In this podcast, we dig deeper into the integration of your Website and your sales process. The web has changed the traditional sales process by redefining the prospecting phase of a sale. By the time a visitor to your Website contacts you, they have already done the prospecting for you. Additionally, companies need to move into the sales process in "web time" or lose the sale to more nimble competitors.
This podcast will help you view the web as a critical first phase of your overall sales process.
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January 23rd, 2008
Intuitive Websites
Web usability can be complex. So, if you are busy and trying to get a handle on how to get things done on your Website, think about these very simple, yet powerful three things.
1. What do you want visitors to do on the page they are on?
2. Use large fonts and very few messages that direct them to that thing.
3. Do not give them many other things to do that may confuse visitors and take them off the page.
Avoid clutter and embrace simplicity to get more results from each page of your Website.
January 22nd, 2008
Tom
Companies often underestimate the value of web leads. Users who submit their personal information have already done their homework and have decided to approach you! This podcast will help you:
- Appreciate how advanced these leads are
- Move from web marketing to the sales process
- Use technology to automate incoming leads (but DO include a personalized followup as well!)
The goal is to talk to people while they are still on your Website!
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December 28th, 2007
Intuitive Websites
My 13-year old son and I were playing Halo on the Xbox 360 recently and I asked him what made him such a good player. What he said really made sense. He said, “I don’t have to think. My hands just do what my head is thinking.” When technology is at its best, we don’t have to think. This is true of Websites as well. In fact, one of the best books on Web usability is Steve Krug’s “Don’t Make Me Think!”
We have seen two important trends in user testing around people thinking too much and failing at a Website task. The first is large blocks of content that says nothing. Here is an example from a real Website:
ABEL is a non-proft service that improves results through its professional learning curriculum and its virtual community were members share knowledge and collaborate with each other. Through the implementation of information communication technology (ICT), the ABEL program transforms learning by connecting people.
Browse our website to access a variety of learning resources, ABEL-designed programs, including the professional learning program, and to learn about our past events and current opportunities.
What are they saying?
Use clear bullet points that can be scanned by users in the language they speak.
The second area is confusing navigation and links. Users simply will not click on something they have to think about too much. They just leave and go to another Website. Use one central navigation system with easily understood link titles. If you have difficulty deciding on your link titles, visit Wordtracker.com to see the most popular search terms.
One of the best compliments a user can say about your Website, or any technology, is that they don’t have to think to use it.
Tom Young
December 11th, 2007
Tom
I just finished reading a great book called “Blue Ocean Strategy” by W. Cahn Kim and Renee Mauborgne. I highly recommend this book for marketing professionals.
The major premise of the book is how to avoid the red ocean of highly competitive company’s struggling to survive and move into the blue ocean of unlimited market space and business success. Few companies can make this leap. The book outlines how some have done it and the steps to make it happen. Examples of red ocean companies would be Ford and GM or United and American airlines. These corporations are fighting for market share and offer very little unique benefit for customers. Examples of blue ocean strategies include Apple’s iPod or Cirque du Soleil. They have very little competition and dominate their market spaces with unique offerings.
The Internet has tremendous blue ocean potential as most Websites swim around in a red ocean competing against each other in the wrong areas! Here are a few examples of red ocean versus blue ocean strategies on the Web.
Red Ocean - Competing on who has the best graphic design.
Blue Ocean - Making it simple for users with clean, professional and basic designs.
Red Ocean - Using marketing speak and sales content in an attempt to impress visitors.
Blue Ocean - Communicating directly, with bullet points and avoiding marketing-speak.
Red Ocean - Adding bells and whistles to the Website for flash and sizzle.
Blue Ocean - Understanding user needs and giving them what they want.
Red Ocean - Using photos as design elements, branding and placeholders.
Blue Ocean- Using meaningful photos with captions that tell a story and benefit visitors.
The list can go on and on.
The good news is that your Website can easily move into a blue ocean by meeting the needs of users, keeping it simple and communicating directly. This is such a powerful step it can provide a competitive advantage for your business and get you one step closer to a blue ocean strategy.
November 10th, 2007
Tom
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