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by Melody Everhart
Director, Innovative Business Solutions Group
Still thinking about the Net?
Consider this. Half of new businesses fail in the first four years.
One of the top ten reasons is ignoring the competition. The Internet
has brought with it extreme rivalry. People no longer have to decide
between the two local stores but have the whole globe to search
for the best product, service, and price. Can you afford to ignore
that kind of competition? If your business isn’t online chances
are your competitior is. To succeed in today’s business environment
your business needs to provide the information, convenience and
the customer service with the efficiency and speed that a well-planned
web site can provide.
If you are questioning why you should put your business online,
think about how you could use the following ideas to grow your company
and better serve your customers.
- Sell your products directly online or have a contact page where
customers could request information
- Allow people to reach your business when they can’t reach
you, 24/7/365
- Provide detailed information on your product line for people
researching a purchase.
- Strengthen communication with existing customers and prospects
with a scroll bar that announces sales, events, etc...
- Promote your company’s image and give people a reason
to do business with you
Myth: I will not sell enough online to justify
the investment.
Truth: According to Heather Dougherty, a Jupiter
retail analyst, “For every $1 spent online, $5.50 is going
to be spent offline as a result of research done online.”
Can your business afford to lose the climbing number of customers
who do research online before making their purchase in the store?
Myth: Not very many people actually shop online.
Truth: CyberAtlas reports that estimated online
sales for the first quarter of this year were 9.849 billion. Holiday
last year sales hit an all time high with sales of 11.2 billion.
Chances are if you do not have a web site, your increasingly busy
customers will find someone who does.
Myth: eCommerce is not safe.
Truth: eCommerce is as safe as the provider who
hosts the web site. With secure certificates and the proper security
on the server, online transactions are as safe if not safer than
regular transactions with your credit card at your local merchant.
Myth: Since my business doesn’t sell unique
products, I don’t need a web site.
Truth: More cyber customers use the Net because
of the convenience and wealth of information, not because they are
looking for anything unique.
Myth: All Internet service providers are alike.
I‘ll just pick the cheapest one.
Truth: Types of service and level of service vary
greatly from provider to provider. Free and cheap can be very expensive
solutions in the long run.
Myth: Web site designers are a dime a dozen, anyone
can design a web site.
Truth: Being able to load web site design software
on to a computer and put site together does not make one a web site
designer. Good web site designers have graphic design, technical
and business skills to help them build a successful web site.
Remember, if you work the web the web will work!
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