Give Your Website Personality!

When you are building your website you should model it after your best salesperson.

You know the one I’m talking about. He/she is a great communicator and very engaging. They tailor their message to each audience, treat every customer as an individual and remember what their interests are. They follow up after every interaction with a customer. And the really good salespeople have integrity and are proud of what they are selling.

You should make your website just like that salesperson. Here’s how…

• Elevator Pitch – every great salesperson has an elevator pitch…a short, concise pitch that explains what your product/service does and how it is different- all in the fewest words possible. Your website should be just as concise. If there’s any great failing in websites it is the tendency to be much too verbose – far beyond the tolerance of most prospects, especially those on mobile devices.
• Tailor the Message – some companies’ products cater to the needs of diverse prospects in wildly different industries. The terminology and features and benefits may vary significantly when speaking to these different markets. Sometimes by grouping your products & services by industry you can speak to each industry in its own “language” and tailor your message to their unique needs…like a good salesperson would do!
• Remember the Customer – if the customer has been to your site before then, through cookies or your Marketing Automation System, you should be able to “remember” what they were interested in last time and perhaps serve that up in the featured products section of your home page. This is great service because you are potentially saving your prospect time in trying to find that product again on your website. Better yet, if you have a log in area (customer portal or e-commerce) you can have the website greet them by name when they come back.
• Provide Proof – it is easy to make claims about features and benefits of your products but providing proof that backs it up takes the discussion out of the realm of opinion and into fact. ROI studies, white papers, customer retention statistics, survey results, and testimonials all can help you back up your claims with integrity. These are the kinds of things your top salespeople will use to prove that your product/service is superior and your website should do the same thing.
• Follow Up – when someone requests a quote, the website can auto-generate and email a thank you note letting them know when they can expect to hear from you.
• Exceptional Service – your website can provide 24/7 access to documentation, brochures, specifications, manuals, etc. Plus you can have a customer login area where they can see information that is only intended for them (i.e. order status, invoices, etc.). Even your best salesperson isn’t available 24/7 but your customer portal will be.

When you are redesigning your site – and generally you should be doing it every 3 years or so – keep in mind that its primary objective is to sell. That’s why giving your website the voice and personality of your best salesperson will help you give your customers the best possible experience.