I recently met with a potential client who was unhappy with the prices he had been getting for comic books on EBAY.  He had a large collection to sell and wanted to use the capital to start an online comic store.  He was hoping to keep as much of his personal collection as possible to use as a back issue inventory.  During the meeting we did some searches on what he had sold. Checking comparables, we found that he averaged anywhere from 10 cents to 40 cents in profit per comic.  That seemed to be roughly the same as other sellers.  So we had a good idea of what the market was bearing.  I asked for a summary of what his online store would include and was dismayed at the outline he provided.  There was nothing different about it, yet he was looking for a higher value on his comics.

What he laid out was a simple online store.  With a few brochure style pages (about us, policy, contact etc.)  The problem was he wanted to double or triple what he was getting on EBAY.  EBAY isn’t going away and for any collectible market, collectors typically have a good idea of what they can nab things for on auction sites.  If they pay more there is a reason for it.  I asked some questions about things he might do to make his site more appealing for collectors: 

• A blog offering reviews, though there were already a lot out there, was an option. 
• How about the market of comics, a buyers or sellers guide, there seemed to be fewer of those. 
• How about speed, making the comics available faster
• A niche market, servicing only a set geography or fan base. 
• The most valuable service I thought would be personal recommendations from him to his customers on things they should be getting. 

Every suggestion was met with a lukewarm response.  In the end, I realized that he didn’t want to take on any of the extra work to differentiate himself.  He just wanted things to sell at a higher price without bringing any extra value to the table.

This is such a prevalent misconception about the Internet.  It takes work to succeed.  If it didn’t, everyone would be Internet millionaires.  Furthermore, it takes good ideas and differentiating yourself.  It doesn’t have to be a radical or market changing idea (though that helps) but it has to be something.  What was most discouraging about this case was that I thought he understood that he’d have to bring something special to the table.  He seemed more than capable.  He was excited about comics and knew a lot about them as an industry, entertainment, and collector’s item.  He told me how he scoffed at people on sites like EBAY or Craigslist that asked 75 cents a dollar, or more per comic.  He laughed that when looking to purchase collections, many people who made him offers like that thought they were providing a real bargain.  He seemed to know that something special had to happen to get a higher price per unit.

Ultimately, he understood but didn’t want to do anything about it.  His plan was to set himself up as a more official version of the people asking prices he felt were too high.  That’s not differentiation, it’s ego.  I’m rarely a critic of having higher prices because it’s extremely hard to win the price wars online.  There’s usually too much competition and cutting prices is often a sure fire way for a business to fail.  However, something different and valuable needs to exist for people to justify paying more.  If you aren’t doing that, you’ll become the next joke of the market, asking too much and offering nothing special in return.

A lot of businesses are lamenting the slowing economy.  Almost everyone is angry about the price of gas.  There aren’t a lot of silver linings for those things but they might be a silver lining for your website.  Both these factors can actually be an incentive for people to buy off the internet.  The challenge is setting up your website to show them that.

What’s one common way.  It’s an offer everyone loves regardless of the economic climate but even more with it, free shipping.  Find a way to offer free shipping.  The perception is it saves money and if it’s shipped right to them, there is no gas expense to get it.  This is a sure fire way to differentiate from the brick and mortar retail stores.  Similar price, no wasted time, and no wasted gas. 

The challenge of a down market can be a boost for your site.  It’s all in how you approach it.  If you ignore the possible advantages and treat the site as business as usual, chances are that you’ll slow with the economy.  If you address the issue and make a compelling case for how you can help others overcome the down market, you’re site can rise above those that are stagnant.

Everyone is skeptical of almost everything they see on the internet.  There’s a good reason for that, it’s full of scams and dishonest material.  So how does an honest organization or business show that they are above board.  Simply saying “I’m for real” doesn’t cut it.  Especially because the scammers and spammers are saying that already in a convincing way.  A large part of trust is doing what you say and being honest about who visitors are dealing with.  The more personal the information can be the more relaxed a visitor is.  Making a site people can trust often comes down to how willing the site owner is to divulge information and writing that material well.

Most people claim, “I’m honest on my site”.  In most cases they don’t lie, but make a few omissions, or cleverly word things to reflect a skewed perspective.  Some typical forms of this happen in how an organization is described and who they work with.  A common ploy by smaller businesses is to inflate testimonials or client lists.  They want to show some big name clients and make sure to get them on the list, even if the working relationship was a little less than direct client.  It’s an attempt to show that the big guys work with me, so you should to.  Editing a resume for a friend of a friend employed at Sony* turns into “content consulting for Sony”.  These things usually stick out and beg for skepticism.  Worse yet, if they still want to have a conversation the site owner has left themselves open to start off on the wrong foot.  Be honest about what you’ve done and for who.  Specifics remove doubts.  So rather than putting Sony on a client list.  Give a description of what was done “Report layout consulting for Sony’s Boston Finance Office”.  Now that I can believe and will be inclined to want to hear more.  Making it sound like the person just had lunch with the CEO only makes me think they are completely lying or are ashamed of whatever project they actually did. 

