As an online seller approaching an offline business owner, it’s crucial to remember that you need to find out as much as possible about their business. Therefore, it is advisable to make a list of questions that he can use in his initial meeting with the owner. Your questions should find out how long they have been in business and what they have been doing to promote their business.

This process of asking and listening builds a relationship with the customer, and the greater relationship you establish, the easier it is to build a loyal customer base. The better you understand what has been going on and what the issues are, the better you can create a business plan that will help you grow your business.

One of the key pieces of information you’ll need to gather is whether or not they have an existing mailing list. The existence of such a list will be a valuable tool in creating a website for them. By discussing your mailing list with your client, you’ll be able to explain how important your mailing list is when you have an online presence and how it can be used to build a sizeable base of online newsletter subscribers.

Never assume that all customers know this type of information. If they did, they probably would have had an online presence much sooner. And so you go through other facets of the business that you can also link to online techniques that will help you grow your business.

When it comes time to start presenting the client with a business plan that describes what you can do for them, you need to be careful when you talk about results. For example, if you’re talking about how an autoresponder can build a customer list, don’t make any outlandish claims. Be realistic and stand on the side of conservatism. This is very important in the negotiation process.

Pricing what you have to offer is an important and unavoidable step in negotiations. Some business owners will try to make a really hard deal. Usually that’s because they don’t perceive or understand the value of what you offer. It pays to be very assertive and emphasize the benefits that will accrue if they adopt your package. It also helps to give some concrete figures, keeping in mind the point already mentioned above about extravagance. For example, you could say something like, “With your new website and autoresponder, we could easily add $500 a day in new business, generating an additional $2,000 after expenses weekly profit.”

What you need to do is paint the picture so that they can clearly see that the resulting profits will far outweigh the initial and ongoing costs. Explain honestly and clearly what your costs are for providing the package. Always balance explaining your costs with describing the benefits of having a top-notch website that will help them make more money.

The bottom line for you in the negotiation process is that you should never walk away feeling that you have undermined yourself.

The last step to closing the deal is to have a signed agreement. This agreement should clearly outline your obligations to the client, as well as the monetary terms associated with the deal. A contract that identifies the responsibilities of both parties provides protection for all concerned. From their point of view, it covers the unlikely event that a business owner takes your website package and takes over it and leaves you with a loss.

Your contract will likely need to be made on the basis of an advance deposit with the balance due on completion. This will most likely be necessary when you are starting out. However, as your business grows and you have a substantial customer base and better reputation, you may require a higher initial deposit.