How to target customers for Free website

mark8511

Hi All

Apologies if this is not the right place to post this.

I am a freelancer and wordpress developer. Before I start my business as a web design company I want to get some work into my portfolio.

So , I have planned to provide free website to the small businesses or sole traders ( wordpress cms with 4-5 pages).

I can provide this for free to them if they pay €40 -€50 for hosting and domain name. I will get a commission on this, In this way I can get some money and clients in my portfolio.

So Is there any suggestions How can I get such customers to whom I can offer free website.

xprnc

Hello Mark,

You could go to one of the many local networking events (e.g. local Chamber), meet business people and advertise your offer.

Otherwise, this post on Boards might be enough, I'm sure people will get in touch privately

mark8511 wrote: »

Hi All

Apologies if this is not the right place to post this.

I am a freelancer and wordpress developer. Before I start my business as a web design company I want to get some work into my portfolio.

So , I have planned to provide free website to the small businesses or sole traders ( wordpress cms with 4-5 pages).

I can provide this for free to them if they pay €40 -€50 for hosting and domain name. I will get a commission on this, In this way I can get some money and clients in my portfolio.

So Is there any suggestions How can I get such customers to whom I can offer free website.

somahoney74

xprnc wrote: »

Hello Mark,

You could go to one of the many local networking events (e.g. local Chamber), meet business people and advertise your offer.

Otherwise, this post on Boards might be enough, I'm sure people will get in touch privately

Hi there, I've just started a new business as a sole trader and I'm currently looking to get a website developed, you can pm me if your interested in talking. Thanks

jetsonx

mark8511 wrote: »

Hi All

Apologies if this is not the right place to post this.

I am a freelancer and wordpress developer. Before I start my business as a web design company I want to get some work into my portfolio.

So , I have planned to provide free website to the small businesses or sole traders ( wordpress cms with 4-5 pages).

I can provide this for free to them if they pay €40 -€50 for hosting and domain name. I will get a commission on this, In this way I can get some money and clients in my portfolio.

So Is there any suggestions How can I get such customers to whom I can offer free website.

Your plan is extremely admirable. And yes, you do need a portfolio of websites for credibility.

But do not be surprised if your plans gets met with apathy.

Reasons:

Some small business owners won't even be able to provide you with basic content for their free site. And if they are getting a website for free - they will have no respect for your time so a basic website project could drag on for weeks.

Others small business owners will be suspicious of your idea and think that you will fleece them at some point in the design process.

My Suggestion:

Offer your first clients discounted rate but don't give away you're work for free.

mark8511

jetsonx wrote: »

Your plan is extremely admirable. And yes, you do need a portfolio of websites for credibility.

But do not be surprised if your plans gets met with apathy.

Reasons:

Some small business owners won't even be able to provide you with basic content for their free site. And if they are getting a website for free - they will have no respect for your time so a basic website project could drag on for weeks.

Others small business owners will be suspicious of your idea and think that you will fleece them at some point in the design process.

My Suggestion:

Offer your first clients discounted rate but don't give away you're work for free.

thanks for your advise, it is true that some will think that i will screw them at one stage or the design will not be up to standards.

mneylon

Don't give away your work / services for free.

You can do it, but if you market it as free you're going to attract bottom feeders

You might do better to charge an "introductory" rate or something and make it clear that it's only for the first X customers

SpaceTime

Definitely limit it to some kind of limited special offer. You'll get totally taken for a ride otherwise, I have seen this a few times.

I'd suggest perhaps approaching small businesses / start ups that you know personally or maybe voluntary organisations / good causes that might be 'worthy causes' rather than commercial businesses that might just see it as a cheap way of getting a website.

Your portfolio is just a portfolio, most people will be happy enough to just see interesting sites. Whether they're commercial businesses or charities is really not relevant. It's all about the design and technical functionality of it and the fact that you were able to produce something to a particular spec. and work with clients etc etc.

If you want to pick up actual paid work, do the business networking events!

Cianos

Most customers don't even look through a portfolio, as most either don't care, don't see the importance, don't think of looking, or don't trust themselves to judge the quality.

You'll find that most of your work will eventually come from word of mouth. As such, giving your time away for free is the worst way to start this organic process. If you give a site away for free to Jim, and his friend Bob rings up asking for a website, will you be comfortable quoting Bob the full price? How will Bob feel when he's to pay X, and Jim got it for free?

Free isn't always the most attractive anyway, as it results in the perception of lower quality.

Peterdalkey

Cianos wrote: »

Most customers don't even look through a portfolio, as most either don't care, don't see the importance, don't think of looking, or don't trust themselves to judge the quality.

You'll find that most of your work will eventually come from word of mouth. As such, giving your time away for free is the worst way to start this organic process. If you give a site away for free to Jim, and his friend Bob rings up asking for a website, will you be comfortable quoting Bob the full price? How will Bob feel when he's to pay X, and Jim got it for free?

Free isn't always the most attractive anyway, as it results in the perception of lower quality.

Could not agree more! if your work is good quality then it is worth paying for.

What might be worth offereing is a free one page mockup.. similar to a sketch or artists impression, as your sales tool.

Shen_Wong

I think @jetsonx is 100% spot on. Many small & large businesses won't know what content to put up until near execution. By offering for free, you will have many projects dragged out and probably never completed.

I would also suggest a special introductory rate to the first x customers. But I definitely think you are on the right track as I would require to view prior work before I work with anyone on a creative level. Otherwise their is no way to know if they can create something to the style that I want.

Graham

Have you put together a few sample sites of your own for your portfolio?

Atomico

I think free is fine for charities and the like, for your regular customer you should always charge a fair rate.

Ricko77

I am in the process of setting up a website and I am would be intertested to talk to you

anbrutog

Hey Mark,

First off, I just want to echo what others have said about working for free.
I did it when I first started and lived to regret it. It will attract the scummiest of the scummy "business" owners, and not the kind of people you want to work with. They will not respect you and they will take the proverbial out of you left right and centre.

To get those first few clients in the door, you're going to have to put on your sales hat and get hustling.

The mistake that every single web designer makes when selling their services is not talking in a language small business owners understand.

If you ring one up and say, "Hey, I noticed you don't have a website, would you be interested in getting one?", I guarantee more often than not you'll get the phone slammed down.

You have to understand that business owners are FLOODED with offers to make websites and do seo from not only local firms, but Indian "companies" as well ( I'm sure most of us have gotten plenty of "First Page on Google Guaranteed" type emails at some point ) and are slightly jaded about the whole thing.

But if describe to them how a website can get them customers, save them time and improve their business, bolstering this with solid proof, then I guarantee you'll get a large proportion who will listen.

I highly recommend you check out a guy called Ari Galper and his approach to cold calling ( his program is called "Unlock the Game" )
Its an approach that I've used myself, where you make the call all about your prospects problems ( if any ) and do it in a completely non pressurizing way.

This allows your prospect to open up and relax, and tell you that yes, they are having problems attracting customers, that they know getting a website is a good idea but because they don't know who to trust, they are ( quite understandably ) skeptical about people ringing up offering to do websites for them.

This is where you come in, build trust, demonstrate you know what you are doing, and hopefully make the sale.

My two cents.

AB

redlik

Hi Mark,
I agree with previous posts, giving work away for free is the last thing you do. Your work won't receive any appreciation, people will keep asking you to add more stuff, constant pain in a....
If you really have to, contact charities - at least your time spent for 0€ will not be wasted completely.
I really like anbrutog post. Very useful tip, not sure if applicable to some one who just starting.
R.