{"id":14701,"date":"2012-12-26T06:30:22","date_gmt":"2012-12-26T06:30:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.adviceinteractivegroup.com\/?p=4395"},"modified":"2012-12-26T06:30:22","modified_gmt":"2012-12-26T06:30:22","slug":"seo-sales-getting-your-foot-in-the-door","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.advicelocal.com\/blog\/seo-sales-getting-your-foot-in-the-door\/","title":{"rendered":"SEO Sales: Getting Your Foot in the Door"},"content":{"rendered":"

As an SEO sales professional, you face many hurdles.\u00a0 Some are easier to overcome than others.\u00a0 Cold calling and setting the initial appointment is one of the most daunting tasks you will face.\u00a0 The act of making that first call is not difficult by any means.\u00a0 It is what leads up to that first call and what ensues immediately after someone answers the phone on the other end that can separate you from the run-of-the-mill sales person.<\/p>\n

Business owners are very smart.\u00a0 They\u2019ve heard it all before.\u00a0 Most of my clients will tell me they receive 15-20 calls or emails each day from various Internet marketing companies.\u00a0 They hear “we guarantee page one rankings”<\/strong>\u00a0or, one of my personal favorites, \u201c<\/strong>I am with Google and I can get you on page one of the maps within 72 hours<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong>.\u00a0 About 5-7 years ago, many business owners fell for tricky call openings like the aforementioned because the offer sounded compelling.\u00a0 How can a business owner say they don\u2019t want to be on page one of a SERP?\u00a0 These call opening claims have been beaten to death.\u00a0 They sound fishy because they are fishy.\u00a0 Over the phone, how can you differentiate yourself from the 15-20 knuckleheads contacting the businesses you have prospected as a good potential fit for the SEO services you provide?<\/p>\n

Provide value.\u00a0 Make it worth the decision maker\u2019s time to hear what you have to say.\u00a0 Sounds easy, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The best way to get your foot in the door with a new prospect is to show them a reason why they need help.\u00a0 Maybe the help they need isn\u2019t even help you can provide.\u00a0 Maybe it is.\u00a0 There are usually technical reasons why most business\u2019 rankings in the SERPs suffer.\u00a0 After the initial greeting, a call opening that always seemed to work well for me was:<\/p>\n

Mrs. Client,<\/em> I can tell that you are trying to target rankings for \u201cdog catchers Seattle\u201d and there are technical reasons why this is not working for you right now.\u00a0 Would you be interested in talking to me for a few minutes about how we might be able to help you fix this?<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If they say \u201cyes\u201d to your invitation for helpful advice, this does not mean it\u2019s time to teach them about the deep details of technical ranking factors.\u00a0 Spewing the latest nerdy SEO news from your favorite blog is a sure-fire way to create your own objections.\u00a0 This is not the time to show how smart you are as an SEO industry professional.\u00a0 This is the time to show your value and prove to the client that you can be a great asset to their business.\u00a0 <\/strong>Here are four pointers for making the most of your opportunity to impress a new prospect and illustrate your value:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Know your audience.<\/strong>\u00a0 Speak only to their level of understanding at first.<\/li>\n
  2. Ask smart questions.<\/strong>\u00a0 Think of this like a \u201cfirst date\u201d.\u00a0 People love to talk about what is important to them.<\/li>\n
  3. Keep it simple.<\/strong> \u00a0Pause to make sure they are following along by saying \u201c<\/strong>Does that make sense?<\/strong>\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. Be honest. <\/strong>\u00a0Make sure you can back up any claims with documentation.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In SEO sales, you can\u2019t control when and if the business owner says \u201cyes, let\u2019s move forward\u201d<\/strong>.\u00a0 Instead, focus on what you can control which is being diligent, informed, honest, direct and respectful.\u00a0 Be valuable.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    As an SEO sales professional, you face many hurdles.\u00a0 Some are easier to overcome than others.\u00a0 Cold calling and setting […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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