I still am amazed at the amount of businesses out there whether established, or brand new start-ups who DO NOT have a website or internet presence in the “digital age”
I mean, it’s the year 2012, I know for a fact that when I need a service or product, the 1st thing I do is jump on my smart phone, Ipad, or desktop computer (depending where I am at the time) and do a Google search for what I’m looking for, don’t most people these days?
It often baffles me when I speak to business owners who are going through hard times trying to establish their business, and I ask the question “what’s your website address”, they reply “oh, no, we don’t have a website”. I think to myself…
1. Do they not realise what a huge opportunity they are missing out on?
2. Do they not realise how cost effective having a website is compared to traditional forms of advertising?
OK, so my next follow up question usually is “why don’t you have a website?” Usually clinching my fingers and with a tense look on my face, (yes, it really does bother me that much)
The typical replies are usually “we don’t need a website” or “it’s too expensive” or “we aren’t big enough yet” or my personal favourite “we are doing just fine using traditional advertising, and word of mouth” plus many other bizarre reply’s I’ve had.
Usually at this stage in the conversation, I hand over my business card and say “let’s book a meeting so I can show you what your missing out on”, at the meeting I will then go through the features and benefits of having a website, however for this articles sake, I will now go through the short and sweet answers to most of the objections I’ve heard…
1. “we don’t need a website”
My reply – Yes, you do! Simply put, a good website allows people to source trusted information about your product or service which is available 24 hours / 7 days a week.
Studies show that more and more people are searching online for products and services,
And if your business does not have an online presence, and your competition does, who do you think is going to get the sale or contract? Your competitor!
My point is that this trend is only going to continue to grow as we move forward into the future, where the majority of people will be searching for your business digitally.
2. “it’s too expensive”
My reply – No, it’s not!
I will be the 1st to admit, that there are some companies, and some freelance web developers out there who charge phenomenal prices for something that could have built in a few hours, I have a friend who runs a mobile hair salon service, and she contacted me one day asking if I could help her update her website, I said “sure, but don’t you have a guy for that”, she said yes, but he wants $4,000 to add a few pictures and change a few minor things here and there, I almost fell off my chair! And cursed a blue streak! My reply – (the clean version), “WOW, so out of curiosity, if he wants to charge you this much for an update, how much did the original design cost?”
She advised the price, I won’t tell you the exact figure, but the original design was pushing $10,000 I was absolutely blown away!
It was a decent website design I’ll admit, but no more than a day’s work for a good designer, and in no way worth that kind of ridiculous money. It made me wonder how many more business owners are getting shafted this way.
I bet you are a little concerned about pricing now after reading this section?
Don’t be, I’ll get to my point, for a small business wanting an online presence; you should NEVER have to pay anything near that cost for a typical business website. If someone quotes you near this price for a “standard” business website, run away! There are alternatives.
3. “we aren’t big enough yet”
My reply – The keyword here is “yet”, my question to you is, how do you think the so called “big boys” In your relevant industry started out?
They didn’t start off being a “big boy” no, of course they didn’t, however what they did do, was make smart decisions about their advertising and brand awareness when they were starting out, and this has catapulted them to where they are today in the market.
And I’m sure that the majority of these people would have had the words “online presence” (depending on the age of the business) somewhere in their top key points of their original business plan, or priority list.
4. “we are doing just fine using traditional advertising, and word of mouth”
My reply – That’s great! Congratulations, (and no, I’m not being sarcastic)
This says two things, your current “traditional advertising” is working, and your customer service must be quite good, as people are telling their friends/colleagues about your service or product.
So is this the be all and end all? Should you just putt along with this method, and continue down this road forever?
Well, hey if it’s working, why not you say?… fair call,
But here is what I would start asking myself, what else can I offer my valued clients/customers?
How else can I increase efficiency in my business?
How can I reduce cost in my business… ?
I know…
What about a place where people can hear about my latest offers?
What about a place where people can find the answer to a question they have about my product/service that I repeatedly get asked 15 times a day from inbound phone calls?
What about a place where absolutely everything that people would want to know about my business is available at the click of a mouse or a touch of an Ipad? You can see where I’m going with this.
Wouldn’t this be great?
Well it’s not a fairy-tale, it certainly is a reality; it’s simply a well-designed, EASY to use WEBSITE!
To cap it all off this article is really only scratching the surface of the reasons why people do not have a business website in 2012, I feel it’s the lack of understanding, and not knowing where to start for the majority of small business owners, which is understandable, however if you own a small/medium business and have read this article, or know someone who does, feel free to contact me using the details below, and I will be happy to assist you getting your business online.
I hope this information has helped you in some way or another.
Thanks for reading.
Grant O’Hara.
