1. Sales throws a wrench
1.1. There is tension in the sales process
1.2. Classic argument: "I just want a proposal"
1.2.1. C: "I just want a website."
1.2.2. C: "I just want a quote."
1.2.3. C: "Can't you give me a price."
1.3. Everyone wants to "get to it," but the results are not good.
1.3.1. How many websites fail to answer these three questions?
1.3.1.1. Y: "What is it?"
1.3.1.2. Y: "Who is it for?"
1.3.1.3. Y: "What do I get?"
1.3.2. Most web designers don't have this basic understanding of their client's business...
1.3.2.1. Y: "What business are you in?"
1.3.2.2. Y: "Where does your business find customers?"
1.3.2.3. Y: "What is your business's sales funnel?"
1.3.2.4. Y: "Where does your website fit in that system?"
1.4. If you plan to "sell on value" you must be able to demonstrate results.
1.4.1. How can you demonstrate results without doing Discovery?
1.5. Dispel fear of Discovery in the sales process
1.5.1. C: "Why are you asking me all of these questions about my business? I just want a website."
1.5.1.1. Y: "I feel you. You might be uncertain as to why I need to know about your business in order to build a website for you...or even just build a quote."
1.5.1.2. Y: "A lot of the clients I've worked with before felt the same way. I even used to just hand out quotes without understanding my client's business. I used to just sell websites."
1.5.1.3. Y: "What I found was that it wasn't in the best interest of my clients business to do that. Many times we built needless features or websites that didn't move the needle for a business."
1.5.1.4. Y: "I prefer to do deep discovery now. I want to learn about a business and all of the moving parts. I build websites that act more like an extension of the business I'm working with. Let me show you some examples of this in action..."
1.5.2. Y: "Do you agree that a website is a critical part of your business?"
1.5.2.1. C: "No."
1.5.2.1.1. Y: "Why not?"
1.5.2.2. C: "Yes, I do."
1.5.2.2.1. Y: "If you end up hiring me, I'm going to be working with you for the next few years to support your business. In my opinion we should spend a few hours up front figuring out the best solution before working together. Does that sound good?"
2. Key:
2.1. "C:"
2.1.1. Client
2.2. "Y:"
2.2.1. You
3. The Most Powerful Word in Sales: [WHY?]
3.1. Trying to find root problem/desire
3.1.1. Use "why" as a tool
3.1.1.1. How deep does the rabbit hole go?
3.1.2. C: "I need a new website."
3.1.2.1. Y: "Why?"
3.1.2.2. C: "Because we aren't ranking on Google."
3.1.2.2.1. Y: "Why?"
3.1.2.2.2. C: "We can't blog."
3.1.2.2.3. C: "We can't update our website."
3.1.2.2.4. C: "Our first web designer didn't build the site correctly."
3.1.2.2.5. C: "I don't know..."
3.1.2.3. C: "Because our site is outdated."
3.1.2.3.1. Y: "Why?"
3.1.2.3.2. C: "It was created five years ago."
3.1.2.4. C: "Because we don't like the design."
3.1.2.4.1. Y: "Why?"
3.1.2.4.2. C: "The colors and branding don't match our current logo."
3.2. Ultimately you want to get to...
3.2.1. An "I don't know" moment.
3.2.1.1. You can dig a little deeper and help the customer uncover something about their business/website they weren't aware of.
3.2.1.2. Ask why "[x topic]" is important to them...
3.2.1.2.1. Y: "Why is blogging important to you?"
3.2.1.2.2. Y: "Why is ranking in Google important to you?"
3.2.1.2.3. Y: "Why is social media important to you?"
3.2.2. An "educational" moment."
3.2.2.1. Y: "I'd love to tell you a bit about how blogging works..."
3.2.2.1.1. Y: "Blogging is important because search engines consume content to help understand what your business is about."
