Envisioning Success

Get Your Website Generating Business

Posted by Chris Shockley under General, Marketing, Web Design

I’m going to go out on the limb and make the assumption that most of you have a website already. For many it was included as part of the membership or association, for others you knew you needed one so you did it with a do-it-yourself service. Some of you had someone build it, maybe yourself and there is sits in all it’s glory.

Can I ask, how’s that working for you?

Are you getting lots of new customers? Are people finding your site, learning what they need and then calling you or sending you a contact through your email form? Read more…

Make Sure Your Marketing Message is Crystal Clear.

Posted by Chris Shockley under Marketing

As we know, we are all marketers who happen to provide this service or that product. But are you getting your message across clearly in every format you have to convey it?

When you exchange business cards with someone and they ask, “What do you do?”, are you able to, quickly and clearly explain the benefits of what you offer? How about when you have thirty seconds at a networking meeting, like one of the ones I attend? For you it could be a minute or even five minutes. It might be your direct mailer or a sales letter.

There have been a number of times that, while networking (building those relationships) someone else comes up to me, that I have had as a customer, and says thanks for something I did and the other person I am speaking with says, “Oh, you do “x”"? Obviously my thirty second spiel is not hitting home, because I know I’ve said everything I do. Read more…

To Whom Are You Marketing?

Posted by Chris Shockley under General

As I’ve been thinking about my impending direct mailer I’ve read a lot of different things about getting people’s attention, about having a time limit (if offering some kind of special) and having a specific call to action. These are all good and necessary things that you want to use accordingly.

I’m also a big proponent of having your direct mail piece go out and ask the recipient to go your website to fill out some form or whatever to get the deal being offered or be entered into the drawing, etc.

But what about the content? How much do you put in there? There are decidedly two camps:

Read more…

Stop Selling and Start Relating

Posted by Chris Shockley under General, Marketing

I was raised in the old school way of selling. Not that I was good at it, I’ve never liked the things that are faked or manipulative. The idea of “working” a person over, intimidating them, scaring them, closing, etc, just never sat nor does it sit well with me.

I have no problem asking for someone’s business, mind you, but I’m not going to sit there and hit them with “This deal isn’t for everybody” or “My boss will be real mad that I’m giving this away” or something.

I guess I’ll never be a good sales person.

Really? Read more…

Is Your Website Easy to Use?

Posted by Chris Shockley under General

One of the oft forgotten things about a website are:

• Humans will actually be reading it and they may not know you or anything about you, your product or your service.

• Your website has one or many actual business goals to achieve.

If you haven’t heard this term yet, you should make sure you try and understand it (or make sure your web designer does).

It’s Usability.

The concept is not new at all. We all like products that are easy to use, easy to understand, that don’t frustrate us and, whenever possible, don’t require instructions.

With the advent of the internet and websites, there are tons of people creating sites and content that have not training in this arena, but because they can, they do. Read more…