SBDC Orlando: e-Business for Small Business

Jeff Bosworth – moderator

Moved to Florida in 1994 and started working with ISP IAG (later known as MPInet). Also worked as sales agent for Clear Channel. Started his own company Sales Growth Group SGG.

One word that Jeff wants to know only one word out of today’s session it is RELEVANCE.

ECommerce is not simply shopping cart online – it takes more then that.

What would your priorities be?

1. OBJECTIVE – know precisely what it is before hand -WRITE IT DOWN

Jeff will try to provides us with tools, training, and advice

Tools:

Þ Who is lookup (who owns it, who is administrative contact, is auto renew enabled)

Þ Freedom Voice will give you 800 # for about $10/month which you can forward to any other #

Training:

Þ Unique Selling Proposition – USP

Þ Website should be part of the marketing mix

Þ Conversion

Þ Clearly define your demographic

Þ Perception – it is realty

Þ Be comprehensive is your sales presentation

Þ CAPTURE & HOLD ATTENTION

Selling:

Þ Prospecting (getting people to your site) know where your potential customers are

Þ Qualification

Þ Presentation (F strategy – look at the top, left side, middle) [it takes 5-8 presentations to get someone to buy]

Þ Close - CALL TO ACTION

Þ Service – stay in touch

QUOTES:

“If company tells me we would like to involve our IT guy in web development money – I run away from it.”

“Your website needs great calls to action, graphics, color scheme, navigation.”

HOSTING:

Þ Get the hosting that has the best statistics package

Þ Who is lookup – fasterwhois.com make sure you own your domain

Þ FTP – file transfer protocol is how you can get to all your web files

Þ ICANN – list of domain registrars (www.ican.org/registrars/accredited-list.html)

Þ Shared vs. co-location & dedicated – it is all about traffic that your web site is getting: if your site gets thousands of daily unique visitors that you can consider dedicated server or co-location

Þ Test your own site regularly, see if the forms are working properly

Þ Domain name – get something shot and relevant to your business with .COM ending

Þ Email – DO NOT USE EMAILS FROM YAHOO, MSN, AOL AS BUSINESS EMAIL

WEBSITE ESSENTIALS:

Þ Site architecture – draw your site on a piece of paper the way you would like it (check out few of your competitors and note what you like to emulate). Note down color scheme – specify colors.

Þ Navigation scheme – be creative and descriptive with menu options .:. CTA (calls to action), KISS (keep it simple stupid), WIIFT (what is in for them)

Þ HTML = static page (you need to know HTML language to change/update it) – it does not change often

Þ Dynamic content – content changed dynamically via backend without the need for any HTML knowledge

Þ Develop a site for all browsers

Þ Comprehensive and RELEVANT content – spell check it…

WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN A GREAT WEBSITE CHECKLIST:

Þ Is your objective met right on the first page with a CALL TO ACTION

GETTING TRAFFIC TO YOUR SITE:

Þ Traditional advertising – TV, radio, billboard

Þ Non traditional – SEO, email blasts, link exchange, CPC, PPC

SHOPPING CART:

Þ Ask for examples from your web developer and see if you like what they’ve done before

Þ Make it easy to buy – show SSL certificate company

Þ Merchant gateway – Authorize.NET…. ask for previous integration examples, test with your credit card

Þ MOST IMPORTANT: USER EXPERIENCE (WHOULD YOU SHOP AT YOUR OWN SITE?)

WEBSITE DEVELOPERS AND PROGRAMERS:

Þ Ask for references and call those

Þ Make sure to have access to your website (FTP, control panel)

Þ Feel comfortable with your development firm

WHAT PRODUCTS & SERVICES ARE LOOKING FOR:

Þ Path of least and absolute resistance (POLAAR)

Þ Build customer database (it is cheaper to sell to existing customers then try to acquire new ones)

Þ It takes between 5-8 attempts to get someone to buy

RESOURCES:

Orlando Web Design & Development - IBR LLC

SBDC Orlando