Getting Customers

[hostparlor]

Hi,

I am the owner of hostparlor.com i just have some quick questions i really need answered when it comes to gaining customers.

It seems i have alot of people visiting my page @ www.hostparlor.com but none of them are purchasing web hosting. Does it just take time to establish credability or am i doing something wrong...I offer instant setup, Free domain, Free 30 day trial to prove my hosting company. I offer phone support, email support, live support. I have no clue what i am doing wrong.

[Richard]

it can take up to 24 months for a host to make a profit on hosting sales.

If you are looking for quick money, hosting is not the place to be at the moment.

But a little tip, do not expect to break even for about 12 months.

[hostparlor]

Yeah i know, i work a full time job at a factory just to pay for advertising and all the bills for the web hosting! I WILL SUCCEED! I don't care how i have to do it, i will succeed and it will be an ethical succession.

[Richard]

2007-08-11

That is when your domain was registered ;) You have not even been around a month, which is why you do not have many, or any clients.

Plus - Your prices are fairly expensive, but then again, you get what you pay for, but can you really match the support of a bigger company?

[hostparlor]

I am very confident in my support! Yes, i am sure i have things to learn, but they say practice makes perfect am i wrong? I am also sure that i still have alot to learn about the web hosting world, which i will learn in my journey to becoming a successful web host. Everyone has to start from somewhere.


*********If i make my whois info private, will that help out?************

[Richard]

Hell no. If you make your Whois private it will just drive away customers, and you WILL fail.

Making your whois private will also not hide the date your domain was registered.

[hostparlor]

Ok bad question...LOL Thanks for the answer like i said, i will learn as i go...LOL

[Calinax]

My company is few months old now but still has very less clients. Wait wait wait.....have patience

[messa]

The best thing you could ever do as a small starting host is to offer a service along with hosting.

Sell the service, hosting will come automatically.
It's easier to sell a service than to sell something as totally intangible as hosting.

When I first opened my paid hosting I had 40 clients in my first month with no advertising and limited experience.

Good luck!

[PogiWeb]

You need to advertise in your local market. On the internet you have to compete with a wide range of competitors and if you can build a small client base locally then you can hopefully break even.

[RadixHosting]

Get someone to redo your web site. Some CSS would do well. Also, get rid of SitePal, it's annoying. Your logo is obviously exported with low quality settings, it looks like a mess. And personally I don't like the colors of your web site, I would just simply make a whole new site. :)

About your banner: http://www.hostparlor.com/hostbanner.gif
No offense but it looks like it's designed by a 12 year old.

So basically I think you're losing a lot of potentional customers because your company website doesn't have a professional/corporate look. Your website is the first thing people see when they get to know your company, you need to make sure that they are impressed. I'm not saying you should spend thousands of dollars on a web design, but I must say that yours looks messy, as if it's made by an amature. If you paid money for someone to design that for you, consider yourself scammed.

I really think if you'd redo the web site, it would attract a lot more sales.

[Dan]

When first starting a business, the best thing to do is Compete with the bigger dogs. This includes price wise.
Lower your prices a tad bit and advertise like crazy. Do not offer things you haven't got. For example, do not offer 24 hours of dedicated support when you can only give 12 etc. Catch my drift?
Also, be as nice as you possibly can when dealing with Clients. Even when they are calling you all the names under the sun. Be professional.
You will do fine. Positive thinking leads to positive results.

[sellwhm]

Hell no. If you make your Whois private it will just drive away customers, and you WILL fail.

Making your whois private will also not hide the date your domain was registered.

Making your whois private doesn't make you have no customers. I have gotten plenty of customers with my whois private.

[RadixHosting]

Not everyone checks your WHOIS before buying, but I'm positively sure it would drive away most people who do check it.

[TSO]

Funny thing - his Website has now been removed. Talk about succeeding. :rolleyes:

[Dan]

Funny thing - his Website has now been removed. Talk about succeeding. :rolleyes:

You are quick to jump the gun. Ever think he might be updating it or something?

[RadixHosting]

Funny thing - his Website has now been removed. Talk about succeeding. :rolleyes:

It's still online as far as I can see... ?

[GlennBeforeTime]

Yup it's online but there is no website. Just getting Apache Directory Listing.

[RadixHosting]

I see that now yes, damn Opera, it gives you the impression you're looking at something new while in fact it's cache lol.

[romes]

WHOIS isnt really a big thing. Some people like to check it, some dont. The one that check it and its private will get mad. The one that dont, well, they just dont care lol. Getting customers takes time. I never turned a profit till about my 3rd month or so. Thats when clients started to come. So give it time, and things will work out.

[0re0]

Yeah i know, i work a full time job at a factory just to pay for advertising and all the bills for the web hosting! I WILL SUCCEED! I don't care how i have to do it, i will succeed and it will be an ethical succession.

Yea he dont care how he has to do it.i guess thats why i got ripped off

I did some website work for this guy on a template a couple weeks ago.Uploaded it for his visual comfirmation and he quickly ripped source and images.Then He stiffed me of the money he owed me.Do not do business with, he is a fraud and very unprofessional.

Thought he was my friend, with friends like this who needs enemies.

[RadixHosting]

WHOIS isnt really a big thing. Some people like to check it, some dont. The one that check it and its private will get mad. The one that dont, well, they just dont care lol. Getting customers takes time. I never turned a profit till about my 3rd month or so. Thats when clients started to come. So give it time, and things will work out.

http://www.freewebspace.net/forums/showpost.php?p=907719&postcount=9

I guess this proves otherwise. ;)

[gentle]

It's not easy to survive in the paid web hosting business. There's so much competition, and the big ones are eating the small ones like cookies.

[DanTheMan]

Well one this is you wanna quickly make your order button work right :D


maybe that's whats driving your potential customers away XD

[azoundria]

When I look at your site, I see cramming as much as possible into a small space. There's also too much colour, which you could easily fix with a grey background.

Look into design, get site reviews.

http://www.freewebspace.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=20

http://www.ozzu.com/

http://www.v7n.net/

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&q=website+review+forum

[raversworld]

I have been around now 9months and i just started makin moola but it doesn't cover the bills so... just wait and pretend that your getting something back patience is what i learned