March 2010 - Issue 9

We're happy to announce the re-launching of embroiderywearhouse.com! With a new look, and ecommerce capability, (on top of making really cool stuff) the Embroidery Wear House is worth a visit.

Hello!
Welcome to another edition of The Maestro Monthly, an email newsletter published by the Web Maestro. The intent of this publication is to bring you news and updates on Web Maestro services, local business news, as well as general Web related news.

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Does First Place Matter?

by Nathan Lyle

Now that most businesses have accepted the need to have a website, it's become a common obsession to get that website listed on Google's first page of search results. While this is a goal that can be worked on, and most often achieved, the real question is, "does it matter?"

What many people don't realize is that every visitor to your website adds to the resources (primarily bandwidth) that you have to pay for to keep your website active. At first glance it seems like a great idea to get as many visitors as possible. The real question, however, is what are those visitors going to do at your website? Are they going to buy your product? If not, you might be throwing money away.

It pays for you to know what your goal is with your website, so you can measure and evaluate. A smaller number of visitors is better if it means a higher percentage is converting into sales. Higher numbers of visits don't necessarily translate into sales automatically. People may click on your website's address in their search results for a variety of reasons, having nothing to do with whether you make money or not.

That coveted first page of results in Google also is highly circumstantial. You might hold a good position for a search on "cube shaped chocolate" but be nowhere to be found on a search for "chocolate." Unless you know what your target market is typing when they do a search, it's very likely you're not getting the results you think you are. This doesn't mean you can't or shouldn't target specific keywords when optimizing your website, but keyword research should be a part of that.

When thinking about searches, think about the situation where people are likely to search for you. Worry about those people you're seeking to make a connection with rather than the random stranger. This means that aside from search engines, it would be wise to seek to get links to your website on other websites where your target market is visiting. These types of links also help to filter out some of the noise, so that the visitors you get are more likely to be the ones you want.

Real-world visibility also seems to get forgotten in the mad rush for Google's prime real estate. It never ceases to amaze me how many businesses go to the trouble of getting a website put together, and then don't put their website address on their business cards, brochures, and media advertisements. Advertise the dickens out of your website. Everywhere that you're promoting your business, you should be promoting your website.

To sum things up, while being competitive in business can be crucial to success, competing for first place in Google (and other search engines) doesn't necessarily pay off. Spend your online marketing efforts in areas that improve what you offer, show a return on investment, or build on your customer relationships.

Want to read more articles? Read previously published articles on our website's article archive.

Why Being Aggressive Won't Get You Sales

Guest Article by Robert Warlow

When people are asked to think of less than successful salesman, one of the unpleasant characteristics that springs to mind is them being pushy or aggressive.

The usual memory is of looking for a new car or used car! We have all had experiences when the salesman hasn't stopped talking and you sense yourself being pushed to say 'yes'. You find yourself signing on the dotted line!

Too many business owners, when presenting their sales pitch don't think about whether their style could be perceived as pushy or aggressive, and don't realise what they could be losing. In this article we are going to look at exactly what being pushy or aggressive looks like and how it can damage building long term relationships (which is what selling should be about).

Being pushy, whether intentionally or unintentionally, can be the ruin of a salesperson. Luckily we are all individuals, so we have a different 'pain' threshold where pushy salesmen are concerned; some people will shrug it off, others will feel intimidated. But what defines 'pushy'?

To 'push' something is the act of exerting force on one object in order to move it from one place to another. When you push an object, its weight responds as resistance and to overcome this you have to push harder. To fulfil the act of pushing you have to expend effort, but when strong enough, resistance can prevent you from moving forward.

Looking at the preceding words again, but re-framing them in a sales context, you can quickly see what being pushy is - forcing your will onto the buyer, countering resistance with more force, using effort to get a result. This is not how to make a sale or encourage someone to buy from you again! You must always remember that a customer is with you because he wants to be there - he can quickly change his mind.

• What are the actions you take in your sales process, which could be perceived as aggressive?
• Not taking 'no' for answer
• Not actively listening or watching for body language hints which are telling you to stop, that your message is not getting across
• Being overly familiar with the customer too early in the sales process
• Despite having been told that he is not interested, within a few days you are back on the phone, following up the previous meeting

These actions could be taken in all innocence but the outcome is the same—the customer feels pressurised.

So what's the impact of these actions? Here are some of the possible outcomes if you take things too far.

