posted by WEBSITES.COM // March 24, 2009 // Build Your Website

Although traditionally an e-commerce site will usually be used to sell tangible goods, there are some excellent ways in which an online store can be utilized to promote and vend professional services of all types. With a little imagination and ingenuity, almost every kind of professional can find a way to package their services in a way suitable for selling via an e-commerce system. Outlined below are several ideas aimed at inspiring every professional to find a way to effectively sell themselves online.

Packages – Many forms of professional services can be easily sold in blocks or packages. For example, let us consider the professional web designer. It is extremely easy for such a person to define several packages, each providing a certain type of website with a strict feature set. This allows the web designer to sell their services through an e-commerce site without having to discuss client needs in full before the purchase. In this situation it is vitally important that the features of the package are detailed fully, as this will form the basis of the contract for work between the professional and the client.

Blocks – For some professionals, especially those that offer a very wide range of services, selling work time in blocks can be an excellent way to begin trading through an e-commerce site. A great example of this would be a professional bookkeeper. Clients would be able to purchase blocks of hours, and during this time the bookkeeper would deal solely with maintain the books and accounts of the client company. The drawback of this particular method of selling professional service online is in the fact it can be easy to overbook. Always make sure that you have the time available to deal with both new and existing clients at all times.

Handshaking – The concept behind handshaking lays in the fact that for many professionals there is a requirement for them to asses a new clients needs more closely before committing themselves to a price and schedule of work. This would usually prevent them from vending online as their business is just too complex to standardise into saleable portions. By selling handshakes or introductory sessions through an e-commerce system, the professional is able to do two things. First, they are able to use the online arena to attract new clients. Second, they are able to sell a short introductory service which would include giving the new client telephone time or even visiting them at their place of work to evaluate their requirements more fully. Once the handshaking has been completed the professional can then move on to quote for the services required.

As we can clearly see, there are several options available to professionals who wish to sell their services through an e-commerce system. These three simple examples above show how anyone wishing to make a move into online trading can find simple ways in which to redefine their business model to suit this ever popular way of doing business.

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