| LED Digest 2491: (Not) Publishing Prices |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" Data > Information > Knowledge > Wisdom www.GetWebContent.com/LED : the LED's Key Sponsor The Web's Most Experienced SEO Content Providers. www.SEOToolSet.com/training/ : the LED's Premier Sponsor Bruce Clay's Search Engine Optimization Training & Certification ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest adam, led-digest.com http://www.led-digest.com .............................................. September 13, 2007 Issue no. 2491 .............................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ==== CONTINUING ================= <Moderator Comment> ~ What's New? --== Customer Service Pet Peeves ==-- ~ Steve Pronger "Web users are used to things happening fast." ~ Tom Aman "No prices: I too consider this unforgiveable..." ~ John Smart "...I understand not posting pricing, especially for certain industries..." ======== CONTINUING =============================== <Moderator Comment> Greetings LEDer, I've been burning the midnight oil. Long work days for clients, followed by long working nights getting the AudetteMedia site launched. We're getting there - I'll announce it here soon. What's new with you? What cool new projects are you working on, what burning questions do you have, what issues are foremost in your mind? Send an email and let's discuss. Sorry, that's all I got :) After the new site's launched I'll be myself again. Have a great Thursday. -Adam -------------------------- From: Steve Pronger Subject: Customer service > ... if you are going to spend thousands or probably tens > of thousands of dollars in designing a really nice web site, > you should assign responsibility to people to check your > messages and/or email, wouldn't you agree? - Ron Coble, LED Digest 2489 - http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/1901/190/ Ron's post struck a chord. Some time ago I wrote a guide called "Put your business on the Web - the RIGHT way!" And in the first chapter, called "Is your business ready for the Web?," I wrote this: "Of course the most common visitor response will come in the form of an email enquiry. Web users are used to things happening fast. It took but a few seconds to get your website up on their screen - if your site does its job and generates a sale or an enquiry, they want a response now, not next week." My motivation for including that chapter was experiencing those same frustrations that Ron has. You visit a website ready to buy, get made to jump through hoops and then get absolutely no response. Yes Ron, I absolutely agree. I think the fact that it's most often offline marketing (catalogues, yellow pages etc) which leads you to sites like these, is at the heart of the problem. The owners just aren't in tune with online marketing. They figured that they'd better "put up a website," so they paid a designer thousands of dollars to build it and then dutifully pay their hosting account each year. But that's about it. Having to check their email regularly is just an annoyance. "Hey, I've got a business to run!" They have no idea where their site ranks in the SERPs, and they don't care. They are quite happy mailing out their catalogues and running their business the same way they always have. On the other hand, sites you find via online marketing have owners with a different mindset. Whether they get found in the SERPs or via PPC, the owners did more than just put up a website. Because if they did, you wouldn't have found them. These people are marketing their business online. They've invested in more than just a "website" and they WANT to do business with you, ONLINE! > ... hopefully some of the folks in the group who are > paid to design and consult on building web sites > will place a little bug in their client's ears about > utilizing what you build for them. Couldn't agree more. That's exactly why I wrote the guide. There's little point in spending thousands of dollars on web development that achieves nothing, other than having a website. Most small business owners are oblivious to the world of online marketing. They need to be shown the benefits of owning a web BUSINESS, not just a website. And just like any other business, a web business lives or dies by the quality of its customer service. It would be nice to think that every web designer, developer or DIY site building solution got that message across right from the outset, but it's just not the case. Steve Pronger http://www.stevepronger.com -------- new post - same topic -------- From: Tom Aman Subject: Customer service > But, seriously, can anyone justify not answering > a potential customer's request or waiting 3 days > to do so and not post your prices on your web > site - if so, I would be interested in hearing > your justifications. - Ron Coble 1. Not answering: in this case I would initially assume that the message never reached anyone. First, after a reasonable wait, I would have tried again, then, if still no response, I would phone to verify that the message was actually received. I know you used their contact form, but my wife had the experience with her site where the contact form, for reasons never identified, suddenly failed to sent her entered messages. Luckily a customer took the trouble to phone her to check if she ever got the message - didn't take us long to rectify the problem once we knew about it. Moral of the story: if you use a contact form, take time to regularly test that it is working. 