How can your phone number increase your sales?
By Derek Gehl
I write today inspired by a frustrating online shopping experience that seems to happen all too frequently these days.
Yesterday morning, I went online to look for software that performs a very specific function. After about an hour of searching, I found sites offering a few different solutions. One software program really stood out from the crowd, both in features and sales process.
I was ready to make the purchase — but I had one more question I needed answered. And for the life of me, I could not find the answer on their site. I was left with no option but to contact them directly.
So began my quest to talk to someone in person…
I started looking for a phone number in the obvious places. I looked on all of their key web pages. I looked on their contact page. I found their online support center. Even it didn’t have a phone number. Arg.
Now, I consider myself a pretty savvy Web user. So I did a “whois look-up” on the site’s domain name. No luck — all of the contact information was hidden.
I tried Alexa.com, thinking maybe it would show me who owned the site. Nothing.
Now you’re probably thinking, “It must have been some little ‘hole-in-the-wall’ company.” Right?
Well, according to their site they have offices in both Europe and the USA… so they couldn’t be that small!
So why don’t they have a phone number on their site?
What are they hiding from? Their customers???
Bad idea.
If I am planning to spend over $300 on software, don’t I have a right to speak to someone if I have a simple question?
To say the least, that company just lost a customer.
But they’re not the only ones making this fatal mistake. I see businesses all over the Internet doing the same thing.
People seem to think that if you are going to do business on the Internet, you can hide behind your computer screen and never deal with a customer in person. I guess if you have more customers than you can handle or if you are purposely trying to limit your growth, you might want to consider this strategy.
But if you’re looking to grow? No way.
As the Internet matures, competition is becoming more fierce.
And 99 times out of 100, what makes the difference between a $30,000/year business and a $120,000/year business? The quality of customer service you provide.
Your customers need to know there are real people in your business — people who will support them and answer their questions.
So, how do you convince them of this?
Easy: Put a phone number on your web site.
If you already have one, make it more obvious. I guarantee your sales will go up.
Does this mean everyone will pick up the phone and call you before ordering?
Nope… but just having the option gives people the level of comfort they need to make that buying decision.
And for the people who do need to talk to you in person? Well, in my humble opinion, if they’re willing to give you money for your product, then you owe them at least a minute of your time.
If you are a one-man shop and you simply can’t be available to answer phone calls eight hours a day, that’s fine. Give people a set time of day they can call to speak to you in person. If they call outside that time, get them to leave a message and call them back.
The bottom line is this: if you don’t have your phone number clearly displayed on your site, get it up there now! It’ll only take you a few minutes — and the return could be exponential.
And if you ever want to talk to someone at IMC about how we can help you grow your business, please give us a call!
The number is 1-800-595-9855 if you live in the U.S. and Canada, or 1-604-730-2833 if you live outside North America. Our hours are 8 a.m – 4 p.m. Pacific Time.
We would love to talk to you. I just hope you love to talk to your customers, too! 🙂
All the best,
Derek Gehl
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