Stop. Do not pass Go. Do not collect $200. To borrow a Monopoly metaphor, if you do not have a professional website for you and only you, even if you are a sales representative on a corporate team, you may as well just head to jail and kiss your earnings goodbye. Sure, the company for which you work has a website, but you need to leave a much stronger impression than that for optimal success. Don’t leave it to your social media presence to keep your name in potential customers’ minds. Include a professional website in your arsenal to present yourself in the best face possible.
A Website Is a Cost-Effective Marketing Tool
Whether you work for someone or are an independent salesperson, you still need to market yourself. Sure, you cold-call, set up appointments, meet with people, and leave them your card and a hard copy of your presentation, but do you think these people are going to be satisfied? If you do, this may be one reason why your closing numbers are low. They aren’t. They will research you, that’s what people do these days before making any purchasing decision, and they will research you online.
Yes, they will look at your social media pages but if that is all you have, you’ve just lost them. Social media may be taking over the world, but many still find it unprofessional when it comes to business. They want to see a website, too, especially now in light of the controversy surrounding social media since the 2016 presidential election. A website will tell potential clients you are serious about your sales, and it doesn’t cost that much to build and maintain a professional site.
You can use your website to tell your future clients more about yourself and why you got into sales. A personal connection is critical in today’s marketplace. People already know what you do after your presentation; they want to know who you are. While you don’t want to get too personal, you can use your website to market yourself, not just what you sell, and this translates to a personal connection with those on your callback list, which just might translate to a signed contract.
A Website Makes You Available 24/7
When you first started your sales career, you worked around the clock. Are you ready for some much-needed down time? A website can help you have that. The beauty of the internet is it never sleeps. Sales and small business websites are up and running 24/7, sans any problem with servers, which means you can take a break. People can research you anytime day or night, and they can see whether they want to enter into a business relationship with you from your website and social media content.
If an existing customer has a question or issue, he or she can contact you no matter the time. Yes, you may not reply to his or her email, post, or request for information until the morning, but he or she will feel better knowing the inquiry has been sent. Twenty-four/seven access is crucial to customers, they need to feel as if they can connect with you anytime, and a website with a Contact Me link gives them the security that their concern will be waiting for you in the morning.
Anyone in business, no matter what he or she does, needs a website. As you know because you work in sales, an online marketing strategy is just as important today as is an offline approach. Customers live in cyberspace, and if you don’t have an impressive, comprehensive, and approachable online presence, you will not build your sales numbers to what you want them to be. Make certain your digital marketing strategy includes a website and all applicable social media platforms to get the word out about you.