automatically). The point of this is to educate and transform the prospect into someone who trusts you and is much more likely to turn to you when the time comes to hire that freelancer.

Action point

Do you have at least one call to action which challenges your site visitors to give you their email?

Have you registered with an email follow-up system (such as Drip or Campaign Monitor) and loaded it with at least 2 follow-up messages which help to make an eventual sale more likely?

So here we go, let’s look at the 5 reasons your prospective clients don’t buy.

1. You’re not addressing their specific concerns in your content

Yes, this is marketing 101 but it’s such a crucial step it needs to be covered here.  There is a sweet spot between where your prospect is now (current situation) and where they want to be (ideal situation) that, if addressed multiplies the chances of them getting the outcome they’re looking for.

The objective of your service is to take your customers from their current situation to their ideal situation but it’s amazing how many freelancers don’t actually point that out.

Action point

Take a look through your own site content, there are some minor changes you can make to ensure that your content addresses at least a few of the feelings your prospective client is going through:

Desires

> What outcome do they desire and are you covering how your service will solve that?
> What would they want out of your product/service and how do you deliver?

Beliefs

> Does your content address the challenges the prospect believes they have?
> Does your content address the benefits they believe you can provide?

Fears

> Which fears have brought them to your door and how might they overcome them?

Your messaging should be unique, it should stand out from the other options your prospect has.

2. They don’t clearly understand what it is you’re providing

The next factor which will limit conversions and sales is that of a lack of clarity on what your product/service actually is. 

Again, this should be something you should have done right out of the gate but sometimes clients don’t know the difference between a front-end developer and a UX designer – so spell it out. What do you provide (in their language) vs the other options they’ve seen?

You’ll notice there may be lengthy superlatives around the features of your service (I write really well, I design really well)… who cares? You should address it in the context of your client, address the benefits to them.

It’s the difference between (real-life example):

“We make websites”

to

“We boost your revenue by designing websites that convert”

Your homepage should serve to tick the box “Yup, I understand that and I like it” then display a solid call to action to move to the next section.

Action point

Figure out what the primary purpose and primary benefit of your service is, in the client’s eyes. In doing so you’ll have a message which provides a more customer-centric explanation of how you make a difference.

3. They don’t value what you’ll bring to the table

I’m always surprised how few businesses actually push the emotional buttons that make for buying decisions.  If in doubt, go find some classic infomercials on Youtube for a masterclass on triggering an emotional “I need this” response, you’ll probably find it in the first 10 seconds of each one.

I’m not suggesting you ham it up as much as this but you should be able to identify with real issues your target audience is encountering.

As you’ve been able to define exactly what problems your product/service solves and you’re speaking in such a way that relates to your ideal customer you should now introduce your autoresponder opt-in.

You should produce top-of-the-funnel content which addresses these specific pain-points (as covered in the preamble above) which prospects can download in return for email & content information.

If you get the lead at this point great, you only needed three improvements but let’s move on to the more passive visitors!

Action point

Ensure your site journey addresses the value working with you provides and begin to close in for an opt-in

4. They don’t believe you

This applies whether you do business online or in person, regardless of your industry.  You should introduce some trust indicators within your site flow, taking the form of:

Video testimonials
If you can, use video it’s much easier for your prospect to identify with the human emotion within the testimonial.  This is a killer technique.

Written testimonial with headshot
This is the next best thing, but for extra cayenne pepper include a link with the option to “don’t take our word for it, contact this person yourself” for a verified response.   You’ll be surprised how few people will take this up, but the mere offer of a direct email to one of your customers is so powerful.

Social proof
If your sector allows for it, Facebook comments on a particular point really underlines a following but for more B2B elements you need to have an active suite of social profiles and you can “favourite” particularly positive responses and feed those into that area of the funnel.

As featured in…
Sometimes it’s difficult to see the wood for the trees as this technique is used so frequently but in certain situations it does carry some clout!

Again, your opt-in should remain present at this point and I do recommend A/B testing everything here but as I say the big gains have been from re-positioning content.

Action point

Are you validating your claims with easily verified trust factors and introduce these into your conversion path?

5. You’re not giving them a no brainer opportunity to kickstart a relationship

We’ve been able slicken the flow so there is less opportunity for DreamClient to go passive.  Now it’s about hitting them with the big sell (or opt-in if your goal is to generate a lead).

You have put together lots of value already if you’re addressing some of the steps above so you are now in a position to ask the question. At this point you can put together a no brainer offer, a chunky bundle of free content or free consultation.

Doing so in such a way that it really makes it simple is key here. Elicia at Writing Business Well does this perfectly with her ‘free copy review’ service. If a prospective client is potentially going to enlist their help, why not take a no-obligation taster of the service first?

