How do I lower the risk for new clients with a trial, setup fee or starter offer?

Clients who find you through marketing do not know or trust you yet, so make it very low risk to try you. The lower the amount a client pays up front, the more people get through the front of your funnel.

When you create a plan in the SaaS Configurator you can set a setup fee, a trial period, and monthly or annual billing, among other options. Ways to lower the risk:

A trial, free or at a low charge. For example, load the client's list for a database reactivation (perhaps half of it) and see how many people come back in the first week, or run Google review requests for a week and count the reviews. If they like it, they continue on a monthly fee.

A guarantee, such as a set result or their money back, or they do not pay unless they get reviews. This is easier once you have done the work a few times and know roughly what result to expect.

A low-priced starter offer that is mostly or fully automated, such as an audit or automated social media posting, or a discounted first month with only one of your services. Then use the value ladder (the next plan or add-on) to move them to a higher price point.

A setup fee that at least pays for your time. Build your offer in a snapshot so setup takes little work. You can waive the fee or cut it in half for clients who sign up on the spot, which adds urgency.

Good starter services take little work, carry little risk and show results quickly: database reactivation, review generation by contacting past clients, Visitor ID, free migration, contact enrichment, social media management, and a review QR code with the client's logo. They complement each other: social media drives website traffic, and the Visitor ID pixel turns that traffic into more leads. Services that take one to three months to show results, such as AEO or GEO, are not good quick wins.

Low risk is relative to the client's value. In a high average order value niche such as roofing, where a job can be $30,000 or more, even $497 or $997 a month feels low risk.

If you plan to run Facebook ads, a low-risk front end also helps you reach the 50 or more conversions a week Facebook's algorithm needs to optimize its targeting.