It comes as a shock to some potential clients. We’re on the first call and I tell them they need to DIY their website.
Wait. Aren’t we in the business of building websites? Shouldn’t I be trying to convince them to invest a substantial amount of money in a website? Yet here I am telling them to DIY?
I can always hear the confusion and intrigue in their voices.
Here’s the reality: when I’m on a call with a potential client, my job isn’t to sell them on a website. My job is to serve them and where their business is at right now. For many clients, that does mean helping them build their first site or taking it to the next level with a custom website. But for some, it means pointing them in the right direction to DIY.
So why do I tell some people to DIY their website? There are two reasons:
1. They don’t yet have the funds to invest. Some potential clients who reach out to us are just getting started, sometimes just having graduated from college. It would be a stress on them financially and emotionally to put too much into a website. They just need a simple site to get started, and most important, begin getting clients. Secret tip: You actually don’t NEED a website to get clients, but you may want a simple landing page with your basic info in the event someone you meet Googles you.
2. They haven’t worked on their business enough to gain clarity about what they need. While building a website can help entrepreneurs and business owners get more clarity into their business, if you don’t have any clarity, building a website isn’t the magical path to finding it. In cases like this one, I recommend the client get a quick website up — a single page with basic info on what they offer and how to contact them — then work with a business coach to really refine their business, sales, and marketing plans.
Now, there are many cases in which it makes sense to work with a team like Alchemy+Aim on a website. When you know what your business is and you’re ready to invest, we’d love to work with you.
