How to convince a client to raise their website budget
Ever run into that one client who just doesn’t want to spend money to develop a quality website showcasing their business? We all do. Either they want the world for $300 or they are new to the internet scene and view a website as just another yellow pages ad. The following is from an actual email sent to one such client.
I understand that it’s difficult for businesses that have never had a website to budget for one. What I usually tell people is to think of the site in terms of advertising. If you were to advertise in the Trader’s or some other weekly publication, you’d pay an average of $100 to run an ad for one week. That’s $5,200 per year. The problem is that all the past dollars you’ve spent are wasted after that week’s circulation is up. As soon as the next issue comes out, no one ever sees that ad again and it does your business no good. To get continued benefit, you must continue to run ads.
A website, on the other hand, is a one time charge that costs much less over time than print advertising and continues to work indefinitely. And that’s just the money part.
Print or radio/television advertising is static. That is, it only works on the chance that someone who is interested in your product sees/hears it and chooses your business. On the other hand, a website is dynamic. When a person is looking for what you sell, they can actually interact with your company through your website and make an informed decision. Even better, your site actually reaches out and grabs people who are in the market for your product. A good website uses pings to draw search engines, who in turn send people your way whenever they’re looking for the products you offer. You can’t get that out of a newspaper ad.
Today’s consumer has become very good at drowning out advertising. Studies show that even online banner ads are largely ignored. The great thing about a quality website is that people don’t view it as advertising. When they visit your site, they’ll view its contents as helpful information and the more of it you have the more they’ll appreciate your company. They don’t even notice that they’re being advertised to the whole time they’re there.
Finally, there is no limit to how many customers a good website will draw in. Newspapers depend on circulation numbers and even within those numbers it’s a very low percentage that actually read the ads. TV and radio depend on audience, which is quite low for local [city name] stations. Websites, though, have the world as their audience and you may find people willing to drive hundreds of miles to buy from you simply because they feel comfortable with your business - based solely on your website.
This has worked for us. What has worked for you? Let us know.
Here’s a few other tips we came across:
- First make sure your pricing is right and try your best to avoid cheap clients.
- If your client is reluctant to divulge the price they have in mind, try this.
- If it comes down to it, make sure the client is completely aware of just how much this stuff costs.
- Stay firm in your pricing. Make sure your price is fair in your market, then stick to your guns. Lowering your price will make both parties unhappy in the end.
The next time you encounter someone with sticker shock when handing him an estimate, don’t dismiss him. Walk him through what needs to be done and see if he still thinks that page can be whipped out in a couple of hours. It’s an educational opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.
Filed under: Being Successful
