My Excellent
Offline to Online Adventure …
and How So Many E-commerce Sites
Are Blowing It …
Dear Web Business-Builder,
The other day, my wife came home from shopping at Costco Wholesale. She saves so darn much money there it ends up costing me a bloody fortune.
This time, one of the bright shiny objects she couldn’t wait to take out of the box was a brand new water cooler. Not any old water cooler, mind you …
This one dispenses cold water … boils it … takes pictures … and turns the outside lights on and off while you’re away on holidays. And that means there’s a lengthy owner’s manual and endless instructions to follow before you can take a drink.
My grandson put it together, but before we could plop one of those big plastic jugs of water on top — dilemma.
Seems before you can install said water jug, you’ve got to clean the unit with a special cleaning kit available online at the manufacturer’s website.
I’m thinking, hey, now there’s a way to drive follow-on sales. Until I visit their website …
The link we’re given in the owner’s manual takes us to the company’s home page (first of three screenshots pictured at right) where we are confronted by a cornucopia of attractions. The cleaning kit, however, is nowhere in sight. We are forced to dig for it.
This is annoying to say the least. Why couldn’t they have sent us directly to the page with the item for sale so we could buy the darn thing?
Finally we find the page about cleaning kits (third image) and are presented with two choices. Trouble is, they seem identical except for the packaging. Confused … we become distracted … no order. Do you think it’s the first time this has happened? What a shame to lose sales so needlessly …
The lesson should be clear. When driving traffic to your website, don’t force people to navigate to find the item you’ve promised or leave them guessing about what they should order. Take them directly to the page that satisfies their needs, and tell them what to do and why to do it. This should just be common sense. But how often do you get this kind of runaround online? A lot!
Sad as those lost sales are … this company is losing even more sales because they’re making no attempt whatsoever to initiate a relationship with people who come to their site.
Most who visit — as you well know — won’t buy. If this company could snag 5%, they’d be laughing. What about the other 95%? Chances are a-thousand-to-one they won’t be back.
Solution: Every page should have an e-mail capture box offering a relevant special report and free e-newsletter in order to begin the bonding process.
Bonding process? E-newsletter? We’re talking about a manufacturer of water dispensers and purification systems here. Levis — are you nuts!?
Not so fast, grasshopper …
If you sell products online,
you need an e-newsletter …
Here’s why …
For just about any business the first sale is the least profitable, right?
In direct response, we actually go out of our way NOT to make money on the first sale. We’d much rather roll out as far as we can because we know we can generate more customers that way. Once those customers are in the door — provided we treat them well — we can make a fortune selling them follow-on products.
Why should wholesale distribution through retailers be much different? This company has gone to great lengths and expense to get its products on retail shelves. The whole purpose of that exercise should be to establish a direct relationship with as many buyers as humanly possible — so additional products can be sold online, at higher margin.
My visit to this company’s website did absolutely nothing to increase the odds of that happening. I don’t even remember the name of the company. If they had grabbed my e-mail address, they’d have a fighting chance, but they didn’t even try.
Over the last several years, I’ve bought two water dispensers for several hundred dollars apiece … a water purification system for my home for around $3,000 … another one for an investment property for over $1,000 … and countless replacement filters. All of them from different retailers selling different product lines … why?
No lifeline to the customer, that’s why!
What kind of bait can companies like this
use to get people to opt-in?
Tip: To generate newsletter sign-ups, make your publication incidental. It’s hard to promise meaty, hard-core information when you don’t know what will be in future newsletters.
Instead, promise specific problem solving information that’s likely to be of concern to your prospects right now — a special report, audio, or video. Sell this content as the main attraction, and the newsletter as the oh-by–the-way cherry on top.
How hard could it be for a company that sells water purification systems to come up with a compelling quid pro quo?
ATTENTION HOMEOWNERS AND APARTMENT DWELLERS:
Are you sure your water supply
is free of cancer causing chlorine …
deadly E. coli bacteria …
and other viral contaminants?
Keep your family safe by sending for this FREE 18-page public health bulletin …
The desire to know is universal. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling. You can almost always sell more of it by creating a lifeline to your prospects through free information.
Anybody who opts-in can then be nurtured along with a series of follow-ups driving them back to your website to take advantage of special offers on products that help solve the problem your information addresses.
But how do you stay top-of-mind over the long term — for months, even years — to ensure you’re at the front of the line the next time your prospect is in the market for something you sell?
Would anybody actually read an e-zine about
water dispensers and purification systems,
(or other such mundane items you may wish to sell)?
Of course not …
Most people — most of the time — don’t give a crap about such things. The only time they care is when they’re in the market for them.
But they do want to know about staying healthy … having more creature comfort and convenience … saving time and money … entertaining and being entertained … improving their homes and vacation properties … making their offices more functional and productive … greening Mother Earth … and a whole host of other things that revolve around the same motivations that compel them to buy water dispensers and purification systems.
