5 myths about pitching your web design development services

I’ve been thinking about pitching your services as a web designer/developer a lot lately.

Pitching is a topic that has come up many times in conversations as of late, whether it’s with my clients, my email newsletter subscribers, or even with my peers and fellow established web designers/developers. It seems to be on everyone’s mind!

If you’ve been following me and my business for a while, you might already know that I attribute my initial success and subsequent growth to pitching my services. Pitching is something I did to find clients, book out my calendar, take on the type of projects I wanted to do, and generally build up my experience and skills. It helped me leapfrog forward too and I know that I was able to achieve way more in a much shorter period of time because I took action and pitched my little heart out.

Was it easy or comfortable? Heck no! At the start, I pretty much hated pitching. The rejection stung and I felt like I was bothering people anytime I sent out a pitch email.

But do you know what? I kept with it, refined my strategy and started seeing amazing results from my pitches.

I was able to book loads more discovery calls which turned into secured web design/development projects. I started making good money. I was able to fill out my calendar in advance. My portfolio became more refined and targeted towards my ideal clients and audience/niche, which then made it even easier to sell my services in the future.

I am a HUGE fan of pitching because I know firsthand how well it works.

Which is why in this blog post, I want to address 5 of the most common myths or misconceptions I hear about pitching your services as a web designer/developer.

Most of these myths are based in fear, and I want to show you how powerful it can be to push past any awkwardness or hesitations you might have around pitching, because the results are totally worth it.

The fact of the matter is that pitching is a real skill and it requires a lot of strategy, resilience and proactive behaviour. But from my own experience, I can tell you that it pays off like you wouldn’t believe.

My Guide to Pitching Your Web Design/Development Services is a fantastic and highly actionable resource that you can use and customize in your own business - everything from a “how-to” guide to customizable email pitch templates to a spreadsheet tracker, i’ve got you covered.

Start pitching your services >>

If you’re on the fence about pitching, wonder if it’s something you should try out in your own business, or aren’t sure if it could work for you, then I’m here to give you a friendly shove in the right direction.

Pitching worked for me and it WILL work for you too and the fastest way to get the results you want is to simply get started.

Don’t believe these pitching myths.

PITCH YOUR SERVICES ROADMAP - FREE DOWNLOAD

Download the free Pitch Your Services Roadmap to go along with this blog post, it’s a wonderful resource to help you get started pitching your services.

Alright let’s get right to it. Pitching myths, be gone!

5 MYTHS about pitching your services as a web designer & developer

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Myth #1 : Pitching doesn’t work

Starting with the most bewildering myth I’ve heard, which is that pitching your services as a web designer/developer doesn’t work.

LOLLLLLL this couldn’t be further from the truth!

Anyone who tells you that pitching doesn’t work probably hasn’t even tried it out themselves, or they made a few feeble attempts with really crappy pitches and didn’t see any results (I mean, duh).

Let me be clear : when it comes to pitching, you will strike out - a lot.

You will get Nos, Not Nows and Maybe Laters. Your pitches will be totally ignored too! This is inevitable, literally no one pitches successfully 100% of the time - let alone the majority of the time.

But remember, pitching is a numbers game.

In fact, pitching actually converts wayyy better than other marketing strategies out there! In all honesty, how effective are your other marketing efforts? How quick is the turnaround time, otherwise known as the sales cycle? When you participate in Twitter chats or chime in on message boards or forums, do you actually land clients like that? What about spending hours every week on Instagram or Pinterest or Facebook, how many clients does that actually send your way?

Pitching, on the other hand, is something you can actively do to grow your business, book out your services and start a conversation with your dream potential clients.

But you probably won’t be great at pitching right from the start, and that’s normally where the myth comes from.

It takes a while to refine your pitch process, fully understand the strategy, get better at crafting a message that speaks directly to ideal clients, and all those other factors that make it a no-brainer for people to work with you.

As with many things in life, practice makes perfect when it comes to pitching..

Rejection is inevitable but if you anticipate it in advance, it won’t sting so hard and you’ll be able to get back to pitching must faster - and start seeing real results.

