When you hire a sales rep for a business, you want to make sure that individual has the social skills necessary to work face to face with customers (or over the phone). More importantly, you want to make sure that sales rep is capable of not only understanding your products and/or services but also the customer. By understanding the customer, they know how to connect with them.
A lot of companies spend a great deal of effort recruiting sales reps, providing training and a supporting environment to ensure their success.
And then they let their website sit online like a boring brochure.
The fact is, your content writing, SEO copywriting and website design are as important a component to your sales team as a highly trained and efficient sales person. The only real difference is your website works 24/7 and you don’t have to worry about expense reports, vacations or “off days”.
Your Web Design Should Break Out the Armani Suit
You need a professional looking site. Would you send a sales rep to meet a new client, or engage with customers, wearing a dingy pair of jeans and a wife beater? Of course not – so why allow your site to come off the same way? Professional design can be affordable, it’s easy to take care of and in some cases can be live within just a few weeks with simpler designs. It’s a small investment to making sure your customers get the right first impression.
Your Content Sells You
You might think there’s no engagement in a static website, but your images and content are directly engaging your target audience in the same way a sales rep communicates deals and benefits with a customers. If you want your sales team doling out the benefits of buying from you, your site should as well. Position your content in a way that effectively communicates with your clients – it talks to them and not at them. The content shows that you understand your customer, and that you have a solution.
You would fire a sales rep for spending the majority of the day talking about himself to customers, but surprise: most businesses do this all the time on the website with more “I” and “we” talk and very little “you” talk to engage the customers.
Search Optimization is Easier than Ever
If you’re focusing on providing quality content that engages your audience then you’re half way there. You just need to do a little research into discovering what keywords your customers use to find you. If you don’t, it’s like hiring a sales team that just sits in the break room. Customers can’t find them, they don’t know they exist. Get your site visible through proper optimization of your content and you’re putting your sales team right in front of the customer.
Treat your website like you treat a sales rep and approach with the same sense of important and focus on communication. Your website is your sales rep around the clock, it never takes a break, and it will inevitably be the first point of contact for a lot of your visitors. Make sure it’s up to the task.