One of my main promotions is web hosting.
A great package with lots of extras, but it's been a bit slow
lately.
But I couldn't figure it out why. Every time you look around
there's another new site!
So what's wrong with my deal? It's not as if I don't get
customers, I do. But not on the scale I believe that the package
merits.
So what do I do?
Test (and if you didn't know the answer to that, shame on you!).
Sidebar:
Are you testing your ads, copy, mailshots?
How do you know which work and which don't?
How do you know which offer the best rate of return?
Code all your adverts and then you'll be able to see if
you're wasting or investing your money.
I looked at what I've been offering, and put myself in the mind
of the prospect.
Great they might say, but it doesn't have this, or that, or how
will I be able to do...?
Doing that I came up with a few possible answers. Web design was
a big one, copywriting another, fear of not making it work
another.
I ended up with a list of 12 'problems' which could hold a
prospect off from signing up.
The next step was working out which ones I could do something
about. That left me with three problems that I could solve for my
prospects - and the main thing - make it easier for them to do
business with me.
Sidebar:
Make a complete list of all your skills.
Don't undervalue any. It 's easy to 'ignore' something that you
do everyday that someone else might find difficult or
threatening.
Examine that skill list and see which could be of benefit to who.
Either you'll come up with an idea for a brand new
product/service, or you'll discover 'an added value extra' that
you could add to an existing product/service.
You could also look at the potential of re-packaging several
products together and make something ''new".
So which one of these three potential prospect-problem solvers
to choose? In this case the answer was quite simple. The quickest
and cheapest to test. Why make life harder for yourself.
For me, that was web design.
Although I wouldn't classify myself as a professional web
designer, I do design all my own sites and know enough to produce
a clean, simple and productive site (well, 'I' like to think
so!).
So off go the coded emails with my 'latest hot offer'.
For several days I post the same offer testing different
headlines, and adding the essential 'this is a limited offer',
just to cover myself - I didn't want this to be too successful
and get inundated with hundreds of people.
And? Well I hit a hot spot. I got several new clients directly
from those adverts and have had to introduce a waiting list!
Infact having discovered the need out there, I'm getting some
software written which will allow people to edit their own
websites with no knowledge of html (the language of the
internet). Once that comes on stream, there won't be a limit to
the number of new clients that I can take on.
So do you get the message?
Know exactly what it is that your product/service is offering
potential customers, so that:
You can discover what is lacking in your offer that is holding
potential clients back from buying from you, because then:
You can become an even better 'solution provider', and
increase your business and customers satisfaction.
It doesn't matter whether you're competing with loads of other
people selling the same thing, infact that's great!
Sidebar:
What do you mean?
The more people promoting the same thing means
that prospects can get used to the product/service name.
It becomes familiar. Considering that most people don't buy
anything till the sixth or seventh approach, you're still in
with a great chance especially as you are adding something
extra to the deal.
Whatever you are selling, find a way to be 'unique', in either
presentation: don't use the same adverts/leaflets as everyone
else - delivery: repackage, add something extra - or customer
service: faster, better refund (risk reversal) policy.
In fact make up your own. That's really unique!
And to prove a point, I must compete with several thousand people
with my web hosting affiliation. But now (as far as I know), none
of the others can compete with my offer.
About the Author
Vic Carrara is the publisher of empowersU.com 'eBiz Developer'
ezine. His websites aim to demystify setting up and running an
'e-business', by providing free information, practical knowledge,
and up to date information.
http://www.empowersU.com
http://www.SuccessSecrets.co.uk
To subscribe to Vic's ezine: ebizsubscribea@empowersu.com