With so many phone calls coming in nowadays, I thought it might be interesting to diagram the anatomy of what a request for services call to SEOmoz looks like.

Because the number on the website routes directly to my cellphone when I'm not in the office, I get calls at 5:30am and 10:00pm, even on the weekends. Naturally, I turn the phone to silent when I'm sleeping, but I've had calls with folks during NFL games (bold prediction here; the Seahawks are going to the SuperBowl), while I'm cooking meals or even out shopping. When I do answer, I always steer the conversation first towards their business model, their marketing plan and their goals for SEO. I always ask about what makes their business unique in the sector, why they "deserve" to be at the top of the rankings in the search engines and why customers are better off using their services than anyone else in the field.

With these initial questions answered, we typically proceed into the realm of what SEO and online marketing can provide. Most  folks call up with the intention of being ranked for specific terms in the search engines and come away with a much broader view of how successful Internet marketing can boost the visibility and succcess of their business as a whole. After all, so many of the tasks that go into the "white hat" side of SEO fit very nicely with services like online advertising buys, public relations and direct marketing.

A great majority of callers are already well versed in the principles of SEO - the ideas of link popularity and keyword targeting, but they're frequently unfamiliar with important practices like keyword research, alternative methods of promotion (rather than just buying links or exploiting a network of links), and creating "link bait" (which, granted, is a relative newcomer to the SEO scene). Once I walk them through the types of services I think they'll need, the discussion turns to price.

I always use the same line "you may be aware that we're on the pricey side of SEO." Once I explain that, I can gauge their reaction and know if this is someone I need to point at the recommended list (about 8 out of 10 times) or whether they have the budget for SEO. I know that many of you might ask - "why don't you get a budget from them first?!" The answer is, I'm going to help them out regardless, and I'd much rather build a relationship and get them thinking about their site and what they want to do, rather than discouraging them right off the bat. Besides that, by building that relationship and helping out, I'm creating good karma for SEOmoz that will hopefully come back to us one day, as well as making sure they get pointed to resources and people who can really help (as opposed to the SEO telemarketers that have told them about their need for meta tags).

I close conversations by telling the caller I'll send them an email with links to some resources that can help them better understand the field of SEO (notably the beginner's guide, and often, if they're developing a site, a link to Steve Krug's "Don't Make Me Think" book - a personal favorite on the subject). In the email, I'll provide these links, a list of the goals they stated to me on the phone, a rough cost estimate range from us (often as broad as $30K-$50K) and a link to the folks I recommend in case they decide that price, location or another factor isn't a good match.

Since the first week of 2006, I've gotten an average of 12-14 calls per week (not including email inquiries, which, in many ways, are easier to handle intially). So far, we've got one new contract for business and two that are pending review of formal quotes - I'm very happy with that level, as I can't give personal attention to many more clients and do a great job of it.

What do you think? Are your practices with incoming requests substantively different? Is there an important piece I'm forgetting?