It’s only natural for business owners to be careful when hiring a supplier of a particular service. With the wide range of things that they need to spend their resources on, it’s not quite surprising why many are skeptical about SEO outsourcing.

This read is for you if you need to convince more prospective clients to hire your SEO services. Here are eight tips to help you ink that deal.

Do all the necessary preparation. If you’re providing digital marketing or SEO reseller services, you have to have the right tools and assets first. These include a professional email and website and a customer relations management (CRM) platform to manage your clients. You have to especially pay attention to your website because it reflects how knowledgeable you are of the very services you offer.

Build and maintain a good reputation. When business owners are looking for suppliers or vendors, one of the first things that they look for is reputation. How helpful have your services been to your previous clients? What are your success stories? Do you consistently deliver good results?

Know your prospects. Businesses that offer SEO outsourcing should know how critical prospecting is. Choose your clients thoroughly and make sure that their values are aligned with yours to build a better and longer-lasting partnership. Once you have a shortlist of prospects, do the necessary research. What are their pain points? How can you tailor your services to fit their needs?

Break the ice and establish a good rapport. Before meeting with any client, prepare a few questions to break the ice. This can help establish a good rapport — which you will need throughout your partnership with them. When pitching an SEO sale, be sincere and avoid over-selling your service. It will make you prone to committing more than what you can actually offer.

Explain SEO in a simpler language. Many people have shallow knowledge about search engine optimization. Some even have misconceptions (e.g., it doesn’t deliver results, it’s a waste of budget). To help them understand why they need to hire you, explain it in a simpler language. Use customized explanations and present examples that are relatable to their niche or industry.

Pay attention to your marketing material. When sending out SEO proposals, you have to make sure it’s comprehensive. Define your services and detail your SEO process. Present how your clients’ competitors are faring and how they can keep up. Also, include in your proposed solution the timeline, the pricing, and your deliverables.

Gather and present relevant data. Keep in mind that business is a numbers game. So when you’re pitching your digital marketing or SEO reseller services, don’t forget to include stats in your material (e.g., numbers on how search traffic can boost lead conversions).

Be prepared for SEO sales objections. No matter how great your pitch or presentation is, there will always be objections or clarifications that business owners will bring up. For instance, they could say that your service won’t give the ROI they want. To help you prepare for such a situation, research beforehand and come up with answers representing your ideals and values.