When it comes to starting your WordPress business, it’s fairly easy to start out with word of mouth. But if you don’t have new customers constantly coming in, you need to have monthly recurring revenue to make your agency sustainable.
“It costs five times as much to attract a new customer than to keep an existing one.” Khalid Saleh, Investp
Take a roofing company, for example. A roof is guaranteed for 10-20 years, so it’s unlikely you’ll get another new roof from the same customer unless they own several properties. In order to maintain your business, you have to sell a bi-annual or annual maintenance package. You can also partner with a general contractor to do more work, if they get plumbing work done or anything that penetrates the roof that should be waterproofed.
It’s the same with WordPress websites. You rarely have an opportunity to design or redesign a whole site for a customer, but with maintenance packages, SEO, content creation, and white-label hosting, you’re sure to keep that customer for quite a while. Not to mention, make your accountant happy.
“There are countless ways that you can consult on WordPress topics. Start by figuring out what you know (or can learn) and offer your services to businesses in your area.” Us, 2017
Maintenance Packages
As part of your website build, consider offering a yearly contract that includes regular site maintenance. You can also include a retainer for training the staff. This allows your customer to feel empowered to use the site you built.
Billing for maintenance can be treated as a fixed cost or a retainer for a certain amount of hours a month. Many WordPress agencies offer four hours a month for miscellaneous updates, changes, and the like. Prebill, and it’s use it or lose it.
If you have big builds from the past, but didn’t upsell them on maintenance, you have an opportunity to touch base with your old client through a personal email or phone call. Get in contact and see how their site is running. If they need some help, you’ve got a great opportunity for recurring revenue.
SEO & Content Packages
Content is king and it needs a throne. That throne is WordPress. So with SEO (find-ability) and content going hand in hand, this is an easy upsell. When selling a site, provide a yearly contract for content creation. Offer to write and publish content regularly, promote it on social media, and sprinkle in some ads and Google Adwords. This is a great way to ensure your client’s business is seen. It makes no sense to build a website that won’t be used.
As a WordPress freelancer or agency, this is an excellent opportunity to hire junior staff or outsource to peers who do this work. Teaming up with trusted colleagues is a great way to win more work. Who doesn’t like a monthly invoice?
Resell Hosting Packages
Offering managed WordPress hosting is another way to build recurring revenue for your business. This makes you a one-stop-shop for your clients, and they’ll rest easy knowing you’re always there to meet their needs.
Your customers want fewer bills and more value. Leverage bulk pricing for sites to offer fair prices for hosting, in addition to your expert services or products.
With Pressable, agencies can bundle sites with plans that come with extended support features and sell access to their customers. This allows you to benefit from bulk pricing in the back end and gives you an opportunity to offer competitive pricing.
Stabilize and Maximize Your Recurring Revenue
No matter how you operate your business, building a model to maximize recurring revenue is absolutely necessary for success. Word of mouth works for a while, but at some point, you’ll need to diversify your income and create lasting partnerships. Not sure where to turn for help? Pressable’s Strategic Partner program is full of valuable resources to help your business succeed. You can even apply to be a strategic partner yourself! We love to see our partners succeed.
Amanda Tsourakis
With over a decade of experience in the tech industry, Amanda's experience demonstrates her sales expertise. Her commitment to building, training, and guiding high-performing teams has been instrumental in driving Pressable's success. Amanda's extensive background in sales and marketing, coupled with her sharp business acumen, has made her an invaluable asset to the tech community. Her ability to identify and foster talent, combined with her passion for developing winning sales strategies, has propelled her to the forefront of the industry. When she's not expertly navigating the tech sales landscape, she loves spending quality time with her family, loves travel and adventure, lounging pool/beach-side, playing tennis, working out, and meeting people/making friends all along the way!
