Managing sales, finance and production are all challenges to a start up enterprise. New company operators rarely bring a complete package of experience to their new management role – especially in the area of managing the sales effort. Accordingly, many good, small business enterprises struggle to develop good prospecting and sales systems.
Within the business environment, the internet presents an opportunity to build sales and attract customers for the new enterprise. Many successful companies have entered the market using the internet as major elements in their sales strategies. The reasons for this are simple. Internet readers tend to research product purchases on-line prior to buying. Accordingly, the internet can be used effectively for building revenue and generating sales traffic.
Referring to internet sales as “on-line selling” may be a bit misleading though, as actually selling a product or service usually involves first establishing trust between prospective purchaser and seller. Building trust is an interpersonal task and building trust via the internet is a challenge. “People buy from People” as purchasers want to buy from an individual that will stand by the product or service should unexpected events occur.
Global companies pour huge sums into website development and internet research. The value to these companies is clear – a highly focused web page can yield increased revenue. Social networking, ordering on line and other (Software as a Service or SaaS) business models all provide testimony as to the ability of small enterprises to use the internet to support their sales efforts and build a customer base.
Enterprises that are just beginning operations need to compete for attention on the internet just as much as their larger competitors. An on-line presence allows the new business to distribute information and compete for attention on a 24X7 basis.
Techniques such as ‘localization’ also allow business start ups to attract internet traffic by competing in a specific geographic area. Organizations offering narrowly defined products in specific areas, such as Denver Furnace Repair or or a Denver Graphic Designer can use the internet to compete for business in the Denver, Colorado area.
For most new enterprises, investing in any marketing program is a difficult decision. After all, it is money spent without a specific guarantee of return. Still, an on-line internet presence can greatly support a new business venture by providing useful information that – over time – will attract customers
Using a web page to attract readers is a challenge that many new business operators have little experience meeting. There are a couple simple rules for developing web page content that can help the start up enterprise use the internet to compete for traffic and to begin building a customer base. In short, the website must contain two particular elements – a: Specific call to action Clear “Value Proposition”
Call To Action – Sales managers worldwide continually exhort their troops to “ask for the sale!” Asking for the sale is the call to action that organizations request of those they are dealing with. With a web page however, actually asking for the sale may be inappropriate if the reader has just clicked onto the site. Asking the reader for a more risk-free response – such as providing her/his contact information is usually more effective.
New clients may not buy on line initially, but may be quite interested in learning how the small businesses products/services can benefit them. The web page ‘call to action’ then can be something as simple as asking the reader to fill out a simple response form so that the company can begin building an email network of prospects.
Value Proposition – What can the user expect should he or she purchase the product or service? What are the potential financial impacts for the client? These questions must be answered and compiled into a clear statement of value that the prospective customer will realize by purchasing the product or service. Bold statements such as “save up to 30% on travel costs by ” not only capture attention, but establish an expectation of value. Without a reasonable expectation of value, consumers have no reason to seriously consider your product or service.
New enterprises can use these two simple rules to build their businesses. By attracting potential customers to the business web page and then delivering a call to action and value proposition, these readers can be invited to build a longer term customer relationship with the organization.
SEO Consultants in Denver assistbusiness organizations of all sizes and types compete for new customers via the world wide web by improving web traffic and converting readers into customers.