Want to move your business online? How about a try before you buy website?

[Clinton]

This guy says

Does the thought of buying a Website make you Stressed?
...Don't know where to start?
Finally the perfect way to get your business online without ANY RISK whatsoever.

Basically he'll build a site for you and help you along in the first few months. After six months if you want to continue you pay him, otherwise you just walk away.

I like his spunk. I like his entrepreneurship. I like his trust in human nature. I hope he succeeds.

But what do you think his chances are?

[JJMcClure]

As a web site designer myself I might have a different view on this to you Clinton. Looking at what he's promising and the standard of the work I'm really not that impressed and it bugs me that I have to compete with people who barely know what they're doing but the general public aren't knowledegable enough to know the difference. The product is ok..ish (the code is ugly and doesn't validate and using iframes is just poor technique, especially for SEO) and his business model is somewhat risky. Presumably he's young enough not to have to worry too much about cash flow, probably a student.

Bout the only thing that is impressive is the fact that we're discussing this at all, nice going, plus he's in Australia so good luck to him.

[Kay]

Most professionals baulk at this sort of thing. They want to be paid pro rates for a pro job and get angry if someone suggests anything along the lines of - build my site and I'll give you a share of the profit.

Good logo designers are the same, they state their fees (or give you a quotation) and don't want to do stuff to "help" their portfolios.

The classic way to have the pros running for the hills is to say - if it works out, I'll give you more business in the future. You can see them complaining about it on most business fora.

OK, the guy has gumption for trying to make himself a business, but in the longer term it only encourages the mindset that so many people have - it's the Internet so I can get it free.

Not everything is free, it has to be paid for somehow. (Where's my soap box?!)

[Frank Bowman]

I use a similar model, but I set milestones and have the client deposit the funds at Escrow dot com before I begin, otherwise there is ZERO security. I do the same with my seo projects. People like it cuz they've been burned before, I like cuz I know if I deliver results, I get paid.

[Clinton]

Rankpay does that for SEO services. You select the term and the rank you want. They give you a quote (usually very reasonable). If you achieve that rank you pay, if not you don't.

Most professionals baulk at this sort of thing.

In the past when I used to take on consulting work advising a client through a sale, I'd occasionally get the client who didn't like paying my full fee up front and would try to negotiate to pay me a percentage of the sale on successful completion. The sub-text there is that if doesn't achieve a sale then he doesn't pay my fees. If the sale falls because he's got an unrealistic price or isn't cooperating with the buyer, I don't get my fees.

If someone even so much as suggested something like that I had only one response - to thank them for considering me and to advise them that I was no longer interested in the job. Even if they came back and agreed to pay in advance, I wouldn't take the job.

When someone values your expertise enough they'll pay you up front. In some markets you're saying something about yourself if you agree a deal where they pay at the end only if they're satisfied.