Another copy-writing feint is the spreading “we”.  We do this, we did that.  In some cases we is fine, when describing what a group of people work on.  The goal should be to get to the individual behind the we as quickly as possible.  Who did what and how did they do it.  The most successful companies use teamwork, everyone is doing their unique and valuable part.  Showcase that.  Be proud of the I’s behind the “we” and look to take advantage.  Profiles are a good way to break out who is who. Project details or roles throughout the site are helpful as well.  If you’re a very small company or sole proprietor, lose the we’s.  People automatically assume that everyone wants to work with a big company.  There are many one  or two person shows (myself included) out there that are very successful and bring unique benefits to their clients by interacting on a one-to-one basis.  Dan Kennedy is a well known direct mail writer and consultant that has done very well for himself.  In many of his presentations he states that he intentionally keeps his staff small and has no intention of managing large groups of people.  Small is not bad, if you have a valuable product or service, don’t assume that potential clients will hate the idea of working with a small group or single person.  If they do, it’s probably better to get started on an honest note rather than trying to weasel into an opportunity.  Remember, part of leads is finding the ones that are a fit.  Not everyone that comes to your website is a good client for you.

The challenge with this is getting the right mix.  Obviously saying, I just started the business, work out of my basement, and am barely feeding myself is a poor reflection and overkill. You wouldn’t give out bank accounts or credit cards to verify you’re a real honest business.  It’s still a professional site and needs to be well written and show the benefits of becoming a client.  This isn’t an exercise in true confessions.  It’s an exercise in giving enough information that people need or want to take the next step.  Do they know who they are dealing with?  Do they know how to reach this person?  Do they have some idea of what the person/people do and how they work?  Most importantly is it believable.  Does it make sense?  When it comes to getting trust (and then leads) people need to see the pros and cons.  Every organization has them.  Some like to pretend they don’t and others make outlandish promises.  Both breed skepticism.  Trust comes from honesty.  Be specific about who you are and what you do and visitors are likely to believe it.

* The Sony example is purely hypothetical, I do not work with Sony nor have I heard of the story presented as an actual event.

It’s amazing how many sites continue to use deception in their marketing.  Don’t believe me?  Do a search on “working from home” and submit your name to a few forms.  I’ve yet to witness a legitimate opportunity that actually delivered what was advertised.  They typically lead to SPAM or SCAM, bombarding you with ads or asking for money for a “starter package”.  Many reputable businesses use more subtle methods but are equally as frustrating.  Avoid this tendancy like the plague.  For good interactions that lead to productive and profitable relationships, explain what you’re offering, show the user exactly how to take the next step, and deliver what you offered. 

It sounds simple but most sites don’t do it.  I’ll give you a good example and a bad example I recently ran into.  The first was on an airline ticket confirmation email.  After the ticket was purchased I received the confirmation in my inbox.  I, unlike many people, read most of the policies on things like this.  If the airline includes the information, it better be accurate, no matter how small the type is or where its placed.  I was travelling with golf clubs and read the policy on baggage size to be sure my carrying case would be acceptable (fearing that I’d have to mail it home if it was outside standards).  I measured it and found that it was well within specs.  As I was waiting to check in on my return flight, I noticed a sign that stated, “golf bags $50 extra fee”.  I hadn’t paid the fee on the first flight and was gearing up for a fight.  How dare they try and pin this on me on my return flight when I had little option but to pay!  I was waiting to start a fight over the fee as my bag was checked in, but the fee never came.  Curiosity got the better of me and I had to ask about the sign.  The employee was very nice and explained that the policy wouldn’t be in effect for a week.  The sign was to make people aware of the impending change and he assured me that the information would be included on any confirmations in the future.  I left the counter thrilled with the airline (USA3000, a small airline but based on this experience I’d recommend them).  That is how online interactions should be, providing a smooth transition an interaction with consistent communication.  They gave all the critical information I needed and were aware of the fine print details as well.

Now for the bad.  I was recently looking at individual health care costs.  I was curious about policies and was looking for a form that would give online quotes.  I was duped, not once, but twice, into submitting my information for an “online quote”.  The sites were mocked up with the logos and brand of several large health insurance providers in my area.  They looked the part and as it stated online quotes largely, I didn’t read any fine print.  Did I get the quote I was promised?  No, I got a message saying that insurance agents would be calling.  I didn’t want insurance agents to call!  If I had I would have looked for an insurance agent directory or “contact me” form.  I eventually found the right site and received my online quote.  However, I was bombarded with no less than half a dozen insurance agents calling and emailing.  It took 2 weeks for them to stop and/or me replying that I wasn’t in the market for insurance now.  These sites infuriated me.  Worse they waste the agents time.  They are either paying to get these “leads” or it has been provided as a “feature” to partner with a particular insurance company.  What they’ve signed on for is duping website users, ensuring that they will call the same person as their competition at the same time, and likely get a resistant prospect who never wanted the calls in the first place.  Their fine print might have explained what I was filling the form out for but as it was the only purpose of the form, fine print doesn’t cut it.  Hiding the real offer is a sure sign of culpability.  You should want people to know what they are receiving.  If you’re trying to hide it behind another offer, you’re setting your users and yourself up for frustration.

