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February 2005 Issue
Solving Your Customer's ProblemsIf you don't meet the customer's needs, you don't make a sale.Can a web-based sales proposition be too harsh? Recently, we had a conversation with a client about the tone of his web site's sales pitch. (To protect our client's confidentiality, we'll call him Super Scuba Travel — an entirely fictitious name.) He wanted to emphasize the feel-good benefits of his services, while we thought a hard-nosed brass tacks approach would work better. He thought our pitch was too harsh. The client, of course, always has final say about the appearance of his web site. But we feel that soft-selling any product on the web is usually a mistake. Here's how we outlined our thinking: Goal-Directed Web SurfersOur first point was that visitors to your web site are ruthlessly goal-directed. They will look at a web page for 7 to 10 seconds, at the end of which time they will either click a link, or click the Back button. If there's nothing immediately obvious on the page that might lead the visitors to their goal, they click the Back button, and you never see them again. Given that you have 7 to 10 seconds in which to capture their attention, we're not certain it is even possible to have a sales pitch that is too harsh. Second, what is the goal of your site's visitors? Their goal is to solve a problem. Otherwise they would not be searching the web for information. If you provide the information they need to solve their problem, you make a sale. So, it comes down to guessing what the needs of your customers are, at the moment they visit your web site. Third, web sites don't communicate enticing imagery very well. The most successful web sites in the world — Amazon, Yahoo!, Google, eBay, Expedia — are ugly and brutal. The difference between a successful TV commercial and a successful web site is startling. TV commercials can entice with appealing imagery, and can have slow or fast pacing because the TV viewer is passive, and not in control. On the web, the visitor is in charge of how fast the interaction takes place. And for most visitors, the faster, the better. (This last reason is why we use Flash only when absolutely called for. People are busy, and usually aren't willing to sit and watch animation.) Selling ServicesFinally, when people shop, they are interested in features and price. For many small to mid-sized businesses, competition based on price is not desirable. So for our pitch, we are left with features and/or services. Talking about features alone can be challenging, especially when the company's product has features that are difficult to summarize into a pitch, or are too mundane to get excited about. So how do the big guys handle it? They shift focus. For example:
Soft Sell Versus Hard SellWhat did all this mean for Super Scuba Travel? The typical (and mundane) way to pitch services for a specialty travel agent would be simply to list them: Destinations, reservations, plane tickets, itineraries, etc. But we needed to do better than that. The customers of Super Scuba Travel have a rewarding, enjoyable experience thanks to the company's services, so our client felt that the best pitch would be: "We provide a good time!" The web site would include images of happy people and boisterous descriptions of how they feel after their trip. The "good time" pitch is certainly enticing. It's full of wonderful imagery, and highlights a key benefit. But... We're talking about the web, not TV. People visiting web sites have a problem that needs solving. If you offer the solution to their problem in the ten-second window of opportunity, they may buy. If you don't, you never see them again. Consequently, we don't believe that the inability to have a good time on a trip is a problem that people look to the web to solve. We looked at the potential road blocks that customers have when deciding to go on a trip like this. One jumped out at us: Complexity. Planning the perfect trip is hard. So, our proposed pitch was "We make it easy" with a simple three-step procedure for planning a trip. This is definitely not a soft sell, and it doesn't tap into warm fuzzy feelings. But we believe it is the pitch that is right for the web. So what did we end up doing? Well, the project is still in progress. The final site will likely contain a blend of both approaches, with the hard sell supported by the feel-good benefits. Come back in a month's time to see the final result. New Projects at Digital WindSome of our latest workLaunching Ross & AnglinRoss & Anglin — a leading Canadian industrial construction company — decided to make their first foray onto the web. To do so, they came to us. Find out how we shaped their web presence. Digital Wind Redesigns House of TravelSun. Sea. Sand. Montreal's House of Travel needed a fresh, new, and more customer-oriented web site. So we gave them one. Learn how we streamlined and focused House of Travel's online experience. Contact and Subscription InformationDigital Wind's newsletter is a periodic mailing about the business of branding in the digital age sent to subscribers only. If you find this information valuable, please pass it on to a friend. Past IssuesArchives of the Digital Wind newsletter can be found at http://digitalwind.com/subscribe/ FeedbackHave a complaint? Want to tell us we're doing a great job? Contact Jim Royal at Digital Wind with your comments and suggestions. We'd love to hear from you. About Digital WindMontreal-based Digital Wind can manage your company's entire public image, from logo design to web design to corporate email newsletters. SubscriptionsTo subscribe to the Digital Wind newsletter, visit http://digitalwind.com/subscribe/ If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe in one of three ways:
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