startup trade deals- RUN!

[southarkwright]

So tell me how many of you have had a similar occurrence. I know I was a fool back then but 9 years later? Come On?!?!?

You start a web design business and get clients who will “Help market” your business by bringing you leads and, “hey the site you design for them can be a marketing tool”. You hear the line of crap about how they will advertise your information to their clients. So you do the site for free as a trade deal, and in the end you get ABSOULTLY NOTHING! A lot of smoke blowing!

To make matters worse the client comes to you years later asking you to do other work and even though they agree to pay, they tell you how much they are willing to pay.
My response, “Sorry im not interested!”

An FYI for those of you new to starting up, RUN, RUN and RUN from anyone like this! In the long run, it’s just not worth it!

[EileenC]

Ah, the old, "It will be great exposure for you," line. We copywriters hear that one a lot. You're absolutely right. Run.

[vkaryl]

Well....

Actually, I've had very good luck with this particular course. Might be a function of the area in which I live and do business, not sure (it's still in some ways a hundred years behind the times, so the "barter" and "word-of-mouth", and "see my friend X, she did a GREAT job for me at a decent price" referrals seem to work fine....)

I don't know that I'd want to recommend depending on this sort of referral for all my business, but it didn't hurt in the beginning, and now I don't really HAVE to depend on it.

[percentages]

There is no "right rule" to use in this regard.

I've done numerous "good faith" jobs, some have worked out very well and others have come to nothing.

You have to pick people who you trust and know have some "clout". Even then, some will come to nothing, but hopefully will be justified by those that turn out the other way.

I don't for a second need to take "freebie" jobs, but once in a while I still do because I believe in them and hope they will deliver something back in return.

This is a subject that is very difficult to measure. If I had always said "Run, Run, Run", I seriously doubt I would have been so successful, on the other hand without a time machine it can't be proven!

So my opinion has to be philosophical.....if you give something back on a regular occasion, something good will happen to you........totally unscientific nonsense, but it seems to work!

[vkaryl]

Percentages: I call it "karma", but it's the same thing, really. I too believe in the "give it back" rule. Or, "what goes around comes around"....

[southarkwright]

Hmm, seems the law of averages worked out here then. While my business has grown, theirs has not, they have lost the “horse shoe of luck” they once had.
I still do trade deals once in a while and only when it helps a really needy or deserving client. The majority of them have worked out to my benefit. I guess we all get those clients who offer the sky and give us dirt in return.

[digitalv]

Tell them you like the idea, but offer it as a rebate instead. They pay the normal price now and you'll give them a kick back for anyone they refer. If they actually deliver the numbers they say they can, they'll essentially get their own site for free AND stand to make a considerable side income for themselves.

The only reason they wouldn't go for that deal as an alternative is if they (a) can't afford you, or (b) can't deliver other people to you. So like everyone else said ... RUN! :)