No-Cost Web Design Leads

Let's talk about how we're getting leads for free. So you don't have to buy ads, you don't have to pay for leads, it just takes a little bit of time to do some outreach.

We're seeing 10 to 30% conversion rates from outreach to calls. So, generally speaking, a cold outreach campaign has about a 1% conversion rate, and this is at least 10 times better than that! So, let's go through all three steps of how this whole thing works. I think you'll find it a little bit eye-opening because most people forget the first step and jump straight to the second step.

We'll go through all three steps so you can see how this works. But I also want to touch on some things that don't work. I talk to a lot of web designers in Blue Theory. We have a lot of conversations there. I want to bring up some things that are just common pitfalls with regard to lead generation because, by far, the most common question that I get is, “Hey, Lee, how do I get more clients? I need more clients right now. How do I get the leads? How do I get the clients?” So, let's go through exactly how to do it.

Things That Do NOT Work Anymore

A lot of people think, well, what if I offered an SEO audit, or a site review, or a site audit? Or what if I even did the site review for free and then emailed a video of me going through somebody's site and telling them what their opportunities are for improvement?

The problem with all of those things is it makes the recipient, the person that you're reaching out to… It makes people feel bad.

Basically what you're saying is, here's a big list of all the problems that you've got. You probably don't even understand what they are, and in order to fix any of them, you have to pay me a lot of money.

Do you see what I mean? It doesn't really generate leads very well anymore. What I like to do instead is flip that whole thing on its head and offer something that actually feels good.

It feels good to offer. It feels good to receive. It's giving. It triggers this feeling of reciprocity in the client that you're working with. It's so much better.

Three Steps To No-Cost Leads

Let's walk through the three steps that we go through to make this work. There are three steps in the process. The first step is you need to have an offer. And when I talk about an offer, I don't mean the service that you offer. I know a lot of times people say, “Well, I'm offering web design services. I'm offering SEO.”

I'm not talking about that kind of offer. I'm talking about offering a result. Not a service but a result. I do that for two reasons. The first reason is that's really what clients want. They want more traffic, more leads, more clients, and more revenue. They want some kind of outcome-driven result.

If I want to do the best that I can and actually create these results, the client's going to have to buy more than one thing. They can't just buy the website and expect to get great results. They're also going to need something that drives traffic, and they need to convert traffic into leads. They need to nurture the leads into clients. So, I've got a whole bundle of things that I need to do in order to get the client the result that they need.

Instead of focusing on the services, I want to focus on the outcome that the client wants. If we agree that that is what they want, then I can say, “Hey, if this is what you want, then buy this package.”

So, now I'm selling all of my best stuff in one fell swoop. And the client only has to say yes to one thing. Do you want this outcome? If so, get this. Then they get all of my best stuff. I don't have to line item my way through everything saying, “Hey, do you want this? Okay, cool, do you want this? Okay, do you want this?”

Solution First Agency

I don't have to go off and get like a million yeses in order to do all the stuff that I know I need to do.

I'll say, “Do you want this outcome? Yes? Get this solution.”

This is what I refer to as a Solution First Agency. You come up with a solution first, and then that creates the outcome the client wants. Then you say, “Would you like to subscribe to this solution?”

I say subscribe, because it's probably an outcome that's an ongoing outcome. It's not just like you get one client and you're done. It's like your client probably wants an ongoing stream of new clients, right? And so that means they keep working with you basically forever.

This means you have a client who pays a lot over a long time. They only have to agree to one thing to get all your services.

To make an offer like this, you need three important things. The first is a clear goal that probably falls into one of three categories or a mix of all three.

One Solution – Three Goals

There are three components to consider when calculating the outcome of a project. The first is increased revenue, which can be achieved through more traffic, leads, and clients. The second is decreased expenses, which can be accomplished by improving the sales cycle, streamlining client onboarding, and implementing an online knowledge base to reduce support calls. The third component is personal satisfaction, peace, and relief from the problems that have been solved. This provides value, even though it's harder to measure because it's more personal.

When determining the outcome of a project, it's important to consider growth, savings, and relief as the three main areas to focus on.

There are three key requirements for a solution to be a high-ticket item. First, it must have a clear outcome. Second, that outcome must be a business problem, not just a technical goal like faster loading or better mobile optimization. Those are important, but they are only stepping stones to a bigger result. Third, the outcome must be measurable in terms of either increased growth or decreased costs. This is important because clients need to be able to visualize the benefits of the solution.

From Abstract To Crystal Clear

Web design can be technical, abstract, and complicated, making it difficult for non-experts to understand. To create a high-ticket solution, it's important to focus on solving a big business problem and clearly demonstrate measurable results to the client.

One of the challenges in marketing our businesses is to create a clear offer that people understand. A measurable offer is particularly effective. If you can see your bank account balance increase or your calendar fill up, you know you're making progress. Therefore, a clear outcome, a measurable problem, and a business problem are the three things to consider when creating a solution. This is step one.

To be successful in outreach, you must start with step one. If you skip straight to step two, which is outreach, it will likely fall flat. This is because many people will fall back and do a site review or SEO audit, which is a feel-bad lead magnet that doesn't convert very well.

Proactive Outreach System

Step two is doing proactive outreach, which means creating leads for yourself instead of relying solely on referrals or organic discovery of your website. If you're not getting any referrals or organic traffic, you can't just sit around and wait. You need to take action to generate your own leads.

By learning how to proactively get your own leads, you can avoid a feast or famine situation and maintain consistency in your business. Referrals and organic traffic are a bonus, but the main engine of your business should be your ability to generate your own leads. This way, if you notice that your calendar is empty, you can take action rather than waiting for someone else to do something for you.

Proactive outreach involves taking the first step in offering a solution by identifying a discrete and achievable task with a clear start and end point. This task should be small and not require extensive time and resources on your part. By offering this first step for free, you establish a positive relationship with your client and create a sense of reciprocity that can lead to building rapport and trust.

Lead Magnet Examples

Examples of discrete tasks that you can offer include helping to set up a Yelp profile, optimizing a LinkedIn page, or optimizing a Google business profile. By doing so, you can help increase the client's visibility on these platforms and generate more business for them. Once you have established a positive relationship with the client, you can then smoothly transition into offering your paid services.

The second step involves converting this outreach into a call. We’re seeing a 10 to 30% conversion rate with this outreach system. During the call, you can further establish trust and credibility with the client, which can lead to the third step: onboarding the client and transitioning them into your paid services.

Closing Cold Leads

One interesting thing is that many people who are good at closing sales will say that if they can get someone in a meeting, there's a 99% chance that the person will work with them. However, most of their leads come from word-of-mouth referrals, which poses a problem because when you receive a referral, you're borrowing the trust and authority from the person who created the referral. Therefore, when you're working with cold leads, you have to start the relationship from scratch and build the trust and relationship from nothing.

This requires a different way of thinking about onboarding the client, not only from a relationship standpoint but also from a mindset standpoint. With proactive outreach, you reach out to cold traffic and qualify the client to see if they're a good fit for the solution you already have. Then, you onboard the client into the solution that you've already developed. If they are a good fit, you don't have to write a custom proposal, which saves a ton of time.

The Secret To Making More Money With Web Design Is Margins

As you keep doing this over and over, you get better and better results with less and less effort. With all the AI tools available, you can get even more efficient. This leads to better profit margins for your work and great results for your clients.

These three steps are what we use in Blue Theory. If you need help with any of this, visit https://lee.blue or check out the next video where we show you how to onboard clients through a data-driven approach.

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