3.2.2.1.2. Y: "But more important than that, blogging provides you a communication channel to have a public conversation and demonstrate your expertise to existing and potential customers. "
3.2.2.1.3. Y: "A great blog can help you develop an audience of followers that look to you for your expertise. And as Google sees that you are consistently sharing high value content, they are going to make those pages (and your website) relevant for keywords associated to the topics that you are sharing information about. "
3.2.2.2. Y: "I'd love to tell you a bit about why traffic is important..."
3.2.2.2.1. Y: "We can spend all of the money in the world building you the best website out there, but if no one is visiting it, then it doesn't really matter."
3.2.2.2.2. Y: "Analogy to "if a tree falls in the forest and no one is around, does it make a sound?" - same thing as, "if we build you a beautiful website and now one goes to it, does it help your business?""
3.2.2.2.3. Y: "I find that most people want to use their website as a tool to get more customers."
3.2.2.2.4. Y: "There are about 2.5 billion people on the internet."
3.2.2.2.5. Y: "That means there is a good possibility that you have potential customers looking for goods and services on the web. There might be some big opportunities using your website and internet marketing to drive more business to you."
3.2.2.2.6. Y: "There are a lot of different "buckets," if you will, of types of traffic we could drive to your business..."
3.2.2.2.7. Y: "We could help you rank higher in Google for well searched terms."
3.2.2.2.8. Y: "We could help you connect with your audience through social media."
3.2.2.2.9. Y: "We could pay for traffic to your site."
3.2.2.3. Y: "I'd love to tell you a bit about why conversion is important..."
3.2.2.3.1. Y: "When someone comes to your website and "does something" - we consider that a conversion."
3.2.2.3.2. Y: "This could be filling out your buying a product, filling out your contact form, or signing up for your email list."
3.2.2.3.3. Y: "It doesn't matter how much traffic we drive to your website...if your site is not setup correctly to convert that traffic to something of value to your business, we are creating waste."
3.2.2.3.4. Y: "Chances are, if you already have a website and have paid for traffic, you are wasting money by not thinking about how your website acts as a sales funnel to drive conversions."
3.2.2.3.5. Y: "A perfect example of this is when websites have "join our newsletter" boxes. This is one of the weakest form of "opt-ins" that are in your marketing toolbox. An "opt-in" is when someone provides their email address to you and gives you permission to send them future marketing messages."
3.2.2.4. Y: "I'd love to tell you why traffic and conversion are such a powerful strategy."
3.2.2.4.1. Y: "Imagine that you have a bucket and you are pouring water into it from a hose..."
3.2.2.4.2. Y: "The water is the traffic. It's people that are coming to your website..."
3.2.2.4.3. Y: "The bucket is your website."
3.2.2.4.4. Y: "Now, there are a lot of factors at play here..."
3.2.2.4.5. Y: "Like, how hard is the water pouring into the bucket? Is it a lot of water at high pressure or a little water with no pressure? Is the water even aimed at the bucket?"
3.2.2.4.6. Y: "Same goes for the bucket...how big is the bucket? Is it positioned to catch the most amount of water? Are there a bunch of holes in the bucket that are allowing water to escape? Is the water just building up in the bucket and overflowing or are you able to use the water for something useful like watering your garden (ie. business)?"
3.2.2.4.7. Y: "Hopefully this water/bucket analogy creates a visual for you to understand why your website and how it interacts with the internet is so vitally important. There are a variety of problems that can exist for you with your business online - your website might have holes in it and isn't capturing the value that's important to you; you might not have very much traffic coming into your website to begin with - nobody is coming to your site."
3.2.2.5. Y: "I'd love to tell you why your email list is such an important asset for your business..."
3.2.2.5.1. Y: "If you aren't currently building or leveraging email as a marketing channel, you might be missing out on a huge opportunity to get more customers or more business with your existing customers."
3.2.2.5.2. Y: "Email is still the most widely used communication platform in the world."
3.2.2.5.3. Y: "Email is personal and private."
3.2.2.5.4. Y: "The way email boxes work these days, you can essentially send an entire web page or landing page to someone in their inbox. Or you can communicate a very specific message that has a high chance of being read. "
3.2.2.5.5. Y: "Unlike other marketing channels like facebook or twitter, you own your email list. It can't be take away from you and the rules for email don't really change very often because of the universal framework."
