You’re a service business, such as a coach, accountant, consultant, speech coach, office organizer or virtual assistant.
A prospective client lands on your website. “Nice site,” she says, nodding approvingly. “Great logo.”
So she looks for a Call to Action: "Click here and get a Free Report."
And you offer one. 101 things a coach [accountant, consultant, speech coach, office organizer or virtual assistant] can do for you.
Yawn.
At that point, your prospect decides to leave. Unless she’s been living on another planet, she has some idea of what you do (or thinks she does).
If you’re an accountant, she won’t be astounded to discover you’ll prepare her taxes. If you’re a virtual assistant, she’ll expect you to help with mailing lists and phone calls.
And she’s been to 43 other websites. She’s already seen the same list. Her eyes start to glaze over. She decides it’s time to take a break and watch the latest replay of The Sopranos.
At least that’s what I would do.
How can you prevent the bleary-eyed visitor blues?
(1) Create a problem-solving Call for Action – before you design the rest of your web site. “How-to” titles work best because you demonstrate that you understand the problem and showcase your unique approach.
A Virtual Assistant: “How to delegate the 10 most critical tasks that keep your business alive and profitable.”
A speech coach: “Five techniques that tell your audience you're a professional speaker"
An office organizer: “It’s 9 AM – do you know where your Top Priority is?”
(2) Make it easier for prospects to figure out why you’re different from the competition on the other 43 websites your prospect just visited.
A hairstylist: “Curly hair is my specialty (and we're never late with appointments)."
A virtual assistant: "I can program the Internet's top shopping cart system to save you 5 hours each month."
A speech coach: "Five clients I coached last year are now listed with speaker bureaus."
(3) Identify benefits your prospect may not have anticipated.
For instance, prospective clients may not realize that some office organizers can help them choose furniture to make their lives easier. Others employ feng shui principles.
Bottom Line: Visitors who see a big grab-bag list of offers will tune out if they recognize the first few. “Ho hum. I know that.”
Instead, find ways to showcase yourself and your expertise --professionally. Your visitors will thank you.
Monday, October 19, 2009
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