I’m Claire, CEO of Trio Media, a fully integrated digital marketing agency based in Leeds, UK. We help SMEs increase sales through their websites with digital marketing campaigns that generate conversions.
How do you sell website maintenance plans?
When it comes to selling anything you need to explain it in a way that is easy for the client to understand.
For example, website maintenance plans can be compared to car maintenance plans.
We all know our cars need to be maintained in order to last longer and perform better.
Websites are the same in that respect, they need be maintained in order to perform at their best and last longer, especially in a time where things are changing and updating daily.
Another aspect of website maintenance is keeping your website up to date which is easier to sell because we are all so used to regular software and app updates therefore you could use that to explain the importance of having your site maintained continuously.
The importance of having someone to help with emergencies and difficult tasks/changes to the site is another aspect that can be used in selling maintenance because people see value in time saved.
Explaining that the client can always have peace of mind when it comes to their website is another important point because it means that can focus on the work they do and spend less time worried about their website.
What advice could you share on retaining maintenance clients for longer?
Constant communication, quality work and great customer service.
For many clients, they may not understand the true value of website maintenance therefore it’s important to keep them updated with the work you’re doing, the result of that work being taken care of and all in a way that makes sense to them.
Whether that’s in basic terms or more technical terms, dependant on the clients understanding of the work being done.
Constant communication and great customer service also emphasise the value in website maintenance.
You don’t want a client left wondering about the payment they make monthly and whether it’s justified or beneficial to their company’s success and growth.
Quality of work speaks for itself, do the best and then a little more.
Find out how they’re doing as a company and relate the work you’re doing to the success of the website where applicable.
This can help them further understand the value of your work along with the relationship it has with ROI.
How do you ensure the most efficient delivery of your website maintenance service?
Having a checklist of work that needs to be completed monthly along with a service that allows the client to raise an issue(s), state their importance and/or urgency and explain the issue(s).
This will allow for more streamline communication and will increase the speed in which the task or issue is completed or resolved.
It can also be helpful to have a default list of issues/topics/tasks which clients can pick from so that you can allocate the right people to the job, ultimately saving time.
This approach can also reduce time spent, by the client, explaining the issue as they’ll have options to pick from that explain it in a fewer words.
Having a demo with the client that is tailored to their understanding and use of the platform so that they not only see value but also feel confident in using and navigating through the platform.
Having the ability to open and close different tasks that are clearly labeled so that both the client and website maintenance company can keep track of tasks to ensure they are completed effectively and efficiently.
Ensuring that the platform is user friendly is also important as it contributes to the amount of time saved by using a maintenance and support company.