Myth #2 : Pitching is something that only agencies do // Pitching is not for independent, solopreneur web designers/developers

It’s true that many of the larger web design/development agencies and studios out there have entire business development teams who’s job is to go out and find new business and clients to work with.

Knowing that, many people ask themselves “how can the little guy compete?” or they whine “I’m just a one-woman show!”.

My friend, I’m here to tell you not to worry because you’ll still have great results pitching your web design services, let me tell you why.

First of all, those agencies or larger studios probably aren’t going after the same kinds of web design/development projects that you are. They’re trying to secure major projects with large businesses and significantly bigger budgets. Those type of projects require detailed proposals, project reviews, and a whole lot of meetings with various internal decision makers before any business is secured. Ugh, what a nightmare.

This is GREAT news for you because you don’t have to worry about going after the same clients and projects that they are! This leaves you with countless small/medium sized businesses that you can serve, because you know that those larger studios/agencies are probably targeting big companies’ website projects. You can go after the engineering firms, yoga studios, consultants, photographers, restaurants, whatever without worrying that you’re going to be competing against The Big Guys.

Follow their lead though and start pitching your services. They do it because it works. Come up with your own pitches and proposals, and don’t be afraid to reach out to clients that you can serve and want to work with.

Take a page out of their book and start pitching your services too - just stick to a different type of web design/development client!

Myth #3 : Pitch emails are all it takes to secure a new project

Not to be the bearer of bad news but it’s extremely rare that it only takes one pitch email to book out a brand new web design/development project.

Cold emails are rarely enough to seal the deal, there’s no way around it. They’re a majorly effective first step, but they’re not where it ends.

Think about it: when you send out your first pitch email, you’re basically showing up out of the blue in their inbox, asking to work with them. Most of the time, people will be like “who is this random hunni who just popped into my inbox asking for my business? I don’t know them!”.

A pitch email is a fantastic way to start a conversation and propose a new business ideal, but it rarely works on it’s own.

Instead, think of your pitch emails as your first introduction. You want to warm them up enough that they’ll proceed with your Call-To-Action (CTA), which is usually to book a free discovery call to discuss your pitch further.

Let me repeat myself: ALWAYS use your pitch emails to ask the potential client to join you on a discovery call.

The reason we do this is because discovery calls are way more likely to convert than just a few emails alone. These meetings humanize your pitch and it gives the potential client the chance to ask you questions about your proposed web design/development project, learn more about your process, see exactly how you can help them with your services, and what kind of improvements they can expect in their business after working with you.

Pitch emails are the first stage and the discovery call helps build a relationship. Both steps develop that invaluable like, know and trust factor where none existed before.

Myth #4 : Pitching is only for extroverts or “sales-y” people

I understand where this myth comes from because everyone knows the stereotype of the loud, pushy salesman, and many of us don’t identify with that (like, at all).

We see those types of salespeople and their behaviour and think, omg that’s not me. Far from it.

Or in a less extreme example, we see so many successful people online who have these bright, charismatic, extroverted personalities - they aren’t necessarily the most talented designers/developers out there, but they have a high profile because they aren’t afraid to put themselves out there. Their extroverted personalities makes it easier for them to show up on live video, speak at conferences, host joint webinars, etc. Pitching their services is the next natural step and as a result, potential clients might find out about these people faster & easier than others who keep a lower profile online.

Truth is, many of us independent web designers/developers are solopreneurs who work by ourselves, from home, and enjoy that peace and quiet. We want to work alone on our projects without having to deal with big offices or large teams of people.

Most of us are introverts and the thought of pitching our services and hopping on discovery calls is enough to send us running for the hills.

But let me remind you that I myself am an introvert in every sense of the word, yet I have pushed past my discomfort and experienced enormous success through pitching my services as a web designer/developer.

If you’ve ever watched my Youtube video tutorials, attended any of my live trainings or webinars, or purchased my online courses, you’ll know that I am NOT a loud, extraverted, overly dynamic online personality. I don’t have a major online presence and I’m definitely not at ease showing up on the internet.

But that is actually something I’ve used to my advantage when pitching my web design/development services, and you can do it too!

