Taking Care of Business, One Customer at a Time
Congratulations! Your website looks much better than it did 5 years ago.
Your navigation is intuitive. Your pages are well merchandised with a clear layout and good design. Your content is to the point and your pictures look great. You are telling an attractive and convincing product story.
You are using web analytics software, you are generating dynamic and personalized content; you are driving targeted traffic to your website through a better use of your online ad dollars. Your ecommerce practices have been sharpened and your website optimized. You are doing everything right.
So why has your conversion rate been stagnating between 3% and 4%?
It’s time to ask yourself: “How can I get to the next level of performance?”
The answer is simple: Add sales people to your website. Why? Because good sales people will increase your revenue, like they do in your stores and in your call centers. Why not use what has worked for you for years off line on the Web, as well?
I spent the first part of my career in retail, selling cosmetics in department stores at Lancome, toys at The Disney Store and office supplies and equipment at Office Depot. I hired, trained and managed salespeople I called beauty advisors, Cast Members or Computer Specialists. I spent a lot of time merchandising counters, fixtures, walls and windows to create exciting product stories to entice impulse purchase or facilitate planned purchases. And I learned one thing as a result: no merchandising techniques can beat a great sales person. In fact, when used effectively, they complement each other very nicely.
Merchandising (or the design and layout of the page on a website) will attract the eye and peak the interest of the consumer. But the addition of a sales person to that site will leverage that initial interest in the product and will continue the selling job where the webpage left it, and eventually close the sale.
By interacting with a consumer that showed initial interest, the online salesperson can clarify the consumer’s needs, suggest the right product(s), pitch the features and benefits of that product, and answer in real-time the questions the consumer may have as she is making up her mind about buying the item in question.
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