3.2.2.5.6. Y: "A lot of times when people visit your website, they are browsing - not yet ready to buy or reach out for a next step. But if we can convince that person to give us their email address right now in exchange for some valuable information that will solve a problem they have today...then we can build a series of communications that keeps you top of mind with that person so when they are ready to buy or take that next step - you are the first person they reach out to."
3.2.3. An identification of a ROOT PAIN
3.2.3.1. There is a difference between a root cause of a problem and merely the symptom.
3.2.3.2. You want to peel back the layers of the onion until you get to that "Ah hah!" moment with the client. These moments are where you both learned something that was unknown prior to discovery.
3.2.3.3. Learning what is really important to them, not just "in the moment."
4. Sales Fundamentals
4.1. Understanding your client
4.1.1. Business overview
4.1.1.1. Y: "What business are you in?"
4.1.1.2. Y: "Where do you find customers?"
4.1.1.3. Y: "Walk me through your sales funnel?"
4.1.1.4. Y: "What are the core functions of your business?"
4.1.1.5. Y: "Who are the key stakeholders in your business? What are their names and positions?"
4.1.2. Stated needs
4.1.2.1. Y: "Do you already have a requirements list?"
4.1.2.2. Y: "What are the big problems you are trying to solve?"
4.1.2.3. Y: "Have you determined what success would look like yet?"
4.1.3. Existing website
4.1.3.1. No
4.1.3.1.1. Y: "Is there a website that best represents what you want?"
4.1.3.2. Yes
4.1.3.2.1. Y: "What do you love about your existing site?"
4.1.3.2.2. Y: "What do you hate about your existing site?"
4.1.3.2.3. Y: "Who built your current site?"
4.1.3.2.4. Y: "Why aren't you looking to hire them?"
4.1.3.2.5. Y: "Do you have Google Analytics installed?
4.1.4. Buying process
4.1.4.1. Y: "Do you have a process already defined for how you plan to hire a web professional to help you with this project?"
4.1.4.1.1. If Yes...
4.1.4.1.2. Y: "What is that process?"
4.1.4.2. Y: "Who are the key stakeholders involved in making the decision to who you hire?"
4.1.4.2.1. If they are not in the meeting with you...
4.1.4.2.2. Y: "It might make sense to involve them at certain parts in the process, is that ok?"
4.1.5. Research
4.1.5.1. Existing site
4.1.5.1.1. Traffic
4.1.5.1.2. Conversion
4.1.5.2. Example site
4.1.5.2.1. If they don't have an existing site, do the same analysis as listed above on their "favorite" or "example" site that they told you about from your discovery meeting.
4.2. Understanding your client's customer
4.2.1. Different customer segments
4.2.1.1. Who are their customers?
4.2.1.2. Do different customers buy different products?
4.2.1.3. Are different customers in different funnels/workflows with the business?
4.2.2. Create avatar
4.2.2.1. For each customer segment...
4.2.2.2. What pains/problems do they have?
4.2.2.3. What is the solution that you provide?
4.2.2.4. What market do you consider this customer in?
4.2.2.5. What is their annual income/revenue?
4.2.2.6. How old are they?
4.2.2.7. What other products and services do they use?
4.2.2.8. What are their spending habits?
4.2.2.9. Are there any personality traits that uniquely identify them?
4.2.3. Research
4.2.3.1. Ask your potential client if it would be ok if you reached out to 2 or 3 of their existing customers to get to know them and the way they use your products/services better.
4.2.3.2. Customer questions
4.2.3.2.1. Validate that they have the #1 problem that the business solves.
4.2.3.2.2. Y: "What do [xxxx] product/services help you solve?"
4.2.3.2.3. Y: "Why did you start working with [xxxx] to begin with?"
4.2.3.2.4. Y: "What has been your experience so far?"
4.2.3.2.5. Y: "Where did you first hear about [xxxx]?"
4.2.3.2.6. Y: "What other products/services do you use within this market?"
4.2.3.2.7. Y: "Are there problems that you have today that are not being solved?"
4.2.3.2.8. Y: "Can you walk me through your workflow/worldview of how you use [xxxx]?"
4.3. Understanding your client's competition and market
4.3.1. Market
4.3.1.1. Y: "What is the market size?"
4.3.1.2. Y: "Are you focused on..."
4.3.1.2.1. Local
4.3.1.2.2. Regional
4.3.1.2.3. National
4.3.1.2.4. International
4.3.1.3. Y: "Who are the industry associations or groups?"
4.3.1.3.1. Y: "Are you members of any of them?"
4.3.1.3.2. Y: "Why or why not?"
4.3.1.4. Y: "Who are the industry publications?"
4.3.1.4.1. Y: "Are there any trustworthy websites, magazines, or other outlets that regularly publish information within this market?"
