Selling your services can be tough work because you are usually selling something intangible. It’s not easy for a potential client to understand what they are truly buying. This can cause hesitation in the purchasing decision and it can even keep a person from hiring you for a project. If you want to close more sales, it’s important to understand what you’re really selling.

How Would You Sell Web Design?

Lets talk about selling services in the context of WordPress consulting for this conversation. There are thousands of clients searching for web development and web design services, but they are not sure exactly why they should choose WordPress or even you as a service provider for that matter. How would you “sell the client” if you had the opportunity?

Many consultants would focus on selling the idea of developing a website. And for what it’s worth, they are selling the services to create and build a website. The client however may view their needs and the outcome from a different perspective. I usually see web design projects being pitched from these angles:

• We develop websites that are perfectly structured for web standards.
• We provide expert programming in PHP, CSS, and jQUERY.
• We create pixel perfect designs.
• We value the open source community and adhere to the GPL standards of WordPress.
• We present clean code and proper markup for effective websites.

All these facts may be true and relate to the development of the website, but the client has no clue what you are really selling. To them it ‘s just BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. Unless they are knowledgeable about web development practices, this means absolutely nothing to them. Please tell me what you can do for me!

Now lets reverse our thinking and sell our services from the perspective of the client. If we’ve done our homework and asked the right questions, then we will likely have key components or “trigger points” of what the client really wants.

How would I sell a potential client on my own WordPress services?

• I create website designs that will make your business look incredibly sexy and attractive.
• I design your website to work across all browsers and mobile devices so your visitors will love the experience you provide.
• I develop websites for WordPress, because you deserve the ability to manage your website quickly and easily.
• I design layouts that will engage your visitor and get them to click your call to action buttons.
• I will help you look like a million dollar brand without spending it!

My goal is to always present the client with valuable solutions for their perceived needs. Sure they want a website that meets web standards and is coded properly – and I will give that to them – but their main trigger point will be centered on having a website that makes them look sexy and that gets people to make an inquiry or purchase.

The first mindset focuses more on features. The second mindset focuses on selling value.

A client wants the assurance that the decision they make is a good one. They want to be able to take the intangible and make it tangible. Pixel perfect designs from scratch doesn’t tell a client anything. But if you tell them your custom design will make them look like a rockstar, then you have communicated something they can “hold” on to.

Start Selling on Value or Benefits

Stop telling your potential clients or customers that you have all these great features. Features are wonderful, but they aren’t the driving factor in the purchasing decision. Lets take website security and maintenance services as our new example. WordPress security or maintenance isn’t a sexy business, but they are absolutely critical services.

Selling Features:

We provide the industry standard in malware cleanup, website protection, and WordPress maintenance. Our team of experts are passionate about stopping the Hack-of-The-Day and keeping your WordPress site up to date. When you work with us you get unlimited malware protection at affordable pricing, plus every customer gets free backup space for up to 50GB. Here is our long feature list with check marks.

The services you are selling here are mostly based on features. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t present customers with the features, but again, what does this mean for me? What are you trying to sell me on because I don’t fully understand and why should I hire you today?

Selling Value or Benefits:

Internet viruses and crashed websites are unfortunate, but they do happen frequently. It could cost you more than time and money – you could lose customers for life! That’s why we provide professional security and maintenance services to keep you online 24/7. We ensure that your website is never infected with dangerous viruses through our state of the art monitoring system. We also provide daily backups of your entire website. This guarantees that if your site crashes due to hosting problems, we can have you back online in minutes instead of days. We will keep your website running and healthy as long as you invest in us.

Now you have my attention and I want to hire you because I see the benefit and value of your services. You have painted a picture of my website going down and of me losing time, money, and customers. I don’t want that and I should probably work with you today. The features are still there, but you really sold me on peace of mind.

What Does Your Potential Client Want?

If you want to be more effective at closing sales for your business, then start putting yourself in your clients shoes. Look at your company from their perspective. Seek to understand their real needs and desires. Communicate to them on their level and not your own. If you do this, you might be surprised at how many more clients say yes instead of no.