Assume they want it!

People who run companies tend to obsess about getting leads in the door. They are petrified that they won't be able to keep the pipeline full of leads. Before the web, their efforts were focused on PR, advertising, and sales tools. Now they focus their efforts and their resources on search engine marketing, search engine optimization, and so on.

They also assume they have to convince their prospects to buy their product. So all their marketing copy - online and off - is designed to convince someone to buy.

The problem is, the way people are buying now, they are mostly convinced by the time they get to your website. A large percentage of today's buyers have already decided what they want, and all they want you to do is answer a few remaining questions, to make sure that your product will perform well in their specific situation.

I ran across this recently when placing an online recruiting ad for a client. His company is in the Bay Area (San Francisco area) and I was placing the listing on BAJobs.com.

Note that I was trying to complete the transaction. I didn't need to be "sold." I needed to be able to buy - without a hitch.

I started the registration process, and could see right away that it would lead to a problem. I'm not the "employer" in this case, I'm the person who has written the listing and is placing the listing, screening the resumes, and interviewing candidates. I am working on behalf of my client.

The smart job sites make it easy for someone like me. You can actually set up different accounts under one corporate umbrella account. So I can place a listing - and pay for it - using my company name, Zhivago Management Partners. However, the company name shown on the job listing is that of my client.

It was obvious that my company name would be listed as the "employer," using this site the way it's set up. Since I've run into this hitch before, on other sites, I immediately started looking around the BAJobs.com site to see if I could nip the problem in the bud. I knew that if I went ahead and registered with my company name as the "employer," it might be difficult to correct later.

I was placing this listing prior to the business hours for BAJobs.com. It is now quite common for buyers to be trying to buy from you outside of normal business hours. People go home from work and shop, entrepreneurs shop when all the employees go home and they finally have a quiet moment, people take work home and try to compare vendors, buy software, and so on - all outside of normal business hours.

That means that your site must answer their last few questions, so they can complete the transaction without requiring assistance from a human being.

There were no FAQs listed on BAJobs.com, so I clicked on the only other possibility listed: About Us. Here's what I found. I'm including the whole thing because 1) it's short enough to do so and 2) it is filled with useless information, information that you probably have in your own "About Us" section.

And yes, they introduce the bulleted section twice.

ABOUT US

 

Established in 1997, BAJobs.com has become a staple for both Bay Area employers and job seekers. The formula for our success is pretty simple. Early on, we recognized the growing utility and popularity of the web as a recruiting medium. We combined this knowledge with the simple fact that hiring takes place at the local level. Thus, the concept of a local web site focused on the Bay Area employment market was born. BAJobs.com is designed and maintained with three primary guiding principles in mind:

We took this simple formula and designed BAJobs.com with three basic principles in mind:

 

• EASE-OF-USE

   

  The site is intuitive, straightforward and easy to use.

   

• QUALITY

   

  The site deploys state-of-the-art navigation, functionality and User Interface, and contains fresh, accurate, and useful features & content.

   

• EFFECTIVENESS

   

  The site has undergone three major upgrades in the past eight years to ensure it remains a valuable and effective resource for both Bay Area job seekers and employers alike.

 

Our business has evolved and changed dramatically over the last decade. During this time, we've listened to you, and learned what you want (and don't want) in a local online employment resource. We've taken this knowledge, identified the key functionality and features that are the most useful, and built them into the most recent release of our site. While we've remained true to the guiding principles of simplicity and ease-of-use, we're confident you're going to love the new site. Take a look ... we think you'll agree.

 

What are they doing wrong here? Now, granted, this is an "about us" page, usually meant to inform people about the company. But what would happen if BAJobs had assumed I was already ready to buy?

They would definitely have an FAQ section, one just for the employer and one just for the job seeker. The FAQ section would tell me how to post a job and how much it would cost. It would give me tips about what to include or not include in the job listing. It would tell me the types of jobs that get the most response on the site.

I do need to comment on their About section as well. It should tell me all the things I could do with their site, with just a little bit of copy about their philosophy. It should show the managers of the company, so I'd know who the people were behind the company. This is more of an issue when buying a "high scrutiny" product, than when buying more of a "medium scrutiny" product like this one, but it's a good standard practice no matter what you sell.

The About section is not the place to say, "We've just redone our website." Contrary to what every webmaster believes, no one really cares that you've just redone your website. And, if they did, you should put a date on this "new site" announcement. Without a date, for all I know, the "new site" could be four years old.

They would tell me how their results compare to other recruiting sites. Even Craigslist, which is thought of as "unsophisticated" in its marketing, does that.

Throughout this site, BAJobs is treating me as if I am very early in my buying process. It's a big strategic mistake.

Are you making the same mistake? Think about it - what would your site look like, if you treated each buyer as someone who was ready to give you money? What would you do to make it easy for them, to get out of their way, to let them spend as much - and as quickly - as they wanted? What if they really want what you have to sell, but you are making it difficult, because you haven't "met them where they are"?

What would your site look like if you assumed they wanted your product or service from the moment they came to your website? Imagine that someone is standing there, money in hand. What do they want to know? What do they want to do? How can you make it easy for them?

Important questions.