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For the last couple of years, I sell services online. And the major mistake I made when I first started was to spend thousands of dollars on a website.
If I could go back in time and tell my younger self to STOP! And do what I’m going to tell you here in a moment…
…I’d save myself a solid year of time and money wasted, so listen up!
If you’re just starting out or you’re about to shell out thousands on another web development project, don’t!
Do not worry about a BIG complicated website. Instead write 2-3 blog posts and launch a professional looking blog. A blog that positions you as an expert in your space.
It goes without saying, but it’s extremely important that you’re honest and truthful in your marketing.
Don’t lie!
This is a sure way to fail!
Build your blog around you and your personality first.
Your business second.
Why?
Because people don’t fall in love with BIG dumb companies. They fall in love and do business with people they know, like and trust.
Your job is to give useful information to your target market.
In my previous post about Info-Product Creation I reveal the critical importance of content creation to your success. Please click here if you missed it.
And I’d argue that good content is even more important for service providers to attract leads and customers.
Once you have a professional blog ready, I recommend you offer a free buyer’s guide. Buyer’s Guides make great lead attractors!
A lead attractor is a free resource or low-cost offer. Lead Attractors are designed to solve your ideal prospects’ burning problem. If your lead attractor is successful your prospects will find it irresistible. They indicate their interest when they volunteer their contact information. This way they give you permission to follow up with them.
For more information about how to attract leads and convert them into customers, click here for my FREE Effortless Business Growth Report.
The BIG difference between offering a product or Info-product online and a service is most service customer relationships begin with some form of an appointment.
I use to be in the Information Technology (IT) business and I had an average of 3 appointments take place before a contract was finally signed by the prospect.
Generally, the more complicated the service, the higher the price and the more time-intensive the sales process is….
The good news, when you master the process above and begin to attract qualified leads on autopilot, you can spend more time with qualified prospects. And less time prospecting…
…which means to you, more sales in less time!
It circles back to content.
You have to have good content to attract leads but even better offers to convert your leads into customers, effortlessly (I’ll provide more insights into irresistible offer creation in later articles. Stay tuned).
If you have a knack for writing, website design, marketing or anything else similar, then you can absolutely excel online selling services.
Check out the different websites where you can hunt for potential employers looking for writers, bloggers, designers and marketing experts to hire on a part-time, full-time or freelance basis.
So what services can you offer online?
Well, aside from writing website content material and articles, you can also:
- write for blogs
- create news ads
- magazine articles
- promotional material
- product descriptions
- website design and creation
Or get involved in digital advertising, like Dahl Integration Marketing.
If you think that your options are limited to writing and designing, then you are gravely mistaken.
Now that more and more businesses of all sizes are using the Internet to create virtual teams of experts, you can now find jobs that look for virtual assistants, recruiters, telemarketers, accountants and on-and-on.
Upwork, Fiverr and other services can be your best friends when it comes to finding “service- related” job postings (for more resources click here to review our resources page).
Dahl Integration Marketing has clients that are real estate professionals, social media experts, e-commerce stores, local retailers and property managers…
… so, I know firsthand what can happen when you add an online element to your off-line service business.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Offering Services on the Internet
Finding service related opportunities online has never been this easy.
With the help of websites offering a wide variety of projects on the Internet, you now have the opportunity to find a well-paying project or on-going work.
Depending on the industry, you can get paid well, even if you’re just working for one client.
Just be cautious about who you work with. I’ve learned the hard way that you have to screen your potential clients as well or better than you would if you were hiring a candidate in-house.
Take time to review employment feedback and client ratings for your prospective client on the freelancer website your using.
In conclusion, offering services on the Internet is seriously being considered as one of the best and the easiest Internet business models in the world of online jobs and businesses.
And if you own an established service business taking your offers online can double your sales … or more!
Stay tuned because I’m merely scratching the service on all the opportunities that exist in creating the income of your dreams online.
If you’ve been following along in previous articles you should have chosen an Internet Marketing model to run with.
Plus, you should have also taken some steps to choose the target market you want to serve and the products you’ll promote to that market.
In my next article I’m going to explore the three types of Internet Marketing because it’s time to begin formulating a plan to successfully attract leads and customers to your growing business!
Note: For our purposes I’m not including forms of advertising online, you’ll see why.
I’m excited because this next article will help you begin to formulate your overall Internet Marketing strategy.
If you’re enjoying the content so far and you’d like to take the guesswork out of growing your business online, then click here to get the ultimate shortcut.
About the Author
Eric Dahl is the owner of Dahl Integration Marketing, Author of the Funnel Vision Method™ and Creator of the Funnel Vision Method Masterclass™. He’s also a World-class Sales Professional, Digital Marketer Certified Funnel Expert, Automated Marketing System and Funnel specialist.
He created Dahl Integration Marketing, LLC to help Entrepreneurs world-wide get leads, clients, patients and referrals systematically so they can finally realize their dream incomes predictably… without the costly guesswork and technical challenges.
For more information about the Funnel Vision Method and how you can implement it to grow your business easier and faster visit www.dahlim.com.