Therefore, the goal of this company’s e-newsletter (and yours, if you sell similarly mundane “commodities”) should be to help satisfy those related needs. By doing so, beneficial relationships are created. So when the need for water dispensers or purification systems arises, their subscribers will instantly know which website to visit and which products to buy.
Think of such a newsletter as a scaled down Better Homes and Gardens meets Reader’s Digest meets Prevention magazine. Here’s how an issue for this company might look:
It should have a general interest title, such as “Budget Stretching Tips for Healthier, Happier Living!” And it should be from somebody, the CEO of the company perhaps. People bond with people, not companies. This person needs to be pictured in each edition.
There might be an article or two about some topical issues that are likely to be top-of-mind for subscribers. “10 Common Sense Tips for Dealing with Rising Fuel Costs”, or “How Not to Become a Diabetes Statistic”, or “10 Mouth Watering Summertime Barbecue Recipes”. And the information needs to be “voiced” in a friendly, folksy style that creates a human connection between the spokesperson and that target consumer.
In the sidebar, recurring human interest features: humorous anecdotes … interesting trivia … inspirational quotes … and so on.
And of course, with each issue they’d have their “Water Quality Corner” section with helpful tips, Q&A, and links to special offers on their products.
The Bottom Line:
Regardless of what you’re selling, when your online communication is interesting, entertaining, and informative — when it’s from a real, flesh and blood human being — pretty soon that person seems like part of the family, and your customers and prospects wouldn’t think of buying from anyone but you.
They’ll READ … SHARE … AND ACT … rewarding you with a rich vein of referrals and repeat business for years to come.
Until next time, Good Selling!
Daniel Levis
Editor, The Web Marketing Advisor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE
Daniel Levis is a top marketing consultant and direct response copywriter based in Toronto, Canada and publisher of the world famous copywriting anthology, Masters of Copywriting, featuring the selling wisdom of 44 of the “Top Money” marketing minds of all time, including Clayton Makepeace, Dan Kennedy, Joe Sugarman, John Carlton, Joe Vitale, Michel Fortin, Richard Armstrong and dozens more! For a FREE excerpt visit http://www.SellingtoHumanNature.com
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4 Comments »
Join the Discussion!
Let us know what you think. Or ask us anything. Or offer your own sage advice.
The only rule: RESPECT THIS HOUSE! Postings that contain abusive language and/or personal attacks will be cheerfully VAPORIZED. One cross word and – POOF! – your well-thought-out post will be gone in a puff of smoke.
– Clayton
Comment by Ron — July 9, 2008 @ 10:47 am
Daniel,
You’re so right on in terms of major companies making it so difficult to do business and ignore the customers entirely.
Companies have to start to think of themselves as being “unpaid consultants” who provide ideas and advice to their clients.
In exchange, their clients buy products and services.
Solve your customers “problems” and they will be a trail to your door.
Keep up the great work Daniel.
You’re always the first column we read on The Total Package.
Ron Schmidt
Comment by Andrew Cavanagh — July 10, 2008 @ 8:53 pm
Great post Daniel.
To this great tip for what you offer in your newsletter:
"a special report, audio, or video. Sell this content as the main attraction, and the newsletter as the oh-by–the-way cherry on top."
I’d add that you should seriously consider some kind of email mini course as an introduction.
For example "7 fatal mistakes that can poison your water and how to avoid them" or "7 Ways to ensure your drinking water is sparkling clean every time".
Regardless of how you do it you have to train your email subscribers to be excited about opening the emails you send.
Otherwise they’ll be thinking after that first email "I’ve got my free audio now here comes the spam".
You really want them thinking "Oh great another tip!"
Kindest regards,
Andrew Cavanagh
Comment by Susan Connors — July 14, 2008 @ 8:49 am
Hey there
Bring all the tips on
Thank you…
I love reading your columns Daniel as they are so "REAL".
It is amazing how many places have this problem..I have to confess, that my own network in progress is lacking these. Finding something to put in these areas can be tricky.
Being scared of talking into a camera is no excuse anymore. Ok, now there is much to be done..
Delivering over what the client expects is the only way in my books to do business. Through over delivering, you stand out from the crowd. And that is important ..quality service, communication and commitment.
My two cents worth at 11:49pm
Sue in Aus
Comment by Paul Flood — July 14, 2008 @ 2:53 pm
Excellent comments Daniel. A few times, I’ve ordered appliance parts from different companies. I wondered why none of the companies ever thought "Hey, this guy’s a home handyman! What else would he buy?"
What if I buy a part for 20 bucks and they offer me a special e-book on home appliance repair, a $30 value, as a special bonus for buying today? They’d make $10 on the part and $29 on the book and quadruple the profit!
Instead of spending time and $ increasing the client LTV, they pour it all into web and SEO and forever rely on finding new clients to make a buck. The funny thing is that most of these outfits have marketing departments. I guess they’re busy finding ways to be "creative" and to "build their brands."