How to Sell Consulting Services Online and How to Accept Payments From Customers
Consulting businesses sell services instead of physical products. To sell services online, you need to project an image of a trustworthy business with expertise that can help your potential customers. Develop a website that portrays that image, and use social media to relate to your audience. Accepting online payments is not complicated, and your bank or web host may be able to help you set it all up. If you only need to bill an occasional client for online payments, you can use PayPal. Or set up a merchant account if credit card transactions will be a regular part of doing business.
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Instructions
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Set Up Website
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Choose and register a domain name and sign up for a web host. Most web hosts will include a year's domain registration when you sign up for hosting. There are a lot of hosts to choose from, and many offer competitive pricing. Check their customer support and get recommendations from people you know who have websites before making your choice. If you need design help, look for a host that can include that service.
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Design an attractive and welcoming website that includes a blog. If you don't have design skills, purchase a template or pay someone to design it for you. The look and feel of your site will be the first impression a potential customer has of your business, so you want to make it a positive one.
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Set up a regular blogging schedule and stick to it. Post regular articles containing news about your business and information your customers can use. Don't give away every trade secret, because you want them to still want to pay for your services, but build their trust by giving away free information.
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Use social media such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to connect with potential customers and to continue your relationship with present customers. Request that your customers sign up for an email newsletter that you can use as another marketing tool.
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Develop a deep list of services to offer. Brainstorm ways you can help a customer who doesn't have a lot of money to spend, so you have a low-end option for him to choose. Offer an online webinar as a way to train many people at once. Then offer those who attend a discount on a private training session at a later date.
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Keep in touch with those who have done business with you in the past, using phone calls and personal emails to keep the relationship personal. Don't be afraid to regularly contact more than one person at a given company.
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Stay aware of happenings within your industry and look for opportunities. Watch for newly hired personnel or a key leadership change and make sure the new employees are aware of your services. Look for new businesses opening and creating the challenge of extra competition and make your services available to help the established businesses weather this change.
Prepare to Accept Online Payments
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Estimate the percentage of customers who will want to take advantage of online payments and the frequency with which you will receive such payments. If you will receive only occasional online payments, a third-party merchant or payment service, such as PayPal, will be adequate. But these services take a percentage of every payment, so you may wish to opt for a merchant account through a local bank. This kind of account comes with upfront fees to set up, but you may save in the long run by paying a lower percentage of each payment.
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Enroll in the merchant service of your choice. Some of these services include a shopping cart software for your website, or partner with companies that provide it. If your service does not, ask them to recommend a company that will provide a shopping cart for your website.
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Obtain the code for the shopping cart and paste it on the appropriate page. If you want to use it to sell several products, you will need to configure it for multiple payments and set the amount for each item. The solution you choose will have step-by-step guides for you to follow showing how to do this.
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Transfer funds to your bank account, if using PayPal or another service where the funds are first deposited in a separate account. The specific merchant account provider you choose can explain whether this is necessary and how to do it.
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References
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