Tangibility Key to More Clients Pt. 2

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A Website Can Shorten Your Selling Cycle

Read Part 1

The problem of being in a service industry is that prospective clients can’t SEE your services. They can't kick the metaphorical tires.

Last time we noted that prospects will only become clients if you can compellingly demonstrate to them the value of your services. You corroborate that value through testimonials and case studies.

But how else can you convey tangibility? Your marketing materials give you the chance to list the features and benefits of our services, to present a short profile of yourself, or of the principal members of the firm, and to include a photo. You may also want to list your clients, your strategic partners, and your professional affiliations.

A website is a particularly effective medium for making your services more tangible. In addition to letting you present all the information listed above, a website enables you to show samples of your work. It also gives you the opportunity to make available short articles or whitepapers that demonstrate your expertise in a subject area, while delivering something of VALUE to current and prospective clients.

Because a website makes your services tangible, it effectively shortens the selling cycle. When someone calls me after having looked at my website, they want to talk about what they need and what I can do for them. Taking my website as an example of my work, prospective clients rarely ask me for samples any more. As a byproduct, I also get asked to write a lot of web copy.

And a website is immediate. If a prospective client wants more information about what I do, I direct them to my website, and often they will pull it up on their screens while we’re talking.

A corollary is that a website is flexible and easy to update. Your business focus changes, you have new and better case studies, or you want to update your testimonials. Done.

Just as importantly, a website conveys your professionalism, while enabling you to inject some personality into your presentation, thereby demonstrating not only that you do good work but that you are fun to work with. In short, it builds your brand.

Remarkably, years into the online revolution, small business owners still debate the necessity of having a website. The biggest deterrent is cost. A website may have a relatively high fixed cost, but the variable costs are close to zero. With print collateral, it’s all variable costs, and once you?ve updated your print brochure a couple of times, a website looks far more economical.

Making your services tangible is critical to winning more clients more quickly, and shortening your selling cycle increases your cash flow. A website can be a valuable tool in helping you to achieve these goals.

All the best,

Holton | Writing for Results
703.243.3093