This free report is from: Director of Web Sales 2.0

Dear Friends:

Opportunity is knocking at our Web doors; can you answer the knock and explain what's going on? If you can, you have a audience who wants to get online.

Remember that the client usually brings in a knee jerk fear of computers and the hyped "threat" the World Wide Web presents to their way of life -- a fear instilled by newspapers and other media afraid of what is happening. Selling depends on creating a comfort zone with the consumer. Don't you feel apprehension when you are about to commit to a new business? By addressing this fear, answering it, building credibility, and creating trust, you get that comfort zone. A comfort zone is based on credibility.

I come from a background in selling computers, networking services, multimedia, and desktop publishing. I thought my background would bring credibility and develop trust.

You'd think that would be a strength...it proved to be my biggest weakness.

Sell Technology and All You Get are Glassy Eyes Staring at You...and No Sale

I kept trying to get the clients to understand what the Web offered in MY TERMS! All that explaining, defining, and jargon tracking led to a two hour obstacle course of questions....and no sale. All my technical knowledge and expertise is wasted on a client who simply wants to know what value the World Wide Web and Internet have for them. I'm one of the old-timers online, but the target market of the next five years is composed of people who don't work with computers, are afraid of the technology, and feel threatened by how this is changing their lives.

All they want is to get more customers and sell more.

And guess what they are being told? That they should become techies, understanding mountains of jargon and worst of all, they are being told to change. That their knowledge is outdated, that to succeed they have to understand the techie talk we all conduct on the Web.

Nothing could be further from the truth. What I've learned is that the 7 major objections are opportunities; explain and clarify what's going on, and you make a sale. Let me show you how. Talk business, revenue, savings, and how to reach an international marketplace and you get interest; talk tech and you get nothing.

I learned that selling Web sites depends on the ability to simply explain what is going on. When I really looked at it, all my technical knowledge meant nothing. The online marketplace is forming, built on traditional business practices. The more I related what is going on with what we have all been doing for thousands of years, the more I sold. Explanations in that marvelous missing language called English opened up many doors, because the client wasn't changing...I was. And still am. I have to relate to the majority who are coming online, not the minority that built this World Wide Web.

The trouble in selling Web sites is in making it easy to understand. Objections arise only out of a lack of understanding. Answer these objections and you'll find success online. Try to explain the technical aspects and you'll have a two hour interview with no results.

(Don't ignore technical questions, but even if they person has an understanding of what drives the Web, they really miss the meaning; the Web is a business place. Technology is great to impress your friends at parties, but death to a Web sale, even if the prospective client is a techie. Don't sell technology; sell the value and benefits it can provide to the client.)

Let's begin with the seven objections. Each objection is listed, briefly defined, and answers given.

Objection 1. I'm afraid of the risk of investing; the Web is so new, is anyone making money?

Fear Defined: It's my money. It's your idea. I need to understand what is going on here. Can I make money online?

Answer: The fact that the Web is new is the reason you should be getting in...now. You have the chance to contact an international marketplace for less than the cost of a color ad in a magazine or a blurb in the local Yellow Pages. Do you know what is driving this marketplace? It's not software, technology, or any of the hype you read; it's banking.

Imagine yourself five years from now, sitting down in your living room with your NTV (network television, a mixture of computer and television); you shop online, see a product you want, and click your choice. No waiting, no going to a phone to call, just a simple point and click transaction. Impulse shopping has been brought into the home like never before; the advertisement and the way to order are all in one marketplace. No matter where you are, no matter what time of day it is, no matter what the world is doing, you can stop and shop at a Web site and order. Simply, directly, and available to all businesses, not just the select few who can advertise on television, radio, or high priced print publications.

Do you know who is building this marketplace? Not cyber-gurus, but ATT, Bank of America, Citibank, Mastercard, and all the Fortune 500 corporations. They are pushing people online; most businesses are online, and the consumer base is growing every month. Over 40% of American homes will be hooked up to the Internet by the year 2000. Forrester Research predicts it will be a $45 billion marketplace, generating sales revenue.

Do you know who is making money online? Small businesses like you. Like any good business, it does take time to grow. There are many ways to make and save money, like:

• Selling products and services
• Saving money on printing costs and getting your message out
• Accessing an affluent audience; most online users home income exceeds $60,000
• Customer service online, by providing support documents and email for feedback
• Market research; you can find out trends online, ask your consumers what they want, and test out headlines and business ideas online;
• Adding access to an international marketplace to your print advertising
• Enhancing your company's image; if you see a Web site and email on a business card and/or letterhead, it shows the company is moving with the tides of the marketplace.
• Finally, do you realize people will interview and talk with you just because you have a Web site, regardless of your business? What other form of advertising or promotion can promise that?

I've got a secret for you; there's nothing new going on here. We are all still buying, selling, and trading. The marketplace has just expanded for everyone; you are on the same level as the large companies, in fact small businesses do better online because they don't have to meet to make decisions. They test, act on the feedback, and create products and services that the customer requests. The Web is part of any company's marketing efforts for the upcoming decade.

What the Web represents is access; the rest is just commentary. The best businesses online make money because they take advantage of this opportunity. Let me show you what your competition is doing.

Objection 2: I don't know about the Web, I feel overwhelmed.

Fear Defined: I'm afraid that I will have to inhale a huge manual and memorize all the technical tricks it takes to go online. Meanwhile I have a business and family, and not enough time. Don't I have to be a techie?

Answer: Of course not! Can you imagine what would happen if we all had to become experts? We would all have to run our businesses, create the commercials, get the technology working, buy the air time, and get it going. No one has time to do all this. And you don't have to do this with the World Wide Web. I'm going to show you that all it takes to create your Web site will be a one or two page document written in a word processor. Basically I'm asking you to write a simple outline.

A Web site is simply a storefront, which presents your business and acts as an online salesperson, open 24 hours a day 7 days a week throughout the world. What you need to understand is how you want to approach your audience, get them interested in what you are selling, and close the deal. Like any store, it should greet the visitor, point them to the product and services, and provide a place to answer questions . Does that sound high tech?

Do you know how your television works? Does a printer expect you to understand the intricacies of four color printing when creating your brochure? If they tried to explain it, they would lose business. You would never use their services if they did. We are all accustomed to this in the "real" world. Now the Web comes along and people think they will have to do it all, from the printing to the promoting.

The Web is the real world; try to do it all and you fail, because your time is not productive, it is based in production. Like any business, it should be built on your efforts to contact the audience. Let me handle the technical end and guide you to the right solution. You handle the business end.

Let's talk about building your business. Can you describe your business for me in a few sentences? What is it that your audience wants from your business? How do you generate sales? What are the benefits of your business to the target audience? (Define the difference between a benefit and a feature. Don't let them tell you about cliches like service and quality; what really brings the client to the business? What it does for them. People purchase vitamins to make them feel better, look younger, and live longer. They don't buy vitamins because it is sold by a company based on quality and service.)

END OF EXCERPT