• You may be lucky and hit upon a customer who is too meek to fight back or walk away. Great, you made a sale! However, they will never buy from you again. Missing out on repeat business means you are missing on the real profit. The next deal can be completed without all the preliminary talk so the true profit is higher. Be pushy and you miss out on all of this.
• If the customer is a strong personality, he may dig his heels in and an argument quickly develops. You can never conclude a sale under these circumstances. Worse still, if you are in the retail trade, potential customers wandering around your shop may pick up on the tense atmosphere and be out of the door with their money still in their pocket. The result? More than one lost sale.
• Even if your product or service is ideal for them and satisfies all their requirements, if they feel uncomfortable with your style, they'll buy elsewhere.
• Word-of-mouth can be a great way to boost sales but it can also be a destructive force. A dissatisfied customer will tell many more people about their bad experience than a satisfied customer will about a good experience. So, not only have you missed out on one sale but also a bucket-load more.

What steps can you take to avoid being too pushy or aggressive and possibly end up loosing a sale?

Early on in the relationship or presentation, don't be overly familiar. Ask if you can call them by their first name. Seeking permission may sound a bit cheesy but at least you have their permission.

Having established this ground rule, actively listen to what the customer is saying, Is he dropping clear hints that he is not comfortable with what you are saying? Conversely, if he's not responding at all, ask him if he's OK with what he has heard so far. Asking questions is a great way of finding out what the customer is really thinking and so an opportunity to put things right.

As well as listening, watch their body language. Do they appear happy or are their eyes constantly looking around (probably looking for the exit!) and not at you. If so, again step back and use questions to check their mood. Slow the pace down and clarify any concerns. Listening to what the customer has to say is the key and then respond by addressing the issues.

If, after taking on board what the customer is saying, you still get a 'no', don't argue; back off and leave the door open for another day. Once the customer has verbally said no, the chances of you getting a sale after that is dramatically reduced. And whatever you do, don't follow up a few days later with a telephone call! Leave the customer alone and he may come back of his own free will. The memory of your pushy style will linger for some time and the chances of you getting a quick re-match are slim, so don't try and encourage one!

Next time you are making a sales pitch, make sure you don't go too far and push the client so hard that he falls off a cliff. You want him alive so he can come and see you another day!

About the author: Small Business Success is a resource dedicated to helping small business owners be more successful. If you are looking for a regular flow of ideas and tips then subscribe to Small Business Success, a free newsletter, which provides you with quick tips, ideas and articles.

Miscellaneous Maestro Minutia

We'll be doing some Q&A sessions at the E Loft in March, covering how to set up your business Facebook page and protecting yourself online. Dates are listed in the right column of this email, and can also be found on the calendar page at theeloft.com.

As part of the business transition mentioned in the previous newsletters, much will be happening in the next few weeks! Kenric will be taking over much of the day to day routine in what will again soon be our Marquette office. (Yes, we're moving again!) Nathan will be in town for about a week out of every four. Appointments can be made for that time period, and of course Nathan can still be reached by email. Don't let March's chaos fool you... we plan to come out the other side in much better shape to build on our efficiency and capabilities. If you have any questions or concerns, please get in touch!

Spoof Alert - You may have noticed a sudden pile of email showing up in your in box that looks like you're sending out mail that you haven't. It's the result of "spoofing" where a spammer puts your email address in the "from" field of an email so that you get the errors rather than them. There's no way to prevent this, though we do have measures in place on the server to try to limit it's practice (the effectivness of which depends on the receiving mail servers). Typically, this sort of thing only lasts for a few days at most, but if you have ongoing issues let us know and we'll see if there's additional filtering that can be put in place.

That's it for the moment, thanks for reading! Please feel free to let me know what you find useful or what you'd like to see us cover in future issues.

Sincerely,
Nathan Lyle
Phone: (906)228-5884
Email: nathanlyle@upwebmaestro.com
Website: www.webmaestro.biz
Blog: www.webmaestro.biz/blog

Business Tip

Update Your Browser!

Yes, it's been busy, or maybe you're one of the ones who secretly hates technology (or are at least slightly annoyed by it from time to time)... but an easy thing you can do that will improve your time on your computer is to upgrade your browser on a semi-regular basis. When you view websites, the browser you use makes all the difference. Technology is changing rapidly, and you will find that your experience on websites is much less headache-prone if you're not three versions behind of the pack. The best part of this is that it's free. Firefox, Safari, Internet Explorer, Opera (and others) are all free to download and install. You are also much more secure by keeping up to date. (Hackers love it when you keep using old software with well known and documented bugs.)