Betty and I conferred for over an hour about what had to
change on her web site.

She was using Weebly, a simple site builder that is wysiwyg
(What You See Is What You Get) and doesn’t require the user to have any
knowledge of html or other code.

The difficulty was caused by the complexity of displaying
all the information necessary and linking to two other services, one for
reservations and purchases and the other for step-by-step information.

Her partner had all sorts of wonderful ideas. And each one
would have swallowed the budget. But then he said something that makes sense:

            “Make sure
it will work on phones and tablets.”

Weebly, like many of the do it yourself web site builders is
optimized for both computer and mobile but simplifying your web site can pay
benefits in the mobile application. Crisp conceptual photos, page identifiers,
column-size Buttons and action generating small space boxes all become even
more powerful than before.

Peg came back from a convention in Las Vegas. She couldn’t wait to tell me about
the research she had heard presented. It seems that there are specific reasons
for the huge market for the larger-screened smart phones. What she told me is:

“Over 50% of large screen smart phone
purchasers have incomes under $20,000/year. They buy because they don’t have a
TV or a computer and don’t take the newspaper. The phone is their connection
to the world. 

More than 35% of the purchasers of
large screen smart phones want the convenience of the larger screen because they
use it more often than their tablet or computer.”

The only way to be sure your site works both ways is to look
at it. If you use GoDaddy you can look at the site both ways before you publish
it.

But if 85% of large screen smart phone buyers are going to
use them as their net connection you need to be sure they can access your
information.

Anyone have data on A/B split tests on what works best on
Smart Phones?

I figure we should all be chasing that or at least trying to
figure out what impact those devices are having on the overall statistics.

Check to be sure those advanced features like video and
audio work on the mobile version of your site as well as they do on the
computer version. I’d say more but I checked and now I have some work to do on
that very opportunity.

Jerry Fletcher is a Marketing Strategist who builds his
business on and off-line by continuous checking and improvement. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

He speaks as the Networking Ninja on three continents. Learn
more (preferably on a computer for the moment) at www.NetworkingNinja.com

“They call themselves designers,” said Jan. “That should be
your first clue.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“You know I’ve been looking for someone to put together my
new web site, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So I started interviewing folks to do it and I can’t find
anyone I can believe in to do it right.

Every time I ask them for results they
send me sites to look at instead of information about how what they’ve done for
clients did the things I’m interested in like:

            Building
traffic

            Generating
leads

            Promoting
better click through rates

            Getting
sales

            Automating
my entire follow up system

All they seem to care about is what it looks like not if it
performs!

Stop laughing! … Or you’ll be wearing this coffee.”

“I’m sorry” I gulped through a chortle, “But this is déjà vu
all over again for me.

I started working on web sites so long ago that the
methodology (Frames) is pretty much something only archeologists know about.

The point is that even though the human race is visually
oriented the words still matter. That is particularly true of web sites. You
can lay the failure of most sites on the words not the design. But design is
really important in terms of making sure the words work.

Here are some questions to ask that erstwhile designer to
find the one in a hundred that can really help you:

1. I need
   to get people to give me their e-mail address so I can connect with them.
   What should I do?

The answer
should include clear direction to put a box above the fold on the home
page and as many others as possible to get people to either sign up for a
specific item or for a scheduled item like a newsletter or blog. The requested
information should be as brief as possible (name and e-mail in most cases). The
action request should be the only one on the page and include a button that is
clearly to get the item. 

2. How do
   you know what sort of design will work best for my needs?

This answer can go a lot of
directions. The one you are looking for is that the designer follows the
results of A/B testing and helps clients track actual results. She or he is
less concerned about winning awards than getting results and uses design skills
to assure your goals are met rather than some ethereal design aesthetic. 

3. Will I
   be able to make changes in the site without your help after it is
   finished?

If the answer is no, ask why.  If the site is being developed in a format
which you cannot access you are being hijacked. Hundreds of thousands of people
have WordPress or GoDaddy or Weebly sites and maintain them without assistance.
They don’t always build them by themselves and at times have components that
require professional assistance but basic site maintenance, the ability to
change words and pictures (no navigation or complex code) should be included in
the price to you.

