Artist Merge Design

Last month, I tried to land my first outbound client and failed.

I was nervous on the phone for my first cold call and didn’t get far. Still, I’m proud that I made the attempt—and I learned from it.

I’m a web developer. That’s been my trade for 20 years, working with companies ranging from startups to large enterprises. I know what skills I bring to the table. What I’m not comfortable with is selling those skills to people who don’t know me.

Learning the other side of the business

For most of my career, finding the client wasn’t my job. I could focus on the work: building websites, solving problems, collaborating with teams, and getting projects launched. Starting a web design business means learning the other side of the equation: how to find the people who need what I do and convince them that I’m the right person to do it.

So I wrote a script. Unfortunately, I sounded like I was reading from one. More telemarketer than professional service provider.

Getting comfortable with the conversation

After that first call, I realized I don’t necessarily need a better sales pitch. I need to get more comfortable having the conversation. I know how to talk about websites. I know how to look at a business and think about what its website needs. The part that feels unfamiliar is being the person who starts that conversation.

The truth is, not everyone is going to need my services. Knowing exactly where to be found would be much easier, and I’m working on that. For now, I’m going to keep putting myself out there.

I expect that selling web design services will get easier with practice. Maybe cold calling will become one way I find web design clients, or maybe I’ll discover that another approach works better for me. Either way, that first uncomfortable phone call was a start.

Hi, my name is Sheryl. I build websites.

I build, host, and maintain custom WordPress websites for professional practices, independent professionals, and trade and home-service businesses.

If you or someone you know needs a website, let’s start a conversation.