Growing Your Internet Business Incrementally
Growing Your Internet Business Incrementally
He talked about one bid he recently received for a cutting-edge redesign that included online ordering with integration into his accounting software for $60,000. And that didn't take into consideration website optimization, Internet marketing, order fulfillment, Web maintenance, training or additional employee costs. We talked about how that kind of an Internet solution would require the complete reshaping of his business objectives. It would require a new business plan.
For those who are ready to do that, it may provide a potentially fantastic business opportunity. But for those who have a brick & mortar storefront business, it represents a potential catastrophe. Why? Because having an online ordering website does not guarantee success, and the up front costs of playing that game are significant.
Incremental Growth
This conversation was important to me because this business owner could not see an incremental upgrade path for his website. He thought that unless he spent the sixty grand it was futile to do anything else. I understand his dilemma. At the same time I think that the sales people who set that dilemma before him did him — and thousands of other business owners — a disservice.
Ram Charan in his book, Profitable Growth is Everyone's Business (Crown Business, NY, 2004), provides a simple yet often overlooked business strategy for growth — incremental growth. He notes that while grand slams are the most exciting elements of baseball, it is not home runs but singles and doubles that win baseball games. It is consistency and improvement in the little things that add up to success. A $60,000 website is exciting and it can generate a lot of fanfare. But it takes a whole lot more than a home run to win a game.
Shopping Carts
How does this apply to my business owner friend? Consider shopping carts. Most people think that having a shopping cart requires the ability to order online, which in turn requires a secure server, online credit card processing abilities, and integration into existing (or new) software. That's the $60,000 solution. But it's not the only solution.
Another solution is to utilize a simple web form to send customer product selection information to an actual person. It is curious that the Internet has made personal communication between people so accessible and easy, and yet most Internet communication is impersonal. By that I mean that there is no actual human contact. We do not see or hear the person we are communicating with. Such communication is very impersonal. I say what I say, and you say what you say (in an email exchange), but we don't see any body language or hear any vocal inflection. And communication experts tell us that a significant percent of successful communication relies on these non-verbal elements. Sales people be listening (or reading) intently at this point.
When I buy something on the Internet, I don't speak to or listen to another human being. I usually just read something. This is why there is such concern about sales copy among those who are trying to sell on the Internet. But the sales process involves more than reading a brochure or description of an item or service. My point is that we have allowed Internet communication to become impersonal, when the technology itself allows for more personal communication. Incremental growth will take advantage of Internet technology for personal communication. (This may well provide the missing link that could make for better customer service.)
It doesn't take a lot of money to produce a web form that will allow a customer to identify an item that he or she is interested in and send it to an employee who will follow up with a phone call. Such a form may be associated with a fairly sophisticated catalog like those found in the promotional products industry (i.e., www.business-specialties.com), or a simple PayPal™ button (i.e., www.pilgrim-platform.org).
The phone call then becomes the primary sales tool (rather than Web copy, though Web copy is still very important). The company doesn't need a secure server or the ability to process credit cards on the Internet because that information can be handled over the phone or through a PayPal™ like service. Internet security is improved at no additional cost, and the customer has established an actual personal relationship with a member of your sales team. It's a win/win scenario that can produce incremental sales growth. And, in a world that increasingly lacks human contact, it provides a warm customer-centered low cost solution to grow sales incrementally.
Growing Your Internet Business Incrementally - To learn more about this author, visit Phillip Ross's Website.
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A retail business owner and I were talking about upgrading his website the other day. He has an old site that probably cost him a couple hundred dollars six or eight years ago, or maybe it was designed by a friend for free. You know what I mean — spinning and flashing graphics, no consistent look and feel (much less a coordinated design), antiquated HTML, etc.
He talked about one bid he recently received for a cutting-edge redesign that included online ordering with integration into his accounting software for $60,000. And that didn't take into consideration website optimization, Internet marketing, order fulfillment, Web maintenance, training or additional employee costs. We talked about how that kind of an Internet solution would require the complete reshaping of his business objectives. It would require a new business plan.
