| ign="center"> | | | | Provide potential clients with further information, |
| Online, your website is your business' clothes. | | | | invoices and useful forms, links to helpful resources, |
| Would you show up to a business meeting with a | | | | and contact forms to get in touch with you when |
| client or investor in a t-shirt and sweat pants? Maybe, | | | | you're out of reach. |
| if it were representative of your company. But if | | | | It takes a customer less than 5 seconds to decide to |
| you're selling anything besides sweat pants and | | | | stay or leave your website. |
| t-shirts, it's important that your image represents the | | | | Customers will either give you their business or they |
| professionalism and quality of your products or | | | | won't. If they have no past experience with your |
| services. Online, your website is your business' | | | | company, and come across your website, that's |
| clothes. | | | | solely what they will base their decision on. If your |
| You're losing business without one. | | | | site does not woo them in the first 5 seconds, it's |
| If you have ever gone on vacation, you have | | | | likely they will leave and never return. In the long run, |
| probably experienced browsing through dozens of | | | | an unprofessional website can lose many potential |
| hotels. Did you book an immediate reservation at the | | | | customers - much more monetarily than the one initial |
| hotel with no photos posted and no information | | | | cost of a website. Our company, for example, made |
| listed? It's more likely you chose the hotel with a | | | | a key decision in February 2010 to re-design our |
| professional image, price rates listed, photos of | | | | entire website. Since then, we have experienced a |
| rooms, and detailed information about what they | | | | 300% increase in the number of clients filling out a |
| have to offer. These hotel listings are much like your | | | | contact form. Just a couple images changes at one |
| business and its direct competition. If your | | | | point nearly doubled our number of contacts. This |
| competition has everything online that your potential | | | | investment was paid off within a month by the |
| customer needs to make a decision to purchase, and | | | | increase in business. Think of what having your entire |
| you have no website in comparison, it makes the | | | | website remodeled could do for your business. |
| customer's decision easy to avoid your business. | | | | So what's the next step for your business. |
| It's the foundation to all your online marketing and a | | | | There are many customers currently looking for your |
| stronghold to your direct marketing. | | | | service as you read this. Each day you wait, you lose |
| Do you promote your business with direct marketing | | | | several interested potential customers. Whether you |
| like flyers, print ads, or postcards? Do you | | | | don't have a website, or your current website lacks |
| occasionally hand out a business card? Or do you | | | | professionalism, it's time to take the step to prevent |
| market online? Either way, you'll point that potential | | | | further missed opportunities and revenue. Either |
| customer somewhere for further information and | | | | invest your own time to design a website or hire a |
| persuasion if you're not closing the sale at that exact | | | | professional web design company. Since you're taking |
| moment. This is where your website comes in - it | | | | the time and making the investment, make sure it's |
| says as much about your company as any | | | | designed correctly. Whatever your budget or |
| advertisement can, and can be accessed anywhere | | | | schedule, remember this is an investment that will last |
| there is Internet, at any time. You'll even soon realize | | | | the life of your business. |
| that you won't have to find as many customers - | | | | Michael Hendershot |
| they'll find you. | | | | Sprout Marketing and Web Design |
| Customers expect it. | | | | Report this article |
| With the exponential growth of technology and use | | | | This article is free for republishing |
| of the Internet, a website for a business is expected. | | | | Source: |
| Not having a company website now is like a business | | | | Republish this article |
| not having a phone 20 years ago or e-mail 15 years | | | | |
| ago. It provides your potential customer better | | | | Ask a Question About this Article |
| customer service by answering questions and | | | | >> .Net Framework Problems please help. |
| accepting contacts, even when your office is closed. | | | | |