Our clients are our number one priority. Without our clients, BrandRep cannot function to run as a business. That being said, sometimes clients are just not a good fit for the specific services that we offer.

For many of our clients, an ad network can be a new and exciting idea. It’s often a fun experience explaining the benefits that PPC advertising can bring to their businesses! At times these conversations never go as smoothly as you’d like. If you know what to look for, there are signs that scream out, “Don’t Do It!” when dealing with clients.

Let’s go over these 5 challenging characteristics of a lead that can turn into gold.

1. Budget Is Too Small

Frequently, this is the first and most significant point of concern most of our staff run into when dealing with clients. A client’s intent can be to start ranking high on the first page and as soon as possible. This is often not possible and unrealistic with the low budget given to us.

Dealing with too low budgets does not give us enough room to get effective results, especially if the client wants to reach the first page of google with their ads.

At the minimum, we should only accept budgets that are $300 or more per month. Ideally, our best results come from businesses that can offer at least a $500 ad budget per month.

If a client is interested in getting ads promoted but only has $200 a month for an ad budget, they could use that money in other avenues. I would recommend:

1. See if the client can afford a higher ad budget. Often showing the client Google’s recommended bid can help persuade them into investing more.
2. Ask the Client to elaborate on their goals and expectations. There can be instances where other BrandRep services can better serve their business and growth.

These are two better solutions than taking on a client with a low budget that we will not deliver their expectations. This hurts both the client and BrandRep.

Here’s How You Can Turn This Into Gold

If the client’s budget is too low for Google Ads, you can pitch them other services they can afford to help them grow. The idea here is to create a solid foundation to eventually have enough revenue to devote the right amount of money to Google Ads.

Though they came to us with a difficult situation, they can leave with more marketing help for their business. This will create trust and a bond between BrandRep and them due to us looking out for their money.

2. They Have Poor Online Reputation

Doing a quick search on a business will tell you a lot about the quality of its service. Bad reviews for a company can often result from the owner having subpar relations with their customers.

This can be a problem when dealing with the client. If complex interactions can cause a bad professional relationship, then it may be wiser not to start that partnership in the first place.

Avoiding hostile clients from the start and focusing on clients that will respect your time and effort is vital.

Though the bad reviews can be attributed to another cause, it is a sign to be warier when dealing with a potential client. Speak to them with the intent to see if they are responding positively to your questions. If they are, then you may be the reason they begin to receive more positive reviews through our services.

Here’s How You Can Turn This Into Gold

This is an excellent opportunity to sell them our reputation management. Slandering reviews can hurt a business. Our marketing tools give the power back to the owner to start establishing relationships with their customers.

Some highlights you can mention is:

• Capture reviews and encourage social sharing
• Survey customers about their products and services
• Review negative comments before they go public

3. Their Website Is Just Plain Bad

The perfect PPC campaign cannot save a company if the ads send them to a website disaster. We’ve all seen the 2007 website that has clutter and looks too busy. It’s not too appealing to the new customers that would be sent there.

If the client decides not to change their website, there’s nothing we can do for them. By signing up with our ad plans, the client will have a certain expectation. In reality, it won’t matter if our ad campaign does well. Their new customers will instantly leave the website as soon as they arrive.

An outdated website, especially if it doesn’t seem appealing, will lose credibility to new customers. Use this opportunity to sell our website-creating services. This way, we know that their website will capture the customers that get sent over through our ads.

If their website looks outdated, cluttered, and just plain bad, then reconsider if it would be worthwhile to even create an ad campaign for them.

Here’s How You Can Turn This Into Gold

Luckily, this one is easy! We give our clients the option to purchase our Website builder. Building a fantastic website is a crucial first step in helping a business receive more online traffic.

Here are some of the benefits that come from building a website through BrandRep:

• Website design & development
• Domains
• Hosting
• SSL Certificate
• Custom Email Address
• Custom Logo Creation

The great thing about our website services is that you don’t need to convince them over the phone. By having our website demos available, any client can see the different examples of their future website.

4. Their Expectations Are Unreasonable

We’ve all heard it. The client asked to be ranked number 1 on Google’s front page three days after they signed up. They misunderstood how Google indexes their page but also didn’t have realistic expectations.

These types of clients tend to be less technologically savvy but are more focused on the results. This isn’t necessarily a bad trait and can mean that the client would be more eager to learn about what we do.

It tends to sour when the client starts ignoring BrandRep’s advice and instead buys our services with their own intentions. It never ends well.

Instead, we should look out for these behaviors by asking questions about the client’s intent. We can figure out their goals and then explain how our services can help get them there. This can be tough and takes a lot of time.

Here’s How You Can Turn This Into Gold

Overall, clients’ expectations need to be managed from the beginning of the conversation. Transparency is one of the top valued traits for a business, and it doesn’t end with our messaging. By providing accurate numbers, pricing, and positioning, we will avoid the client’s expectations being raised too high.

In the end, the client will leave the conversation either with realistic expectations or unreasonable demands. If it’s the latter, it may be best to offer them different services that can be better understood.

5. Frustrated Business Owners

The Golden Rule states that you should treat others as you want to be treated. Pretty simple right? It should also be followed when dealing with clients.

If you are speaking to a client that is being too disrespectful or rude to you, then maybe it wouldn’t be the best option to continue working with them. Any service will involve a fair amount of communication with the client. Already knowing that the client will react negatively in every conversation dampens any appeal working with them.

When this happens, there is a way to label the client as “Angry” in our CRM. This would give a fair warning to CS to be a bit warier in the approach when speaking with this client.

Here’s How You Can Turn This Into Gold

By killing them with kindness. It’s important to note that our clients are people who are investing their all into their business. They are people who have good and bad days too. By being empathetic and hitting them with a friendly attitude, we can ease their concerns.

By providing great customer service, we will be giving our clients a reason to come back. This will bring loyalty to our brand and more services in the future. When you leave an impression, clients will remember you and ask for you by name.

Roundup

Here’s a quick roundup of the most important parts for you to remember and take with you. Take these tips and be on the lookout next time you are talking to a client interested in tackling our services.

1. Budget Is Too Small – Pitch them other services that can help their business grow.
2. They Have Poor Online Reputation – This is an excellent opportunity to sell them our reputation management.
3. Their Website Is Just Plain Bad – We give our clients the option to purchase our Website builder.
4. Their Expectations Are Unreasonable – By providing accurate numbers, pricing, and positioning, we will avoid the client’s expectations being raised too high.
5. Frustrated Business Owners – By being empathetic and hitting them with a friendly attitude, we can ease their concerns.

Keep these tips in the back of your mind when speaking with clients. It’s always in the best interest to offer these services to those who would best benefit from them.