Is there a topic you would like to learn more about for the next Entrepreneur University? Leave a comment below and we’ll try to find an expert to discuss your topic!
This week’s Entrepreneur University comes from Max Kalles. Max is a certified internet consultant and conversion marketing specialist with WSI. He has presented at internet conferences around the world, and his workshops and seminars have helped hundreds of business owners improve the results from their website.
We last heard from Max in December of 2008 where he shared with us how web marketing and communications will fare through the current hard times (What Crisis? – Entrepreneur University). Today Max shares with us the importance of asking for the sale on your website.
““I can get you a better price than that”, said The new car salesman after I inquired about a sticker price. It was The start of a confusing exchange where, as I eventually discovered, to find The best price, I needed to make an offer. I didn’t want to make an offer, I just wanted to know The best price for The car.
On The other end of The spectrum, in a hunt for just The right art for our recently redecorated living room, we found ourselves at an outdoor art show full of artists’ booths, many occupied by The artist. More than once we spotted what seemed to be a likely winner for our room, only to realize The booth was empty, or The artist occupied With her next masterpiece. No one seemed to want to make The sale – none asked for our business.
Both of these stories illustrate what’s wrong With most Web sites.
Daily we get requests from clients and potential clients to get higher internet search engine rankings for their Web sites. It’s a very smart move because of The consumer shift to Web based searches for products and services. More people use The internet to find companies and products than any other single source, including telephone directories.
The importance of search engine optimization can’t be overstated, but it is only half of The equation. Successful SEO will put Your Web Site in front of Your customers at exactly The right moment, when they are searching for products and services like yours. Putting it in The right place at The right time means that more of Your customers will find their way to Your Web site.
But then what?
This is The other half of The Web Site equation where most fail. The first rule of selling is: ask for The sale. On The web, Your Site is like Your salesperson and, as such, it must “ask for The sale” – if not an actual sale, then some call to action.
It’s easy enough, but, like The car dealer, many Web sites fail to recognize where The customer is in The buying cycle and push too much for The final sale, failing to give The customer The information he needs to make that decision. Like The artist’s booth, many sites don’t ask for The sale or they do not have a call to action.
In both cases, The greatest SEO strategy in The world will not help. Just like a storefront operation, Your Web Site needs to attract customers and, once there, you need to ask them for The sale.”
Is there a topic you would like to learn more about for the next Entrepreneur University? Leave a comment below and we’ll try to find an expert to discuss your topic!
Evan Carmichael
