Recently, I visited a number of websites looking for a specific product or service but never ended up finding what I was looking for. Instead I was side tracked by something that was totally unrelated. Arguably, one could say that it was my lack of focus that caused me to steer away from my original goal. However, my thought process never changed. When I was done viewing the bunny trail I still wanted that original product that I was looking for.
As a business owner, I would find it rather alarming that a potential consumer visited my place of business and my sales associate steered them in the wrong direction and ultimately caused the loss of a sale and or customer. Business owners would not put up with this type of strategy and would not take this situation lightly. Every dollar a business can earn or save is huge! We are living in a time when we are at war for consumers, that is very vital to our success and the long term goals of our company. These same principles apply to our online sales; we should not be allowing our online associate (website) to be deterring our consumers from purchasing! It’s time for us to trim the fat that our online associates are putting on and lighting the load.
Here are 9 steps to give your website a diet and become a healthier sales force.
1. Be Tactful
Don’t blast your online clients with a large flashing cheesy sales pitch. Think how your consumers would feel if they walked into your establishment and a salesman jumped out and shoved a 4 foot sign in their face while screaming “ON SALE, BUY NOW”. It’s okay to direct them to your sales; however it should not be your primary focus! After all they have come to your location to buy something different.
2. Have Some Restraint
Get rid of the automatic annoying pop ups that are asking you to give away your life and then we will send you a free ebook. If we wanted the eBook we would have clicked on the button that says “Free eBook”. Do you like the guy standing at the entrance of the store always trying to sign you up for the newest credit card? Hey we will give you a backpack if you sign up today.
3. Be Useful
Often we are told that in order to help the search engines find us, we need to flood our websites with content. This statement is only partially true. Having content that is unrelated to your products or services you offer can actually hinder you search engine presence. It will also hinder your sales because all you will end up doing is confusing the consumer.
4. Be Focused
Your website like your physical store should be organized and planned out. I absolutely hate walking into a shoe store and trying to find my size when the boxes are scattered all over the place. Think about the ease of use and how you get your clients the right information in the simplest way.
5. Be Exceptional
The thing that will turn off any consumer is your customer experience. Your shipping times, return policies, support and overall look and feel are a huge part. Consumers will often pay a littler higher of a price if you are exceptional in these areas. Often I see website owners so excited about the idea of launching an online store and spend months on products side, but only took five minutes to figure out the user experience. If you take 3 days just to process a payment then you can forget about a re-order from me.
6. Be Competitive
Most online shoppers are very intelligent about their product knowledge. You might find they even know more about the product you are selling then yourself. Keeping that in mind, don’t assume that because you are local or they have ordered from you before it justifies the right to charge a higher amount. These consumers will have already researched this product and have found a dozen websites selling it for a lower price. Online it’s a risky business trying to be the higher priced guy.
7. Be Current
Make sure your content & promotions are current. How do you feel when you visit a website in September and they are still advertising the Father’s Day specials? Immediately I think this website is not legitimate and could very easily be a scam. If your content is old, you will end up losing trust with your consumers and you can kiss that sale goodbye. Or you can hope that will return next Father’s Day for that awesome gift you offered.
8. Be Error Free
This is one is not always an easy catch. If your website contains errors in your transaction processes it will frustrate your client and it will also send the message that their personal information may not be safe in your hands. I suggest placing a few orders yourself every month. This will help to catch errors and help you look for improvements in your customer experience model.
9. Be Marketing
Consumers do forget or don’t have time to check your website every day (unless you are Facebook). So marketing is still needed and advised. However the frequency of your campaigns should be taken into consideration. I once received an email a day from an online retailer. After the tenth day of this I vowed never to shop at this location again. Seriously do they honestly they think we can accommodate ordering something every day? The better option would have been for them implement a tracking system to help them understand what I want as consumer. Allowing them to only send me marketing items that are geared towards my wants. Once or twice a month depending on your business is more than enough.
If you are looking for assistance in signing up your website for a diet, please
contact us.