The most important thing is to find someone that understands
that a web site is not a design exercise.

Today, it is your face to the world. It is your corporate
brochure and your first interaction with a prospect. It is the persona that begins
the branding experience. It is not the brand. Your brand is developed within
the minds of all the people out there. It is the sum total of all your
interactions with them, not just your web site.

Make your web site as accessible as possible for your best
potential customers.

Rather than an attempt to impress, design your web site as
an open invitation to get to know you.”

Jerry Fletcher is a Marketing Strategist who understands the
importance of design (He has a degree in design) and has an ongoing interest in
what works. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

Jerry speaks about Networking, Marketing and Contact
Relationship Magic on three continents. See some of his signature stories at www.NetworkingNinja.com

John and I were chatting after a chamber of commerce
networking event.

He finished off a cup of coffee and said, “You were right to
suggest I should call the company from a hotel phone when I was out of town.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I found out how long it takes to get a call back…even
when you are obviously someone with a problem in search of a solution.
Unbelievable!  I was still waiting the
next day when I checked out.

I know you told me that there are ways to interconnect
telephone response with internet interest and track all that activity with hard
metrics. You told me but I was still not completely convinced.

I did what you suggested. I responded to an e-mail that
suggested I might want to re-finance my home. It took me to a page to give them
some information.

Less than a minute after I clicked Talk to an agent my phone
rang!

Less than a minute! I was astonished.

And then I went to your friend Chris’s web site. Instead of
filling out his online forms I called the telephone number. He answered the
phone!”

“Okay, John,” I asked, “What did you learn after all this
personal research?”

“That quote you sent me was dead on.

            People
communicate and learn in two worlds:

            The
digital world and the face to face world.

                              Nancy Harkrider, Managing Partner KDi Americas

 I was especially reminded of your comment that business
must operate in both and find ways to connect them seamlessly with panache.”

“John,” I said, “Do you think the speed of the response had
something to do with your reaction?”

“Yes,” he said as he pulled his car keys from his pocket.
“That surprised me but later in the day I got a call from another mortgage
operation. They were just as courteous but I felt they were not as interested
in me. I know it’s silly but that’s the way it felt.”

We pushed through the double doors to the parking lot and
stopped at the bottom of the steps.

“John,” I said, “That is what brand is all about. You can
have the most expensive logotype in the world. You can advertise until the bell cow brings ‘em home but all that time and money means nothing when the customer
wants to move from the digital world to the face to face world.

You have to be ready to talk when they want to. Waiting is
not something real prospects do well. Marketing is about making sure that the
experience of moving from prospect to customer is seamless and astonishing if
you can bring it off.”

Jerry Fletcher is a marketing consultant that understands
the power of panache in businesses of all sizes. Learn more at www.JerryFletcher.com

The stories in Jerry’s dialogue blog are conflations of
actual meetings and conversations but all, like the signature stories in his
professional speaking engagements have lessons you can put to work today. Find
out how to bring hm in to your organization www.NeworkingNInja.com

“Online readers like numbers because they believe the numbers
represent facts,” Rick said.

“And facts will get you to Trust,” I responded.

We were sitting on the deck. I was stirring lemon into an iced tea.

Rick took a sip of his Pale Ale and went on, “But it depends
on how you use ‘em. Here’s five ways I think are really important:

1. They
   help you be specific. Saying you have 3 models from 7 different brands
   says you have selection better than saying you have ‘superb selection’.
   More Trust. Less confusion.

2. They
   are quick. I just flat get ‘em without having to think about it. If I use
   the numbers In 2 for 1 versus the words, Two for One it is much easier to
   see and comprehend. Trust without a long commitment.

3. They
   are easy to test. Changing from a word to a number in a headline or
   subject line or a teaser on an envelope can be done quickly and easily and
   you won’t believe the lift sometimes. And price testing. It is so easy on
   line. And you can Trust the answers you get.

