Please Advise > How To Sell Web Design Services - Without Risk

[BillSted]

Hi,

I am a web designer and internet marketer, I am an experienced designer but fairly new to marketing.
I recently sold a membership to one of my websites through PayPal. After waiting for the allotted time for the payment to clear the fee was deposited in my account. However after a a week or two with no grievance, explanation or forewarning the payment was returned to the customer by way of a Bank Reversal as I understand it.

What concerns me is how can I confidently sell my Website Design Service, which would involve many man hours labor cost to me, if a customer can simply request his payment returned after he has received the product?

I have recently setup a new website and would like to use PayPal as my main source for payment processing. I would therefor be grateful if anyone could explain to me what I need to do to sell my website design service without the risk.

Bill Sted
FiveStar

[Design-First]

Hi Bill,

What I do is I bill for projects in 1/3 increments.

Most of my projects still rely on a custom proposal, which is signed and dated, then I usually get a payment by check for 1/3 or payment via Paypal Invoice. In my case I have spent some time on the phone with the prospect during the initial contact and proposal review, so some trust can be established.

I am in the process of transitioning to selling website work online, using an ecommerce store (with PayPal for the payment gateway).

While I think it's easy for people to buy products they recognize online, a lot of people will be skeptical of buying a complete website or other service from someone they do not know.

Also, I have found that getting to know a potential client beforehand is very important. I want to work with clients who I can communicate with and where we are a good match for what they need.

I hope this helps.