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How Salespeople Can Use Web Sites to Save Time and Make More Money
By Brian Offenberger, BizGrowth Search Engine Solutions
Many companies today have a web site. With the increased popularity and shopping use of the internet, web sites have become increasingly important to savvy consumers and marketers alike.
Sales people can take advantage of web sites in their selling efforts with customers. The use of web sites help sales people save time and make more money. In this article we'll show you how to put your company's web site to work for greater sales success.
A web site gives information about someone or something to anyone who can use the internet (which is a whole heck of a lot of your customers and prospects). The basic goals of web sites are to drive traffic and to convert that traffic into a desired action and/or response.
Web sites are great for your customers to use. They allow customers the ability to obtain information upon demand, virtually at any time or any where. Web sites offer visitors the ability to view what they want, and provide visitors with the ability to view, review and retrieve information. They provide users the chance to communicate with the company, stay informed and buy things. Many other customized features are incorporated within web sites that benefit visitors and customers as well.
Sales people also benefit from web sites. Here's how you can use a web site for maximum impact in selling:
• Promote your site. Make sure that every one of your customers and prospects know of your site and its address. The site will be of no benefit to you if people do not know how to find it. Include your site address on all correspondence (including in the signature line of email and letters), all presentation materials (written and electronic), business cards and all marketing materials. Your site needs use to be effective for you.
• Schedule time to personally train your customers on site content and use. Many people have difficulty navigating sites. Make sure customers know how to work your web site. This also gives you an excellent reason for personal customer contact, which is always a good thing.
• View your site as a tool in your prospecting efforts. Regardless of the method of initial customer contact, your site can provide information about your company-information that may motivate someone to take further action. One successful rep we know tells the story of being turned down months ago only to receive an order because the web site sold the customer. If you are rejected in your attempts to secure an initial appointment, use your web site as a fall back providing the customer an opportunity to learn more.
• Use the site to respond to client requests for standard information. Your site is quite helpful when prospecting for new business and qualifying prospects. It contains (or at least it should) information that is of value to site visitors and, for most firms, this means information of use to potential customers. Your web site should allow prospects to get the information they need without the time or expense of any action on your part (mail, meeting etc.). Finally, if customers take the interest to reach your site, it shows some level of interest. It helps sales people save the time and aggravation of sending stuff to a prospect to ultimately find out it was a prospect's ploy to get rid of the sales rep.
• Use your site in presentations to clients. Sites can store (with password protection if necessary) all types of things useful in selling. Presentation templates, video and audio bits, reference lists, testimonials, company profile, key personnel and other information are just some of the presentation materials that can be stored on and used from the web site. Using your site this way saves time in preparation and costs for materials. It also is a great way to add visuals and interaction to your sales presentation.
• Use your site to learn about your clients. Many web sites can tell you lots of information about who visits them and what pages they viewed or specific actions they took when visiting the site. You should learn what pages of your site get the most visits, what items receive the most "hits," and even a specific customer's frequency of site visits. All are clues to client behavior and client behavior contains the key to high sales person earnings.
• Use your site to promote interaction with your customers. Many companies offer newsletters, provide information, special offers and promotional announcements to their customers. Make sure your company's web site allows site visitors to sign up to receive such information. Encourage your customers to get your company's communication. The more they are on your site and receptive to your communication, the more money you will make.
In the olden days, not quite before electricity but close, sales people carried briefcases with sales materials and demonstration materials. And back then, dogs were referred to as a "salesman's best friend." Now, sales people carry laptops and PDAs. Continue the trend in today's world by utilizing your web site to its full potential. You'll soon find it to be your "best friend" for great success in selling.
About the Author
© 2005 Brian Offenberger. All rights reserved. Brian Offenberger owns the copyright to this article. You may distribute it freely as long as you keep the article, its copyright and its byline intact.
Brian Offenberger is a certified eMarketer, professional speaker on eMarketing, RSS, and search marketing, and host of weekly radio program "Online Marketing with RSS Ray." He is also the founder and managing partner of search engine marketing and web analytics company, BizGrowth Search Engine Solutions. He can be reached at 877.837.8803 or at brian@bizgrowthseo.com Visit Brian's website at http://www.bizgrowthseo.com
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