11 Ways to Turn Your Website Into Your Best Salesperson

11 Ways to Turn Your Website Into Your Best Salesperson

Yet Another Publication By:

Go Digital or Go Home
e fairuze.shahari@cloudrock.sg

t

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Cloudrock.sg | Cloudrock.my


Cloudrock is a full service digital marketing agency with a presence in both Singapore and Malaysia.
We offer services such as website design, SEO, pay per click and analytics.

We create and implement strategies that drives qualified visitors to your website; convert those
visitors into leads and customers; measure the results achieved and develop improvement plans to
make it even more successful.

Your digital marketing journey starts here.
What We Do
DRIVE Drive traffic to your website using SEM and other inbound marketing tactics
CONVERT Convert that traffic to leads, customers and revenue
MEASURE Constantly measure and experiment to do it even better
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Table of Contents
Selling has always been hard... | p01

A New Breed of Salespeople for a New Generation of Buyers | p06
Buyers Search Online First Before Contacting You | p06
Highly Influenced by Online Sources | p07
Key Influencers Frequently Online | p09

11 Ways to Turn Your Website Into Your Best Salesperson... | p10

Ready to ‘Hire’ Your Best Salesperson? | p22

Fairuze Shahari
Fairuze Shahari is the principal consultant for Cloudrock SG. He handles content creation,
SEO and PPC and supervises the web design team..

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Selling has always been hard...
And it’s not getting any easier now.

We’re right smack in the middle of the Information Era. Your
buyers know that and are taking advantage of the wealth of
information available online to make better buying decisions.

Before they even make personal contact with your company, they
seem to know everything about your product category. They know
the best prices, the right questions to ask, which features your
products are missing... everything.

You may find your sales teams having trouble keeping up.

One of the key issues is this - your online presence simply isn’t
pulling its weight. It’s not providing your buyers with the
information they’re looking for and persuading them that your
business is the best solution for them.

It’s not generating qualified leads, and it’s definitely not holding up
against your competitors’.

It’s just not working.

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So, how are we going to solve this?
Here’s a novel way of looking at your website – expect of it as you would a salesperson.

And why shouldn’t you?

Your website won’t replace your entire sales force, but it should be able to perform most of the duties your
salespeople do. This makes your sales team more effective at what they are supposed to do best – closing sales!

 Must project a professional attitude at all times
 Must possess a positive attitude and constantly want to improve himself / herself
 Must be able to understand my wide range of (somewhat complicated) products
 Must be able to adequately demonstrate my company’s products
 Must be able to build rapport with my prospects and customers
 Must be willing to travel and meet customers at a moment’s notice, even on weekends
 Must be able to meet sales targets and KPIs
 Will be subjected to monthly / quarterly performance reviews
 Attractive compensation package!

This e-book will show you how you can ‘train’ your website to have the same qualities.

The best thing is that how well your website performs is mostly in your control.

Before we go into how we can turn your website into a star member of your sales team, we are first going to
examine how the Internet has affected your buyers’ purchasing patterns.

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A New Breed of Salespeople for a
New Generation of Buyers
Buyers Search Online First Old Info Search Process
Before Contacting You
Saying that the Internet has had an impact on the
way buyers make purchasing decisions would be an
understatement. It has greatly shortened the sales
cycle, made product information more widely
available and prices more transparent.

Your salespeople now have to deal with a much
better informed generation of buyers.
New Info Search Process

What does that mean for you?
 Buyers call you less often.
 But when they do call, they are more
informed.
 They say yes – and no – faster.
Frequently, the decision has already
been made in the buyer’s mind before
they even contact your salesperson.

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Highly Influenced by Online Sources
According to Nielsen, the Internet is an important source of information for Malaysian buyers – 64% said they
were ‘highly’ or ‘somewhat’ influenced by website advertisements.

Consumer generated content, such as product reviews and opinions posted online, is now one of the most
trusted forms of media among SE Asian digital consumers. More than half (54%) completely or somewhat trust
consumer opinions posted online.

