Rupp Would anybody have any advice for changing the limiting belief that 2-3k a month is a LOT to charge a client? I'm actually confident and comfortable charging $2500 a month and sometimes 3k but past that just 'feels' like a LOT. It holds me back. I know that if I'm helping an HVAC company that is doing 2m a year 5k a month is only 3% of sales and for that we CERTIANLY bring more 3% of sales worth of value. We tell their story, provide the website, content, optimize, gmb, citations, strategy, test cta, paid ads with a sales funnel plan. We implement, we fight for our clients and do important work that matters. For some reason charging more than 3k a month is a block for me. Who can relate to that? Thanks for any comments 🙂 30 👍🏽3245 💬🗨📰👈
Koszo I think it's a limiting belief from the client as well, not just your side 🙂 I guess for these kind of clients it's easier for them to digest a cost per lead setup. Smaller numbers and less commitment etc. but bigger numbers at the end of the day. For the types of clients who are used to spending 5 figures a month on other types of marketing, it's a lot easier. Isaac Amazing question. One thing to think about is that when looking at an Search Engine Optimization (SEO) campaign, don't look at it as a 1 3 or 6 month optimization. Ideally your work will be helping them for 3-5 years, maybe even more. In that case think about all the potential leads you could he bringing in over that time span.
Cody » Isaac Solid take 💪
MaAnna Maybe ask them what their full marketing budget is. And then show which one pays off more. That's where the majority of the budget needs to go. Back when I first started (when Yellow Page ads were still a thing to buy) I had a hard time convincing folks they needed a website, much less SEO. But 3 months after one client got her site, she had such an increase in foot traffic that she canceled ALL of her other advertising except business cards to hand out in real life events – and the website address was the most prominent thing on the card. It's unfortunate that you still have to convince biz owners of these facts.
Kafka » Justin Beat me to it
Ammon 🎓 This should be a wake-up for you: 2.5k was my *daily rate* while with an agency… in GBP, not dollars… in 2005. However, it all depends on what value you offer. For every 2k spent, are you certain to give $10k return as a direct result of the investment? Because that's what you need to be doing at a minimum really. One of the reasons I mostly work for larger clients is that the margins are larger. For a reasonably large business to make an extra 100k means that just one day that month was twice as good as usual. For a medium, it may mean they had a good week. For a small business, an extra 100k probably means a really good month. But for a micro business that means doubling their income for a whole year. 🤔💟17
Andrew 🎓 » Ammon You are exactly right. 5x ROI is the minimum. A business can get 4-5x on ads already. Max O'Neill » Ammon How do you approach these companies? I have strategies that are proven at smaller scales, but haven't had the opportunity to try at a larger scale yet. Would these companies talk to someone without that exact kind of experience? Ammon 🎓 » Max O'Neill There's a number of ways, but unless you've already built the network of contacts that can refer you, the most direct and accessible is to simply outreach (cold calling). That's not what we were doing, as I was already a very well known SEO, and the agency I was with also had repute and 'chops' they'd built in previous work. But if you don't have the contacts that brings, then you have to be the one reaching out to the right people. Obviously, the best of cold calling isn't really all that cold. Ideally you do your homework and pre-select very hot leads for the cold calling. Look for companies that have just dropped a lot of budget on other forms of advertising, such as street posters, print, radio ads, etc. Understand the strategy they were going for, their message, and do a little research on their market, their competition, and of course, look for targets where you can deliver some immediate high value. Then you just have to find the right person at that company to make your proposal to. 💟 Max O'Neill » Ammon Incredible advice, thank you Ammon!
Steven Kang 👑 I would consider the target audience type and their market potential. For example, approach 9 figure businesses and tell them you charge $2500 max. They won't appreciate your pricing. Instead, they'll start worrying that you aren't charging enough to generate needed revenue to pay the bills. Their business math is different than a typical small business accounting mindset. This should help change the perspective. 💟37
Keith L Evans 🎓 this IS the answer Courtney Marie 🎓 » Steven Kang THIS ^^^^
Lenney How about this, i won't even TALK to a client unless I know I can get $7k minimum, i've also had MULTIPLE $25k/month clients – I do affiliate SEO, but when I do take on clients, I make sure it's worth my time, and theirs. I don't dick around with the small stuff 🙂 💟13
Rios » Lenney How Many clients you have? How Many people in your Team? I am struggling in this pandemic, I was growing very solid until beggining of 2020. Thanks for your time! Would you mind Sharing 3 to 5 niches?
Kathy Sometime before the year 2000, back when we charged per hour, a friend and colleague was selected to interview with a company for their web developer/SEO contract job. She said the interview was going great. They obviously loved her until they got to the part when they asked her what she changed. $40/hr she said. And then the room went silent. She gulped. "Oh my," they said. "You clearly are not the level of expertise we are looking for." Another client had a slightly different experience at about the same time. When asked how much she charged, she gulped because it was difficult for her to say, then said $100/hr. Their response was, "You're so cheap!" She got the job and raised her price shortly after. Moral of the story is you may possibly be the only one who thinks you're too expensive. 🤔12 Frank A typical Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) install costs $ thousands of dollars and if they are an established business they are charging $8-12K+ for installing these hvac units.. So please don't feel bad. $2/3K is a bare minimum when these businesses sell ton of new units each month worth hundreds of thousands. A.J. Jagodic welcome to the jungle…it depends on the competition the price thing…but yeah when clients start seeing you as investment in their brand and not as an expense…then you're on the right track…sometimes it happens when the results come…but with some clients its never enough Colbert Like Steven said earlier, know who you're pitching to. Quoting $2500 per month to a 9 figure brand would eliminate your chances to win the contract in most cases. Basically just know the value that you bring and be prepared to walk away from a brand that isn't willing to pay your fees. Make sure you're tracking everything in Google Analytics (GA) or some 3rd party analytics tool, so you can tie your deliverables back to sales. If you can reliably show your value, it will not only help close and retain clients, but also it will remind YOU of the value you're bringing to the table, making it easier to overcome a mental block of asking for more money. Kafka You need to stop looking at your service as a software (under 1k/m), and as a new hire replacement (2-5k/m) and start understanding that you are selling the ability to print money like any other net positive asset. Once you do that, the price is only limited by your clients desire to grow. Henry I can't remember where I found this. But, I downloaded and have worked with this as a model for pricing. Extrapolate it as you need to per budgets. At the end of the day, businesses need results. They can "play" with marketing and wonder what happens when it fails. On the other hand, they can "pay" what it's worth to dominate their market. There is no middle ground. 💟4 Aaron Coke Cola and Apple just called for you to run their SEO campaigns… should i tell them you are charging $2500? 🤭4
Steven Kang 👑 » Aaron Aaron » Steven Kang That would about describe the job board additions Rupp ✍️ » Aaron Rolls eyes, GIF may contain Eye Roll, Robert Downey Jr, sassy, Over It, ugh and whatever
Boray How much is your client making off your 2-3k? Are you doing them a disservice not charging more? If their ROI on 3 k is 50k would charging them 6k make them 100k? I charge my largest client 18k a month, but I can easily prove 500k a month ROI. It's probably 3 times that. That is just what I can prove.
