I love old people. There’s a lot of freedom that comes with the experience of living for a long, long time. It’s fascinating how time changes us.
Web design is notorious for changing every 5 minutes. But there are some principles of effective web strategy that I’m still going to be rallying around when I’m 92 (unless we’re using pure telepathy by then; in that case I would hand my mic over to the dude with the shiny purple turban).
- Effective web design is not nearly as much about aesthetics as it is about achieving a desired result. Design for design’s sake does not work on the web. If your goal is to impress the ten people who end up somehow finding your award-winning site, bravo. You did it.
But I’m betting you had different reasons for wanting a fabulous-looking site. Things like building up a list of people who adore you. Getting email inquiries by the bucketful. Selling your incredible creations to people who appreciate them deeply. Remember: A pretty site does not a successful online venture make. (Although ugly is definitely worse.)
- The most effective web strategies are the result of a first creation. Back in the day when Stephen Covey was the only productivity guru I’d ever heard of, I used to mull over his idea of the first creation — this idea that everything involves not one, but two creations. The first being the intentional in-your-brain/on-paper creation that determines the second actual/in-real-life creation. Remember: A lack of the first always leads to a lack in the second.
- Today’s never-fail attention-grabbing strategy is tomorrow’s invisible dog. My childhood best friend (whose name was/is also Sarah, resulting in me being called “Sarah Joy” for the second six years of my life) used to have one of those leashes that had an invisible dog on the end of it. I thought that was the coolest thing. And that’s what your web strategy looks like if you’re doing the same things you were doing a year or two ago. Except not as cool. Remember: Keeping people’s attention requires constant innovation. No laurel-resting allowed.
- If you’re noticing that everybody’s using a particular strategy, it’s probably on the down-swing. Web strategy needs to be constantly applied in new ways that run against-the-current. They must be tailored to you and your particular brand of awesome. Most busy online entrepreneurs simply adapt what others are doing and call that their strategy. And while that may work for a while, the results will be a watered-down version of what you could be achieving. Remember: While there are tricks and principles to tattoo in your brain, there are no cookie-cutter solutions.
- The most successful and enterprising people online make themselves their own best client and customer. Hat tip to Men With Pens for talking about this yesterday. When your business explodes, it’s really hard to keep this in the forefront of your business practice. If anyone knows this, it’s me. But it’s got to be said…hiring strong people to help you is better than crippling your growth. Remember: If you put your business’ oxygen mask on first, you will be better able to serve the world. And oh yeah, define life on your own terms.
These are the reasons I’m launching the Gold-Digging Excursion today. Because there’s something missing in our web presence — it’s the first creation, the strategy. It’s the know-how to actually make our dreams come true. I want you to be equipped throughout your online adventure to make stuff happen in a big way. (And also…gold mining! How fun is that?!)
The wonderful David Billings (aka: Sparky Firepants) got me started on this topic with his wonderful probing questions. He also got me thinking about muppets and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which are topics that deserve an equal amount of your attention. And as I’m currently re-packaging my packages (errr…because you do have to do that from time to time), I thought it’d be especially appropriate to share my process.
Packaging your services should be an essential tool in your “how to rock the planet” arsenal. In fact, I should have pre-empted this post with a post on why service packages are so great for business, but…meh. Maybe later. Right now I’m in practical mode. All you need to know is that it makes it easier for your clients to hire you. It takes out the fear and the “I don’t want to waste their time in putting together a proposal if they’re out of my league” thinking. “Easier for the client” translates into more sales in a phenomenal way. We’re talking the difference between you having to live on cat food or not.
My personal package putting-together process
I will give this to you for free, but you have to say it out loud. “Personal package putting-together process”. Three times.
Thank you. My imagination has been greatly entertained.
- Make a list of all of the services you offer or want to offer.
Don’t worry about what to call them at this point. Just a simple list of services.
- Focusing on one service (for now), write down every step of the process from start to finish.
Start at the beginning and walk yourself through the process all the way through with an imaginary client. (If you would, call him Timbo. For me.)
- Divide the steps that you take into two groups.
Call one “Steps I take for every project” and the other “Steps that are project-specific”. Everything in the first group is going to be offered in your most basic package.
- Look at your “Steps that are project-specific” list.
Figure out if any of those items can be added to your base package to form new packages. Anything left over can be offered a la carte.
- Price your packages.
For completely custom work, write down an average number of hours for each step of the process. Add these hours up for a grand total. Multiply that number by your hourly rate.
For projects that have a re-sellable component (like my LiteSites), do the same thing, but add the value of the re-sellable piece to the mix. There are a million ways to determine value, but when it comes down to it, it’s what people are willing to pay and you are willing to sell for.
- Turn both of your lists of project steps into a list of benefits for the client.
If your step is information gathering, the client benefit (something tangible that they want or need) would be a one-on-one session with you. If it’s conceptualizing, the client benefit would be one (or two or a hundred) fully-developed concepts straight out of your genius brain. Not every step will have a corresponding client benefit, but most of them will.
- Write a detailed description of each of the client benefits.
Write about what’s so tasty about the benefit. You’re not twisting anyone’s arm here or trying to sell anything. Just explaining further so that the benefits are fully conceived.
- Turn that benefits list into your copy.
There are a million ways to go about writing copy (including hiring a professional like Kelly Parkinson or Emma Alvarez Gibson, who are supremely AMAZING.) But if you’re doing it yourself, the easiest way is to take this list of benefits, come up with a name that sparks interest and clearly communicates what it is, and then mold each piece into something intelligible.
- Publish and re-direct potential clients to your packages.
Potential clients (even ones with completely custom needs) will be better prepared to discuss their ideas with you once they look through your packages. Your packages will do many wonderful things for you, among which is acting as a magnet to the wonderful folks that you love working with and a repellant to the ones you don’t want to work with.
I LOVE packages, people. Service packages are trust-building, revenue-generating, schedule-filling, brand-pumping, stance-solidifying mavens of substance. They are pivotal to growth and scalability. They are one of my Main Things I Get Excited About.
And that’s all I have to say about that. (Hardly.)