4.3.1.4.2. Y: "Are there publications that are more 'customer-centric' than competitor-specific?"
4.3.1.5. Y: "What would you consider the biggest opportunity is in the market?"
4.3.2. Competition
4.3.2.1. Y: "Who are your key competitors?"
4.3.2.1.1. Y: "In the physical world?"
4.3.2.1.2. Y: "In the online world?"
4.3.2.1.3. Y: "Are they different? Why or why not?"
4.3.2.2. Y: "What do you think they do better than you?"
4.3.2.3. Y: "What do you do better than them?"
4.3.2.4. Y: "Do you have any type of relationship with them?"
4.3.2.4.1. ie. Friendly, competitive, arch-nemesis...
4.3.2.5. Y: "What do you think your biggest opportunity is to beat your competition?"
4.3.3. Research
4.3.3.1. Market
4.3.3.1.1. Run report using site like Hoovers.com
4.3.3.1.2. Research each association
4.3.3.1.3. Research each publication
4.3.3.2. Competition
4.3.3.2.1. Do the "existing site" research from above on each of the competitors that were mentioned by client.
4.3.3.2.2. Do the "existing site" research on each competitor you find that ranks well for competitive/trafficked keyword terms.
4.4. Understanding your client's strategies and tactics
4.4.1. Current strategy
4.4.1.1. Y: "What is your current growth strategy?"
4.4.1.2. Do an informal SWOT analysis...
4.4.1.3. Strengths
4.4.1.4. Weaknesses
4.4.1.5. Opportunities
4.4.1.6. Threats
4.4.2. Strategy Options
4.4.2.1. Use a traffic + conversion strategy to...
4.4.2.1.1. Get more leads/sales/donations
4.4.2.1.2. Grow an email list
4.4.2.2. [Everything below also supports a T + C master strategy]
4.4.2.3. Use email to increase the amount of interactions your client has with their existing and potential customers.
4.4.2.3.1. Newsletters
4.4.2.3.2. Promos
4.4.2.3.3. Autoresponder/nurture series
4.4.2.4. Use social media to publicly engage with your existing/potential customers.
4.4.2.4.1. Fish bowl
4.4.2.4.2. Syndicate out content marketing...
4.4.2.4.3. Facebook
4.4.2.4.4. Twitter
4.4.2.4.5. Linkedin
4.4.2.4.6. Yelp
4.4.2.4.7. Foursquare
4.4.2.4.8. Youtube
4.4.2.4.9. Vine
4.4.2.5. Use content marketing to illustrate expertise, establish credibility, drive traffic, and increase search net.
4.4.2.5.1. Articles
4.4.2.5.2. White papers
4.4.2.5.3. Blog
4.4.2.5.4. Guest posts
4.4.2.5.5. Webinars
4.4.2.5.6. Seminars
4.4.3. Research
4.4.3.1. Find examples
4.4.3.1.1. Don't reinvent the wheel.
4.4.3.1.2. Find examples in the industry, related industries, or related business models where there is someone executing on your recommended strategy well.
4.4.3.1.3. The best example would be an existing client / past success story.
4.4.3.1.4. Create a "Swipe File"
4.5. Wrapping up Discovery...
4.5.1. Once you clearly understand your client's...
4.5.1.1. Business
4.5.1.2. Pains
4.5.1.3. Opportunities
4.5.1.4. Market
4.5.1.5. Competition
4.5.2. You should be able to identify the biggest pains that are worth solving and the biggest opportunities worth pursuing.
4.5.3. Your solution/proposal should line up directly with this recommendation.