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Re: <Off Topic>Web Site Techniques
Hey, Steph,
A little clarification if you please: Is your friend actually going to
"sell" a service on his web site? That is, present a value prop and ask for
a firm "yes?" Perhaps even deliver the service there and get paid by credit
card? Or is the web site part of an integrated sales process, where the web
site is discovered (maybe on Google or in a print advertisement) and
provides some part of the sales info, resulting in an inquiry for further
info and a sales close? Or what?
In any case, marketing, sales and marketing communication are well refined
business disciplines. People spend college years, then careers, trying to
get good at them. Some succeed, some don't. The web, however it fits into
the process, requires most of the same skills. If your friend's expertise
is not in all of these areas, he might start by hiring a consultant to help
him, at least with the "architecture." If, for example, his expertise is
writing code for packaged applications, you might convince him to do this
by asking him about whether a marketing/sales expert should write his own
CRM software or buy a package written professionally.
As to "two more pages of why they should use this service before they get
to the main page of the web site," it might be necessary to provide two
pages of description and benefits before getting to the order form, which I
assume is what you meant by "main page." Or not. I guess it depends on the
importance/complexity/cost of the service and on the site visitor's state
of info when arriving. For example, I don't need two pages from Mapquest or
Google, and wouldn't if I were paying for a map or a search -- just give me
a text entry box at the top of the first page. However, if I were buying a
piece of unfamiliar software, I might want ten pages, and would check
Google Groups, too. (When I got Ethereal packet sniffer recently from
http://ethereal.com/, I did just that. But note that there is a download
link in the upper-left corner for people who don't think they want the song
and dance.)
So, my opinion is that it depends ... except that he SHOULD NOT begin with
an apology like "<Name of company> is 'NOT' your typical web site!!!" An
apology puts the buyer in control, which no salesman would allow for a
minute. Instead he might open with something like, "Hoping you will (become
a client), because you are so good at (making the right decision)." ;-)
Jeff Mick
Sunnyvale, California, USA
At 10:41 AM 7/12/2004, Stephenie Rose Cooper wrote:
>Hi.
>
>Hoping you will help me out, because you guys are so good at giving
>opinions. I have a friend who wants to sell a service on the web ... a
>little e-commerce ... he wants the first page to say:
>
> <Name of company> is "NOT" your typical web site!!!
>He want the users to go through two more pages of why they should use this
>service before they get to the main page of the web site. I know what I
>think. I'll either get validation from you or reasons why I'm wrong. If
>you've got a moment, please tell me what you think. Let's pretend we're
>selling consulting services or some such thing.
>
>Thanks,
>
>@>-- @>-- @>-- @>-- @>-- @>-- @>--
>
>Stephenie Rose Cooper
>mailto:
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~=^..^=~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken.
>
>@>-- @>-- @>-- @>-- @>-- @>-- @>--
>
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