You’ll know exactly what pushes your the buttons of an ideal customer so you can package your ‘no brainer offer’ accordingly.

Action point

Are you making it really easy for a prospect to convert?  Consider repackaging blog posts and videos into a hard-to-refuse bundle of content which you can give away in return for data. You could give a free consult, free trial of your service or similar.

Bonus.  Get clever, chase them (Pro tip)

So this is a bonus tip and fairly advanced, but its killer so it bears mentioning. If you’ve ever been shopping for clothes or travel, you’ll notice (if you didn’t buy) that you are now followed around the web by ads from that store. This is known as remarketing and its crazy-powerful.

With barriers to entry all-but removed (pretty much no lower limit on remarketing audience size) and with costs and complexity within reach of even the smallest business, remarketing via Google Adwords should be pretty much a no brainer.

For example, if you find someone exits at your contact page you might show them a small ad which gives short, insightful explainers about what your product actually does.  On click you can then take them back to a page within your site with an encouragement to make that final step and connect.

Action point

Get really really good at remarketing.  Google Adwords is a good place to start, but services such as AdRoll and Struq can help those with bigger budget appetites.

Its where you go from here that counts

The improvement points I’ve laid out in this post have been a catalyst for double-digit conversion rates in studies we’ve carried out with clients at Tone (the agency I founded from a “just-me” freelance business).

It starts by understanding that when it comes to getting value from your web presence, there should be no assumptions.  You need to take advantage of more effective messaging to ensure your site tells your story perfectly, in a language your client will understand (they really only care about their desires, beliefs and fears).

You should see an instant improvement by looking at this list of action points then its time to test, refine and improve every link in the chain until your website is a waterfall of new client prospects.

So I’m interested to know, are there any techniques you currently use to generate leads from your site which we haven’t already mentioned? Get involved in the comments below.

How to win a $50k client project without ever meeting face to face

What really separates a sole freelancer from a brand or lofty agency? Is there really that much difference, especially online? This is a question I’m often asked.

An agency (or freelancer with the backing of a team) is justified and empowered bill more, but why is that? Whether you’re a designer, writer, marketer or coder you probably manage most of your communication online – including finding and onboarding new clients – so what are the ingredients that make a client want to buy from you at such project costs without having ever met in person?

I thought up the outline for this post on the plane, somewhere over South East Asia 5 or 6 weeks ago. Gazing through the window (above!), tapping key points into my iPhone notes whilst sampling my way through the in-flight beverage range. My destination was a kick-off workshop with my colleague Anthony and a new International client for my agency, Tone.

The interesting thing about this project (and why you should pay attention) is that the deal was concluded entirely online, across different timezones utilising only:

• Email
• Skype
• InDesign / PDF
• Echosign

… and guess what, we were awarded the gig at a final figure of $50,500. Not only this, the client is/was delighted throughout the process and we’ve made a great start to the project meaning we’re really happy too.

To loop back then to my main point here, the client had never met us in person and so really had no idea of our size, they had not been bowled over by the schmooze associated with creative agency stuff. We’d not given them a proposal utilising only interpretive dance, nor took them out and got them so drunk they’d forgotten they signed the contract. There were no gifts, no grand tour of our brand new quirky premises.

So when you strip back all of those layers it’s a little more even, so what really is the difference between you as a freelance service provider and a brand able to justify a $50k web build quote?

Can you give this impression while still being a one/two person freelance business? I believe you can, its all about the perception aura around you and your brand, coupled with impactful framing around the problems you’re really solving.

I wanted to break down the key ingredients for you, tell you in plain English why I believe the client made this call and how you can make it work for you. For some of you, at this point in your journey you’d be happy with $50k as a total figure for an entire year.

Invest time and energy in a proposal

We spend a lot of time on our proposals. It’s something that we feel really separates us from run-of-the-mill service providers. They’re designed to be the pinnacle of our capabilities in terms of:

Language
If you have a brief from a client, the worst thing you can do is parrot back to them what they’re looking for. What we do instead is look between the lines for really what the underlying issue is and speak to that sensitivity (which often the client doesn’t even realise they have). For example:

“About 40% of our visitors now come from mobile devices, but they don’t convert well – so we need a quote for better landing page copy.”

Could be re-framed and pitched as:

“There is an issue with mobile traffic converting, we believe there is a real opportunity to improve conversions, generating more inbound enquiries by building the site with mobile in mind, via a custom responsive experience for mobile & tablet devices”

This type of language works as it:

• First agitates the surface problem by repeating
• Pivots into optimism with “real opportunity to”
• Spells out the upside “generating more inbound enquiries”
• Provides an element of intrigue and positions you as an authority by mentioning something which was explicitly requested “custom responsive experience”

Design
Remember, in most cases you are not alone in pitching for this work. Our proposals are highly customized to the prospect. Lots of imagery break up text. Great use of fonts and an almost ‘magazine’ type experience.

