Good SEO qualifying questions

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

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  Casey Markee: How about "Do you have a website?" lol
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  Alan Bleiweiss: "Are you happy with how many sales/leads/inquiries you get on that site?"
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  Webado C Webada: What will you tell the "victim" when they tell you to take a hike and stop harassing them?
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  Alan Bleiweiss: It`s called cold-calling and it`s a valid business marketing method.
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  Alan Bleiweiss: This is literally how I got my start in SEO 17 years ago.
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  Alan Bleiweiss: "Do you have an agency or employee responsible for your online marketing and search engine visibility? Are you happy with the results?"
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  Alan Bleiweiss: I would also start with local businesses, and take the time to SEE if they have a web site, and whether it`s ranking for important phrases BEFORE calling them. Because if you don`t you end up too often looking like a spammer who didn`t do any research.
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  Webado C Webada: Yes but I am one of those people who don`t like such calls. I am so brutal with the caller, they wish they`d never called me. Maybe that`s alsoh ow I got rid of all Jehovah Witnesses that used to come to my door.
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  Alan Bleiweiss: This is gold!
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  Randy Milanovic: Cold calling is tough. When I started out, I tag-teamed with my colleague where he talked to the gate keeper, then followed up the next day with some advice/tip, along with a recommendation that they talk to me, as I had a lot more knowledge. When we received the call, he`d take it and transfer to me. Worked like a charm. That was in 2001. The reason it worked is that having a wing man separated the solution from the stress of money talk, which got us past the `salesman` thing. Plus, we created our own referral.
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  Arsen Rabinovich: This is my house (or so I`d like to think). I`ve been doing sales for a very, very long time. And, let me tell you, cold calling without building a prospect list and evaluating it based on your target`s potential needs is going to be tough. Back in the day when we cold called, we`d go after folks who are paying for ads but are not ranking on the first page. We`d build a list, collect all the data and do an initial analysis based on keywords, volumes, CPC, and estimate monthly click spent. This way when we called we were equipped with some data to get our foot in the door. Easy open on the first call, 80% of the time you`ll reach a gatekeeper (receptionist, secretary, dispatcher). Ask to speak with someone who`s in charge of marketing, but ask in a way where you can get that person`s name first. Also a good tactic for a cold open with a gatekeeper is to ask if they can help you out (people want to be helpful most of the time). "Hi (repeat the person`s who answered name and write it down), I`m hoping you can help me out. Who in your company is in charge of marketing? (Pause, wait for reply). Once you get their name write it down and ask if they are available to speak with. If yes, and you reach them, go into a very, very soft open. Introduce yourself and tell them you`re calling to quickly find out if you have their permission to do an initial analysis of their website`s SEO ( people in charge like to be asked for permission) and the reason why you`re offering this analysis it`s because you`ve noticed that they`re spending (give them the estimated dollar amount) on pay-per-click marketing and you feel that you can help their website get organic referrals without having to pay for each click. It also helps to let him know that you are a local business and if needed will be more than happy to meet with them in person to present your findings. If however the person in charge is not available at least now you have their name. So you can just search for their name and business name to try and find their email. Convert the soft open from above into an email and make sure you include the gatekeepers name in your write-up. “Hi so and so, I`m sorry I missed you today, I had the pleasure of speaking with (insert gatekeeper’s name), she told me that you are out of the office so I decided to shoot you this short email… “ Again, ask for permission to analyze their site and try to set an appointment to go over your findings. The goal here is to not come off looking as a salesperson but instead as someone who`s going to bring value to their business without charging them anything upfront. If you make that clear in your cold open you will win. You will not have meaningful conversation on every call, this is why it is very important to use a CRM to track all of your efforts and continue to nurture your leads. As far as qualifying questions go, you should only ask them once you have a meaningful conversation going with the decision maker. Work them into your spiel so that it sounds natural. We would ask the following questions: Do you have full control of your website? Are you currently working with an SEO agency? What areas does your business service? Can you describe your ideal customer to me? What are your most profitable products or services? Do you know who your online and offline competitors are? All of these questions will lead into further conversations. If you`re speaking to a business owner they will most likely go into great detail about their business ( business owners like to talk about their business). Make sure you take good notes enter everything into your CRM and deliver your analysis on the date that you promised.
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  Webado C Webada: That makes more sense than cold calling outright. I`d prefer to see them in person or email them offering services that address the shortcomings I can see with their site. Not that I do it, no time, but if I did have the time that`s what I might do.
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  Ram Babu Chauhan: today is time about #inbound , cold calling people hate and hate.
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  Tim Capper: I don`t cold call ( email ) for clients period. Its a drain on time and your sanity and never end up being a great client. Why? 1) They may never have heard of SEO and you spend hours educating. 2) They may have tried SEO before and had a bad experience - hours educating and convincing. 3) They may already have an SEO and you are now telling them they are crap and you can do a better job - doubt from day 1 My ( retainer ) clients have all come from word of mouth referrals. My ( flash cash - troubleshooting / one off payment ) clients come through either reading one of my articles and contacting me or via a forum where I have helped another user. Either way, I don`t have to "sell" because they have already made a purchasing decision before they even contact me.