How I Helped My Friend Sell AI Websites to Local Businesses in Merced

Quick one today. This post isn't about me. It's about my friend Sanni.

That's his nickname. I met Sanni at UC Merced, where we both studied. He asked me about the AI websites I've been selling. He wanted to know how I do it.

So I showed him. And now he's selling AI websites to local businesses in Merced too.

How it started

So I explained the method to him. It's pretty simple:

• Find local businesses that need a better website.
• Make them a website before you even talk to them.
• Show them their site and pitch it.

Then I showed him how to use Locasly to do it.

No more scrolling Google Maps

The hardest part for most people is finding clients. A lot of people just scroll Google Maps for hours. They click on business after business, with no real plan.

Sanni didn't have to do that. I showed him how Locasly lets you:

• Search an area like Merced for local businesses on Google Maps.
• See a 0 to 100 score for each business's website. It's based on PageSpeed, accessibility, and if the site works at all.
• Spot the businesses whose website is down.
• Make a website mockup from a template to show the owner.
• Use the outreach scripts and track everyone in the pipeline.

Because of that, he found clients easily. He wasn't aimlessly looking through Google Maps. He knew who to talk to and he had something to show them.

His first client: he lost it

Here's the part I think a lot of people can learn from.

Sanni actually lost his first client. He went in too shy. And he told them he was new to this.

That's an honest thing to say. But when you open with "I'm new at this," the owner starts to worry. They stop thinking about their website and start thinking about you. And it's hard to come back from that.

His second client: he went in confident

For the next one, I told him to go in confident. Don't lead with being new. Lead with what you can do for them.

That doesn't mean hiding anything. The client knows Sanni is a student. That's no secret. He just didn't make "I'm new" the first thing they heard. He talked about their business and the site he could build for them.

And it worked. The client committed to his service and paid him a deposit.

The site isn't finished yet. He's still working on it. But he's got a real client who already paid him, and that's a huge step.

What Sanni learned (and what you can copy)

• You don't need to scroll Google Maps all day. Use a tool to find businesses that actually need help.
• Show them something. A mockup of their own site does a lot of the talking for you.
• Don't open with "I'm new." Open with what you can do for them.
• Be confident, but be honest. His client knows he's a student. They still said yes.
• Losing one client is normal. Sanni lost his first one and got the next one.

Anyone can do this

Seriously. Sanni is a student, and he figured it out. The hardest part used to be finding clients. With Locasly it's so easy to find one.

If you want to see how my own month went, I wrote about how I made $1,100 selling websites. And if you're still wondering if this is worth it, here's my honest take on whether selling AI websites is a real side hustle.

Locasly is free right now while we launch. If you want to try what Sanni did, start with Locasly for free.

Talk soon,
Gerardo