Nowadays, there is absolutely no excuse for poor design or boring, Word doc proposals. There are numerous InDesign templates which give you the layout for you to drop in the content (like here) or using a platform like Bidsketch you can take most of the design out of the equation and still end up with a great proposal. (Bonus for Freelancelift readers – 3 months free with Bidsketch)

Where possible, we’ll even have the proposals physically printed and sent out to the client ahead of deadline. It ends up costing us around $30 but for that ‘front-of-mind’ impact its invaluable.

For more on creating freelancer proposals that convert you can check out my short book Hourly Rates Don’t Matter.

Have relevant, credible work (with referees)

This will come with time of course, but you should have great work in your portfolio to call upon with happy clients to boot, who will vouch in the case of being asked. The new client did reach out to one of the referees we put forward and thankfully they gave us a glowing review. Moreover this client was in a similar space and had a strong name.

If you feel that’s too far away from you right now think again, there are ways to hack your way to a higher level of client then I have a video on being the specialist, even when you’re not.

Spell out the upside

Remember, you are not being hired because you can design/write/code, you’re being hired because the client has a business problem to overcome and your design/writing/coding is the means to that end.

Does your client really care if it takes you 10 hours or 1000 hours to achieve that goal? This is not the information they’re looking for – so why include it?

This was a topic of discussion on a recent Freelancelift Q&A with Brennan Dunn who sums it up perfectly, to “focus on the goal instead of the deliverable, make yourself an investment rather than an expense”.

Have multiple voices

If you’re a single freelancer this is difficult, but one of the separating factors between the sole operator and an agency is the comfort factor a client feels from a depth of team. More people (in a clients eyes) = better ideas, security, double-checking of work, cover for absences, less likelihood of disappearance etc.

We’re a 9 person outfit so that depth is genuine but if as a freelancer you can acquire a remote team, or team up with other freelancers (in the case of Cycle Studios thousands of miles away from one another yet still putting forward one cohesive brand)

Don’t lie about it, or create yourself numerous email personas as you’ll tie yourself in knots. Just consider how you might genuinely provide that depth, remembering if you’re doing business online you don’t need to be sat right next to one another.

Be available

The phrase ‘start as you mean to go on’ sounds like it was almost designed for early-stage internet relationships. If you are always available for Skype calls, clarification emails and for providing additional information to your proposal quickly and with a smile; you are instantly elevating the impression you leave with the prospect.

You’re professional, serious and are proving that you really want their work. Too many times freelancers are unavailable, uncontactable or don’t do that extra 20% to make sure they really win the job. Remember, if you aren’t doing that 20% extra someone else is.

Be the go-to resource

We positioned ourselves such that no question was outside of our realm. Strategy ideas (outside of web)? No problem. CRM recommendations? No problem. WordPress demo? No problem.

In line with the above, you should make it so easy for clients to bounce ideas off you (yes, even before you win the work) that you become the de facto choice for the job. After all, you’re an informational resource now not just a designer/writer/marketer/coder.

Caveat: You should only invest your time in this pre-sales activity if there genuinely is an opportunity on the table. A mark of a good freelancer is that they’re able to quickly tell the difference between good clients and bad. That’s why you won’t find top bracket freelancers on Elance.

Be a brand

The final point here, and something you can work to your advantage even as a freelancer again comes back to comfort. When you move into a higher price bracket it’ll soon become apparent that your client roster will more resemble businesses than individuals, so you should be prepared to follow-suit. If you are dealing with businesses already then just know that the decision maker at the other side of the desk would much prefer to report into their superiors that “We have [brandname] on the job” rather than “yeah we have John Smith, Freelancer to help us out”.

In some cases, you’ll find it difficult to make it through that first stage without a discernible brand which echoes your key messaging.

Please do yourself a favour though and lay off the [colour][animal][randomfruit] format. It’s tired, cheap and actually does more harm than good. That includes you Blue PigApple Creative.

Summary

I have a few posts upcoming which will start to give you a little more context on how to really make the step up, to win more projects and earn more per client. All without the default freelancer so-so advice. Whether your aspirations are to stay as a one-person business or to scale to meet any eventual demand you’ll be able to pick up ideas and methods you can put into practice right away.

So I’m interested to know, what techniques have you found to be effective when concluding freelance deals online and how have they affected the rate you can command?

Are you taking yourself seriously enough? 5 things to remember when working for free

I was compelled to put this post together by great comment I received today on a prior post.

