So, you are a digital marketer specializing in SEO. You can easily pull off SEO campaigns but lack the skill to sell your expertise. Take heart, you are not alone. Despite being able to generate an SEO lead, many marketers suffer due to their inability to develop sales pitch and close the deal.
Selling SEO services is neither rocket science nor a cakewalk. It’s something in between. Let’s run you through a few proven strategies to cut through the noise and close the deal. Read on.
- Prepare Well for the Pitch:
A half-baked pitch won’t take you far. It’s advisable to do your homework before the pitch. Well begun is half done, they say. You can always start by researching your potential. The prospect’s business, products/services, industry, target audience, competitors, online presence, strengths and weaknesses, nothing should skip the radar. The more you know about your prospect, the higher are your chances of earning their business. The prospect gets an impression that you care for them and, more importantly, you are well prepared to handle their project.
Once the due diligence is over, it’s time to focus on developing tools of the trade. Any SEO Company in Bangalore or elsewhere relies on CRM to manage all interactions with the prospect, nurture leads, follow them through, and earn their business. You need to follow suit. Getting a professional email is equally important. A generic “@Gmail” would reflect badly on your brand. Also, don’t forget to work on your site. Ensure it blends aesthetics and function, reflects your bottom line, and is optimized for SEO and mobile. It’s crucial because the potential client will be more likely to go through your website and make hiring decisions accordingly.
- Sales Pitch:
Now that all your ducks are in a row, you can now jump to the next level, the pitch. Be honest, forthcoming, polite, confident, and professional when pitching. Ensure the conversation is as natural as possible. Avoid using industry jargon, as the potential might lose interest.
Clear their Apprehensions:
SEO is existentially useful. Yet, certain apprehensions prevent over 74% of small businesses to embrace it. You have to address those hesitations to earn their business. Here’s a few of them.
- Can you Guarantee Top Rankings?
It’s a common misconception that SEO guarantees the first-page organic rankings for any keyword just like that. It’s up to you to inform them that SEO works but not always. Tell them, you’ll be doing whatever it takes to achieve SERPs for multiple keywords but cannot guarantee results. Also, inform them about the risks that can impact SERPs. Mind you, honesty always pays.
- Can you Deliver Results in a Month?
The client’s eagerness to achieve results is understandable. But before committing, ask them what they are willing to spend. Strategies like PPC deliver instantly but incur expenses. Also factor in the client’s industry, level of competition, optimization status of the site and other factors that cost time. Any reliable SEO Company in Bangalore will prefer keeping the timeline realistic.
- I am Already Using AdWords, would SEO Help?
It’s a common scenario. You have to be ready to deal with it. Elaborate how AdWords and SEO complement each other and should be used in conjunction. The valuable keyword data derived from AdWords can help shape a well rounded SEO campaign. Together, PPC and SEO ensure multiple listings for the same keyword. Also, SEO kicks in when Ad-Blockers render PPC futile.
- What about your Credentials?
How you present your credentials can make or break a deal. It’s advisable to prepare your portfolio cleverly. Highlight your previous performances, especially those page 1 results. Detail how you have helped clients to up the traffic inflow, and drive qualified leads, conversions, and sales. Don’t forget to compile testimonials with complete client details for cross-reference.
- What’s Your Plan for Me?
Clients would appreciate you being detailed about your strategies in the sales pitch. Your plan should explain the link building methods you’ll be using for SERPs. Include details on industry-specific content creation and dissemination, keyword research and targeting based on industry and competition, site optimization, schema mark-ups, indexing, listing and other SEO services.
Whatever you plan to do, it should be on paper for the client to see. Having a Plan B ready is advisable. It assures the client of your readiness to implement changes if the campaign goes out of track. Also, be clear about when PPC should kick in and how much would it cost. The plan should also feature measures to ensure accurate and timely reporting and in-depth analysis.
No two businesses are the same. One-fits-all solutions are more likely to fall apart, therefore. It’s your turn to ask your potential client about their needs, objectives, challenges, budget, and everything else that can help you craft need-based SEO strategies. For example, if the client seeks brand exposure, you need to pitch in with specific strategies accordingly.
