Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Following Up On Sales Leads

You know the old saying about how many times it takes to make contact with a lead to turn them into a prospect, followed by converting them into a customer. I believe it is 5-7 times. When I was new to selling, I courted people for a very long time--sometimes more than a year.

On Monday, I took a call from a man wanting to redesign his website. Yesterday, we entered into a business relationship. It would be nice if all new business was so easy, but most of the time, it takes much longer to develop the trust required for someone to risk hiring you.

For me, the average "courting" time to close a website project is 1-3 months. If it takes longer than that, chances are good the project will never materialize, or if it does, will likely be unprofitable.

When following up, if the other party doesn't respond to phone calls or email, I don't chase them. In the past, I wasted a lot of time pursuing customers that were not ready to move forward. The ones that are, I don't have to chase. Of course, it takes a lot more leads to find the ones that are serious and ready to buy, but you save time (and money) not following up with unqualified leads.

If you are looking for a better way to qualify leads, read When to Provide Pricing – and When Not To by Landy Chase.

Side Note: The Association of Sales Executives found that 81% of all sales happens on or after the fifth contact.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Why Contracts are Important -- Especially When You're the Little Guy

This morning, I read an article by Speider Schneider entitled, "Professional Practices They Don’t Teach You In Art School: Contracts – It’s Business!", that hit home.

I have been self-employed for eight years. During that time, my business has gone through its fair share of learning curves. In the past few years, those learning curves have been sharp, because my business is moving out of the freelance world into the small business realm, with larger projects, more overhead, expanded people resources--the works.


Unfortunately, as my business has become busier and more demanding, I have become more lax with my contracts and requesting deposits. I've ignored my own policy of requesting final payment before launching a website. I've been working on the honor system -- not smart -- and find myself financing client projects and trying to collect old debts -- not good.

In the past couple of years, I've learned some hard lessons. I could look at my mistakes as failures, but instead, I view them as professional development. As a business owner, it is my job to figure out how to solve challenges and implement strategies to ensure problem areas are corrected--an extremely rewarding process.

Running a successful business -- no matter how small -- includes writing contracts, enforcing policies, and standing your ground to ensure people don't take advantage of you.

To read Speider's excellent article, click here.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Why planning is an important part of web design


It's happened to me more than once. I spend a certain amount of time with a prospect trying to determine what it is they're looking for, email gets bounced back and forth, perhaps a phone call or two are exchanged, research time is spent in the process, and I think we're making good headway.

Then, nothing...

I wait a little while -- fully understanding that people get busy -- and then I follow-up to see where they're at. Sometimes I hear that the project is on the back burner; other times, I'm asked to follow-up again in a few weeks, because they've gotten busy with a different project; or I'm told of their frustration for having wasted their time and that they've moved on to a different developer.

Do I get offended?

No. Because more often than not, down the road I hear from that person again. They tell me that their project is stalled, the developer has stopped returning their phone calls, and can we help them get their project completed.

Over the years, we have done hundreds of website projects -- most successful, some not. What I have found is the unsuccessful ones, we skipped the planning process. We didn't take the necesssary time to iron out details, establish requirements, set realistic deadlines, etc. In the end, it's been a lose-lose for both parties.

Consider this:

If you were going to undertake the construction of your dream home, would you scribble a quick email and send it to an architect and ask for an estimate? No, you would collaborate with the architect to ensure all of the options and features you want in your new home are considered, and you would go through the planning process to figure it out together, so that the house you're dreaming about becomes your reality and is constructed within your budget.

The same holds true for a website.

A lot of time and energy -- as well as money -- goes into the development of a successful website, so please don't skip the planning process, because taking the time to plan is a very important part of web design.

If you meet with a consultant who cares enough about you that they want to make sure they're a good fit for them (and vice versa) and that they fully understand your needs and desires, consider yourself lucky, because a lot of developers out there will just give you that estimate.

Believe me, I've been on both sides of the table. I try to treat my clients the same way I expect others to treat me when I'm the client. And when both sides hear each other, the chances for a successful business relationship are greater.

If you're in the market for a new website or a redesign of your existing one, be sure to read this article to save yourself frustration and headaches down the road.

