A word on networking: In the small town in which I live there are two business networking meetings a month put on by two different organizations but the problem (and the reason I no longer go) is that people who attend these meetings are in send mode not receive mode. They have a message to deliver. They have an agenda and it has nothing to do with learning about anyone else’s product or service.

Real networking requires actually having natural conversations in natural situations in which you can observe or listen to someone talk about their business, successes and failures. If, in that situation, you can offer some helpful, no-strings-attached advice, you will be much more likely to develop a business relationship–and at the very least a personal one.

Go out and get active, meet people, play golf, darts, pick-up football (any version), coffee shops, and etcetera. The best networking is living life otherwise it is a sales call in sheep’s clothing.

All the best,

Jay

Most of the ideas here are quite stagnant and statically based, in my opinion. I don’t normally read the “Selling Web Design Services” section of the blogs here, but other than the few who mentioned “look at different revenue streams” seem to just be extending their current timeline, but not necessarily improving on it — which very well may work, as networking and new channels of word-of-mouth are all very popular.

However, if the location around you is currently overnetworked as far as tech-firms in the web consultancy business go, and you don’t have the monetary funds, time, or staff to extend yourself to do these things, alternatives to your current revenue stream is about the only “possible” way to go, other than becoming an outsourced consultant/programmer/designer to a different firm (building business relationships is extremely important).

So then, what about re-thinking your current market? Let’s say you’ve been building websites for clients (design, programming, both, neither — just being a manager, whatever) and are looking to continue doing so but the long list is beginning to run dry. Existing clients are happy with what they have, and regardless of educating them on […] paying for your business because of x,y,x…they’re happy as they are for the most part. Okay, what next?

What niche(s) out there are almost virtually untapped resources? “Mom and Pops” stores are happy with their 13 year old daughter/son developing their site in Frontpage and publishing it on geocities… In-town stores and business have already been marketed and/or have a full-time staff. What about agricultural/institutional organizations? Institutions are 50/50. It’s either grotesque, or an amazing feat of technology (although, even then, usually improperly used). Why not develop for these markets? The underprivileged, overlooked, EAGARLY WAITING FOR YOU TO COME SAVE THEM, markets…?

I specifically left out the market I’m thinking of because, well…it’s mine. :) But there are plenty of other lucrative ways to assist them, while helping out yourself. Develop a single application that you can either package up and ship out, providing maintenance and support fees, or a hosted application that just keeps shelling in the money as you make small, minor improvements and call them major changes (that’s just a joke, don’t do that).

So… “Think outside the box,” is the best advice I can give…other than building business relationships with trusted “competitors” who could become an associate.

2. Ask your current clients what problems they are currently having and what you can do. Try and market these results to others in the same industry.

3. Publish more general articles relating to your area.

4. offer a mini-course by automated email on some topic that would interest and educate your market.

5. Do a survey of your current clients. If you have targeted a specific niche, ask questions that would interest them based on what you learned in (2).

Have you learned how to add some features you didn’t know in the past?
Have you found some tools that you use for your own site that clients could find value in?
Is their information out of date or at least “dated”?

Websites need to be constantly updated and enhanced to keep people coming back again and again. Offer to make changes that you deem appropriate.

Better yet, ask them if they would give you a retainer each month (like a service contract) to maintain their site on an ongoing basis!

Don’t let all of your projects be one-time events. The site lives on and your work on it can too.

Good Luck

Speaking of documenting… this is also a time to be a little reflective on what you have done, and look ahead on how to improve on it, in the form of defining and refining your internal processes and procedures, documentation, contracts, etc. These things can make you more efficient in the long term, so you can focus on selling and delivering solutions, rather than working over the grunt work of generating that contract.

Just my two cents…

When I started reading your blog I was working on building my web design & consulting business, but I ended up going down a different path instead. That would lead me to #2, be open about different approaches and revenue streams. If people asking for Y and you only do X, start thinking hard about how you can make Y happen.