I’ve bolded the key points here and I really like the way Sam describes this “perpetual volunteer” mentality.

The scenario is all too common; you’re starting out and looking to build a portfolio of prior work, referees and case studies. In doing so, you are working for little or no income. Then comes the tough bit, making the leap from “perpetual volunteer” to what I call ‘worthy professional’.

It’s a topic I cover in my book aptly titled ‘Stop thinking like a freelancer’ as well as in my free book download ‘Hourly Rates Don’t matter’

To demonstrate my take on this I’ll start with a story.

Will work for love

In a previous life I was a musician and between 2007-2009 was very active in the entertainment space. This culminated in me heading up a record label making global releases, a well received podcast, a club night and live performances of my own. It was a great period and the exposure took me to perform all over the world including Sydney, Stockholm, Moscow, Ibiza and throughout the UK.

On paper this all looks great but if you’ve ever been close to the music industry you’ll know that at the lower levels there is almost no revenue to be had; in the lower tiers it’s all about love and passion for the craft. Due to this being the ‘norm’ a dangerous trend perpetuates the music industry – working for free.

It’s more often framed as ‘working for exposure’ but whichever way you cook it, exposure doesn’t pay your bills.

Making the step up into ‘worthy professional’ status in the entertainment space proved almost impossible for me so I gave it all up, to focus more on building out my freelance design-for-the-music-industry business (Brandshank) which eventually grew to the 10 person web agency (Tone) it is today.

I made the step up in the freelance space (where I’d failed in music) because I’d figured out one crucial thing:

If someone hires you for [insert your freelance skill here] they aren’t doing it specifically to acquire your skill; they’re doing it to solve a problem they have.

When you realize this it should change your whole perspective. Even as someone working for free, you should build value into your pitch and use framing to explain the outcome specifically.

When you’re working from a position of ‘value provision’ rather than ‘skill provision’ it makes it easier to make the transition from ‘perpetual volunteer’ to ‘worthy professional’.

Here are five things you should remember mind when building your profile:

1. Even if you’re working for free, continually circle back to the impact / value this work should have (and has had).

2. Always be clear about the value of long-term relationships in your project dialogue (your client will quickly make the mental leap between a long-term relationship with you eventually involving remuneration).

3. Achieve the maximum amount of leverage from showcasing this free work – don’t waste it.

4. Don’t lose sight of the purpose of working for free, always consider it your stepping stone; not a ‘new normal’.

5. Above all else; be selective with who you work with in this phase and provide real, tangible value you can shout about for years to come.

Hope that helps, I’m interested to get your experiences on making the transition from ‘perpetual volunteer’ to ‘worthy professional’.

The truth about hourly rates

When it comes to freelancer pricing I tend to remain largely passive. In my opinion you either take pride in your work, or you don’t. You either understand your work has value, or you don’t.

The simple fact is, if you take pride in everything you do and believe that you truly are an asset to your clients you will never have a problem pitching a fair price, as you already instinctively understand the value of what you provide.

Not as clear cut

However; of late I’ve fielded too many questions from awesome freelancers who are struggling with pricing, this tells me it isn’t as clear cut as I’d previously thought. As it turns out I was wrong, it is quite possible to be great at what you do while consistently being undervalued and underpaid.

The truth is, when it comes to pricing it is YOU who controls the perceived value of what you do. When this perceived value impacts your pricing structure it is YOU therefore who controls whether this year will be another ‘just okay’ year for you.

So I felt I had a duty to do something, pricing isn’t all that complex you know.

Value provision not service provision

“Price is what you pay, value is what you get”
Warren Buffet

If the wealthiest man in the world talks pricing strategies, you listen.

Consider every other purchase you make in life. Those kicks you have an eye on; do you care whether they took 10 hours to manufacture or 100? Of course not. Do you care if they make you feel better, walk taller, stand out? Of course.

Are you buying on price alone? Nope.

So why doesn’t this rationale extend to service-led businesses? Why does the downtrodden freelancer get the short straw, hooked into a cost-plus model which lauds the importance of time-spent instead of mutual value provisioned.

I needed to put together a guide

I figured I’d put together a post on the topic. This post morphed into a two-part series, which grew into a full ebook which I’m happy to give you, for free – so I can help ‘doing okay’ freelancers make the most of value-led pricing too.

So although it’s only a concise one it’s a solid walkthrough of a value-led pricing approach for freelancers.

In it, I’ve attempted to reposition your mindset on pricing and laid out a ten section pitch structure that will leave your prospects in a state of shockcitement (literally just made that word up don’t read too much into it).

The link is below – it’s free and will put you on the path to stacking the odds in your favour, not that of your clients.

Download this free book ‘Hourly Rates Don’t Matter’ Here