It's Time to Refresh Your Website, isn't it?

Q1, 2021.  Covid19 is magically fading and people are starting to break out of their homes and hunker-down mentality.

We don't know how the next 18 months will pan out.  Certainly, 2021 will be nothing like 2019.

The business to business realm is pivoting and re-aligning everything from employee work environments to remote customer engagement protocols.  Everyone, providers, and customers are considering the following aspects for the 'new way':

• Remote work
• Remote customer engagement
• Social selling
• Video
• Omnichannel approach
• Introvert vs. extravort

All dynamic issues.  The question arises, with everything that's changed in the last 18 months and all that will in the next, why is your website stuck in the year 2019?

Consider this:  prospects are going to the web daily, you understand this fact - most prospects know more about you BEFORE reaching out to you directly.

The bedrock of your web presence is your dot Com, you're website, and here's why you should consider and re-build your website:

1. Business has changed
2. Common and shared struggle 
3. Changes in Facebook and Google

Changing times -

Before Covid19, your web presence supported the face-to-face customer experience, now it is reversed.  What you say and do online, drives how customers feel about you.  A screen does not convey the same emotion as "belly to belly", but emotion does get through and it is easier if your prospect feels confident BEFORE the Zoom session.

Common disaster - 

Covid19 was and still is a struggle.  The impact will be felt for the next couple of decades.  Unlike a hurricane, earthquake, or tsunami, EVERYONE experienced the Chinese flu.  We all went through the same struggle.  Your prospect might around the corner or on the other side of the globe, they went through this just like you have. 

This is a bonding experience like never before.  Tap into this energy with an authentic approach.

Facebook and Google Are Not Your Friends -

You are not their customer.  You are the product. One of the millions.  In 2021 both FB and Google are changing their algorithms and hiding end-users from potential sellers.  This is a move towards privacy much like Apple just implemented.  Apple is blocking user data from data collectors and marketers - it is going to be more difficult to reach prospects directly - you're going to need to ATTRACT new relationships.  Enter your circa 2018 website.  Ug.

Here's the deal.  Websites are considered primarily static; once created, they never really change that much.  Environments like Facebook, allow for up to the minute updates and announcements, but your audience is controlled.  Search results on Facebook may include your competition.  Also, customer relationships on Facebook are a bit shallow, which is fine for selling crafts and old sneakers.

I've always felt we never maximized the website experience.  I believe that a company website should be an immersive environment, not a billboard sign.  Of course, over the decades, this is exactly what has happened.  Most corporate websites are single dimension advertisements that brag and beg attention. 

The post-Covid19 era is the perfect time to reconsider your website and your overall web presence.  Reach out to me today and let's get started. Greg@grwalters.com 

 

InfoGraphs

New to Sales: The Pandemic Paradox

 

Here’s the big paradox of the COVID-19 pandemic — the lockdowns and remote get-togethers have made us more connected. Online sessions reveal more humanity than big, important meetings around the oak table in the executive conference room. Even with all the challenges, bad audio, odd camera angles, and clumsy mute buttons, we’ve seen more of our prospects and customers than ever before. 

Think about it. 

How many kitchens, dens, and home offices have you seen since March of 2020? Have you met clients’ and coworkers’ pets and children? Of course. Have you seen paintings, books, sports memorabilia, and messy desks? 

Yes, you have. We all have. Web meetings, with cameras on, give us the chance to be vulnerable and connect with prospects and customers on a deeper level than before COVID-19. 

Vulnerability is foundational to building a bond, establishing rapport, and creating a solid relationship. And what can be more vulnerable than inviting the CEO of your biggest prospect into your home? One of the many “silver linings” of the pandemic is the ability to see more of our customers’ lives. Who would have thought that physical separation could bring us closer? 

It is counterintuitive, ... read the rest here.