The phrase “can’t see the forest for the trees” is a very relevant concept when it comes to websites. Many a business builds a site to suit themselves. In reality, it should be built to suit your customers and prospects. Thus, the business can’t see the forest for the trees.

Many think that their website sells their product or service. It doesn’t. It generates interest, it qualifies, it provides pertinent information like statistics and user feed back - it does not close the deal. In most cases, your best result would be to get them to call or come in to a retail location. That way you have an opportunity to cross sell or up sell.

Here are a few concepts to help you organize your website:

1. How do consumers gather information?

To varying degrees, everyone falls somewhere on the chart below. You need to ask yourself, where do most of my prospects fall? This will help you to determine how to speak to them.

2. What will tip the scale?

If we try to justify all the reasons a prospect needs the product or service or take away all objections, we will end up with a long and muddied message. People buy for their own reasons. Each prospect’s reasoning is different and you don’t want them sorting through a bunch of information to find that key. The buying decision comes from comfort, not confusion. You’re not looking to close the conversation, you’re looking to open it. If your site is not well organized, so that all information is at their fingertips (not force fed), chances are the prospect will bounce out of your site and move on to another company. 

3. What’s not to love?

As a business, you must trust that your website is an effective tool. At the end of the day, you don’t have to love your website, your prospects and clients do. It has to speak to them, not you. The right images and the right message organized in a comprehensive way. You can have all the information you want to convey, just don’t shove it down their throat.

Now get out there and look good.

Chris Motley
Motley Creations

©2009 Motley Creations. Use by permission only.

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