As technology improve and change, so do buying behaviour. Most people today will use a search engine to find out more about a product, rather than to ring up a salesperson. Unlike before, the purchasing power now lies in the hands of the consumer.
When someone keys in a search online, they almost expect to find the information they require immediately. As a result, in order to appeal to change in consumer behaviour as well as buying trends, it is increasingly important for businesses to send their best salesperson.
Who is this you ask? Your website of course!
People prefer educating themselves through their own research and search engine allows them to achieve that. By optimising your website and ranking well on Google, your prospects will be directed to you.
This is part of the inbound methodology (ATTRACT) where customers find you through keywords and blogs, where their answers may lie. However, it doesn’t stop there.
You risk losing a customer to your biggest competitor if there is missing information on your website. A well-designed and information website will allow your prospects to learn more about you and your business at a comfortable pace for them.
Your website guides your prospects throughout the buyer’s journey
Much like a salesperson, your website should be optimised to guide your prospects throughout the buyer’s journey. Information should be fed throughout the Awareness, Consideration and Decision stage. Optimise your website with a good content strategy as well as SEO.
Awareness stage: Content that focuses on the problem your buyer persona is experiencing
Consideration stage: Content that is more about the solution to a problem
Decision stage: Content that answers questions about your product or service.
To make the process more human, every stage should be personalised and tailored to each prospect. This largely depends on the amount of interaction they’ve had with your website and information exchange to access premium gated content.
Mirror Your Company’s Sales Process
Map out the key stages and reflect it on your website design. Think of questions like:
- What is the value proposition of each page?
- How would you like your visitor to proceed on their journey?
- Are there analytics tool in place to check if your paths are effective?
Answer 90% of Your Prospects’ Questions
Your website should answer all common questions a prospect or a customer would have. By providing valuable information for your prospects, you save them the trouble of having to talk to a salesperson for a relatively simple answer. Moreover, it allows your sales team to focus their time and effort on truly qualified leads.
A highly-structured FAQ will help you achieve this, giving your users easy access to all the answers they’re most commonly seeking about your brand, services, industry.
This could also be achieved by installing a chatbot or live chat on your page. This caters to modern users who also prefer not to interact on the phone at their stage of their buyer’s journey.
Strong Value Proposition
Every business should have a strong statement as to why someone should use your service or buy your product.
On a sales call, this may lead to a discussion on how your business differs and stand out from your competitors. From your website point of view, you need to strategically convey this message. Convince your prospects or leads that your company is the right fit for them while being humble. This way, you are more likely to develop a new relationship and gain a new customer.
In a nutshell, your website is your most hardworking salesmen, working 24/7. Cheap and efficient. Design your website with your persona’s in mind and not what your company desire. Top it up with analytics to ensure you are constantly improving as buyer behaviour continues to change.
After all, business is about establishing trust. With the right tools and design, your website can bring in new qualified leads to your sales pipeline and increase the number of lead-to-customer conversions, helping your business grow.
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