How to get in front of companies while freelancing for web design
Tags: codenewbie, career, webdev, freelance
Published: 2021-01-18 00:36:13

![codersales-ceo](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/lg6olyoro4klj2w23fi4.jpg)
##Target The CEO/President First
Generally speaking, with the exception of large companies (let’s just say 50+ employees) you should always go straight to the top. I’ve harped on this before BUT if you go straight to the CEO with a great idea on how the website will drive more sales/revenue/traffic/brand positioning and hit their pain points, that CEO will literally tell their marketing department lead to do the deal. I’ve had that happen numerous times. It’s your job as the developer/agency to be prepared with necessary resources to make that an easy decision AND solve their problems. That’s what it really is – you’re solving their problem(s) with your expertise. And when that company has a problem, go to the top person to get it fixed.

![codersales-incoming](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/0z1kgj6b3gqauu0uknnv.png)
##Incoming Leads & Referrals
So once you have ‘leveled up’ AND brought your clients great results, they will tell their friends and other companies they work with about you. So the idea is that if you hang around a certain affluent company crowd, not only will that mindset shift for you but you will be that 'go to' person for websites. Won’t matter if you’re freelance or agency owner, you have a skill set that is desirable to them, hang around in a certain ‘crowd’ thus have stature and they won’t mind premium rates. In fact, they will expect premium pricing or they’ll think something is wrong and won't want to work with you.

![codersales-blind-email](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/uxvlewffsi5g1v8mbkbh.png)
##Email
So here is an approach I used that got a few contracts. Find a company (lead source) similar to one you have worked with in the past and get the CEO’s email. Do this by first going to the Contact page or About page and finding the format of their emails. For example, if the Sales Manager’s email is john.doe@acme.com then (once step 1 has been completed… finding the name of the CEO) chances are the CEO’s email is mike.doe@acme.com. Load up the template email shown above and plug in the variables of the name and domain. When they respond back that 'yes' they are the correct person, THEN you use your SEO tool (which you should be using) like SEMrush and screen grab their data in the response email. This way you aren’t wasting your time, you’re still pointing out issues on their website and it’s also showing that the person on the other end of that screen that you have your stuff together with proper tools used for data.

![codersales-cold-call](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/crpbg7w1xmdd518jx24e.jpg)
##The Phone
Yup, the phone. It’s the most effective way in your first year. Similar to the email tactic, find that CEO, get the direct phone number and get that person on the other line to pick it up. So when you make the first few calls, DO NOT leave a voicemail. You don’t want to eliminate that element of surprise by leaving your name & phone number associated with your phone number. And DO NOT call more than 3 times during the day… that is so desperate. If you have to call a lead that many times during the day, you don’t have enough leads. Find that CEO’s extension from the contact page (if listed). If not, call the finance department (AP) they always pick up and say “oh…. I’m sorry. I meant to dial John Doe. I’m sorry. Can you transfer me? I’ll wait. Thanks”. That way when you get transferred, it will show on his caller ID that Becky from AP is calling him and not a random #. BTW, the goal from here is to get that prospect to schedule a time with you. NOT to pitch them. Just point out a few issues with the website (like in the email strategy above) and how you can help. More details on this in the next post.
![codersales-linkedin](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/i/sqt3mq0kfjiwlnrlktx1.jpg)
##Linkedin
Linkedin can be a great way to get directly in front of someone and also do the research at the same time. Find the person and company, send them a request along with a welcome message. “Thought we could connect, we work with a lot of companies in this space and {website} caught my eye”. When they accept, bring it up softly that the website is lacking W, Y and Z. You can help and here is a company similar to yours that we help and they got X, Y and Z. If you would like to book a time, please use this Calendly link to schedule. Boom. You’re directly in front of them, booked a time and they’re now warm.

www.codersales.io