If you’ve ever had a client say yes, pay the deposit, and then go quiet for weeks, it’s rarely because you did something wrong.

It’s usually because they weren’t quite ready to work with you.

Welcome to another episode of Websites Made Simple with me, Holly Christie.

In this episode, I’m talking about how to attract the clients who come to you ready to buy, so you can save yourself all that back and forth. I also tell you the story of the time I was the person who wasn’t ready, why I was never Hinge’s ideal customer, and why it did not go well.

We get into:

  • Why niching means the right clients find you when they’re ready, not just shopping around
  • The huge gap between “not quite ready” and “sign me up, here’s the money”
  • What happens when a client pays the deposit and then goes quiet
  • Why I was never Hinge’s ideal customer, and what that teaches us about clients who aren’t ready
  • Why long, specific search phrases beat “web design London”, and how I found a holiday cottage with ChatGPT
  • Three questions to ask your past clients about how they found you
  • How FAQs and blogs answer people’s questions so you don’t have to
  • Why you shouldn’t hide your prices, and what to say about hosting, licences and renewals
  • Why case studies reassure the clients who are about to say yes
  • Why getting clear on your messaging takes patience, and why you shouldn’t keep changing it

If you want clients who are ready to say yes and a lot less back and forth, this one’s for you.

Mentioned in this episode: SEO F-ing What with Nikki Pilkington, episode 38, “Your Portfolio Page Title Is KILLING Your SEO”

Here are some links you might find useful

SEO specialist: Nikki Pilkington

My brilliant podcast producer, Neal Veglio

Want to get in touch? Click here to email me, or visit my contact page to leave a voicemail.

Skip to the good bits

00:00 Why ready-to-buy clients make life easier
02:34 The gap between ‘not ready’ and ‘sign me up’
04:16 My Hinge story: the day I wasn’t the ideal customer
07:26 How your ideal clients actually search
11:03 Answer their questions before they ask
12:52 Don’t hide your prices (or what’s included)
16:24 Case studies that reassure
17:49 Anchor your messaging

If you liked this episode, you may also like:

Click on the image to listen to the episode.

Artwork for episode 68 of the Websites Made Simple Podcast

Follow the show

The Websites Made Simple Podcast is produced and managed by Podknows Podcasting*

*from episode 24 onwards – please don’t judge my lovely podcast producer for the absolute hash up of my self-edited initial episodes 🫣