One of the biggest complaints I hear from small business owners is that they’re not getting enquiries from their websites. And I agree – I think that’s incredibly frustrating, especially when you’ve spent a great deal of time, money and effort setting up the website in the first place.
So, let me explain why you don’t get business and what you can do about it.
To understand the reason why you don’t get enquiries from my website, you have to think about things from a customer’s point of view. They know that if they put their contact details into your enquiry form or give you a call as a result of seeing your website, you’ll get all excited and start SELLING to them.
Now I know that you really wouldn’t start selling to them, but if your customers think that, then unless they’re ready to buy what you’re offering right now, it’s unlikely that they’ll put their details into your enquiry form or give you a call. Instead they’ll probably think that they’ll come back to your site when they’re ready to buy. Unfortunately as we all know, by the time they’re ready to buy, they’ve forgotten all about you and don’t come back.
So, chances are you’re missing out on the potential to communicate with all the people who are visiting your website – unless you think about doing things a little bit differently.
If you visit a website, but you’re not quite ready to buy, what would entice you to give away your contact details? You might enter a competition, register to receive their free newsletter or give your contact details in return for a free sample. If you’re giving your contact details to receive something for free in return, you know that the company may communicate with you on a regular basis and you’re probably ok with that, but you also know that they’re not going to ring you up and do any high pressure selling to you – so you perceive it as being much safer.
Likewise with your customers, you need to find a safe way of capturing people’s contact details so they don’t feel that you’re going to ring them up and SELL to them.
Here are a few things that you might like to try:
• Run a competition from your website that people can enter
• Create a membership scheme where people can receive special discounts
• Create an ask the expert section on your website where people can ask for help
• Get them to subscribe to a free newsletter or tips sheets
• Give them a free 5 day report
• Allow them to request a free sample of your products
All of the above ideas will allow you to capture people’s details in a less threatening way. You can then start to communicate with them on a regular basis to build a relationship with them and encourage them to buy. Remember though, this regular communication is vital – it takes at least 7 communications with someone before they’ll likely to buy.
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Why am I not getting enquiries from my website? - To learn more about this author, visit Helen Dowling's Website.
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