8 great questions to answer before starting a web design project

Monday, July 18, 2011

Joanne's Introductory Video for #SMACAD

After about 50 takes, here is my introductory video for #SMACAD. It was definitely a learning experience as I have never filmed myself before nor fiddled with video editing software. The video was recorded with Debut Video Capture Software and the last few frames edited with Microsoft Movie Maker.

Now, on to my glorious acting career!!

Why is Casey Anthony so intriguing?

Upon her release from jail yesterday, I vowed that I had given Casey Anthony enough of my time, but today she continues to intrigues me.

Although I did not start following her case until the end of the first week of her infamous trial, I quickly became addicted to the soap opera surrounding Casey, her friends and family. It was like a drug--I couldn't get enough.

Each morning (including Saturdays), I made a point to awaken early to catch testimony from her trial, followed by endless hours after court was adjourned to listen to the talking heads on HLN--Vinnie Politan, Jane Valez Mitchell, Nancy Grace, Dr. Drew and Joy Behar (who you couldn't pay me to watch before the trial)--opine the day's happenings.

The Casey Anthony trial was better than any reality show on TV! I found it amazing how a small, obscure family from Orlando was dissected under the microscope. The lawyers and pundits called the Anthonys dysfunctional, but I saw them not that different from other American families, except for the sociopathic daughter who manipulated and connived them with her outrageous lies and criminal activities. An expert liar, she fooled everyone!!

Like the finale of a favorite TV show, now that Casey is out of jail, we must wait for the next big story.


According to Bloomberg, HLN's coverage of the Casey Anthony trial drew its biggest audience since the network's inception in 1982.

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Why social media is important for your business

These days the old ways of doing business still work (telephone, email, face-to-face meetings), but if you want to shake things up a bit, add social media to your marketing mix!

I recently launched a website in memory of Jim Morrison (www.jimmorrisonproject.com). During its year under development, I created social media profiles to help create a buzz:

  • Twitter - summer 2010 - 2,973 followers
  • Facebook - fall 2010 - 485 followers
  • Tumblr - spring 2011 - 29 followers

When I launched my site on July 3, the 40th anniversary of Jim Morrison's death, my social media marketing efforts paid off as my site received 995 visitors on its first day!!

That is why I think social media is important for your business.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Photography as an Art Form

I love art. Over the past year, I've developed an appreciation for black & white photography as an art form.


I recently launched a tribute site about Jim Morrison and have been exposed to thousands of black & white photographs from the late 1960s, early '70s. It amazes me how a photograph can capture a person, place,  mood, whatever it is, and bring you back in time, sort of like a time machine.

When I look at old paintings, I don't get the same feeling. A painting --no matter how beautiful -- doesn't produce the same sort of emotion in me that a photograph can.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

If girls had a penis for a day...

Normally, not something I would blog about, but this gave me a good belly laugh. Hope you get one too!


Google Launches City Pages

I read this morning about Google's new concept for city community pages called City Pages. So far, they have four cities ready to roll:
  • Portland, Oregon
  • Austin, Texas
  • San Diego, California
  • Madison, Wisconsin
At the top of the community page is a link for Business Owners, which is where you'll want to start.

Managing Time

Why am I not a better manager of my own time? Yesterday, I spent the whole day working, and I barely made a dent. And then again, I feel like I made some progress.

Part of my problem is that I love what I do. I love how the Internet is constantly changing. To keep up with all the new trends and strategies, though, is a staggering endeavor. But it's exciting and fun too!

Today, I need to do less learning and more busywork. Truly, I wish I could spend my time learning, because how else am I to grow?

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Being on Film

When I was a freshman in college, I was afraid to speak in public. Making that first round of introductions in the classroom was a very stressful experience. I actually dropped classes where making a presentation was part of the syllabus. But it didn't take long to see that getting up in front of the class was inevitable if I ever wanted to graduate, so I bit the bullet and faced my fear.

As they say, practice makes perfect... After awhile, speaking in public didn't feel so scary, and in time, I actually began to enjoy it!

Yesterday, I started my first class at #SMACAD. One of my assignments for next week is to create an introductory video to post on YouTube. Yikes! Unlike my younger years, I have no intention of dropping the class, because of my fear of videotaping myself for the world to see. No, I'm going to bite the bullet and make that video, and the funny thing is my fear is filled with excitement!