$28,000 agreement from scratch...

[GabrielH]

Hi Everyone...

I just wanted to let you in on this success story so you can see what is truly possible. By the way, please pardon my bad English.

I landed an implant dentist with very little effort.

Here is why I believe I succeeded in closing him:

-He was already spending quite a bit for advertising. $30,000 for YellowPages alone, and they only generated one lead that didn't convert. Yes my client did track results. So it was easy to show him how my strategies had a better chance of succeeding. Only target big clients who are already spending big money. Also target people who make a lot of money per client. This guy is happy if I bring him only one or two clients a month.

-I overprepared for the initial meeting. I printed many pages (screenshots) of his lack of onsite SEO, why his competitors were ranking better, Google Places (why he had bad rankings), Google Keyword tool traffic with keywords he wasn't optimized for (and I explained to him that he was losing a lot a month because those people were finding his competitors before him), etc.

-I took the time to get to know him and his business as much as possible. I knew he tried his luck in politics, was a radio announcer, I told him everything I knew about his competition, etc. At one point he looked at me with a worried/impressed look and asked me where I got all the info and if I was a private detective.

-I asked him EXACTLY what he wanted for his business, and I wrote it down exactly as he said it. Then when the time came for the close I re-stated his wants and told him that was what he was going to be getting. Using people's ''trance words'' is extremely powerful.

-I sent a 6 page letter via FedEx (always use FedEx for first contacts, you will stick out like a sore thumb) detailing everything I knew about him and his business, and why he was losing money. I gave everything away. Never hold anything back at this step. He told me that he gets contacted all the time by marketers and he turns them all down. I took the time to research his business in depth and reveal all his weak points (believe me, almost no marketers do this.) That really impressed him.

-I told him I would only work with one implant dentist in his area. He also had one week to get back to me or else I would contact someone else. He told me that this got him moving.

-Did a stellar job with the questionnaire.

-Acted like I didn't really care if I got the deal or not. And I truly FELT it. That had him chasing me in no time. I'd always say things like, ''if we decide to work together...''

What I offered: referral systems marketing, SEO, Google Places, two sites (paid $600 to have others do it for me), video marketing (vids were already done but not on YouTube), direct mail to his database, local business listings, etc. all for 28 thousand.

The meeting after the agreement was signed he teased me about accepting the deal, saying that he got the better part of the deal.

Also, another client I almost closed asked me if I was going to charge him $50,000 for doing less work than the above. And he was a pretty small business. A friend of mine was also asked if he was going to charge $50,000 to another small business for even less work. Those potential clients were not ready to pay that amount, believe me, but just the fact that they stated a number that is that high is proof of what is possible.

So if you still think that whatever you are charging is maybe ''too much'', it probably isn't. This is offline, not online, and these people have much bigger budgets.

If you have any questions, please feel free to post them here.

Gabriel

[Dexx]

Well done Gabriel!

How long did it take you in total from first contact with the client to collecting the initial payment?

Keep up the great work and keep sharing your success stories to help motivate others (and yourself!)

~Dexx

[Bonnie]

Congratulations, Gabriel, that's fantastic! Thanks for sharing your success and these great tips!

If you don't mind sharing... since he said he "gets contacted all the time by marketers and he turns them all down," how did you convince him to talk with you in the first place?

[Cashmagnet]

Gabriel Congrats many thanks for sharing, you sound like you've been doing this for at least a year, very confident and have most key points to closing covered. How many other clients do you manage or was this your first?

[Dane Morgan]

Good job. Looks like the preparation and attention to details really paid off here!

[GabrielH]

Well done Gabriel!

How long did it take you in total from first contact with the client to collecting the initial payment?

~Dexx

About a week later I presented the mindmap and had him sign the agreement.

After the inital meeting he told me he was so excited to hear what I was going to propose that he thought he wouldn't be able to sleep for a week.

Congratulations, Gabriel, that's fantastic! Thanks for sharing your success and these great tips!

If you don't mind sharing... since he said he "gets contacted all the time by marketers and he turns them all down," how did you convince him to talk with you in the first place?

I proved to him that I know my stuff and I showed him all the money he was leaving on the table. It was obvious to him that I put a lot of effort into researching his strengths and weaknesses, something that very few people do. Most just call, send an e-mail or a letter via snail mail. I believe cold calling is disrespectful, so I never go that route.

How would you react if a doctor called you cold and tried to sell his services to you?

E-mail and snail mail will bring bad response rates. Paying for something like FedEx (Ted Nicholas says that FedEx outpulls all the rest) shows that you are serious and that you believe in yourself and what you have to offer... in my mind at least.

Had I called, e-mailed or sent a simple snail mail letter, I would have been ignored or turned down. He told me so. When he saw the FedEx, he was instantly worried that something was wrong... that it was a letter from a lawyer or something (can't quite remember what he said.) Curiosity got the best of him and he opened it to read a long letter that was all about HIM, not me. Of course he read it all.

You have to stand out.

Show them the potential profits and savings and they will sell themselves.

I sent three letters out, and two contacted me and they were pre-sold. I almost closed the first one for $23K. 2/3 is pretty darn good, and it is in line with what a marketer (not AP) I learned this ''strategy'' from gets as a conversion rate.

