"People get caught up in wonderful, eye-catching pitches, but they don't do enough to close the deal. It's no good if you don't make the sale. Even if your foot is in the door or you bring someone into a conference room, you don't win the deal unless you actually get them to sign on the dotted line."
Whether you love The Donald or hate him, you have to admit as a business owner there is truth to that bluntly stated sentiment. All of the talk we have covered over the first three parts of this series is well and good, but the bottom line is, after all is said and done, did your company profit from the work and investment? Did your website close the deal and garner you a new client? No matter how you define your goal:
- Increased profits
- Larger Market share
- New revenue streams
- Increased brand awareness and engagement
- Top of mind awareness
- Generating leads
Commit
The culmination of everything that has come before is summed up in this word commit. Did your website provoke the appropriate reaction? Did it make someone pick up the phone and call you, or email you with questions, or walk in your front door, or set an appointment with a salesperson?
Your website needs to be working as a sales tool for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It should be actively driving traffic to itself, Capturing those out their searching, Containing them with its Clear, Concise and Compelling content and design and interactivity and then when you add it all up it must provide them with an easy, convenient, enticing way to take the last most important step...COMMITTING to start a relationship with you.
I know companies that when they originally became our clients had sales people that actively steered people AWAY from their business' website because it reflected so poorly on their services. How sad is that?! Your website should be your employee's best friend and universal tool to extend their reach into a prospective client's needs. It should instill trust and bolster credibility that you are experts in your field, specialists in your industry and on the cutting edge of understanding those that need your services.
A website can be a welcome mat that greets new visitors, a gracious and generous host while they look around, an entertaining and intriguing storyteller, a problem solver and diagnosis provider, a traffic cop and GPS system that can offer assistance and point people in the right direction to make their lives easier, their business run more smoothly and alleviate their headaches. That's a tall order couched in a run on sentence, but it can be a reality for you and your company's web presence if you do it right and place the importance on it as it deserves. It can pay you back in droves when done right, and crush your momentum when done wrong.
At the end of the day, ask yourself if your current website makes people want to commit to engage in business with you over your competitors, and if you have a good system in place to even track its effectiveness. If the answer is no to either or both of those questions, it may be time to go back to the basics of the six Cs.
If we can, we would love to help.
From where you are to where you want to be,
Doug
