Check in With Your Top Salesperson
How long has it been since you redesigned your website?
Editorial Director of The ACHR NEWS
Think about your top salesperson. I mean your “A” player. The amount of revenue that this individual brings into your company puts a big smile on your face. In many ways, they are the face of the company to a great section of your clients.
How often do you check in with this person? Hopefully you do so on a weekly basis. If not, certainly monthly you sit down with this individual to review their performance and also see if there is anything you could be doing to help them sell even more. It makes complete sense to be sure nothing would slow down the sales that are coming in from this person.
Now think about your company website. Is it driving similar sales numbers as your top sales person? In addition, is it driving communication with your audience at a far greater level than that sales person?
So it makes sense to now ask how often do you check in on your website. I mean, if it is bringing in that level of revenue, it is something you should be thinking about on a consistent basis.
So when do you need a new website? I recently had Ben LeDonni of Creative MMS on The ACHR NEWS podcast. Ben is a self-proclaimed digital geek who knows an absurd amount about digital marketing … including websites. When I asked him the simple question of when an HVAC contractor needs to improve their website, he provided a few highlights.
According to Ben, it might be time to update if:
- A competitor elevates their brand online and you can see the difference between theirs and yours. This is a sign that you might need to improve your digital presence.
- You do not have the ability to edit on the back end. If your website is so old that you can’t create a new content page, that is a certain trigger that the website is dated and needs improvement.
- It does not work on mobile devices. More than 50% of website visitors are coming from a mobile device or tablet. If they can’t access your website properly, you are turning away half of your prospective clients.
- Your website lacks functionality. This means there is not a way for visitors to sign up for your enewsletter or follow you on social media. Also, if there is no way to take payment online. That will frustrate users
- The font, logo, and colors that are now on your trucks and uniforms do not match what is on your website (brand consistency).
That last point is an important one. HVAC contractors get lumped in with every other buying experience that a homeowner has. Think about when you go to Starbucks. The cup that holds your coffee has the same logo, font, and color scheme that you will see on the Starbucks website or any of their brand advertising. Rightly or wrongly, users are programmed to see that as a higher value business.
It does not matter if it is a coffee place or and air conditioning contractor — the general public is expecting to see that level of professionalism. So if you want to elevate what you charge or how you are perceived in the marketplace … that is the cost of business.
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When looking at the overall sales process at your company, do not forget about the website. While it is often viewed by some as plug-and-play, it is really something that needs constant review. Don’t be one of those contractors that is missing out on valuable leads because there is not a place for a mobile user to click and call your company. Don’t have that slow website that takes seven seconds to load because the homeowner does not have the attention span for that. (It’s true!)
Go to your website as if you are a customer and see if you like the experience.
If not, invest in improving that website. You would pay a great salesperson, so there is no reason not to spend similar funds to your forgotten salesperson — your website.
