How Web Designers Increase Their Value
Have you ever wondered how to price your work? You want to offer good value but you don't want to undercut your own prices.
What do you do when a client shows up and they have a budget that's way lower than what you want to charge?
One of the most common problems I hear from web designers, especially in the WordPress community, is that their clients are showing up with very low price expectations. For example, you might want to charge at least $2,500 but the client is looking for something under $1,000. So… how do you bridge that gap?
Here are three options…
Option 1: Cave
Unfortunately, most of the time web designers cave to the pressure. They need the work. The client wants a website. So they take the project at whatever price the client will agree to. Now you are rushing through the project, taking shortcuts wherever you can, and hoping for a better project next time.
Option 2: Argue The Value
Sometimes the web designer will dig in and try to “show the client the value” of their work.
They'll mention stuff like:
- Their years of experience
- Their awesome customer support
- How cheaper web developers leave you with a slow and insecure site
- How their sites are faster and have an SSL certificate so they rank better on Google
- How awesome their portfolio as they display a few highlights from past projects
They're trying to build their case for why they are more skilled and more experienced than the low-budget web developers and therefore their work is worth more.
This option tends to be really frustrating because it is true that you are more skilled, have more experience, and deliver higher-quality work. The client may even agree with you but they usually just say they don't have the budget for the rates you want to charge. So, they end up going with the cheaper options anyway.
Option 3: Solve A Bigger Problem
The best way to increase your value is to solve a bigger problem. Why would a client go with a website that they know is of lower quality than what you're offering?
It is not that they don't care. The problem is they aren't trying to solve a very big problem. A small problem only requires a small solution. If you want to charge more and you want to attract clients with larger budgets, solve bigger problems.
The Goal Is To Not Look Stupid
The unfortunate truth is that most business owners do not believe that their website will generate leads for them. Today, getting a website is really just a formality. It's just what you do if you have a business. It's just like getting business cards. They just feel like they need it, but it is not a critical component of their business. They don't expect their website to be a lead generation tool. They view the website as a sunk cost. Therefore they want the cheapest one possible. It just needs to be barely good enough so they don't look stupid.
Most business owners who are looking for a website are thinking, “What's the least I can spend on a website without looking stupid and unprofessional.”
Why Are You Attracting These Low Budget Clients?
Of course, the goal is to work with clients who aren't trying to get by with the bare minimum. You want clients who are looking for results, right? You want to help your clients win customers and grow their business. So, why are you getting these low budget leads?
How have you positioned your business?
Read your own website and ask yourself if you've positioned yourself. Do you describe yourself as someone who builds websites? Or, have you described how you solve the bigger (and more valuable) problem of lead generation and online business development?
If you find yourself attracting low-budget leads, you've probably done two things:
- You've positioned yourself as a technical resource
- You have built a reputation as an “affordable” web designer
That means cold leads will have low-budget expectations and you're referrals will want the same “affordable” deal you gave the person who referred them.
Solving Big Problems Justifies High-Ticket Solutions
If you want to increase the value of your work you have to shift the purpose of why someone is hiring you. High-ticket web designers aren't high-ticket just because they have stronger design and technical skills. That is part of the equation, but that's not what the client is really looking for.
High-ticket web designers who are landing clients over $10,000 are solving critical, business-level problems.
They are not selling access to their skills. They are using their skills to generate transformational results for their clients.
Let's Talk
If you're ready to upgrade the quality of your clients so you can start landing five-figure clients, let's talk. I've set aside 45-minutes to talk with you personally about the steps you need to take to attract better clients and increase the value of your work so you can start earning the rates you're really worth.
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