2. 3 days to respond: Not good, but better than no response. Also, consider that they may have been swamped with messages (especially after a long weekend) and/or may have had staff off due to vacation / sickness so the 3 day reponse may not have been unreasonable. (As for the item in the new catalog being discontinued - that may have been outside their control since the manufacturer may have unexpectedly discontinued the item *after* they had the catalog printed, although they should have at least updated the Web site to indicate this fact.) 3. No prices: I too consider this unforgiveable, whether it be a retail Web site or a store. Usually in such cases I will just leave. Tom Aman Aman Software http://www.cyberspyder.com Home of CyberSpyder Link Test ========= Begin Sponsor Message ========= Autumn Leaves Must Fall, But Not Your PR Seasons change. How about your site's copy? When was the last time you added or updated your content to make it more end-user useful and search-engine succulent? Customers and search bots want fresh meat. http://www.GetWebContent.com/LED we deliver the beef. ========== End Sponsor Message ========== -------- new post - same topic -------- From: John Smart Subject: Customer service Customer service is a problem. We try to tell our clients that if they are posting their e-Mail address as a point of contact they MUST check their mail at least three times a day, and respond to it. Yet, I do not always do this! We are a small company, and things do slip through the cracks - a mail reaches the wrong person (through no fault of the potential customer) and following it through starts - accept the phone is ringing, another client has arrived, and that deadline is fast approaching. It doesn't often happen, but when it does, the experience is frustratingly painful for the customer and for us. Whenever it happens (this is not a regular occurrence!) we examine the problem, and tighten up procedure, but it will probably happen again, much to the bewilderment of us and the client! As for pricing, I understand not posting pricing, especially for certain industries - your swing set, for example. With a three hundred dollar discount, this is going to be a big ticket item, and maybe I could get something from Wal Mart for 25% of the cost. So maybe they don't want my eyes to jump to the price, but they want the opportunity to tell me about the 50 year warranty, the high quality of wood, the no splinter guarantee, the quality of design, workmanship and components etc. But as a customer, one fears being 'fleeced' that if you show an interest, the slimy salesman will rub his hands together and add an extra few hundred dollars here. In our business it is very hard to give a price. Each job is so varied, we have to quote - plus, our rates vary. I charge more (per hour) for database design and planning than for PHP programming. I charge more (per hour) for PHP than for html. I have tried to write that out for our web page, but have yet to manage it in a way that would not leave the (potential) clients head spinning! Another for is competition. If I announce my swing set is $1,200, then some kid down the road can easily say 'Save $300 - get the same type of swing set from me for just $900!'. With frugal, comparative shopping etc, it is easy for people to undercut and run with the clients. What would be great would be if the client could say 'I want X and can pay Y' and we could say 'Okay, we can give you X, but it would cost Z, or we can give you W for X'. But that requires a lot of trust, that customer do not have. Sadly, that is understandable. John Smart InternetDesign.com A Human Touch in a Digital world. ------------------------------------------------------- The LED Digest is sponsored by: GetWebContent.com The Web's Most Experienced SEO Content Providers. Free no-obligation proposal: http://GetWebContent.com/LED SEOToolSet.com Bruce Clay's Search Engine Optimization Training & Certification Join the certified SEO directory: www.SEOToolSet.com/training/ The Archives: http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/126/189/ Subscribe: http://www.led-digest.com/content/view/52/187/ Unsubscribe, Change Email, or Hold / Resume Delivery: http://www.led-digest.com/content/category/4/17/201/ (c) Copyright 1995-2007 Orange Wheel, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "everything changes, nothing perishes" [omnia mutantur, nihil interit] - Ovid |
