Develop A USP
But - What is a USP?
If you don't know the answer to this question, you're business is in serious trouble! Again, an entire book can be written on this subject (many have been).
Your "USP" is your "Unique Selling Perspective". In other words...Why is your business Unique? What does your business possess that separates it from the rest of your competition? Why should a customer buy from you instead of your competition? What do you offer your customers that your competition doesn't?
Here's a good example.... Amazingly enough, a once failing pizza shop used the power of a strong USP to turn their struggling business into an empire. They decided to become unique and capitalize on one specific aspect of their business that no one else had yet capitalized on. Once they did, their profits soared!
Who is this pizza shop? The Answer? A very well known - Internationally Recognised Name NOW but I can't tell you in the article - (considered as advertising & forbidden.)
So, how did they turn their business around? With a simple, clever, slogan combined with a USP.... Delivered Hot And Fresh In 30 Minutes Or Less... OR IT'S FREE! The young owner of this Pizza Business didn't capitalize on fresh ingredients, the ripest tomatoes, 5 different cheeses, or special offers.... Everyone else was already doing that! This "college student" realized where the need was and hammered home his simple message! What did folks want from a pizza place? They wanted their pizza FAST! This simple slogan and USP alone turned a once failing business into a MEGA MILLION DOLLAR FRANCHISE!
Don't Sell Products... Sell Content - This may sound a bit strange... After all, you're in business to make money, right? Absolutely! You want the sale...Right? Of course! But just as I touched on this same issue previously, the best way to sell a customer is by first gaining their trust and reassuring them that by making a purchase from you, it will be a decision they won't regret. The only way to really do this effectively is by pre-selling. Yes, you want your website visitors to ultimately click the "Buy Now" button on your website, but you only want them to do so AFTER they've come to know your business and respect you as a business professional.
So why not put some articles or valuable content on your website that will interest readers in your niche' market? For example.....
-- Offer free downloads for visitors to read at their leisure.
-- Get them to sign up for your newsletter so you can stay in touch.
-- Place a web poll on your site to get visitors involved - make sure the questions relate to your site's theme
-- Put a feedback form on your website for readers to offer their suggestions
-- Put a testimonials page up to show your visitors how much previous buyers enjoyed their shopping experience
-- Offer a "Shopping Tips" or "Helpful Hints" page to give your visitors something of value for free
-- Offer a weekly promotion to get visitors returning to your site on a regular basis
This is only a small list of suggestions you could incorporate into the selling process. When folks are returning to your site on a regular basis, your chances for a sale are 1000 times greater than when a first time visitor hits your site.
Sell On Every Page Of Your Site - Your website may be 20 pages, or it may be 200 pages, but what so many folks don't understand is that every page on their website should be a "SUPER" salesperson! For instance, let's assume you have a newsletter subscription box that allows your readers to sign up for your newsletter.
Now, I know (after reading some of the tips throughout this article so far) that your website is going to be a SUPER salesperson in itself!
You'll have a free offer for signing up, perhaps a "Special Report" that readers won't want to miss out on so they'll subscribe, or even a special sales promo for those on your list. I think you understand my point.
Your newsletter subscription box is going to SELL! But here's the problem I see on so many sites.... The subscription box is setup very nicely and sells effectively, getting dozens of new subscribers each day, but unfortunately once the new prospect subscribes..... VOILA! A simple little "Thank You For Subscribing" page shows up to confirm their subscription.
That's very nice and all, but the greater lesson here is that this is another page on your site & it CAN be used to SELL! Why not put another offer on your "Thank You" page as well!
This is PRIME advertising space. The offer doesn't have to be obvious or annoying. Actually, the offer should be something extremely subtle. You don't want to keep bombarding your visitors with POP UP ADS or flashing neon sales promotions... ... one sales pitch after another. By doing that, you'd lose credibility and trust! But by being a smart SALESPERSON, you do want to effectively sell at every turn and take advantage of every opportunity...right? Stay Tuned .....
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About The Author - David Newman is a business development webmaster and self development "guru". David has achieved his goal of Financial Freedom & his current goal is to help other "worthy types" to Achieve Their GOALS!
Subscribe for FREE to "Life Changing Income 4 You " by sending a blank email to: - dave@webmarketing4you.citymax.com
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http://www.webmarketing4you.citymax.com 
