In Online Sales There's No Such Thing As "You Had Me At Hello"
by: George Levy
We are all familiar with the famous line from the movie "Jerry Maguire" in which Jerry (Tom Cruise), after saying "hello" delivers a very long, dramatic and compelling monologue expressing his thoughts and emotions towards Dorothy (Renee Zellweger), only to hear her say "stop... you had me at hello."
How romantic! (I don't blame you if you already have tears in your eyes.) Wouldn’t it be wonderful if life always worked like that?
I'm really sorry to burst your bubble, but the ruthless truth is that it doesn't. That's right, IT DOESN'T. "You had me at hello" is just a movie phrase, a fantasy, a completely unreal statement meant to be presented and remain (you got it) IN THE MOVIES (ok, maybe in some Spanish soap operas too!)
The purpose of the following article is to share with you the main way in which many web sites fail to engage their visitors in establishing a relationship that can eventually translate into a sale, and the steps you can take to make sure even your casual web site visitors turn into customers for life. There’s lots of great information ahead so let’s get started…
Every single web site says "hello" the moment it is opened by any given individual. It will then deliver it's compelling monologue (notice the term "MONOLOGUE") by providing all the information about the subject it covers (a product, service, person, business, topic, etc.) We were doing well so far… unfortunately, that is where the similarities between the movie and reality end.
You see, if life worked just like the movie, the individual visiting the web site would instantly fall in love with it, purchase whatever the web site is selling and instantly add it to his or her list of "favorite sites" to make sure that it will never get lost or disappear in cyber space.
POP!!! There goes your bubble! (Wake up and welcome to reality.) You see, the real scenario that happens can be briefly summarized in these four steps:
1. Individual clicks and opens web site. 2. Individual briefly scrolls through the information and pictures the web site provides. 3. Individual exits web site. 4. Individual forgets that the just-visited web site ever existed.
Ouch...
Before you burst into tears, let me tell you that there is a relatively easy action you can take to prevent that inevitable cycle in human nature from dooming all of your sales efforts forever. (Relax, I'm not talking about suicide!)
The key is simply to remain in contact with each and every visitor that comes to your web site, and the way to accomplish this is by turning the "monologue" into an "ONGOING DIALOGUE".
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The “ongoing dialogue”: How to stay in touch
with your web site visitors/customers
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The first step to creating this "ongoing dialogue" is asking your visitors for their contact information. Mind you, you can't be pushy or aggressive when requesting this information, as that will only make them click that little red box with the white "x" in the upper right corner of your browser faster than it took for your $12,000 flash intro to download.
Before you even attempt to ask your visitors for their contact details, you should think of something of perceived high value that they really want and that you can give them for FREE in exchange for their contact info. This should typically be an informative report that can be emailed or downloaded at little or no cost to you and not an object that you need to purchase and that will need to be physically mailed... (For example, if you're giving away free Rolexes, I'm sure people will love to give you their contact info but you're probably not going to be in business for very long.)
Once you have accomplished the step of capturing their contact information, you have to keep in touch with your visitors regularly. This will allow you to remain at the top of their minds and make sure they remember who you are, especially when they are ready to purchase the type of service or product you offer.
NOTE: Ideally, you want that "something" that you gave away as a freebie to your visitors to be delivered in the form of several e-mails sent over a period of time… Many people take a long time to make a purchase and you want to make sure you remain close by throughout the decision making process.
An often quoted statistic from famed Marketing Guru Jay Conrad Levinson is that it can take as many as 12 attempts to build a solid, trusting relationship with your potential customers before they will actually make a purchase from you. (I’ve checked this number against my own online sales experience and many times it will take even more attempts before a customer will make a purchase.)
Can you imagine having to make that many contact attempts before you make a sale? And to think most sales web sites simply say “hello” and let their visitors/potential customers surf away, in most cases never to return! Keeping in touch with your web site visitors may sound like a lot of work but it's actually quite easy to do with a type of technology called an “Auto Responder” which automatically takes care of the whole process for you and will also allow you to keep track not only of the mailings themselves but of the contact information of your visitors.
”Ok – I’ve grabbed their contact information and linked it to an auto responder... Now what do I do?” Once you’ve established your initial relationship, make sure to nurture it constantly, the same way that you nurture a friendship.
Give your potential customers a steady dose of free tips and small pieces of valuable information they may find useful (little tasty bits and previews of what you deliver… Keep them hungry for what you have to offer and they will wait anxiously for your next message!) All the while, tastefully let your contact list know about any new products or services that you develop and every so often, include an offer that may be of interest to your audience. (WARNING: Don’t turn your regular communications into sales pitches or you run the risk of upsetting your audience and having them complain or worse, unsubscribe… the key term is subtlety.)
Place yourself for a moment in the shoes of an individual visiting your web site in search for a solution to his/her problem…
Now that you know the secret, upon arriving at your web site, he or she finds that you not only provide some valuable information on the site, but that you also offer a helpful report that you will send for free to his or her email address. Your auto responder follows up automatically by sending the report you promised, all the while, building credibility and a strong, trusting relationship with that former stranger, who is about to become your trusting "friend" and soon-to-be customer.
Believe me, I've shared and used this strategy the vast majority of the clients I've worked with and it ALWAYS works! To apply this strategy to YOUR online efforts, look at your current web site(s) and see in what ways you may establish an ongoing relationship with your visitors by gathering their contact information even before you try to sell them anything. Think of what kind of information may be of interest to them which you can package into a report in exchange for their email. Once you’ve captured their contact information, make sure you stay in regular touch and treat your customers like close friends.
The objective is to build a trusting relationship with them and let them realize through your communications of your expertise in the area they are seeking advice from you. Constantly find ways of adding value to the lives of those on your list and they will repay you in kind by trusting you and purchasing what you have to offer. Apply this strategy into your own marketing efforts and you will be able to have a much more profitable relationship with your web site visitors faster than you can say "SHOW ME THE MONEY!"
About The Author
George Levy is an internationally recognized marketing expert responsible for helping businesses both large and small sell over $100 million dollars in the United States, Canada and 14 countries across Latin America. He is the developer of the Internet Salesmanship program and is known for his "Ruthless Truths" about online sales and making money on the web. To get instant, Free access to his Internet Salesmanship newsletter, Blog and his Free seven day web marketing course, visit:
http://www.SynergyWebMarketing.com
