LOL

Yea...I know what you mean jlknauff, but there are tough clients in either market.

Course I'm not afraid to set minimums for my clients to meet. Working with small businesses, doesn't necessarily mean small budgets. Of course, what suits me might not work for someone else.

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the clients are tough man.lol i must admit.
I can't beat my competitors with their pushy salesman tactics.
they are good, in their tactics I would say. thats all!!

I dont use networking to lure clients in. As from day 1 when i learnt SEO, I still think my rep and performance will be my marketing factors. Hope it stays on that way,.,

Dreamshop, sorry you don't find value in associations. I've always heard that you get out of them what you put into them. Maybe you haven't put enough into one.

I also have to laugh - I saw a thread elsewhere where people were looking for the exact thing I mention, and it appears there are a few fledgling groups doing this. I would guess that they shouldn't count on Dreamshop's dues.

Yes, but I've found that a lot of it comes down to how your present yourself. If you come across like they are doing you a favor by giving you their business they will act that way-but if you can present yourself like you are doing them the favor by doing buisness with them it usually changes things drastically in your favor, but you have to be careful not to come across as arrogant or condesending

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Don't take this the wrong way Robert...but I think that saying is a bit naive and ignorant.

Do you mean to tell me that just because something is done as "not for profit" that it's all happy rainbows, perfectly unbiased, and 100% the BEST reliable service and support anyone could find?


I'm really being tounge in cheek here, so please don't be upset.

The irony in all of this is that I've actually been quite active in industry trade groups in the past. So much so that I was part of founding the first association for a particular category of retailers. It became such a mess of red tape with so many different personalities that I ended up only getting it off the ground by funding it out of my pocket as a private business.

I provided REAL services, members paid annual dues, and everyone was happy.

A big part of the problem that I see with associations is that what people really want are affordable support services and help buidling their businesses (ie. increasing revenue). Usually what happens in a nonprofit situation is it becomes about status versus service.

When it boils down to it, if I'm going to spend $300 bucks on building my business it's going to be something that provides real ROI.

I don't need a gold seal on my website to tell people that I'm ethical and good at what I do. I let MY CLIENTS tell them...trust, sincerety, and successful projects it what it's all about.




Well there are already several SEO related associations, and they've already had plenty of political soap opera style scandals. Maybe that's what's scaring folks into trying to create more groups???

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Big company or small company, I charge the same hourly rate, and treat the client as if he were the only one in the world...haven't had any problems with that so far.

I figure most possible "problem clients" are turned away when I quote my rates...is it the same with you Morgan? I figure the guys/gals that are likely to complain about a few hundred dollars simply go elsewhere when they realize a solid plan will take a few thousand to really get moving.

Cygnus

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Gosh, how could I take that the wrong way?

I also belong to industry associations that provide a good deal of value to my business. I notice that the association you say you helped launch was one that resulted in disaster. Coincidence?

I organized a first-ever expo for our local industry association, resulting in some solid media exposure and provided funding for the association for the entire year, all from a 2-day event. That funding allowed our state university to do some research whose results would benefit all members of the association. Those kinds of things give the association a higher profile, potentially giving members the opportunity to charge more for their services.

Because you couldn't make it work doesn't mean it isn't workable. But don't take that the wrong way...

Hey....I DID make it work, and much faster and effectively. That's my point.

Anyway, my intention wasn't to bash associations altogether. I'm not saying they're bad or pointless. I just happened to find your orginial comment really amusing in light of all the ups and downs with SEMPO; but if your business is outside of the scope of SEO you might not be familiar with that.

http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/000865.html


Ultimately it's not membership in a group that allows one to charge more, it's the level of demand for your individual services or goods (and your track record for making customers happy).

Sorry for hijacking the thread guys!

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I take the same stand with Cygnus- I charge them the same rate.
most clients ran away upon hearing my quote

There is such truth to that. Over the years I've found that I enjoy the psychology of sales as much as the other things I do.



Good to see this problem exists across all industries. Hopefully you're able to screen them during the initial phonecall so you don't waste any time.

Dreamshop - *shrugs shoulders, shakes head*