4. They
   can enhance credibility of the benefits you cite. Say you make a robot with a placement
   accuracy of 2 nanometers and a .002/second cycle rate. You and I ay not
   completely understand those number but the engineers that need the machine
   will want to know more. They will trust you to supply the data they need.

5. They
   adjust to demographics. I pricing in particular you can skew how a product
   is perceived. Look at the difference in a price of $10 versus one of
   $10.00 where the cents are included. The higher the price, the more the
   high-end buyer wants to see the cents as well as the dollars. They
   Trust you more if you give them information in the form they prefer.

People believe you can’t shade meanings with numbers so they
trust them more than words. You can take that to the bank.”

Jerry Fletcher has built a consulting practice on
Trust-based Marketing. Get more information a www.JerryFletcher.com

Jerry’s keynote The Trust Goldmine is noted on is
speaking web site. www.NetworkingNinja.com

“Our clients forget too quickly that they can’t do it
alone,” I said as Gail and Rick pulled up chairs.

“Do what?” asked Rick.

“Get to Trust,” I responded. “Just like It takes two to
Tango or Salsa or whatever dance the stars are doing it takes two to get to
Trust.”

Gail coaxed, “And this is important because….”

I’ve said it before, “Who you know is important and what you
know makes a difference but the single most important thing to be successful in
business is who trusts you.”

“So what you’re saying is that to sell anything you have to
get to trust, and if you don’t, you won’t,” said Rick.

“Right, “I replied. I’m a little frustrated by a business to
business client that is bouncing all over the place, full of piling up lists of
features and benefits and unwilling to let me talk to some prospects to
understand their wants and needs and desires or let me get a handle on their
objections.”

“Is he afraid they might not like his product or service?”
asked Gail.

Rick suggested, “He could be so in love with this thing he’s
developed that he can’t see the forest for the trees. I’ve seen that happen so
many times in high tech that I expect it now.”

“So,” I said, “How do you get around a lack of Trust between one of your companies and their customers?”

“Some times you have to do it the hard way,” Gail said.
“I’ve warned clients that the path they are following will not, in my opinion,
work and that they should change but if they are hard over on doing it I will
give them the best copy I can based on that direction. Sometimes it gets them
to change but very infrequently.”

“I tried that,” Rick agreed. But I try to make it the last
resort because it can get very expensive in Direct Marketing. One thing I’ve
found is that I can push them pretty hard in list selection. Because of the
expansion of selects we can go deeper into prospects habits and media usage and
a host of other factors. What I find is that they really don’t know their
prospects all that well so we push them into doing some simple testing that
reveals where the best product fit is.

“Brilliant,” Gail burst out, “That is sort of what I did
once. I got them to have the prospect respond by phone and had the client and I
actually take some of the calls. Talk about change an opinion in a heartbeat!”

“So what you’re saying is the first step is to get the
client into a conversation with the prospect or customer so they are talking
with the customer rather than at them.

They agreed,  saying
it was only the first step but perhaps the most important.

What would you suggest?

Trust-based Marketing is essential in today’s world. See how
it can be applied for you at www.JerryFletdher.com

Jerry’s international keynote about the Trust Goldmine and
other speech topics can be found at www.NetworkingNinja.com

I work with consulting, coaching and professional start-ups
as well as those that need to take their practices up a notch.

Networking is a critical element in their success or
failure.

I always ask what they are doing or going to do to scale up
their Networking.

Here are 5 things you can do:

1. Invest
   in a CRM system that meets your needs. There are free ones available on
   line and a host of possibilities to include Outlook that can do part of
   the job but not all of it. If you want an integrated CRM that allows you
   to customize the data you save, check out the product tab at
   www.pixelgigs.me/1118

2. Use
   the CRM system to record contact data, obligations and to schedule the
   follow up actions you need to take. Don’t overlook recording information
   about new acquaintances that doesn’t match up with the common sales
   oriented standards. Think about recording interests, hobbies and
   preferences to allow you to see the person in your mind’s eye when you
   haven’t been together for a while. 