For those who are ready to do that, it may provide a potentially fantastic business opportunity. But for those who have a brick & mortar storefront business, it represents a potential catastrophe. Why? Because having an online ordering website does not guarantee success, and the up front costs of playing that game are significant.
Incremental Growth
This conversation was important to me because this business owner could not see an incremental upgrade path for his website. He thought that unless he spent the sixty grand it was futile to do anything else. I understand his dilemma. At the same time I think that the sales people who set that dilemma before him did him — and thousands of other business owners — a disservice.
Ram Charan in his book, Profitable Growth is Everyone's Business (Crown Business, NY, 2004), provides a simple yet often overlooked business strategy for growth — incremental growth. He notes that while grand slams are the most exciting elements of baseball, it is not home runs but singles and doubles that win baseball games. It is consistency and improvement in the little things that add up to success. A $60,000 website is exciting and it can generate a lot of fanfare. But it takes a whole lot more than a home run to win a game.
Shopping Carts
How does this apply to my business owner friend? Consider shopping carts. Most people think that having a shopping cart requires the ability to order online, which in turn requires a secure server, online credit card processing abilities, and integration into existing (or new) software. That's the $60,000 solution. But it's not the only solution.
Another solution is to utilize a simple web form to send customer product selection information to an actual person. It is curious that the Internet has made personal communication between people so accessible and easy, and yet most Internet communication is impersonal. By that I mean that there is no actual human contact. We do not see or hear the person we are communicating with. Such communication is very impersonal. I say what I say, and you say what you say (in an email exchange), but we don't see any body language or hear any vocal inflection. And communication experts tell us that a significant percent of successful communication relies on these non-verbal elements. Sales people be listening (or reading) intently at this point.
When I buy something on the Internet, I don't speak to or listen to another human being. I usually just read something. This is why there is such concern about sales copy among those who are trying to sell on the Internet. But the sales process involves more than reading a brochure or description of an item or service. My point is that we have allowed Internet communication to become impersonal, when the technology itself allows for more personal communication. Incremental growth will take advantage of Internet technology for personal communication. (This may well provide the missing link that could make for better customer service.)
It doesn't take a lot of money to produce a web form that will allow a customer to identify an item that he or she is interested in and send it to an employee who will follow up with a phone call. Such a form may be associated with a fairly sophisticated catalog like those found in the promotional products industry (i.e., www.business-specialties.com), or a simple PayPal™ button (i.e., www.pilgrim-platform.org).
The phone call then becomes the primary sales tool (rather than Web copy, though Web copy is still very important). The company doesn't need a secure server or the ability to process credit cards on the Internet because that information can be handled over the phone or through a PayPal™ like service. Internet security is improved at no additional cost, and the customer has established an actual personal relationship with a member of your sales team. It's a win/win scenario that can produce incremental sales growth. And, in a world that increasingly lacks human contact, it provides a warm customer-centered low cost solution to grow sales incrementally.
Growing Your Internet Business Incrementally - To learn more about this author, visit Phillip Ross's Website.
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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster'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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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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David BarrDavid Barr is the President of Venture Opportunities, Inc. David has been a professional business broker/intermediary since 1980 focusing on General Business Brokerage and Mergers and Acquisitions representing client transaction value from $400,000 to $20,000,000. Mr. Barr has handled the sale of over four hundred and fifty companies. David earned a university degree from the State University of New York majoring in economics and business. David holds the Mergers and Acquisition Master Intermediary and the Certified Business Intermediary designations from the International Business Brokers Association. He is also a Senior Business Analyst and a Texas licensed Real Estate Agent. For more information about David and Venture Opportunities, visit www.bizdealmaker.com. - Visit David Barr's Website |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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Casey GollanCasey Gollan, Business Coaching & Mentoring Programs. Add $1 Million to $10 Million in the next 1 to 3 years. Since 1996 Casey has to added hundreds of millions of dollars to businesses. Watch a free video see client results Business Coaching website. - Visit Casey Gollan's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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