People want to work with people they like and often my chilled out, calm, approachable, introverted personality is a major selling point. People like that and can relate to me.

Being an introvert isn’t a disadvantage when it comes to pitching your services. If you have a hard time putting yourself out there and going after new business opportunities on your own, just play up other parts of your personality that are a little bolder and braver.

Gentle and quiet confidence goes a long way.

The more you practice pitching your services, the more confident you’ll become and as a result, you’ll become an accidental salesman/woman - on your own terms.

Refine your pitching skills, grow your confidence, and become more comfortable in uncomfortable situations.

Trust me, pitching will pay off even if it’s totally out of your comfort zone!

Myth #5 : “Pitching is too aggressive, you should wait for people to come to you instead”

I am NOT a fan of this passive attitude in business, so it goes without saying that I am here to debunk this pitching myth!

There are so many ways to grow your business but personally, I have always wanted to take matters into my own hands and create opportunities instead of sitting around waiting for people to somehow find me on their own.

When you’re starting out, no one knows who you are. You don’t have an audience, there’s no waitlist of people queuing up to work with you, no email list you can promote your project openings to.

If all of that is true, then it’s up to YOU to get your name out there and go after new business!

People might find you on their own…eventually. But you can certainly speed up the process by pitching your services to those potential clients directly!

Remember that people NEED the services you offer. Your work will directly benefit those potential clients and there’s so much value in what you are proposing to do for them.

When you pitch strategically and thoughtfully, it will never come across as aggressive or pushy. The best and easiest sales benefit BOTH sides, and your pitch always highlights reciprocity - let me help you.

So get out there, pitch like crazy, and give it everything that you’ve got!

During my first few weeks of business, I pitched non-stop, every day.

I wasn’t the best or more experienced designer out there (far from it, in fact) but I was definitely the most resilient and driven little pitcher. I ended up securing 3 custom Squarespace website projects valued at over $5000. Heck yeah!

Since then, I’ve raised my rates considerably and rarely need to pitch my services anymore because I’m usually booked out in advance - dream clients come directly to me now.

Looking back, pitching is what allowed me to grow my business and become a leader in my field so quickly.

Pitching works and it converts.

I PITCHED SUCCESSFULLY. IT WILL WORK FOR YOU, TOO.

You could try to hack together pitch emails on your own.

Or you could purchase my proven pitch strategy and process, use the exact email templates that worked for me, and learn all my secrets and recommendations for best results. I created the Guide to Pitching Your Web Design & Development Services so that you can get started today.

Get the pitch guide & templates now >>

I’ve done the trial and error, made the mistakes, and messed up more times than I can count. But I’ve come a long way since then and have refined the process to something that I know works.

I want you to pitch your services the right way, from the very first attempt. This how-to-pitch guide, email templates and pitch tracker spreadsheet will save you time and give you peace of mind that you’re pitching correctly and effectively, using a proven strategy.

When you invest in yourself and your business by purchasing this how-to guide, email templates and tracker spreadsheet, you’ll learn how to pitch your services effectively, quickly, and with higher conversion rates than traditional marketing methods. I can’t guarantee that you’ll have the same results that I did because success depends a lot on the action and effort you put in, but I am certain that you will have better results than if you didn’t try at all. It’s an investment to purchase this product but if it helps you book out even one extra web design/development project, it will have paid for itself many times over.

Pitching isn’t rocket science. I’m sharing what worked for me, and what will work for you too. It’s a replicable strategy and process that you can implement in your own business - starting today.

Learn more about the Guide to Pitching Your Web Design & Development Services here.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Have I convinced you that pitching your services is one of the best things you can do for your business? I sure hope so - it was a total game changer for me and many of my friends!

Don’t believe these common myths about pitching - the truth is, they simply aren’t true and they should never hold you back from pitching your services and growing your business.

Pitching isn’t rocket science, but it does require strategy and follow through.

If you haven’t already, be sure to grab your free copy of my Pitch Your Services Roadmap below.

Now go forth and pitch your little heart out! I promise, it’ll be a total game-changer for your business. I can’t wait to hear what kind of results you get!