No thanks I'm just looking, is the biggest lie prospects will say to you.

What they really mean is ... I have a problem and I'm seeking a solution to it.

Yeah technically it's not a lie ... may be an untruth?

The power of a "living website" in your marketing system is that it allows them to view information about the products and services you provide, and more importantly it allows you to showcase as many different ways as possible that you have overcome your current clients' challenges.

More importantly it enables them to avoid that ... no thanks I'm just looking statement ... they can look to their hearts content, if you have the information.

How do these visitors become clients?

To get visitors to become clients you need them to say "yes"

How simple is that? Bring on the sales!

Hold it!!

In actual fact you need them to say yes more than once. before they will actually say ... yes I'm buying.

This process applies to your whole communication process be it print, verbal, web or a combination

Here's my view of each of the yesses they need to make.

Yes, I think this business could help me...

This moment takes place within two or three seconds of

• a visitor arriving at your web site for the very first time.
• a purchaser reading your brochure, newsletter or flyer
• a prospect meeting you or your staff at an event

They have something in mind, they're looking for something. That something is a solution to a problem or a task they want to complete, an idea they need help with.

Those first few seconds will result in them either thinking, "Yes, it looks like I'm in the right place"...or not.

This means that you need to get your basic value proposition very clearly communicated up front. Use short words and short sentences. "Paint pictures" in their mind of the position they are currently in and the frustration they may be experiencing and the solution you have to helping them move to their preferred position. Print and web images must add value and tell the "thousand words"

If people can't figure out what you do, what you offer and the way you can help and guide them in those first few seconds, many of them will leave.

Yes, I'm pretty confident I can find exactly what I'm looking for...

Here's where you web site must integrate with your printed communications. A product flyer must have a link to its related page on your web site, each page in your brochure must link to the realted web page section.

The rest of this article shows why this is important

At this point we are a few seconds into the visit.

Your visitor thinks maybe they're in the right place, but now scanning the subheads and link text, they're thinking, "Hmmm, they sell this product, but my problem is X, can this solve my problem."

They don't want to spend too long on the site if you can't solve their specific problem. So they begin looking for clues. They want to see a short piece of text that will make them confident that you have what they're looking for, and more detailed examples of how your products and services have helped others.

This is all about education not sales. Building credibility and confidence in someone who doesn't know you is difficult. To overcome that provide information in the form of articles, whitepapers, sound files, videos and so on. Make some short some longer, some simple some in more detail. Regular news updates relating to your business in action, assisting clients with the copy focused on the client not on your business. This part has nothing to do with selling its simply educational information.

Yes, I have enough information here to feel comfortable about moving ahead...

Now they have found that the information you have provided is comprehensive, and that you have helped a number of people with similar problems, and that you have detailed information related to solving others problems. Before they make a purchase yes, they want to be sure that this is the exact solution they're seeking.

Are you telling them enough?

Are you making them feel comfortable about moving forward and making a purchase "yes"?

Yes, I trust these people enough to give them my contact details or call them ...

• Can they really trust you?
• Have they heard of your site or business before?
• Are they willing to share their personal information?

The answer is probably yes. But they need reassurance

Use testimonials. Not just for the sake of using them but because they add value to what you are delivering.

What's your guarantee, so the investment is seen as having additional value to that which they are obviously investing in.

Yes, I want this badly enough that I'm prepared to go through the undoubtedly painful process of completing their unnecessarily long subscription or purchase pages...

Here is the spot at which many people drop out.

Completing overly-long enquiry page is a pain for everyone. And the longer the form, the more people you will lose.

So keep the number of questions and fields to an absolute minimum. Ask yourself how much you really need to ask in order to contact them back with a sensible response. And don't ask for anything else. You can always come back and ask more questions later.

Or

Yes, I feel most confident that this business has the ability to solve my immediate and ongoing problems...

 At this point you need to get them to call you or fill out a form so you can call them. Or they make the purchase online.

This isn't the point of sale ... it's the first step in the building of a relationship.

Concluding thoughts...

All too often we focus our attention on writing a great home page and sales page, with varying degrees of success.

People aren't interested in sales pages, be they short or long, they want to be able to view a number of pages of information, relating to things that look interesting to them, that demonstrate to them that your clients needs have been met.

However, the process of having a prospect sign up or buy is more complex that that.

You need to look carefully at the entire sales pathway, page by page, line by line.

You need to look carefully at the entire sales pathway, step by step, contact point by contact point.

Now this is where you need to then work through the process wearing their "hat"

And always ask yourself the question ...

"Is this page, headline, block of text, advertisement, flyer, newsletter or brochure going to help my reader say Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, and Yes?"