Why Your Website is So Much More Than a Marketing Tool
Today, your website is more than just a shopfront for your business. Yes, it is important to ensure that you convey a great perception of your business, as 82% of potential customers will review your online presence prior to making a buying decision. Yet, if you think big picture and long term, your website can also serve multiple purposes. Let’s explore what these can be.
Hiring
If you believe it’s simply potential customers who are checking out your online presence, then think again. Today hiring great people is more challenging than ever. Your website should showcase your current type of work as well as provide an insight into the culture and environment you have created in your business. One key element is ensuring you have a page that is dedicated to hiring.
Allow potential employees to apply through a specific ‘Work with Us’ page. This can be used as reference point in any external advertising. We recommend that if you are using external advertising or your social channels, that you guide people back to your website to apply directly. On this ‘Work with Us’ page, you can display a list of your Core Values and some testimonials of existing team players, then provide people the process by which they can begin the application journey with your business.
Automated Lead Qualification Process
An online lead qualification process can be extremely valuable particularly if you have project-based work and deal with consumers. Qualification of customers is a two-way process. Customers will be qualifying you and it is important that you qualify your potential customers just as much. Having a structured sales process not only creates a perception that you are professional and organised, it can also reduce the amount of leg work that you need to do in the early stages. Whilst also eliminating price shoppers and those customers not willing to follow your process.
When people inquire with you either by email or phone, have them answer a few questions or several pages of questions, depending on the type of business/project. This will assist you, as well as them, in gaining a clear vision on how you can support them with their project.
The example below is a residential builder who is already at capacity and has the following process in place:
- A phone inquiry comes through, and the expectation is set that a few questions will need to be answered by that potential customer, as the first step in the process.
- Email the URL of your questionnaire. The questionnaire will help clarify for the builder the type of work and scope that the potential customer is looking for and once this is complete, they can then either organize a Zoom or face-to-face meeting.
- Should the potential customer not want to fill this out, it immediately disqualifies themselves or signifies they are not ready yet.
The above two additional resources for your website shall ensure that you are working in the background to continually hire great people and that you are not wasting time with customers who are not prepared to follow your process.
Written by Jon Mailer
CEO Of PROTRADE United
