How to Sell Websites During COVID-19

It feels like the world is shutting down. With the spread of COVID-19, there are new challenges to face every day, and we want to help you overcome them. Thankfully, you don’t need to be face-to-face to build, sell or manage someone's website. As a web designer, you can continue your sales efforts, build new sites, find new opportunities, and even experience record-breaking growth, like many SiteSwan Resellers have.

Here are 8 tips to help you sell websites despite the COVID-19 pandemic:

1. Make safety your first priority

Like they say: “Stay home. Stay safe. Save lives.” Now is not the time for in-person sales or lunch meetings with potential clients, but that doesn’t mean your sales efforts need to come to a halt. Stick to safer forms of communication including phone, email, text messaging, and social media messaging. It will save you time and keep you safe.

2. Designate a proper space to work from home

While many web designers are already used to working from home, some are transitioning from outside offices or simply dealing with other family members being home while they are working. A proper home office, even if it’s just a dedicated space in another room will help you block out distractions and maximize productivity.

3. Target the right industries

While some industries might be suffering and are even temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak, there are plenty of businesses that are still open, operating and can’t even keep up with customer demand. “Essential” businesses like supermarkets, food stores, restaurants, auto repair shops, hardware stores, and many more are all perfect targets for selling websites. Cleaning companies and home service businesses like roofers, contractors and plumbers are also great industries to target. For more ideas, check out this article on “Which Businesses Need a Website Now”.

4. Highlight the benefits that matter most

When pitching a potential client, focus on the features and benefits that provide the most value to them during this challenging time. Tailor your pitch for each specific business, highlighting how a website will help address their current pain points. For example, a small hardware or convenience store might want to use their website to post which cleaning products they currently have in stock; a restaurant could be interested in promoting special carryout menus or even offering online ordering; other businesses might simply be interested in reducing time-consuming phone calls and making it easier for their customers to contact them and find current store hours or promotions online.

5. Put together a free design demo

Offering a free design demo to show a potential client exactly what their website can look like before they buy is something we always recommend and something that will set you apart from other web designers in your area. It gives business owners the ability to “preview” their site, which builds their confidence in you, and will make the sales process a lot easier and a lot faster. This is also something that you can only do efficiently with the SiteSwan platform. Use our ready-made themes to instantly create a personalized website that is sure to “wow” your client and help seal the deal.

6. Offer discounts and incentives

Some businesses might be skeptical about investing in a new website during these challenging times. Discounts and incentives are a great way to solve these concerns so you can land new clients quicker and easier...but don’t reduce your prices too much because you don’t want to undervalue your services. We recommend offering a discount on the setup fee you would normally charge but keeping the monthly fee the same. Be creative with other incentives like postponing payments for a short period of time or including additional services you would normally charge extra for, like logo design, business cards, reputation management or social media marketing.

7. Utilize our “no-contact” billing system

Nobody wants to deal with paper invoices or mailing checks right now. SiteSwan’s Client Billing feature makes it easy to charge your website clients and manage customer billing directly from your dashboard without ever having to make direct contact. Simply enter the client’s credit card information and the amount you want to charge and the system will automatically bill your clients each and every month. You can learn more about SiteSwan’s Client Billing feature here.

8. Be available to existing customers

It’s important to remember that keeping your existing customers happy is equally as important as attracting new clients. Communicate regularly with existing website clients to see how you can help them during this challenging time. Offer to make updates to their site on their behalf including any changes in hours of operation or product availability. Help restaurant clients post new menus or specials. Being proactive and being accessible to your small business clients during these difficult times will help prove your worth, increase their loyalty and show them that you have not forgotten about them.

We couldn't be more proud of our resilient SiteSwan resellers who are helping small businesses thrive during this difficult time, all while keeping or growing their own web design businesses. Work around the challenges that COVID-19 presents, and be grateful you can operate a business through this mess from home – or wherever you are.

How to Sell Websites During COVID-19

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