As your business grows and begins to experience more volume, you’ll likely find that your sales staff and your website are becoming somewhat intertwined. In fact, many salespeople and website owners do nothing but promote their businesses from the comfort of their home while working on the go. This has obvious benefits for both parties, but what if your sales staff and your website were actually separate? What would happen?
When people come to your business and begin to take an interest in your services or products, you can either begin to talk them into your product line or you can use the power of the internet to bring them back. This brings us to the first topic that we touched upon briefly before: the power of the internet.
- Internet Revolution:
The internet has transformed the process of sales in many ways, but perhaps the most effective method is the viral marketing approach. You simply send out an email with a link to your website, telling your contacts that they should visit your site in order to learn more about your business. You provide them with the link and then you simply encourage those who take the link to visit your website.
There’s no need to spend thousands of dollars to have a website professionally built. If you want to, you can spend a few hundred dollars building an attractive website from scratch. However, it’s much less expensive to simply create a website for your sales staff to use while on the go. It also gives you more time to spend on other aspects of your business, such as developing new products or focusing your marketing efforts.
- Build Strong Bond:
Another benefit to this method is that you’ll be able to build a strong bond between your sales staff and your website. It’s a virtual friendship that blossoms every time one of your sales staff comes looking for more information about your products. They might even recommend your company to a friend! It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.
- Customization:
If you’re concerned that your sales staff may not be computer savvy, don’t be. You can customize your website so that it’s easy for them to find the information they need. For example, you can include FAQs, shopping carts, and toll-free numbers just like a traditional website. In addition, you can provide printable coupons so that your sales staffs have everything they need right at their fingertips.
- Increase Trust:
This doesn’t mean that your website has to include everything your sales team needs. In fact, it might be smart to limit the scope of your sales articles or videos to three or four items. This will give your sales staff a chance to review each product – and make sure they know enough to answer any questions they may have.
The last thing you want to do is upset your sales staff by giving them the wrong information. Instead, give them helpful information that will help them make a better informed decision. It’ll also increase their trust in you, as they’ll know that you can always find the answer to their question.
- Responsibilities:
A great website isn’t the only relationship you need with your sales staff. Remember that they also have families, friends, kids, desks, and other responsibilities. Don’t try to push all of their responsibilities onto them.
- Functions & Features:
Many sales teams still don’t have a professional website design. Whether this is because they believe they can handle the job themselves, or they are afraid of the technical knowledge needed, having a website is an absolute must.
With a website builder, the sales person can set up a functional website in just a matter of minutes. They can then use a drag and drop interface to add features and functionality to the site as they need them.
- Showcase Skills & Talent:
Websites also allow sales people to showcase their skills and talents. In today’s competitive markets, every sales team needs to stand out from the crowd. Having a website available for clients to view and/or to download gives the sales person a way to make their talents known. This strategy not only helps with referrals but will also provide the sales person with an opportunity to bring in new clients.
- Post Job Descriptions:
Websites can be used to post sales proposals and job descriptions. A website builder allows a sales person to create and upload a website with the necessary information. Once it has been made, the sales person can upload a resume and cover letter.
Then, when a potential client makes an offer, he or she can easily access the website and download the necessary documents. This eliminates the need to fax documents or mail hard copies of applications and resumes.
- Communication Tools:
The internet offers a variety of communication tools that are free to use by both businesses and customers. This includes instant messaging (Skype, Yahoo Messenger, etc.) and discussion forums. Both these communication tools can be used by a sales team to communicate with each other, and with their clients. Websites are also beneficial because they can be used to post job openings and employee resumes, along with information regarding sales teams, salaries, and job description.
- Source For Promotion:
Websites also provide a great source of promotion for sales teams. Blogs, RSS feeds, and social networking sites all provide the perfect platform for sales professionals to advertise their business. Most of these websites offer free hosting and create a wonderful home base for sales teams that need to stay in touch with customers and prospects.