The web is teeming with competition.
For every local business there are scores of others doing the same thing, at varying levels of quality.
This is why businesses are encouraged to ‘stand out’ and be different, so they can be remembered and differentiated from all of their competition. If there is nothing different or special about your company it is not likely to be remembered or chosen. Most users are not ready to buy when they reach your website. Most are in ‘recon mode’ and they are looking all over to get more information to make a decision. Expect them to considering several other websites/options than yours.
A business that can create a lasting impression in the consumer has a much higher chance of getting a sale than the others.
How to be different
Before even trying to be different you would be to have an up-to-date, aesthetic professional website. If you don’t have that then the user won’t have confidence in your company, and your website is effectively repulsing prospects. You need to look good and professional, it is part of your first impression. Clear Imaging has that down.
Now let us assume however, that you and your competition all have very attractive professional websites. What then? Who will be able to stand out and get the user’s attention?
The answer is: the website which either:
1) Has an amazing low-dollar offer, a deep discount for their products/services (such a bargain that you’d be a fool not to take it), or
2) Is offering excellent free content which the prospect wants
The Deep Discount
Whether you sell products or services you can certainly find some cheap product or relatively simple service and offer it way below the market price.
For example, if you do lawn maintenance and the average price your competition is charging in your service area is $50 for a front lawn service, you could just go wild and offer that exact same service, at the same level of quality for only $15.
Consider this the ‘new advertising’. A 10% off coupon isn’t going to do it. You need to get aggressive. The business who is willing to spend the most (time/energy/money) WILL win and get the most customers.
If you do car detailing and you normally charge $30 for an outside wash, charge $7 instead.
You can even offer them for free, with no charge at all, if you’re willing to get that aggressive. Such as a free 30-minute back massage (if you’re a massage therapist).
If you’re a web design company you can offer to setup company’s Google My Business for free, and then get their complementary $100 in Google Adwords (which google gives out for free).
The possibilities are limitless.
But my company’s services typically cost thousands of dollars…
That is fine, you want to find a service you can provide which is NOT big and complex, but which is simple and done within an hour. And offer that for free or for only a few dollars. Consider it an ‘introductory’ service.
If you install patios and driveways then you very definitely could offer a ‘free lawn mowing’, as it is related to your main service. And, a clever businessman would take the opportunity after providing that free lawn mowing, to show the home-owner what his backyard would look like with a paving stone patio, and thus planting the seed for further work.
Where do you promote it?
You can promote this type of deep discount offer directly on your site, in a newspaper, banner ads on other sites, wherever. The point is the offer you are making is so good that people have no reason at all not to take it up.
The Purpose
The purpose behind the deep discount is to get paying customers as easily as possible.
And while you do ‘loose’ a bit of your profit up front by charging much less, you in fact profit considerably more as you have just made a customer, who can become a repeating customer.
If a person buys from you once, he is very inclined to buy from you again. This is well known and empirical.
Of course there will be a percentage who just want your discount and won’t do any of your major products/services. That is unavoidable but shouldn’t deter you from engaging in this kind of a promotion.
The deep discount is an excellent method of getting the prospects attention and turning him into a customer rapidly.
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