SMM
Strategic
Marketing Montreal
Why
Your Web Site Doesn't Deliver Customers
the Way You Thought It Would
Most
web sites do not deliver customers
Talk
with any business owner on what his website is doing for his business
and the answer is almost always the same. "We got 7000 hits since
January but only a handful of direct contacts from these visitors
and not a single sale that I can be sure came directly from the website."
Most feel that it would be very difficult to justify the cost of the
website as a communication tool, versus other more tangible sales
tools. On the other hand, they know they must have a website, since
it has become an essential signal of a company's credibility. What
they have not understood is that the Internet has caused a fundamental
change in the way business is done.
Some
Facts
A
Statistics Canada report published in November 2000 on business usage
of the Internet in 1999 shows the following highlights:
a)
The Internet was used by 52.8% of enterprises, accounting for 75%
of economic activity.
b) The proportion of enterprises with Web sites was 21.7% accounting
for 44.8% of private sector economic activity.
c) Among other uses, the Internet was used to purchase goods and services
by 13.8% of enterprises and by 10.1% to sell goods and services.
Giving
the rapid growth in usage, it may be assumed that all these figures
would be very much higher now in 2001.
What
do we learn from these facts
There
would seem to be a paradox between the "facts" cited in the first
section - few sales from websites - and the StatCan facts. But you
may note that in 1999, more businesses were using the Internet to
purchase than were using the Internet to (try to) sell. Therein lies
the answer. The Internet can provide information. The Internet changes
the relative power of buyer and seller. Whereas before the Internet,
purchasers had to meet salesmen, this is no longer the case.
The
Internet is a one-way mirror for buyers as they check out the market
place
With
the Internet, a purchaser can find most of the competitive offerings,
which are available. Each can be evaluated to some extent before the
seller even knows that the purchaser is interested. The purchaser
is even more in control of the process. A long list can be cut down
to the 3 or 4 most likely suppliers, before any seller knows what
is going on.
The
Internet can be a wall to keep out the salesmen
Electronic
telephone switchboards and voice boxes made the seller's task of contacting
the potential purchaser almost impossible. Now the Internet increases
the difficulty by an order of magnitude. Purchasers can insist they
wish to check out a website and receive information by email. How
can the salesman ever get to apply the selling skills he has developed
to maximize sales?
One
solution to beat "the wall"
The
only real way to beat "the wall" is to get invited in through the
door. To get the invitation, the company must be seen to stand out
from the competition and give some unique value that is not provided
by the competitive offers. That unique value can only come from a
clear and effective Marketing Strategy, which responds to the real
needs of the purchaser.
If you wish to use this approach, SMM will be happy to work with you. Our help can be configured to meet exactly the needs you have. Our strengths, experience, creativity and practical common sense can complement those of your company. So write us a Fast Message today, , on what you're looking for.
Barry Welford
Feedback
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do you agree or disagree? Is this something that can work well for
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