Salesmanship! Do you shudder on hearing that word? If you've never sold Fuller brushes or anything tangible before, the fact is you are selling even if you don't think you are. And if you have a website, you are selling something online.
Today, Internet marketing has opened the possibility of doing business anywhere in the world. However, face-to-face meetings are a rarity, especially if your prospect lives on the other end of the globe. Your site is your personal salesman. It does the job fo the face-to-face meeting.
Online or off, the rules of selling are exactly the same. Let's make a comparison between what happens between a buyer and seller in someone's home and that between your site and the prospect that comes to visit:
Your Conduct: Just as the professional salesman walks in with a suit and tie, smiles and greets the potential buyer, your site should also look professional. Spelling errors and grammar mistakes give you away as unprofessional. Your site doesn't need to be cluttered with run-on text and flooded with banners. Open space and easy-to-read text are extremely important.
The Introduction: Who exactly are you? The prospect wants to know something about your credentials. While that doesn't have to appear on your home page necessarily, you should have a link to an "About me" page. Since you can't talk to your prospect directly, you should have some way for him to reach you if your site doesn't present some answers to his pressing questions. You should include your email address, phone number, fax, cell phone or a message service through MSN, Yahoo, Skype and others. Your "About Me" page acts as your business card.
The Opening: Here's where the salesman sits down to begin discussions with his prospect. Your site's opening is your title. Your title should be just as effective as the advertising you do to get customers to surf to your site. Emphasize the problem and tell the viewer you have a solution. Online viewers are finicky readers. Make him want to read and offer a solution to his problem. Professional salesment know their customers. They know their needs and are prepared to address those needs when the meeting comes up. There's little idle chatter to determine the customer's want.
The Presentation: This is your home page. You should start off by outlining the problem from the perspective of the client. If your site focuses on unrelated issues or doesn't address the real problem until page 10, your prospect isn't going to wait until he gets there. Get to the point. Emphasize the problem, then make the claim you have a solution for him.
Involve the Reader: Ever read a good book? The book draws you in because you can identify with the characters and the plot. It creates an atmosphere that makes it difficult to put that book down. A good book draws you into the action. Whether it's a James Bond novel or Harry Potter, your site must draw the reader? Your website doesn't have to read like a Stephen King thriller but it should have something that entices the reader to stay and give him a potential solution to his problems.
Ask the reader questions: It's yet another way to involve the reader. Your text should flow from one idea to the next, leading to the solution. You should anticipate the prospect's objections and answer them as your page draws him in. The salesman not only prepares himself for that sales meeting, he's also a psychologist and knows that if he involves his prospect, it'll be much easier to make a sale. Make sure your site provides some answers. Let your site ask questions that makes the reader respond in a positive manner. In the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" by Dale Carnegie, one of the rules of winning people to your way of thinking is by getting the other person to say "yes…yes". Your site should do just that.
Bring up the facts: One of the most important parts of a website that sells is testimonials. You need to present the facts so you can dissolve doubts in the prospect's mind. Bring up the reasons why your product is better than the competition. Outline the benefits of using your product. Here's where you can have a few useful graphics on your home page. Professional salespeople use graphics that appeal to the buyer's senses. While the prospect can't touch your product, a good picture and a detailed description will help the prospect visualize what the product does. Information is what usually sells online. Present the reader with a chapter or outline the high points of whatever you are selling.
The Closing: Once your site answers all the prospect's questions, it's time to wrap things up. Your site isn't complete unless you sweeten the pot a little. Since your prospect isn't likely to come back to your site, you need to offer something special to make him want to buy NOW. Encyclopaedia salesmen would often add other volumes as free offers to entice the prospect to buy. Time limits for buying; discount offers, free ebook downloads and guarantees will help your prospect make a decision to buy.
After The Signature: Just as after-sales service is important in the real world, your sale page should offer up a money-back guarantee and, of course, contact information in case the buyer needs to reach you.
Salesmanship online or off follow the same rules. While you can't be present, your site's professional appearance and construction can make an excellent salesman that will earn you hundreds of sales and an income equal to what the best offline salesmen in the world earn.
Article Source: http://www.superfeature.com
