A Must Have in Today's Business World
If you want to sell your product in today's business world you need a web site. Those companies without a web site are at a serious disadvantage. Buyers these days expect sellers to have a web site. Those who do not have one are looked upon as not knowing how to do business in the modern business world.
Let's look at it this way. Let's say that you called a company and asked for their fax number. They replied that they do not have a fax number because they don't use a fax machine. What would you think about this company? You would think that they were small, not serious, and didn’t know how to conduct business.
And so it is with a web site. If a buyer sees that you as a seller do not have a web site your company looks small. Regardless of how big your company is, if you do not have a web site then to the buyer you are small.
How to Get a Web Site
The first step in getting a web site is deciding on an address for your site (called a URL). The important point to remember here is to make the URL as easy to remember and as short as possible. Generally it is the first and second words of the company name. For example if the company name is Golden Textile and Clothing Inc., the desired URL might be
www.goldentextile.com. Don't make your URL too long. It is too hard to remember and there are too many chances to type the wrong letter and thus not be able to download the page. In the above example,
www.goldentextileandclothing.com would be too long. Remember too that the name between the www. and the .com is also going to be the base for your e-mail addresses. Make sure your URL is easy to remember and not too long.
After you have chosen a URL the next step is to see if it is available or already taken by another company. It can be a real challenge to pick a URL that is easy to remember, not too long, AND available. Go to
www.namesecure.com or
www.networksolutions.com to see if the URL you chose is available. If it is register it QUICKLY. If it is not then you must choose a new name for your URL.
If
www.goldentextile.com in the above example is taken by another company then try
www.goldentex.com or
www.goldentextileclothing.com. Neither of these is as good as the first choice, but you have no choice if the first choice is taken by another company.
After you have a URL that is registered with a company like namesecure, the second step is to choose an internet company (called an ISP) that will host your web site. Most countries have several ISPs for companies to choose from. In the USA, for example, the best and most reliable is Earthlink (
www.earthlink.net).Designing Your Web Site
Step three is to design your web site. This is very, very important. A well designed web site can make you successful. A poorly designed web site can almost guarantee your failure. Your web site does not have to be, and should not be, complex. Most of your viewers will be using a slow dial-up internet connection. Sites with lots of graphics and animation take too long to download.
Should you design the web page yourself or have it designed by a professional? Most companies are better off having it designed by a professional. It is important that your site look nice. Those who want to design the site themselves can use programs such as GoLive or Dreamweaver.
There are certain pieces of information on web sites that buyers are looking for. Always remember two things. First, not everyone on the internet is honest. Buyers will be looking carefully at your web site for information that indicates you are a reliable and serious exporter.
And second, the purpose of your web site is not to sell. That's your job as the seller. The functions of the web site are a) to provide information about your company and products AND b) to encourage the buyer to send you an e-mail asking for more details and a price quote. Professional web site designers understand the first part about providing information, but very often miss the second part about encouraging the buyer to send an e-mail.
If designed properly, the buyer will be guided through your web site from page to page until finally they get to the "send us an e-mail" page. The first page that the buyer sees when logging onto your site is called the "Home Page". This page should have your company name, logo, and several buttons (called links) which when clicked take viewers to other pages on your site.
The second page that many buyers will go to is your "About Us" page. This is a very important page in convincing buyers that you are reliable and serious. Make sure that the company address is prominently listed on this page. All too often companies try to hide this information. If possible, put a picture of your main office or factory on this page. Make absolutely sure that you list your company's telephone number and fax number. Buyers want to know that if there is a problem with an order they can get in contact with you.
On your "About Us" page you should also list any organizations that you are members of. If you are a member of the local chamber of commerce you should list it here. List all professional associations that you are a member of.
The next page that most buyers will look at is the "Products Page". On this page or pages you should show the buyer what you offer. Give some detail but not too much. The goal is to have the buyer contact you by e-mail. At that point you can start the negotiating process and hopefully get the order. If you don?t give enough information on the products page the buyer will not be interested or will not take you serious. If you give too much information then there is no need to contact you and you have no chance to negotiate.
Once the prospective buyer has looked at your products then the next page he or she wants to see is your "Quality Control" page. It is VERY important that you have a quality control page on your site and that it contains at least the next three items. Show a close up picture of a quality control employee who is carefully examining one of your products. Buyers like to see that products are carefully inspected after production. Also include a picture of the quality control department as a whole. There should be several employees looking at products that have just been produced. And thirdly, have a close-up photo of your Quality Control Manager and his or her name listed under it. Buyers want to see that if there is a quality problem with an order that there is a person with whom they can talk.
After the prospective buyer has seen your "home page", been convinced that you are a genuine company by looking at your "About Us" page, examined your products on your "Products Page", been assured that quality is a priority for you by reading your "Quality Control" page, then comes the most important page. Unfortunately, most web sites miss this point and lose many orders.
"Give Me Your Best Price on ..."
The last page you want the prospective buyer to view is the "E-mail Us" page. You want this person to send you an e-mail which says something like "Give us your best price for ...". Once you have this e-mail message then you can start the negotiating process which will, hopefully, lead to an order.
Make it easy for the buyer to e-mail you. Put "Contact Us" or "E-mail Us" buttons on every page of your web site. The goal is to get that initial e-mail message. Without it your web site is just information.
After your web site is designed the way you like it, you must upload it onto the servers of the ISP you have chosen. And suddenly there you are – accessible to the world.
But how do prospective buyers find you among millions of other URL addresses? Several ways are discussed later. But for now let's talk about search engines. Search engines (Yahoo, Google, AltaVista, HotBot, Lycos, and many, many more) are web sites that people go to when they are looking for specific information. You should register your URL with as many search engines as you can. Some charge money for registration (like Yahoo). Others are free.
The important things to remember are if you don't have a web site, get one. You are at a SERIOUS disadvantage if you don't. If you have one check it to make sure it guides the buyer through the steps mentioned above. Make sure your web site looks nice but is not heavy with too many graphics and animation that make it slow to download.