Influence of Web Advertising in SE Asia

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To drive home the point that the Internet is playing a big role in the Malaysian purchasing process, consider that:

 77% of Malaysian buyers surveyed had discussed or posted their own reviews online
 94% have read other people’s comments
 88% have watched an online video about the product they were thinking of purchasing

Social Media Supported Consumer Decision Making – Past Year

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Key Influencers Frequently Online
On the whole, Malaysian buyers spend over 20 hours a week on the Internet, with 88% going online daily or
several times a week. Now’s that’s a lot of potential contact time that your company could capitalize on.

Even more importantly, 41% of those in the 30-39 age group – the current crop of key influencers and soon-to-
be business leaders – go online at least once a month.

This age group represents the current and future business leaders. They are the ones in charge, or at the very
least advising their bosses on what to buy. Whose products and services are they endorsing now?

Incidence of Internet Use in Past 4 Weeks Split by Key Demographic Segments

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11 Ways to Turn Your Website
Into Your Best Salesperson
So your buyers’ behaviours are changing, and
you need a new breed of salespeople to keep up
with them.

Let’s call your new salesperson your Sales Site.

Here are 11 ways how you can turn your under-
performing website (you do have a website,
right?) into your next star salesperson.

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1
Does your Sales Site know
everything about your business
that it should?
We’re sure you have gone over the company introduction
presentation with your salespeople ad nauseum. The slide deck
has been etched into their minds and they can probably recite it
in their sleep.

Include as much or even more information on your Sales Site.
Remember, online buyers won’t be able to ask questions and
receive answers on the spot as they might during an actual
presentation. Pre-empt the questions your buyers might have
and include them in your About Us or FAQ page.

 What do you expect your salesperson to tell new
customers about your company?
 Is that information highlighted properly on your
Sales Site?
 If a customer visits your Sales Site, how can they
tell that you’ll be a good fit for them?

Ask your frontline staff what are the common questions they
Tip receive from new customers. Other than your sales staff, as your
receptionist, technical service guys, basically anyone who interacts
directly with your buyers.
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2

Is your Sales Site projecting
the proper image?
Having spelling and grammatical errors on your Sales Site is akin to
your salesperson showing up in a crumpled shirt with a button
missing. It’s just not professional, and doesn’t give the buyer a lot
of faith in your competency.

According to a Missouri University of Science and Technology
research, you have only 0.2 seconds to create a first impression
online. This means that your website must have a clean,
professional design and be easy to navigate.

Also, spelling errors have been known to reduce sales by more
than half.

Double check the copy on your Sales Site and ensure that it is
presenting its best face to the buyer.

When writing, we don’t notice our own mistakes since the brain
Tip automatically “corrects” wrong words inside sentences. Try reading
the text backwards, word by word, to spot spelling errors.

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3
Does your Sales Site have
all your current products,
services and pricing?
As a business leader, you understand the importance of keeping
your salespeople up-to-date on all the products, services and
prices that your company offers. You have weekly meetings and
write dozens of memos just for that.

You should have the same expectation of your Sales Site. It should
be accurate and frequently updated with your current offerings
and prices (if applicable). A website that isn’t up-to-date loses you
credibility fast.

It is important that the different departments communicate with
each other clearly and frequently when it comes to updating your
Sales Site’s content.

Keep your digital marketing agency in the loop whenever new
Tip products come in or changes in offerings occur. File sharing services
such as SendSpace and Box allows you to share huge files quickly.

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4
Is your Sales Site
adequately demonstrating
your products?
You already know that a product demonstration brings you that
much closer to closing the sale.

Your salespeople frequently have to jump through hoops to be
given a chance to demonstrate your products. And such
demonstrations frequently disrupt the buyer’s work day – they
have to get permission from their supervisors, block off a chunk
of time, co-ordinate with their colleagues and other
departments… you get the drift.

