Ciamos

Bernadette Doyle

Whatever you’re selling, it makes sense to take orders online – and your business will grow when you do. That’s because it makes you and what you are offering available 24-7. One of the things you’ll hear me say over and over is ‘make it easy for people to buy from you.’ Taking online orders is one way to do that.

The first sale is also the HARDEST sale to get, because to get to that point you need to establish all the systems and processes to convert visitors to buyers and accept online transactions. When you’re just starting out, it can seem overwhelming.

So this week I want to offer you a word of encouragement. Yes, there is some spade work that needs to be done in the early days, but it’s worth it! In the long run you’ll make more sales and money and running your business will get so much easier.

To help you I’ve listed the main resources you’ll need, and the terminology you’ll need to familiarise yourself with.

Autoresponder you know when you submit your name and email address at a website and you automatically receive something back in your inbox? Well the software that does that is called an autoresponder.

You can also set your autoresponder to send sequential follow-up emails. For examples, the first message might go out immediately, the second might go out 2 days later, message number 3 might go out on day 5, and so on.

That means you can set up your system once, and then it works automatically for you, following up with every single prospect. It really turbo-charges your follow up efforts and you will make more sales.

List manager this is the software that subscribes and unsubscribes people from your list and is basically your database of names and emails. You can also create sub-lists for example, people who have bought a specific product, or joined your list from a specific source. This makes it easier to send relevant messages to the right people and you don’t have to mail your whole list.

Shopping cart this is the software that lets customers select and order items from your website. The ideal solution is to get your list manager, autoresponder and shopping cart ‘all in one’. I recommend www.1shoppingcart.com

Merchant account This is the company who will collect the money and deposit the funds in your bank account. The quickest way to accept online payments is to use paypal, and when you’re just starting out, it’s perfectly adequate, and there is no application process or set-up fees. As your business grows, you might want to set up a merchant account. If you’re in the U.S. there are plenty to choose from. In the UK, our choices are somewhat limited. I use Worldpay. Check with your existing bank too, as the High Street banks are starting to offer some good e-commerce solutions now.

Strong sales copy You need to do more than just list your product or service and give the price. You need words (known as sales copy) that persuade your visitor to take action. You need to explain why what you’re offering is such a good buy, overcome objections, reassure the prospect that they’re making a good buying decision and finally call them to action.

A web guy (or gal!) Trying to do it yourself is false economy. I’m no techie, nor do I have any desire to be. One thing that has really helped me over the years is having a ‘techie guy’ behind the scenes to make changes to webpages, integrate my website with all the software I just described, and solve technical problems for me. You don’t have to pay thousands to a fancy designer. You can find a freelance webmaster at www.elance.com.

© 2007 Bernadette Doyle

Bernadette Doyle publishes her weekly Client Magnets newsletter for trainers, coaches, consultants, complementary therapists and solo professionals. If you want to get clients calling you instead of you calling them, then get your free tips now at www.clientmagnets.com