3. Get
   outside your comfort zone. Yes, you need to meet people that are prospects
   and the centers of influence in prospects lives that might send them to
   you but make it a point to meet people in other industries and with other
   tastes and interests as well. This will round you as a person but it will
   give you a singular advantage over most people that network for business.
   It will allow you to use the weak links, indirect connections to the kind
   of people you want to meet that you get to by telling all the people you
   meet the kind of clients you want to work with. 

4. Treat
   every contact with care. Be genuine. I’ve been amused, intrigued and at
   times overwhelmed with how powerful simply caring can be when it is
   genuine. Simply saying thank you for talking to me to someone in a
   handwritten note says you care and builds a relationship that is not soon
   forgotten. I have had contacts I barely remember link me to business I
   never expected to get because of a thank you. Each of us has some skill or
   interest or ability that we care deeply about. Ascertain that cherished
   talent. Make it a point to tap into it if only in conversation.

5. Stay
   in touch. Relational networkers know that networking is not tit for tat.
   It is going past the initial meeting and follow up to a long term
   connection that is positive for both of you. Sometimes you have to be
   persistent. With others it seems to just happen naturally. The key is to stay
   with it. This is where the CRM system can really help. With it you can
   schedule contacts and make sure you follow up. You can keep track of the
   situation and know what is going on. It’s funny how something that simple
   can bring great rewards years later.

Tit for tat or Transitional
Networking does not scale.

Relational Networking will scale. All it takes is using this simple advice.

 Jerry Fletcher is and expert at
Trust-based Marketing at the heart of which is Relational Networking. Learn
more at www.JerryFletcher.com

www.NetworkingNinja.com is where you
can learn more about Jerry’s Speaking Topics and view videos of him in
action.  

Bob announced, “The grits aren’t bad specially since I’m in
the upper left corner of the country instead of home in Dixie.”

That’s when the rest of us knew why he’d picked this place
to meet.

Gail asked what else was on his mind.

“Well,“ he said, “I been thinkin’ about a problem some of my
clients are having with slippery customers”

“Slippery?” at least three of asked.

“You have to understand,” Bob explained, these are companies
that have been around a while. For them, customers were like rocks. They bought
the brand. They always came back. They never had a bad word.

Now, all of sudden they are gettin’ slippery. They’re
talking to each other and they keep pushin’ to get things done their way.

Used to be that we could pretty much figure on getting them
to try the new products and keep on buying the old ones right on schedule, but
not any more.

Chris was nodding so I asked, “You understand this?”

He said, “Yes. The world is changing faster than even guys
like me care to think about it. I saw a study the other day that reported that
62% of consumers prefer to go on line for at least part of their shopping.”

“So how can we help Bob?”

Chris volunteered, “Make sure you use all the media the
customer consumes. I’m betting these companies aren’t doing as much on line as
they probably should. You can put some effort there and it will pay off immediately.”

I suggested, “Go for conversations instead of commercials.
One of the things I try to get people to understand in 30 Second Marketing is
that you have to stop talking at people and start talking with
them.

Kate, ever the sales guru said, “Make it intimate, fun and personal
for each and every customer. Use the available technology to make the
experience memorable. They will come back for more. I guarantee it.

Gail put the icing on the cake saying, Think of customers as
strategic partners. Whether you like it or not in today’s world they are as
much your brand as anything else.

Bob summarized, “So what y’all are sayin’ is that to
maintain the brand in today’s world we have to deliver on all the promises we
made in the past, talk with folks in all the ways they want to communicate and
make ‘em family. Right?”

Our southern boy Brand expert gets it. Any more suggestions for
Bob? Let us know.

30 Second Marketing will be on sale at Jerry’s web site by
the end of the month. Learn about that personal networking skill and his expertise
in Trust-based Marketing at www.JerryFletcher.com

Looking for a speaker on Networking, Marketing or Contact
Relationship Management? Visit www.NetworkingNinja.com

Gail looked over her glasses and snorted, “Will you ever
stop beating that CRM horse?”

It was the usual lunch gathering but with a slightly
expanded group: Rob; our branding bulldog, Rick; the Direct Marketing guy,
Chris; a new member of the group with a vast knowledge of on-line stuff for one
so young and the senora of sales; Kate.