With your Sales Site, you allow your buyers to see your products
at their convenience, anytime they want, how many times they
want. They can even save it for reference or share it.

Upload pictures and photographs from multiple angles to
showcase your products. Invite your visitors to ask questions
through your Sales Site (and make sure you answer them in a
timely manner).

For even more impact, create videos of your products being
used, preferably in a similar setting as your target buyer’s.

There are many other ways to showcase how good your products
Tip are using video – you don’t have to keep creating instructional use
ones. Here’s a great one from Nikon Imaging Japan that shows how
their Nikkor glass is made.
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5

Does your Sales Site listen to
what your customer is saying?
You expect your salespeople to listen carefully to what your
customers are saying. Being able to read between the lines to
understand the true message behind the words being said is a
highly desirable quality in a salesperson.

Your Sales Site should do the same. In fact, your Sales Site can
measure what your visitors actually do, rather than just what they
said they’ll do. What content are they hoping to find on your
website? Which page or collateral is the most compelling? What
steps do they take before they contact you?

Set up your analytics software properly, and you can get a wealth
of data on buyer behaviour on your Sales Site. Analyse that data to
come up with actionable information you can use.

Just because you can measure it doesn’t mean you should. Drill
Tip deeper by using the 5-Why technique to determine if a particular
metric is useful for you to track.

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6
Can your customers find
your Sales Site when they
need to?
Offline, you get your salespeople to maintain contact with your
buyers to build what we call ‘top-of-mind awareness’. This means
that when your buyers want to purchase something, they will think
of your brand and contact you for a quote.

Online, you want to show up whenever your buyers are actively
searching for your products.

Go to your favourite search engine and type in the product
category for a product you’re offering.

Does your Sales Site show up in the search engines for your
keywords? If not, who are? These are where your buyers are going
during their information search stage.

With over 93% of online visits starting with search, it’s imperative
that you place yourself directly in your buyer’s path. Digital
marketing activities such as SEO and PPC help you get found online
and drive traffic – beautifully targeted and qualified traffic – to
your site.

Have you ever wondered how search engine spiders like the
Tip Googlebot see your website? Use this free search engine spider
stimulator to have a look. You might be surprised.

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7
Is your Sales Site any
good at building rapport?

Building rapport with their buyers is a key part of any
salesperson’s job. Your buyers want to work with people they like.
And who wouldn’t? So how do your salespeople build rapport?
They make small talk, they remember birthdays and provide
useful information. Any salesperson who talks about the sale
from the moment they enter the room won’t be successful for
too long.

How does your Sales Site build rapport?

Keep the tone of your Sales Site conversational yet professional.
When preparing your copy, use the same terminology and
words that your buyers do. Avoid corporate-speak and talking
too much about yourself. Remember, all your buyers want to
know is how you can help solve their problems.

Provide resources that your buyers might find useful – stuff that
will help make their own jobs easier. For example, prepare a
buyer’s guide or a white paper solving a common problem.

Show them more about your great company culture and how
much better their life would be if they worked with you. If you
can successfully build rapport through your Sales Site, you will
notice a lot less resistance when your buyers actually do
contact you.

This leads to a shorter sales cycle and more revenue.

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8

Is your Sales Site constantly
learning and improving itself?

Just like any salesperson (or human being, for that matter), your
Sales Site is a process, not a one-time project. They hardly ever
get it right on their first sales call.

Salespeople need to gain experience, learn and constantly
improve themselves.

For your Sales Site, constantly monitor your analytics software to
determine what improvements you can make to your website.
Going a step further, you can employ click-tracking technology to
place yourself in your visitors’ shoes.

For example, are there any elements getting in the way of your
website converting (e.g. long enquiry forms)? Is the bounce rate
particularly high on a particular page?

Find these problems and fix them. Over time, your Sales Site will
turn into a sales juggernaut.

Unless you have a huge website with thousands of pages, we’ve
Tip found that Google Analytics is sufficient for most businesses. Ensure
that it is properly installed on each page before you begin, with the
correct filters, segments and goals set up.
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9

Can your Sales Site ‘close
the deal’?

