Converting prospects into customers is not something that’s done to them from the outside. It’s something that they do, for themselves, of their own free will.
Think of how you “convert” from window-shopper to buyer in your own purchases. Now think of the sales cycle from their perspective: to them it’s a buying cycle.
So why are the marketing and selling efforts of so many companies still blind to the implications of something so self-evident? In other words, why do so many branded (corporate) web sites suck?
We think about this situation obsessively because we believe the "conversion" rates associated with sales and e-commerce, something like two percent, is unacceptably low. Worse yet, it's needlessly low. There is a reason why things are the way they are, of course, and it has much to do with why, for example, high-tech marketing is such an oxymoron. Non-tech outfits are equally guilty, of course, but too many tekkie companies insist on selling features in a world where, more than ever, customers are buying benefits.
Product choices available to consumers and business customers today are almost overwhelming. And, as they proliferate, it is an ever more significant decision for customers to select your product or service.
Problem is, relatively few companies make the purchase decision – the buying cycle – simple and efficient. In effect, they get in the way of the customer’s “free will.” Those companies who do make it simple to shop and compare, from the buyer’s point of view, typically enjoy higher sales and faster growth. They shorten sales cycles and accelerate arrival of revenue.
Advertising can be an effective tool to create awareness and familiarity with certain brands. But most customers rarely make their buying decisions based solely on the ads they see and hear. Especially in the Internet age. Think of your own experience as a shopper and buyer. More and more, these customers rely on what they learn via the Web. This means that your Web site is a central, fundamental element of your business and it’s becoming even more important everyday. It’s a primary tool shared by your customers, your prospective customers and you.
How do you make you site generate a higher return? First, be sure your site does these thing at minimum:
1. Presents compelling benefits of your product's features.
2. Spotlights the proof-points of the benefits, with testimony from users.
3. Provides a way for visitors to engage in a dialogue with you, and your customers, easily and quickly.
Understand that people are interested in having a dialogue with you far more than they want to be subjected to a monologue from you. To the extent that your site is basically a "read-only" resource -- a pixillated brochure -- you're not paving the way to a sale. Indeed, you're putting up roadblocks. I'll have more thoughts in the next post!
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