Top,Ways,For,Web,Designers,Fin DIY Top 10 Ways For Web Designers To Find New Clients

When starting a new work at home business it is very easy to become consumed by it. We spend so much time trying to get the business up and running that we may end up becoming burned out and lose our motivation. There is so much to learn and Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;mso-style-noshow:yes;mso-style-parent:"";mso-padding-alt:0in

TOP 10 WAYS FOR WEB DESIGNERSTO FIND NEW CLIENTS(c) Copyright 2002 by Tom MulkernGiven the “dotcom” bust and the global recession of the past18 months it can be difficult for Independent Web Designersto put food on the table these days. However, the businessis out there -- you just have to be a little more aggressivein finding it. Based on our own experience and that of hundredsof Web Designers who have used our Web Hosting services overthe past five years, here are ten of the best ways to findnew clients for your web design shop this year:1. Contact Local ISP’s. Most Internet Service Providers offera few MB of webspace or hosting accounts to their customers.However, most don't offer website design services. Contactlocal ISP's and offer a generous referral fee if they sendbusiness your way. This tactic has worked very well for someof our Resellers. Note: It's important to help the ISP'spromote your service by providing them with some marketingmaterials they can send out by email and snail mail to theircustomers.2. Local Networking. Time and time again, web developershave cited this as one of their primary sources of newbusiness. You can’t do business sitting on your behind infront of your computer all day! You need to devote some timeto getting out and meeting local business people. This ismost easily accomplished by joining local businessorganizations such as the Chamber of Commerce and theRotary. If you keep active in these groups over time youwill establish yourself as the person to go to for anyweb-related services. Always be sure to carry businesscards, or better yet, full-color postcards to handout witha screen-shot of your website or web design portfolio. See http://www.web-cards.com for some great business cardand postcards ideas.3. Online freelance sites. There are number of sites now,such as http://elance.com, where you can find listings ofweb projects open for bid. It is true that you will becompeting with many bidders for these projects but don’tlet that stop you these are businesses that are ready tobuy now. A good strategy is too bid as low as you caninitially in order to get your foot in the door with agiven company. If you do a good job and delivery it quickthe company will naturally go back to you for additionalwork.4. Create a community business directory. This is a greatstrategy that is often used but rarely done well by localweb design firms. By creating a community businessdirectory you accomplish three things. First, you now havea database of all the businesses in your local area yourprimary target market! Secondly, you have now created alegitimate reason to get in touch with them. And finally,when you do contact them they will not perceive it as asales call; rather, they will thank you for providing sucha valuable service! 5. Ask for referrals. As soon as you land a client andsign the contract, you should immediately ask them for 3other businesses they know of that may be in need of yourservices. Right when you’ve made the sale is the best timeto ask for referrals, don’t wait until the end of theproject. Remember, you need to keep filling up your salespipeline with pending projects to keep the cash coming in.When you call your client’s referrals be sure to mentionthe person that referred them and offer something additionalsuch as a small discount or free consultation for thereferral.6. Write articles and free reports. Writing short articleson Internet Business and Web Development is a great way toget your name out and generate new clients. You can submitarticles to your local print media, Chamber of Commerce,and business publications. You can also syndicate thiscontent online for online publications and websites. Oneshort article can go a long way in generating new business.7. Focus on a niche. By narrowing your focus it will bemuch easier for you to find new web design clients. It’stough to be everything to everybody. Look at your existingclient base and think about the industries your bestclients come from. Pinpoint the best two or three and thenfocus your effort to only those types of businesses. It’seasy to get leads for specific industries from list brokerssuch as Info USA (http://infousa.com) and others. You canthen contact similar businesses and let them know youspecialize in creating websites just for their type ofbusiness. Tell them about the specific tools you can installto help their business increase profits, save money, andgain an advantage over their competitors.8. Smile and dial. Telemarketing can be a great way tofind new business clients when done properly. The best wayto do it is to start with a free offer that will help youqualify the lead. For example, if you create a communitydirectory, you can then simply call the businesses in thedirectory and let them know they are entitled to a freelisting. This will give you an opportunity to chat withthem and see what their needs are. You can then email orfax them a brief form asking for a description of theirbusiness to post on the community website. Let them knowwhen it’s up and then send them full details on your webdevelopment services. From there it will be easy to set anappointment.9. Send postcards. Direct mail using postcards can be avery effective and cheap way to get the word out aboutyour services. If you use full color postcards you caneven showcase screen-shots of some of the sites you’vedesigned. Always offer some type of free offer on thepostcard, such as a “FREE Website Analysis,” “FREE SearchEngine Readiness Review,” etc. in order the increaseresponse.10. Follow up. Follow up. Follow up. There is an old adagein marketing that says it takes at least seven contactsbefore a prospect will purchase. This is as true in sellingweb design services as it is with anything else. No matterwhat marketing tactics you use, remember that you mustrelentlessly follow up with people that have expressed theneed for your services. If you keep in touch, a goodpercentage will eventually become clients.There you have it, ten of the best ways to find new clientsand increase your Web Development business this year. Butremember, none of them will work unless you use them. So stopfiddling with your computer and get marketing!