SEO Business Partnership Guide

Many people might criticize the idea of an internet marketing company developing an outbound sales team. They might discredit the SEO Company’s capability to generate enough business for itself through its website; a capability innate to the services it offers. Some people might ask themselves, “How can I trust a company to increase sales through my website, when they can’t even do it for themselves?”

Well, SEO and internet marketing companies are no different from any other business that applies various marketing strategies and employs various resources to grow its business. A savvy business owner will diversify its lead sources, putting eggs in many baskets. So it’s perfectly reasonable for a company selling inbound marketing to employ outbound marketing as part of its mix.

This article will address key concerns and topics of discussion when partnering up with a sales team that will represent your internet marketing services to prospects and re-selling agencies.

Meeting #1- Identifying a good partnership

Whether you’re an SEO company looking for a sales team or vice versa, the first step begins with identifying a great potential partnership.

If you’re a sales person, besides taking the obvious first step to dissect the company’s web page, see how they rank in search engines for a good number of keywords; look for more specific keywords rather than broad keywords as this will tell you more about the capabilities of the company. This is because ranking high for many keywords is better than ranking high for just a few general, yet highly competitive keywords.

Try online marketing services and the city where they’re located, or internet marketing related topics such as “what is internet marketing.” You should also type their name on a search engine and see what shows up:

• Have they written original articles that rank high?
• Do they publish new content often?
• Do they have all the major social profiles?
• Have they obtained any media coverage?

From the company’s point of view, it would be ideal to hire a sales team that is already knowledgeable about internet marketing, search engines, and internet trends. However, if you’re unable to find a sales force with background in the field, you must ensure that the performance history is there, and that the right skills and attitudes to learn new markets are evident. Look into the clients and accounts that your potential sales people have managed in the past. Besides looking at references, ask specific questions about selling online marketing services:

• What have been common price points used?
• What reactions have they received from prospects?
• The biggest challenges faced when selling online marketing services
• What are some of their key customer service practices?

After initially determining that there would be a good partnership based on goals, principles and practices, both parties should discuss a strategy to work together.

Meeting #2- Topics to address in SEM Business Development

Sales Tools- Starting at the most basic level, discuss what are the tools and resources that the sales team is going to need to effectively sell the company’s internet marketing services. Besides addressing basic tools, such as business cards, company email address, media kit, flyers, brochures and office space, also discuss more advanced resources, such as:

• Access to prospects’ website analysis from staff or third party tools
• Access to hold webinars and tele/video conferences
• Attendance and participation in conferences and expos in prospects’ industries
• Memberships to chambers of commerce, BNIs and relevant professional organizations

Company Representation- When partnering up with a sales team that was not trained internally, it is important to clarify and establish how the team is going to represent and sell the company services. There are several options to consider, so discuss which one will best suit the longevity of the partnership and the profitability of both parties.

• Will the sales team present themselves as direct employees of the company?
• Or will they sell the services white label?
• White label means the partners will sell the services as their own and the identity of the company is not revealed.

Perhaps a combination of the above might be the best option. This provides the sales team more outlets to sell the services. They won’t be limited to just selling to new non-marketing industry prospects. They can also sell to public relations, advertising and traditional marketing agencies that don’t provide search engine marketing, but want to offer it under their name. For business development purposes, a combination of both is the best option.

• The Sales Process- Now we’re getting down to discussing the operational details of the partnership. At this point it is important to discuss the level of involvement of each party from the prospecting phase to the closing phase of the deal.
• Who will prospect new leads? Is the company delegating it entirely to the sales partners? Or vice versa? Or a combination?
• When a lead comes in through the website (inbound) is it delegated to the sales partners? Or does the company take care of it in the same manner they have been doing prior to the partnership?
• What is the level of involvement from the SEO Company in sales meetings and pitches?
• Who will create the proposals? This is important to determine, as it depends on the level of trust in the partnership. From the company’s point of view, you want to make sure that every sale is profitable and that you’ll be able to deliver results to every client. From the sales partner’s point of view, you want to make sure that the proposals look attractive in price and presentation.

Client Management- Once the sale is closed and the client is on board, how is the partnership going to handle the account management duties?

• Determine who will be the main contact for the client.
• Agree to a client management strategy. Both the SEO Company and the sales team will have different practices when reporting to the client. Ideally, the partnership will establish a client management strategy that adopts the best practices from both parties. Determine:
• Reporting frequency- weekly, monthly?
• Reporting method- over the phone? email?
• Principles about responding to client inquiries- For example, a response must be given right away, even if it says “We’re looking into it and will get back with you soon.”

Sales forecasts- From the internet marketing company’s point of view, you should get a commitment from your new sales partners about how much business they’ll be attempting to obtain on a monthly basis. From the sales team’s point of view, you want to make sure the company has the resources to adequately service the new accounts you’re planning to get. In the words of Optimum7 CEO, Arthur Cooper, “the last thing we want to do is grow ourselves out of business.”

Meeting #3- Signing an Internet Marketing Business Development Agreement

This is the step that might take a few extra meetings to draft the final arrangement. By now, you have determined that this would be a good partnership and that you’re ready to put it in ink. Now it’s time to refine final details and address final concerns.

Pricing- This is the topic that might take the most time to reconcile from both parties’ points of view. If the sales team is selling SEO services under white label, then they have to make sure that the pricing of the packages is still attractive, while still leaving a profit margin for themselves. Similarly, if the sales team is going to sell internet marketing services to other marketing or public relations agencies, there must be enough of a margin for both the agency, themselves and of course the SEO company.

The SEO Company, on the other hand, has to make sure that pricing not only covers the cost of providing the services, but also leaves a little more for company growth. The dilemma though, is that the pricing still has to be competitive to allow the markups from the sales partners and third party agencies.

Besides the agreement on pricing, consider including the following terms in the final agreement:

1. Payment for services
2. The term of the agreement
3. Non-compete clauses
4. Exclusivity
5. Warranties
6. Return of Materials
7. Indemnity
8. Attorney’s fees

Meeting #4- Sign, Shake Hands and Get to Work

After you’ve finalized the agreement and had it reviewed by your lawyers, sign it, make copies and file it! Now it’s time to get to work and get the sales team their tools and materials. The sales partners should start calling their contacts immediately and bring to the SEO Company any pending prospects.

Do not doubt that the partnership will bring opportunities as well as challenges. Now you will see how truly organized and effective the sales team is in their efforts, and the sales partners will see of the SEO Company delivers results. There will be unforeseen quirks that will need to be ironed out, just like with any kind of professional or personal relationships. The most important thing to remember is that the partnership is focused on growing the business. Business growth means more clients, more commissions, more revenue, more staff and more personal growth.

Are you looking for a SEO Business Partnership Opportunity? Contact us today.

January 17, 2012

Written by Ana Maria Rojas

Ana Maria is responsible for developing and implementing Optimum 7's social and traditional media campaigns. She helps us spread the word about our accomplishments as a leading internet marketing and technology firm. She's also helping us develop strategic partnerships intended to extend the breadth of our services.