Do webmasters need sales training?

Do you lose deals because you timore sales skills? Is marketing your focus and you have trouble closing deals? Is the market too competitive to go after anything but referrals?

I think we do need some sales training, although, I think more on the marketing aspect. I don't have problems sealing deals or anything, more of getting the message across is more to it...

If Nik says it is OK, I have some great posts to share on messaging. Alternatively I would be happy to help you craft a clear message pro bono.

Some immediate advice:

1. Ask your clients why they work with you. Remove any assumptions and ask them what made them decide to hire you and what they like most about you.
2. Craft this into a clear set of triplets. Build 3-4 sets. Example: I worked with you beacuse you built me an easy to follow site that looked great and was up and running in no time = Clean, attractive, fast.
3. Take these triplets and build them into powerful sentences. Have a few. When you talk to prospects use one. Wait for responses...and use another...look for one that hits a core then start asking questions!!!!

Look, the last part of the sauce is paying attention and LISTENING!!! When I start my webTV show I will let you know,

Yeah those are great tips, although I am not quite new to writing sales letter or sales cover... The concern is on how to actually go through sales leads, getting them to pay attention and gain their trust... I have a contemporary approach in my business and that is to deliver the best always and finding a compromise if all else fails... Thanks for the tips though, it would add up to my considerations the next time I think of putting up a message across...

Are you talking about webmasters, or web designers? I don't think that webmasters need to know anything about sales on the other hand a designer/developer requires to have a good portfolio instead of knowing how to make a sale. Of course some sales lessons wouldn't harm but I think your work is more important.

Good point, what i am talking about is freelancers who need sales skills to achieve their goals.

I disagree Nikolas. Every website is created with a purpose. In essence you are selling a good or service or providing knowledge. In all of three you have to prove to website visitors why you are to be trusted or why you are qualified to talk about a particular topic.

I've always believed that an About Me page is as important, if not more important than a homepage. The homepage is like the cover of a book but it is the About Me page that tells why your book is worth reading.

Designer, be careful of those long sales letters. Seems to me they work best when selling an informational product but not as good when selling a service. With a website designer, I would hope to see a somewhat short homepage that makes it clear what you do and then an extensive gallery page to show that not every site you create uses the same template and just changes the colors and pictures.

The sales letters are also tricky with how they start. I cringe every time I see "Dear Friend". It makes me want to hold on tight to my wallet and seems overly familiar. Yet, in other parts of the world, such an approach works well.

The key to any sales pieces is to KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. If you don't start there, it won't matter how well you write.

YMC,

You are spot on about knowing your audience. You are also correct about information being important. Messaging is a critical part of sales that is often overlooked. When delivering a message, customer benefit and customer experiences are two of the most valuable ways to share.

When I named my business, two people I considered knowledgeable in the field said they didn't like my choice of name. Since then, the usage of crafting a message has become even more commonplace and I am even more convinced I made the right choice.

YMC is short for my company's name, Your Message Consultant. ;)

It has been interesting in my dealings with other companies to see how few realize that all marketing efforts must begin with identifying the audience.

I have to agree YMC, too long a sales letter is, the more a bore it becomes. I just reserve long written spiels for my proposals now, and let my portfolio and my work do the talking...

Definitely. Most webmasters are good at technologies but they sucks at marketing and sales skill, so we do need sales training.

People should focus on doing what they do best. If you want to do freelance, you better be good at more than just programming. You better have good people and networking skills. If you don't, you probably shouldn't do freelance work.

I think sales training is for sales representatives, they're more a frontliners, a sales talker. A webmaster is more on making designs and maintains a websites. The work is already your representation and need not to do more on the talking. :)

Sure, webmasters need that to break the marketing code

I think if we have sales traning we should do it fastly and better.
You know more and more technology we do not know, if someone teach us, it is good.

not quit though

IT depends with the product through....

Web designers need to learn how to sculpt their sites to hold on to the four seconds they have (the usual attention span) so their target audience will stick around long enough to be enticed more and be convinced they need the product/service being demonstrated to them in crisp text, convenient video, and intuitive web navigation.

Sadly, I'm a marketing guy but don't know how to sell myself very well. So I would say yes.

Sales and marketing are much different skill sets. If you work directly with your clients, then some level of sales knowledge would prove quite helpful.

If you want to make money, you need some kind of training. Formal or baptism of fire. Checking out the most recommend sales manuals can't hurt, but joining a mastermind group or joint venturing with an experienced marketer is best.

Yes, sales training is definitely needed.  Marketing, I "think" most web designers have.  Unfortunately this is sort of a broad topic.  I equate sales to direct contact and dialogue with a person vs marketing which could be my site, to emails to whatever I do to appeal to the masses. 

Of course, the sales training should be essential for webmasters because it will help them to deal with different scenarios. And I am sure that a webmaster with hands on knowledge of sales can achieve the desired results.   

The only people who need "sales training" are those who sell person-to-person. There's a huge difference between "selling" and "order taking."

"Selling" is the art of persuading a prospective customer to buy on a person-to-person basis. Lots of people hate the idea of this.

"Sales copy" is a misnomer - anything you write is really marketing.

well it is a condition, i think we should better know about sales
and how to convert visitor into buyer

I think the real point is does sales training mean person-to-person talking/emailing, or writing to the whole public as sales copy.

I don't believe you can be taught the skill of selling, that being said there are few techniques here and there that can make a difference to convincing the potential client

Yeah,  sales training is very useful for all.

Right. If you are freelancing, you need to wear many hats, including salesperson. That is just part of the business.

YES. SALES TRAINING is very important. because basically what we do is promote our business in order to earn money.
with sales training, i think being rich online is one step closer.. what do you guys think about it?

My opinion is that everybody would have to take sales skills courses. However if you are a good webmaster ... the success of the site will force you to ... at least read how to do it.

Sounds good.