Make Your Web Site a Sales Tool
Make Your Web Site a Sales Tool
Develop an Internet Marketing Plan
The first step is develop a clear understanding of what you want your Web site to do for the business. There is no magic bullet or quick-fix. Integrating a Web site into your sales and marketing strategy takes work. The first step is determine the specific benefits to your target market, or visitors, to your Web site. Do you want your site to be an on-line brochure, information resource or interactive tool? Answer these questions from the perspective of your customers.
The Web Site Supports Your Sales Channels
It is absolutely critical that your Web site supports your sales channels, such as your sales team, direct mail, re-sellers, telemarketing and other channels. Many companies have Web sites that actually compete with existing channels. This is a lose-lose scenario and leads to sluggish sales and confused customers. Retailers, or re-sellers, are often hurt the worse.
Qualify Buyers on the Web
Prospective customers that have reviewed your site are more likely to buy. In this way the site functions as a qualifier and needs analysis tool. Potential customers have their questions answered and should be ready to make a buying decisions. One of the best-qualified visitors to your site is a prospect that has been directed to the site by a sales rep. This visitor will have a specific reason for coming to the site and usually converted into a sale.
Sales Objections are Handled On-Line
When objections arise, the sales rep can send people to the Web site. A good site will build credibility and allow the customer to look at the information with no pressure to respond or act at that time. A Web site that pushes customer hot buttons will help ease objections and build trust and confidence that you can help. Email is another great way to handle objections. It lets the customer stay in control and relaxes the pressure. Always validate the objection in your message. These two methods are also a great way to qualify potential clients and handle objections, if they do not take the time to read your email, or visit your Web site, then they probably are not going to move forward.
Quality is Better than Quantity
On the Web, it is much better to work with a few quality customers, then to be inundated with inquiries and visitors who have no intention of doing business with you. It is important to set up a promotion strategy for the site, including a search engine strategy, that will bring quality visitors. Do not just go for massive hits, or you will be bogged down and waste valuable time responding to useless inquiries. Focus on quality over quantity.
Track Activity on Your Web Site
Ask your Web developer about programs that track visitors to your site. This is an important part of your strategy and will be essential information needed to modify your site to better meet your customer's needs. Include on your site a customer satisfaction survey and polling to collect feedback from customers on their thoughts about your Web site and business.
These are just a few tips on developing a successful Internet sales and marketing plan. Despite the fluctuations on Wall Street, the Internet is still the most powerful marketing tool of the new century and companies that get it right will thrive.
Make Your Web Site a Sales Tool - To learn more about this author, visit Thomas Young's Website.
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The recent turbulence in the stock market has left many people questioning the real impact of the Internet on business. Internet stock prices, especially e-retailers, have dropped dramatically in the past few weeks and this is a good thing. Many of these over-valued e-companies were not following sound marketing and sales strategies. The businesses that survive this initial Internet craze will be those that know how to implement marketing strategies that work on, and off, the Internet. Here are a few key strategies for developing an Internet marketing strategy that leads to sales.
Develop an Internet Marketing Plan
The first step is develop a clear understanding of what you want your Web site to do for the business. There is no magic bullet or quick-fix. Integrating a Web site into your sales and marketing strategy takes work. The first step is determine the specific benefits to your target market, or visitors, to your Web site. Do you want your site to be an on-line brochure, information resource or interactive tool? Answer these questions from the perspective of your customers.
The Web Site Supports Your Sales Channels
It is absolutely critical that your Web site supports your sales channels, such as your sales team, direct mail, re-sellers, telemarketing and other channels. Many companies have Web sites that actually compete with existing channels. This is a lose-lose scenario and leads to sluggish sales and confused customers. Retailers, or re-sellers, are often hurt the worse.
Qualify Buyers on the Web
Prospective customers that have reviewed your site are more likely to buy. In this way the site functions as a qualifier and needs analysis tool. Potential customers have their questions answered and should be ready to make a buying decisions. One of the best-qualified visitors to your site is a prospect that has been directed to the site by a sales rep. This visitor will have a specific reason for coming to the site and usually converted into a sale.
Sales Objections are Handled On-Line
When objections arise, the sales rep can send people to the Web site. A good site will build credibility and allow the customer to look at the information with no pressure to respond or act at that time. A Web site that pushes customer hot buttons will help ease objections and build trust and confidence that you can help. Email is another great way to handle objections. It lets the customer stay in control and relaxes the pressure. Always validate the objection in your message. These two methods are also a great way to qualify potential clients and handle objections, if they do not take the time to read your email, or visit your Web site, then they probably are not going to move forward.
Quality is Better than Quantity
On the Web, it is much better to work with a few quality customers, then to be inundated with inquiries and visitors who have no intention of doing business with you. It is important to set up a promotion strategy for the site, including a search engine strategy, that will bring quality visitors. Do not just go for massive hits, or you will be bogged down and waste valuable time responding to useless inquiries. Focus on quality over quantity.
Track Activity on Your Web Site
Ask your Web developer about programs that track visitors to your site. This is an important part of your strategy and will be essential information needed to modify your site to better meet your customer's needs. Include on your site a customer satisfaction survey and polling to collect feedback from customers on their thoughts about your Web site and business.
These are just a few tips on developing a successful Internet sales and marketing plan. Despite the fluctuations on Wall Street, the Internet is still the most powerful marketing tool of the new century and companies that get it right will thrive.
Make Your Web Site a Sales Tool - To learn more about this author, visit Thomas Young'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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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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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson'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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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson'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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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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