Gabriel Congrats many thanks for sharing, you sound like you've been doing this for at least a year, very confident and have most key points to closing covered. How many other clients do you manage or was this your first?

This is my first client with this type of model. I've done consulting in the past, but I charged an hourly rate or negotiated a piece of the action or charged a retainer plus a piece of the action.

Thanks for all your kind words guys. If I can help, let me know.

Gabriel

[GabrielH]

Good job. Looks like the preparation and attention to details really paid off here!

It always does. Always. Even if you don't close the person, they will respect you a great deal for putting a lot of effort into it. Every single person I have met has thanked me profusely at the end of the first meeting. (And they thanked me for MY TIME.)

Side note: NEVER thank a prospect for their time. Say, ''It was a pleasure meeting you'' instead.

You only have one chance to make a first impression. I go in with a bang. Also realize that it reassures prospects that you will do a hell of a job for them (since you worked so hard for free.) And even if you don't close them, some may send referrals your way. It's happened to me.

Being extremely well prepared keeps your confidence and motivation high. And you can easily shrug off the ''no's.'' Getting turned down isn't a blow to the ego anymore. If they turn me down after I show them exactly how to take their business to the next level, it is their loss. They are turning down my tested and proven strategies, not me. Next!

I am only going to work with people who get it and who are very motivated.

Gabriel

[Dane Morgan]

-I sent a 6 page letter via FedEx (always use FedEx for first contacts, you will stick out like a sore thumb) detailing everything I knew about him and his business, and why he was losing money. I gave everything away. Never hold anything back at this step. He told me that he gets contacted all the time by marketers and he turns them all down. I took the time to research his business in depth and reveal all his weak points (believe me, almost no marketers do this.) That really impressed him.

This letter was your first contact with the client, right? So the letter was spcifically about what was wrong with his online marketing efforts? Or did you have some information on how he was handling his offiline marketing as well?

[mazo]

Gabriel .
Well done you,your time and hard work really paid off for you. Would love to have a peek at your opening letter. As Dexx says rinse and repeat. Oh! I must say you have no worries about your English, better than mine and I have stayed here over forty years .

[larryfoster]

Congratulations, Gabriel.
That had to feel good.

I'll echo Dane's question. How did you initially find this client?
If you said that, I apologize

Larry

[GabrielH]

This letter was your first contact with the client, right? So the letter was spcifically about what was wrong with his online marketing efforts? Or did you have some information on how he was handling his offiline marketing as well?

It was the first contact, yes. Mostly online, but I shared a few offline things I knew he didn't have or wasn't doing: he had no USP, wasn't asking for referrals from happy clients and he didn't use direct reponse/reason why copywriting with a call to action on his offline ads or sites.

You could also call up your prospects' company and see how your call is handled. You can then determine if the staff needs sales training (if that is up your alley.) If you do end up purchasing the product or service, notice if they attempt to upsell you or not.

Out of the few MAIN ways you have to grow someone's business, increasing the conversion rate is the one way that may have the biggest impact on their bottom line. So anything that contributes to selling or pre-selling better can significantly increase their profits. And it is easy to prove on paper.

Congratulations, Gabriel.
That had to feel good.

I'll echo Dane's question. How did you initially find this client?

Larry

It felt great for sure. I looked for the big ads in the Yellow Pages. You can also go after businesses who advertise on the radio, newspapers or even local tv. If at all possible, select people who are paying big money for marketing now. Recency is important.

Gabriel

[Dane Morgan]

Great thread with some real actionable information. Rock on Gabriel.

[Cato]

Wow, what a great deal you got.
This is one hell of a inspirational success storie right here.
Thank you for sharing GabrielH.

[treezie]

Gabriel, nice job! He's getting a pretty nice deal cuz implant dentists get a lot from their patients. Man think about all the referrals you are going to get if he is 100% satisfied with your work. Were they advertising on the online yellow pages for $30,000? And is that per year?

[GabrielH]

$30,000 a year for Yellow Pages, yes.

[jacquic]

Conratulations, Gabriel! And an excellent post all round.

When is your next success story

~ Jacqui

It amazes me how much the YP costs in the US. It's expensive here, but nothing like over the Pond.

[GabrielH]

A big thanks to you Jacqui! You gave me a hand a long time ago and it helped me land this deal.

**When is your next success story**

Pretty darn soon, after I come back from a two week vacation in the tropics.

Gabriel

[jacquic]

A big thanks to you Jacqui! You gave me a hand a long time ago and it helped me land this deal.

Hey, glad I helped!

**When is your next success story**

Pretty darn soon, after I come back from a two week vacation in the tropics.

Gabriel

Excellent! Enjoy Look forward to hearing the next episode.

[Stewart]

Excellent! Enjoy Look forward to hearing the next episode.

Hi Gabriel,

I just signed up for access to your forum. Not sure if its part of a paid membership. If so, please ignore my request.

Warmest regards,

Stewart

[BAYO a.k.a. Mr. B]

Well done.

The truth about this activity we refer to as "Offline [fill-in-the-blank] is that it is pure business consulting. When people get that fact right, i.e. there are elements of Internet marketing involved but you're really running a business and expecting to generate good income, that's when these types of results manifest.

Keep it up!

BAYO

[marc33]

best impression tome is '$30,000 for YellowPages alone...'

any case congrats!