“I don’t get it,” I said. “Getting you guys to buy in is
like watching ice melt in a deep freeze.

I’ve told you how the research shows you can’t keep more
than 7 items in memory at the same time. I’ve shown you how easy it can be to
put in basic contact data and add to it as things develop. Rick and Chris have
told you how important personalization can be in today’s world. Rob just keeps
telling us how important the relationship with the customer is to having a
great brand. And I know Kate keeps extensive notes on hot prospects.

Why don’t you guys have a Contact Relationship Management
system in place in your businesses?  I
really want to know and I promise not to interrupt or try to sell you.”

“That will be a first,” Kate said. “But I’ll start. You know
that CRM used to be called just Contact Management. It wasn’t so fancy…or so
complex.

CRM has always been sold as a way to increase sales. And that
is true—for the guys and gals in the middle of the pack. The top performers
don’t like it because it takes too much time for such a small difference in
performance and the ones on the bottom, may loose their jobs because of their miserable
metrics which are made painfully obvious to their boss. The ones in the middle
can profit if they put the system to work and use the time saved to make more
and better sales calls.

I train individuals and sales forces to be more profitable.
I don’t recommend CRM systems because I know how hard it is to get people to
use ‘em BUT they can really help a sales manager get a handle on the levels of
performance in the sales team.

“So what do you use?” I asked.

She mumbled, “Outlook and a spread sheet.”

Before she continued a couple of others piped up that they
did as well.

Gail, a Mac user said “There aren’t any systems simple
enough for me. I just go with the one that comes with the computer and I use
Constant Contact to do e-mail marketing and I have guy that syncs the lists and
takes off the ones that don’t go through. And I just type people’s data in as I
get it.

Chris winced and said, “So how do you handle sign ups for
your blog or your newsletter not to mention the people you are working with and
those you want for clients?”

Rick said, “I’m a Mac user, too and i have to tell you that
a CRM system is a lot of work and I don’t think a small operation really needs
one. When I was running a Direct Marketing firm we needed one to keep new
business on track but now that I’m consulting I can pretty much keep track of
what I need to with a spread sheet and a calendar.

I still follow your advice to decide what to do next,
calendar it and then just do it each time I connect with a client or prospect.
That works. And If you have some kind of software that allows a team to see a
calendar that could be helpful.

“That’s for sure,” said Chris. “I work with a lot of
startups and small companies and most of them feel like a CRM system would cost
too much in money and time. The thing is they’ll spend several hundred dollars
on paid online advertising a month and not take advantage of web site visits to
capture at least an e-mail so they can continue the conversation with someone
that is interested in their product or service.

A CRM system can pay for itself if you put the information
to work.

Me? Well I use Outlook and Excel and make do but I should
probably take my own advice.”

Rob drawled, “Y’all seem to me to be a couple biscuits shy
of breakfast.  Everything we do for
ourselves and our clients adds to Brand. That is why they call it CRM Customer Relationship
Management these days.

Put the relationship in to build the Brand.

There’s more to it than sales and sales tracking. There’s
personalization and understanding what folks want on the fly. CRM is the heart
of how you build your business and our brand. You have to have the data
available to everyone that can use it in a way that it each touch point in the
company can add to the customer experience. It has to fit into on and offline
marketing and be trackable. Tain’t easy. Just make sure any one in the pack can
tree ‘em and that all of you make ‘em feel good about bein’ there.

 “Tree “em?” I asked

“Get the information that will allow you to get back to them
or to drip on ‘em or allow anybody in your organization to treat them the way
they want to be treated next time they stop by. It’s all about the brand and
every thing you do right will keep ‘em in your tree.

Just make sure your CRM is simple enough for all the folks that
have to use it.”

Jerry Fletcher is known as a Contact Relationship Magician Have
a system in place? He starts where the software stops. Putting one in place? He
knows the right questions to ask. www.JerryFletcher.com

Jerry speaks internationally on Trust Based Marketing &
Contact Relationship Management. See video at www.NetworkingNinja.com