Unless you’re an E-commerce website, it’s very unlikely that your
buyer’s going to whip out her credit card and make a purchase
right then and there. So what does closing the deal mean when it
comes to digital marketing?

Conversions.

Maybe you need your website to generate leads (i.e. fill in your
online enquiry form) for your salesperson to close offline. Maybe
you want to create awareness for your new product offering. Or
maybe you want your buyers to sign up for your email newsletter
so you can build the relationship. These are the conversions that
happen leading up to a sale.

Remove all points of friction that get in the way of conversion.
Conduct A/B split testing to determine which landing page
designs convert better.

How your particular buyers convert is usually very personal to
your business. You’ll have to constantly experiment and measure
to get better over time.

While digital marketing agencies like us will work off an established
Tip base of best practices, don’t hesitate to give us your assumptions
about how your buyers might behave online. After all, you know
your domain best.
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10

Do you measure your
Sales Site’s performance?

The age-old adage, ‘What can’t be measured can’t be managed’ still
rings true today.

Just as you conduct regular performance reviews on your
salespeople, the performance of your Sales Site must be measured
as well. Set realistic KPIs and metrics and look at your website’s
performance at regular intervals.

Depending on your goals, some metrics you could use include Page
Views, Engagement, Visitor-to-Lead Conversion Rate, Revenue from
Online Leads, Average Sales Cycle from Online Leads etc. The metrics
you use will depend on your business objectives and the role the
your digital marketing strategy plays in it.

Add dollar values to your conversions or micro-conversions for even
Tip more accountability. For example, estimate how many PDF
downloads it usually takes to convert a visitor to a buyer and assign
each download a dollar value. This makes reporting much easier.
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11

Have you given your Sales
Site adequate resources to
succeed?
How much resources do you devote to ensuring that your
salespeople are able to do their jobs? Give them too little, and
they won’t be effective. Give them too much, and it might get
wasted. We’re sure you have your own formula for that, but how
about for your Sales Site?

Here’s an easy-to-remember guide – how much are you paying
your average salesperson annually? Include commission payments,
EPFs, training costs, paid leave and so on.

Simply use that as your annual digital marketing budget. And your
website’s not going to just up and work for the competition across
the street.

Ever.

Tip Remember, your website is a process, not a project.

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Ready to ‘Hire’ Your Best Salesperson?
Let’s See if We’re a Perfect Fit
As you probably know by now, a well-optimized website is one of the best ‘hires’ you can make. The big
question now is, how do you get started?

Like you, we enjoy working with the people we like. There has to be a good fit, especially between the digital
marketing agency and their clients because of the fast-paced and dynamic nature of their relationship.

If you think your company fits the description of one of our Perfect Customers – the Iceberg (next page) –
then drop us an email today.

Drive-Convert-Measure
We employ a Drive-Convert-Measure strategy – we drive traffic to your website using search engine
marketing and other inbound marketing techniques, convert that traffic to highly qualified leads and/or
customers, and measure our successes so we can do it better the next time around.

Our strategy’s simple - It’s all in the execution.

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A Cloudrock Ideal Fit – The Iceberg
You’ve enjoyed moderate to great success offline, but in terms of digital marketing, you’ve only yet begun to
scratch the surface (or haven’t even started!). You want to show your best face to your millions of potential
customers out there through the web.

‘Icebergs’ are traditional bricks-and-mortar companies that:
 have enjoyed moderate to great success offline and
 understand that the web is an important part of their sales puzzle but
 are still unsure what’s the best way to do so
 and may or may not have an in-house marketing team.

You’ve realized that the world is increasingly becoming more digital and you want in. Great! You know your
domain best, so we’ll start by leveraging on your experience and assumptions and work from there.

Our iterative process ensures that we get results faster.

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Yet Another Publication By:

e Say.hello@cloudrock.sg

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