reimagining my services page
last week, after months-long delay, I finished drawing and writing the text for my services / work with me page. I want to reflect a bit on my approach and changes in process and philosophy.
just as a few months ago, I wrote about my minimalist, introvert marketing strategy, these days, I'm reimagining my minimalist, introvert "sales" strategy.
how you're taught to write a sales page
I used to dread working on "sales" pages. I felt burdened by all the noise and SHOULDS around "how to write an effective sales page that converts" -- in which you (a) explain their pain points (b) offer solutions or big promises and (c) create a sense of (often false) urgency. for service-based creative work - you also have to provide a portfolio, case studies, or testimonials.
many years ago, as I first learned about marketing and sales, I did try all of this, to the best of my ability. I attempted to use language and visuals that didn't make me hate myself. at the same time, the energy still felt the same.
I felt burdened by the pressure to persuade and prove.
over time, I realized that this felt false. unaligned.
and even, shall I say: disempowering.
so, I got rid of my sales page. I just put up a contact form. for a few years, I went without one. you would enter my site, click around, and there was no direct, obvious path to "work with me."
you don't need a sales page to make sales
even without a sales page, I've never gone more than a few weeks without a client project. most of my clients are referrals who find me through contacting me directly -- I don't use social media, I do zero outreach, ads, or external marketing of any sort.
my clients don't choose to work with me because of how convincing or persuasive my sales page is, or how impressed they are by my portfolio. they choose to work with me because of the connection we form, in real time, over a live conversation. they choose to work with me because they feel understood, safe, inspired, take care of, and connected.
trust is not something you build with one sales page.
it's something you cultivate in the entire ecosystem; and through the energy that flows through it, everyday.
reimagining my service based work
I've been doing client work of some sort -- website design, branding, illustrations, strategy consultations, animation -- since I still had a 9-5 day job, in 2015. my first ever client project was designing a wine label for a winery.
over the years, I've struggled a lot with my relationship to services work -- and even when it composed of the majority of my income, it always felt like a potential black hole into which I'd pour all my creative energy.
because I tend to be both a give-everything kind of person, emotionally empathetic, and a raving, obsessive-compulsive perfectionist, I was really, really bad at client boundaries. I took on client projects like they were my personal creative project -- irrespective of how much I was being paid.
another day, I'll write about all the work I had to do to grow and evolve: how I evolved my client processes and containers, my inner work around money, and how I discovered my special superpower for attracting new clients.
why and how I made this services page
it took me so long to create this services page because I've been slowly marinating on what kind of client work I actually want to do.
after many years, I'm in a phase where I have the stability, self-trust, and conviction to say no to potential clients who aren't aligned -- because I know that the energy I'll invest won't be reciprocated. I'm certain that I can always make more money. but energy... I'll never get my energy back. (I explore why energy is so important here.) if I enter into relationships that I know won't be energetically reciprocal, I'll probably end up deeply unhappy, and resentful.
so, I wrote my services page from that clarity and desire.
my process:
- I reflected on my desires for client work
- I found clarity in how I'm approaching each container
- I sketched visual metaphors to encapsulate the ethos for each
- from that visual metaphor, I write from my unfiltered truth
that's it.
(okay, also, to combat my unending compulsive-perfectionism, I gave myself a deadline, an iterative philosophy, and a rule of: 70% done is done.)
crafting invitations, not selling
I believe that the only way to attract the "right" clients is to be extremely clear about your own deepest desires, capabilities, and capacity. when you write from that place, you write from your power.
in this sense, it's not about writing a sales page.
it's a handcrafted invitation, written in special ink.
and only the ones who are truly meant to see it -- will respond.