Do you want to improve the effectiveness of your web site
Do you want to improve the effectiveness of your web site
Stanford University and The Poynter Institute have just completed a four year study and they confirmed that the first thing most people look at on a web page is the copy or text.
A web page is simply another form of direct-response marketing, and effective copy means the difference between a flood of sales and a slow trickle of business.
Review your website. If you are not converting your visitors, could this be the reason? If it is, you should re-do the site, focusing on one thing: Selling your service and getting visitors to call you.
Are You Revealing Your Price Too Soon?
A common mistake made by copywriters and advertisers is to start by making a big promise in your headline or at the beginning of your copy, and then follow with "for only $499.95!"
Bringing up price is wrong at this point. The only time this is appropriate is when you are selling something that is a household name and needs no explanation.
Street-Smart Marketers know there's a basic process and structure to persuading, and until your prospect wants what you are selling she/he won’t care about the price.
Advertising is nothing more than salesmanship in print. Effective salespeople know that you have to build desire for the product, so after you make a promise that solves a problem for your prospect, paint a picture for them of what their life will be like once they have your service. Show them the results they will get and what impact that will have on them.
At this point you'll be tempted to tell them your price, especially if you think your offer is a bargain. However in most cases your clients will need some kind of proof that your service is everything you say it is. So this is the time to include one or more testimonials that reinforce everything you have told them will happen to them if they buy your service.
Well crafted testimonials provide solid evidence that what you say is true. In addition to testimonials always use solid facts and figures. So instead of saying we have the best trained customer service people. Say each of our customer service people has four weeks of training before they ever speak to a customer, and each year they receive 1 week of additional training so that they can deal with 98.5% of the issues they encounter. ( for more on testimonials see our previous editions of The Street-Smart Marketer at http://www.results-exchange.com/html/pastIssues.html)
Now that you've made your promise, painted an enticing mental picture of how the client will benefit, and provided third party evidence of the benefits, you can go ahead and reveal the price.
If you have done your job, at this point, your client will be sold, will want your service, and you will be able justify the price you've set without difficulty
Do you want to improve the effectiveness of your web site - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Hepworth's Website.
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When it comes to websites, most business owners make the mistake of confusing glitz with effectiveness. If your primary objective is to sell, then the single most important issue is text. Not graphics and definitely not fancy flash technology. Graphic designers may disagree with me on this, but words are what count.
Stanford University and The Poynter Institute have just completed a four year study and they confirmed that the first thing most people look at on a web page is the copy or text.
A web page is simply another form of direct-response marketing, and effective copy means the difference between a flood of sales and a slow trickle of business.
Review your website. If you are not converting your visitors, could this be the reason? If it is, you should re-do the site, focusing on one thing: Selling your service and getting visitors to call you.
Are You Revealing Your Price Too Soon?
A common mistake made by copywriters and advertisers is to start by making a big promise in your headline or at the beginning of your copy, and then follow with "for only $499.95!"
Bringing up price is wrong at this point. The only time this is appropriate is when you are selling something that is a household name and needs no explanation.
Street-Smart Marketers know there's a basic process and structure to persuading, and until your prospect wants what you are selling she/he won’t care about the price.
Advertising is nothing more than salesmanship in print. Effective salespeople know that you have to build desire for the product, so after you make a promise that solves a problem for your prospect, paint a picture for them of what their life will be like once they have your service. Show them the results they will get and what impact that will have on them.
At this point you'll be tempted to tell them your price, especially if you think your offer is a bargain. However in most cases your clients will need some kind of proof that your service is everything you say it is. So this is the time to include one or more testimonials that reinforce everything you have told them will happen to them if they buy your service.
Well crafted testimonials provide solid evidence that what you say is true. In addition to testimonials always use solid facts and figures. So instead of saying we have the best trained customer service people. Say each of our customer service people has four weeks of training before they ever speak to a customer, and each year they receive 1 week of additional training so that they can deal with 98.5% of the issues they encounter. ( for more on testimonials see our previous editions of The Street-Smart Marketer at http://www.results-exchange.com/html/pastIssues.html)
Now that you've made your promise, painted an enticing mental picture of how the client will benefit, and provided third party evidence of the benefits, you can go ahead and reveal the price.
If you have done your job, at this point, your client will be sold, will want your service, and you will be able justify the price you've set without difficulty
Do you want to improve the effectiveness of your web site - To learn more about this author, visit Michael Hepworth's Website.
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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I've created this section on my site to share some of the incredible tools that I've used to build my business. I hope you too can benefit from them and look forward to hearing your feedback on the reviews! - Visit Evan Carmichael's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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