CHALLENGE 4 AND 5 FOR A SUCCESSFUL BUSINES

Challenge #3: You must prove your ability to deliver measurable results, while emphasizing flexibility. People will want to see proof that you've delivered great results for other clients, but they'll also want to know that you're flexible enough to meet their own unique needs. So you must walk a fine line, making sure that you keep confidential client information confidential, while (1) proving that you've satisfied the needs of other clients like them with great results and (2) demonstrating your ability to customize your service to meet their personal, unique needs.

Challenge #4: You're using a global medium to attract local business. Service-based businesses frequently rely on local clients. Sure, the owner of a bed & breakfast in Seattle may be thrilled to be attracting clients from Australia's Gold Coast. But is the landscaper in Seattle going to be equally receptive to securing a weekly hedge trimming and lawn-mowing client from Australia? Probably not. So service-based sites that rely on local customers need to actively pursue sources of local traffic.

Makerting Strategies, 2nd Series

Strategy #2: Be specific about exactly what you're offering. We've already talked a bit about this, but this is such a common mistake I see website owners making--whether they're selling a service or a product--that I think it warrants further explanation.

You can never assume that providing information about what you've done for other clients will enable visitors to your site to make that leap and picture what you'll be able to do for their businesses. You need to be very, very specific about what you're offering. To help you do that, look at other similar service providers and ask yourself these questions:

• Do you offer the same services? More? Less?
• What makes you different from your competitors?
• Do you specialize in anything?
• What kind of guarantee do you offer?
• How will your services be delivered?

Too often, website owners fail to provide their visitors with enough information. Sales copy with a detailed breakdown of the services you provide, with the benefits you offer clearly explained, will be one of the most critical aspects of your site.

General Thoughts on Business

Final Thoughts

I get a lot of e-mail from people who think that selling a service over the web must require an entirely different approach than selling a product. They think they'll need to use an entirely different set of tools and techniques, that their site design will be dramatically different and that to drive visitors to their sites, they'll need to use some strange, newfangled strategies. This simply isn't the case.

The only real difference between selling a service vs. a product over the web is your focus: When you sell a physical product, every aspect of your site design and sales copy focuses on how the product is going to solve visitors' needs and benefit them. When you sell a service over the web, the focus is on how you're going to solve visitors' needs and benefit them.