Don’t use deception in your online marketing.  Do what you say you’ll do.  In the end it will make you feel better about yourself but will also make work easier.  It takes too much effort to try and trick people into interacting with you.  Instead, give them a good reason to and you’ll be surprised how willing they are and how productive those interactions can be. 

I was recently using a site for a large technology product supplier who had built a customized version of their site for a large fortune 500 client.  The idea being that anyone going to the site from the clients web servers would get a somewhat customized experience.  It’s a great idea, by they way, to do this for long term or high profit clients.  Let them know they are a valued partner, not a cash cow.  The extra effort will improve relationships throughout and will encourage that group to buy from the supplier that is aligned with them.  The site had a good user interface and I was able to track down the items I was looking for.  Then came check out time.  My cart had no checkout button.  You read that correctly, No Checkout Button!  After spending the time to find products, research the products, and select the best fit, I had hit a brick wall.  Not wanting to abandon the cart I called the customer service line.  After being transferred twice, I was told that there was an on site rep that could help me.  I called and got voicemail.  Two hours later I got a return call and the representative told me that the checkout feature was disabled because the client company had it’s own internal procedure for ordering.  I was guided to find this internal form and had to type the information, including cryptic manufacturer’s numbers, into a separate form.  Customizing is a great way to add to a relationship but it needs to improve the customers experience.  If it takes away at all, it’s counter productive because users become less likely to buy.

So let’s use the example above to paint a perfect world and grade this site’s performance. 

B – Visual Customization – They did some basic visual customization.  It certainly could have been more as I had to pay close attention to notice, but I’ll give an B just for the  effort.  Many companies never think to do this at all. 

A – Product and Description Availability – No problems finding products and descriptions, so they get an A here.  The grade point average will plummet from here. 

F – Shopping Cart Solution – No checkout button with no explanation as to why.  If a Z were possible that would be appropriate but since F is as low as it goes, F. 

F – Ease of Customer Service – Two transferred calls to a customer service people that couldn’t help and a two hour wait from the account representative.  Customer service was not easy to get nor prompt.

F – Ease of Buying – Filling out a form by hand to information that has already been submitted is the worst thing you can do.  You might as well place a disclaimer saying, “Your time is not valuable and we’d rather waste your time than put a decent solution in place.”

This sale would have been abandoned in almost every case that was not mandatory.  Since the client doesn’t require all technology product purchases to come from this company, I’d bet they have a high rate of abandonment.  Past 95% wouldn’t surprise me and this is a “preferred supplier” customized site.  People should fill this out 100% of the time, not 5%.

So what are the fixes?

First, integrate the shopping cart with whatever the client requires.  If they have a specific form that needs completed, either customize the cart to suit that need or allow the user to export the information and pre-populate the form with the data entered.  If that’s too much effort (realize that you will still be advertising that their time is worthless), at least put an explanation of why there is no checkout and a link to the form for users so they aren’t left wondering, “Where’s the darn checkout button?” 

Second, put the client’s sales rep number in the customer service section.  It at least eliminates being transferred to someone that only gives a different phone number.  If the sales rep is the knowledgeable person who can help with questions, that’s who customers should contact, not a middle man.

With those couple changes the whole experience is improved.  If the information automatically populates without hand typing information, this is at least a B+ experience.  As it stands now it’s a D- and leaves customers with a bad impression.

My best guess is that this site was thrown together to qualify as a “preferred supplier”.  The problem is that the employees still have options and with this solution they are likely to use another one.  “Preferred supplier” doesn’t mean “required supplier” so the effort to optimize the site still needs to be in place.  Even if it were a required supplier, the effort should still be spent because contracts run out and no one likes poor customer service.

In this case, the client probably demanded that the supplier use their form for employees to place orders.  The supplier probably agreed and never put forth the effort to streamline the process.  Worse yet they left it with a dead end.  Client demands are always important but that doesn’t mean they can’t be modified.  The added feature of a shopping cart that fulfills the function of the form without extra data entry is an added bonus to the company.  I’m sure they wouldn’t decline, it would only strengthen their sense that you want to be aligned with them.  Instead the end user is left struggling to make a purchase, and many times it won’t be worth the effort and will be abandoned. 

Customizing a site for a particular group or client can be a powerful way to improve a relationship.  That only happens when it is given the care and effort it seserves.  Like anything else, if you’re going to do it, do it right.  Customize the site and build an outstanding relationship, don’t detract from the relationship by taking shortcuts that undermines the users experience.

– Eric
www.emarketinginnovation.com