Selling a Service? Start an Internet Business to Get More Online Leads

I get a lot of emails from people who think that you can’t start an Internet business to sell a service… that it must require an entirely different approach from selling a product online. They think they will need to use an entirely different set of tools and techniques… that their website design will be dramatically different… and that to drive visitors to their sites, they’ll need to use some strange, newfangled strategies. This simply isn’t the case.

You can market your service online just as easily as marketing a product. The only real difference between starting an Internet business to sell a service versus a product on the Internet is your focus:

• When you sell a physical product, every aspect of your site design and salescopy focuses on how the product is going to solve visitors’ needs and benefit them.

 

• When you sell a service over the Web, the focus is on how YOU are going to solve visitors’ needs and benefit them.

 

Those challenges aside, everything else is the same. Here are some simple strategies you can use to start an Internet business and overcome the unique challenges of marketing an online service business… so you can get MORE online leads!

Challenge 1: You ARE the product

When you sell a service, you ARE the product, whether you’re a real estate agent… doctor… lawyer… bed and breakfast owner… auto mechanic… caterer… hair stylist… fitness trainer… accountant… investment advisor… childcare provider… housekeeper… dog walker… landscaper… whatever!

You’re selling your time with the promise of a particular result, as opposed to selling a tangible product.

Solution: Focus on Credibility

Establishing your credibility — essentially establishing your value — is critical to closing the sale when marketing your service to get online leads. Not only do you need to establish the benefits of the service you’re offering, you need to establish the value of YOU providing this service.

There are different ways you can accomplish this…

• Include a good, professional picture of yourself. And no, the picture of you in your Hawaiian-print shorts and “Kiss the Chef” hat from last year’s summer barbecue won’t do. Giving your visitors a professional image to associate you with will go a long way to establishing your credibility.
• Provide your credentials. Make sure you state exactly how each of your credentials is going to translate into a BENEFIT for your clients. For example, if you are a real estate agent with certification in housing inspection, then you shouldn’t just tell your visitors ” I’m a certified housing inspector.”

  You should tell them: “Not only can I find the best home in the best location for you and your family, as a certified housing inspector, I can give you an accurate assessment of the home’s structural soundness and let you know about any potential problems to make sure you avoid getting stuck with costly repairs in the years to come!”

 

Challenge 2: Prove your ability to deliver measurable results, while emphasizing flexibility

People will want to see proof that you’ve delivered great results for other clients, but they will also want to know that you are flexible enough to meet their own unique needs.

Solution: Show how you satisfied past clients with mixed needs

Make sure that you keep confidential client information confidential, while:

• Proving that you’ve satisfied the needs of other clients like them with great results. There are a few different ways to do this. Including testimonials from satisfied clients is one. And including an online portfolio of your work is another (e.g., landscapers might include pictures of well-manicured properties they designed and maintain).

  Just make sure your salescopy gives a detailed breakdown of the services you provide, with the benefits you offer clearly explained. Do you offer the same services as similar service providers? More? Less? What makes you different from your competitors? Do you specialize in anything? What kind of guarantee do you offer? How will your services be delivered?

  These details are one of the most critical aspects of your site.

• Demonstrating your ability to customize your service to meet their personal, unique needs. As mentioned earlier, people will not only want to see proof that you’ve delivered great results for other clients, they will want to know you’re prepared to customize your service to meet their needs. So here, again, thorough salescopy that clearly explains how you’re willing to customize your services will be very important. Do your clients typically fall into a few different categories? Can you talk about each group, and explain how you adapt and change to meet their individual needs?

 

Challenge 3: You’re using a global medium to attract local business

Frequently, service-based businesses rely on local clients. Sure, the owner of a bed and breakfast in Seattle may be thrilled to be attracting online leads from Australia’s Gold Coast… but is the landscaper in Seattle going to be equally receptive to securing a weekly hedge-trimming and lawn-mowing client from Australia? Probably not.

Solution: Actively pursue sources of local traffic

Almost all the traffic techniques used to drive visitors to product-based Internet business sites can also be applied to service-based sites. But here are a few techniques that are useful if you need local traffic…

• Network with other local businesses. If you want local traffic, start making personal connections with other local business owners — preferably those with sites of their own. Look for ways to position your service and your website as a resource to their customers, and then request a link on their site or get permission to leave your business cards (printed with your URL, of course!) in their lobby or next to their cash register.
• Get your site listed in local online directories. There are plenty of local online directories that list only two or three businesses in categories that should be quite popular. With consumers becoming more comfortable searching for information online, it only makes sense that they’re turning to these local directories (to hire local services!) with increasing frequency.

  Why not take advantage of the fact that few businesses are pursuing this valuable source of traffic? Look up local online directories in your area and request a listing!

• Take advantage of sites like Elance.com. Depending on the type of service you offer, professional services marketplaces like www.elance.com and www.ifreelance.com may be a great source of clients and online leads. Post your qualifications and bid on posted jobs, using your website to help close the deal once you’ve entered into a one-on-one discussion with a potential client.

 

Once you’ve wrapped your head around these challenges, everything else should be easy. All of the other strategies to start and successfully market an Internet business are the same: creating compelling salescopy… generating qualified traffic… designing a website that sells… these can all be transferred directly to a service-based website.

Of course there IS one other challenge that’s unique to selling a service online (or off): your time is limited! There are only so many hours in a day you can devote to fulfilling the needs of your clients. When you’ve reached a maximum client load, you may want to consider other ways of expanding your business… whether it’s creating partnerships with other service providers, writing and selling an eBook on a topic relevant to your industry… or even recommending other businesses’ products as an affiliate.

In the meantime, start an Internet business to dramatically increase the online leads you attract, the deals you close, and your overall online service income!

About the Author

Derek Gehl, CEO of The Internet Marketing Center, helps online entrepreneurs create incomes of $100,000 to $2.5 MILLION or more per year online. Learn how to start an Internet business to get more online leads with BeBiz today.

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