Like it or not, your company website is your 24 hours a day, 7 days a week sales rep.
With that in mind, if your website is not an absolute top priority or even worse, an afterthought, you have an extremely important question to ask yourself:
WHY?
Your website serves as the face of your business as well as the ambassador of your company.
Most likely the first contact or engagement with a new customer comes from your website.
Especially if you are a small business.
Regardless of your legacy, reputation, or number of years in business, new prospects who are unfamiliar with your business judge you by your web presence.
This can be a tough pill to swallow, particularly for those in manufacturing.
Your website actually plays the role of company sales rep out in the field, 24/7/365.
So how are your sales rep performing?
24 Hour Sales Rep
When my wife was in college, she lived across the street from a store called, “We Never Close”.
A business that never closes certainly is convenient when you need something at 3:30 AM.
It’s ironic how in college I could stay up until 3:30 AM, now I find myself waking up at 3:30 to start my day.
Ah, the joys of getting old.
Anyway, a major benefit with eCommerce and a strong online presence, you never close.
Your website serves as your 24 hours – 7 days a week – 365 days a year sales rep.
Another benefit, a website never calls in sick or takes a vacation.
However, if your website is not an absolute top priority, you could be severely depriving yourself of new opportunities.
How do you judge a place of business?
For example, while searching for a hotel, restaurant, vacation spot or even a new vendor, odds are your first point of contact with a business is on their website.
Well, let’s say your dream buyer is online conducting a search for the exact product and service that you provide.
This buyer has a huge problem to solve with an extremely tight deadline.
Operationally, you have everything in place to hit the ball out of the park and solve this customer’s problem. Right now.
However, is your website ready for the task?
Can this dream customer find your website and if they do find it, do they like what they see?
Related Article: eCommerce Checklist: Manufacturing eCommerce Strategies
What Impression Does Your “Sales Rep” Make?
Click on your website right now. How does it look?
Do you provide valuable information to help a new customer make a buying decision?
Your website plays a critical role and goes far beyond a simple online business card.
Your website represents YOUR COMPANY.
When conducting eCommerce workshops, I like to use the example, “your website should allow the viewer to make a buying decision on Saturday night at midnight” (or 3:30 AM for those still able to stay up that late).
Make it a top priority to provide all the necessary information so that a potential customer doesn’t have to wait until you open on Monday morning.
Just remember, you have ONE chance to make an outstanding 1st impression.
In other words, you have one chance to make that great first Webpression!
Related article: You Have Only One Chance to Make an Outstanding First Webpression
Let’s put this in perspective.
Would you allow a salesperson represent your company in a poor fashion?
Disheveled. Outdated. Uniformed. Unenthused. Bored. Delivering partial or even wrong information.
Furthermore, unable to describe your expertise and product as well as the solutions that you provide.
Incapable of explaining the company history, mission, processes as well as product capabilities.
Of course not.
Nurture your website like it’s the most important representative of your company.
Simply because it is.
Related Article: Top 13 Reasons Why Manufacturers Struggle with eCommerce
Is Your “Sales Rep” Found in Search Results?
A website that cannot be found is the same as the sales rep who never makes a sales call.
They are hanging at the park feeding pigeons (or some other interesting activity that fails to produce a sale).
What is the first thing that you do when looking for a new product or service?
Most likely, you rely on your good friend Google.
Well, your potential new customers rely on Google as well.
Therefore, are you coming up on a search for your core capabilities?
In other words, are you attacking your keywords?
Let’s go to Google right now and type your top capability in the search box.
Are you anywhere to be found on the first page?
If the answer is no, hopefully, you are mad.
Do you see your competitors coming up in the search results?
If the answer is yes, hopefully, you are now even angrier than before.
Contact an online marketing specialist immediately.
Stop being the best-kept secret.
Make your website a top priority. Now!
Be found as well as make that Great 1st Webpression!
Treat your website as one of the most important and valuable employees on your team and give it everything you’ve got.
Related Article: 25 Blog Topics for Manufacturers Eager to Start Blogging
Wrapping It Up
Thanks for reading this post.
For additional info, check out these helpful posts:
- 3 Step Approach To Scaling eCommerce for Manufacturers
- eCommerce Checklist: Manufacturing eCommerce Strategies
- 19 Tips for Curing “I Hate Change” (Plus a Healthy Dose of eCommerce)
Author: Curt Anderson
Curt founded an eCommerce company in 1995 that was ranked 3X on the Internet Retailer Magazine Top 1000 eCommerce companies. Excitingly sold company to an AMAZING partner. Curt's journey includes: * Consulting with U.S. Manufacturers since 2012 on Executing eCommerce Strategies * Entrepreneur for 30 years including 25 years in eCommerce * Spent 4 INCREDIBLE years at the New York Small Business Development Center (SBDC) as a Business Advisor on eCommerce, Internet Marketing and Social Media Strategies * Bachelor's in Business Logistics from Ohio State University. * Certificate in Financial Planning & Certificate in Financial Analysis from NYU. Passionately Consulting and Working on: "Manufacturing eCommerce Strategies" & "Scale Your Proprietary Process with eCommerce" Check out B2BTAIL.com for helpful B2B eCommerce tips for manufacturers
