How to Hire a Freelancer or Agency to Build a Business Website

This video covers the first step to getting started with any website project - and that is how to hire a freelancer or agency to build you an awesome website that can become the foundation of all your marketing going forward. To help you find the right partner for your project, I am breaking down what you can expect during the sales process of hiring a freelancer or agency.

By watching this video, you will know exactly what to expect and can confidently begin to reach out to potential partners and vet them for your project.

Have a web design project you want to discuss with me? Click the link below to book a strategy meeting with me. I'll help you map out a game plan, answer all your questions, and do my best to point you in the right direction.

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‍Enjoyed this video? Stay tuned to my YouTube channel as I will be releasing a series of videos detailing the entire web design process along with marketing strategies and tactics that will help you finally achieve massive ROI from your digital advertising.

See below for an outline of topics discussed in this video:

Sales Phase Overview

• Before any project gets started, there needs to be a sales process so the two parties can agree on a scope of work for the project, deliverables, and many other factors.
• The key thing here is both parties should continually be evaluating each other to make sure they are both a good fit for one another. Working on a project like this is really a partnership that will require a great working relationship to ultimately be successful.
• While every freelancer and agency has its own unique process, below is what I generally go by. It is pretty similar for most agencies.
• Intro Call - A quick 15-minute call to understand what current marketing challenges you are facing and how a new website can help.
• Website Questionnaire Form - I send all prospective clients a detailed questionnaire form to get a better understanding of the scope of work for the project they are considering. ‍
• Follow Up Meeting - Once I have reviewed the form, I then set up an additional call with all project stakeholders to ensure we all have a correct understanding of what the project would entail

• Project Proposal & Contract - If everything looks good, I then send a proposal for the project and a master services agreement. This covers the complete scope of work (and all deliverables required) and all the legal mumbo jumbo.

The Intro Call

• A quick 15-minute call to understand what current marketing challenges you are facing and how a new website can help. Think of this call as a first date - it really isn't meant to cover all the bases. Rather, it is a quick friendly call for the freelancer/agency to learn more about you and what you want to achieve with your project. And for both parties, it is a time to see if they would be a good fit to work together. If so, then a more in-depth meeting can be set up later to discuss the details.
• During this meeting, I listen as much as possible to undercover what marketing challenges you are currently facing. I'll then ask some follow-up questions to ensure I understand your problems correctly, and then offer solutions for how a website can fit into your marketing strategy and help you overcome those problems.
• While most people don't enjoy talking about this, it has to be discussed early for the benefit of both parties. So, I always ask prospective clients what their budget is for a project. A range is always fine as it is not meant to be a pressure or gotcha type question. But by knowing what your budget is, to begin with, an agency/freelancer can decide if it is something they are going to be able to help you with and map out a fair scope of work from there.
• One quick note on budgets - when it comes to these projects, I advise all prospective clients to view the money they would spend on this project as an investment, not an expense. Because this investment in their brand and marketing strategy will (if done right by a competent team) allow you to generate significantly more business than you would have if you did nothing. Meaning, your investment will pay for itself in the long run (for some of our clients, it has literally paid for itself just a few weeks later).

Website Questionnaire Form

• If it is a project I believe I can help a prospective client with, then I send a detailed questionnaire form to get a better understanding of the scope of work for the project they are considering.
• This way, I have a complete understanding of everything their project will entail and don't miss anything that could disrupt the project timeline later on.
• The form generally takes about 15-20 minutes to complete. It is very detailed and many people have told me that filling it out serves as a productive thinking session that helps them think through the marketing challenges they are facing.
• Once the form has been submitted, I get a notification and aim to review it right away. As long as there are no red flags and I still believe my company has the capabilities to properly execute, then I move forward to set up another meeting.

Follow Up Meeting

• Once I have reviewed the form, I then set up an additional call with all project stakeholders to ensure we all have a correct understanding of what the project would entail. Everyone who would be involved in the project would be on the call (generally on the intro call it is just the project leader).
• The bulk of this meeting is spent answering questions on both sides about the project. Considering the project may take a few months, it is super important that everyone feel comfortable potentially working together and ensuring that nothing is left unresolved prior to a proposal being issued.
• Once everything that needs to be covered has been discussed, generally I like to wrap up this meeting by discussing timelines and clarifying the scope of work for the project. This will be outlined in the proposal and statement of work, so it is very important that this is all agreed upon ahead of time so there are no surprises.

Project Proposal & Contract

• If everything looks good, I then send a proposal for the project and a master services agreement. This covers the complete scope of work (and all deliverables required) and all the legal mumbo jumbo.
• I often included multiple scopes of works for different budget levels and allow the clients to select what packages they would like. This makes it super easy for them to select a tailor-made package for their project that works for their budget and project requirements.

Other Website Sales Notes

• If at any time during this process it becomes clear that one of us is not a good fit for one another then I always do my best to refer the prospective client to someone in my network who can help them with their project.
• For one, it makes me happy as I want to connect with someone I am friendly with to help this prospective client which in the end will benefit both of them. But also, I am a firm believer in doing business the right way and believe that the good karma I send out by referring a project will come back to benefit me in the long run through other referrals as well.
• Obviously, a fair amount of negotiating may be required during this process (but not always). This often happens throughout the process.