Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I`m back! Wow, why was it so hard? My business partner and I spent 2 days just trying to answer the question "What is Staging". We could answer the question - just not in 4 seconds and in 10 words or less. Haha!

By the way, I loved the way cartess set up our webpage! It creeped me out a bit that you were able to alter it in that manner - that fast - Should I ask my webmaster to beef up security or can anyone do that at any time?

Question for 337design - (Sorry in advance to all the anti-search engine people) But the reason I had the navigation bar moved to the top was because I had read that the stupid spiders didn`t like them along the side. Does it really look bad? If they were altered with the roll-over effect would that make a difference?

At the very bottom of the site (as it is now) there are the letters S M A R T and they are also the site menu - should I lose that all together?

Thanks again all!

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Cari Pilon SMART Stagers SMART - Sell More Area Real Estate Today www.SMARTStagers.com

Anyone can replicate the html - it`s how the web works. I can view source and redo this page in html. Protecting it really isn`t important.

I don`t think the spiders have a preference of navigation on the top or side, as long as it is correctly labeled.
The "buttons" have to do something ... underline when you roll over, or change colors, or something. (Don`t do rollovers, btw, use CSS. Javascript rollovers are old news now.) Make it look like a link, or put some kind of graphic on it to make it look like a button.

This line is weird to me:

You only only have a few seconds to grab the buyer`s `WOW Factor`...

SMART Stagers specializes in creating that factor!

I don`t like ending two lines with the same word. Leave the first one, change the second line. I`m trying to think of something better but not right now ... I might come back to this thread later.

Take out the ifs. Just "Staging will help your sell your home at a higher price in a shorter amount of time." OK I hate that sentence too. (Am I on a roll tonight?) But you get the picture. Just tell them.

I`d have to see this on a page ... it seems really long to me.

3 Additional Things:
1) I don`t like the rollovers at the bottom. Why are they only on M-A-R and not S and T? Oh, wait, they are on all letters ... just not on all links at the bottom of the letters. Still, weird.
2) You have a lot of info but you are only using 700 pixels of space. Take up some real estate! It doesn`t have to be one long linear page ... figure out how to make it fit! Use 550 to have all your main stuff and another 250 on the side for your side byt side bullets or some pull quotes or points of interest. Use the space better!
3) I think you still need to really look  into subdomains and a page for each side of your business.

Hi Cari,

You`re off to a great start already...I`d trust your gut and push forward.

No one can tell you which sentence will work and which one won`t work. You`ll only find the answers by testing. Marketing is all about testing, no one has all the answers and if they lead you to believe they do, RUN!

You can split test your homepage and that will allow you to see which one people are responding too...For the next 60-90 days, you should just be testing and modify the site/content accordingly.

Based on `real world` experience, you`d get more response by starting with a `benefit oriented headline`. In other words, you don`t have to make the company name the primary thing they see once entering the site...it can be the first thing, but it doesn`t have to overwhelmingly standout...

The only thing prospects really care about is `what`s in it for me?`

Answer that question immediately and to their satisfaction and you`re halfway there.

The example I threw up was something I literally threw up in less than 5 minutes. A lot of thought didn`t go into it, so some things are probably off...I just wanted to present you with another perspective and that was to talk from the angle of `benefits for the prospect`. Tell them whats in it for them...most people make mistakes by talking about `how great their companies are`, `how many awards they`ve won`, and `how they plan to change the world`, and the truth of the matter is that most prospects could care less. It`s all about them, not me or you

My final piece of advice...TEST, TEST and TEST SOME MORE...

Let the results dictate what direction you go in.

There are scripts available that will allow you to split-test your homepage and your webmaster should be able to assist you with setting that up...testing is the best thing you can do because one change can literally change your entire business.

EXAMPLE (short version of the story below)

2 boys in college bought into a pizza business that was already losing money. One of the brothers decided to get out (the other bought him out).

After trying to figure out a different angle to make this business profitable, he finally created a USP (Unique Selling Proposition)...in other words, what makes your pizza shop so different from the other pizza shops and why should I spend money with yours...

He answered that question with:

FRESH, HOT PIZZA DELIVERED IN 30 MINUTES OR LESS OR IT`S FREE!

I don`t even have to tell you the name of this company do I?

That USP literally rocked the pizza industry overnight.

While you and your business partner are putting thoughts together, think about your Unique Selling Proposition. What makes your Staging services so unique? Why choose you over the competition? What unique benefits does your service provide? How does the customer benefit? Do you have a guarantee? How strong is your guarantee?

If your guarantee is weak, or worse, if you don`t have one...why should the customer take the risk? If your service is as great as you say it is, back it up? Strong guarantees also increase response? If you`re willing to take the risk and stand by your product, you`ll have that extra edge that the competition doesn`t have....display your guarantees in your advertising/marketing pieces (website too).

Remember....TEST EVERYTHING....No one knows all of the answers and even if they`re absolutely sure they now the answer...test it anyway (and run from them).

Also....the page I threw up was replicated and put on my server (I didn`t modify your existing website at all...I`m not smart enough to know how to do that yet ). But there was no breach on your site, it was all dumped on the backend of mine...

Cartess Ross

I`m a writer, learning how to write informational text on a bigass Web site that doesn`t yet exist. To practice, I write on SuN and try all sorts of different styles, voices, tricks, tools, and so on. It`s a superb forum with a whole lot of interesting folks.

Now, suppose I`d written the above as thusly:


My point is that I`m becoming less enchanted with questions. I know, they`re used all the time in sales and in THEORY they do a good job. But is "sales" in a brick and mortar store the same as it is on the Web? Do people think the same way at home on a computer, reading a monitor? I don`t think so.

And how come I used questions here? :-D Mostly because if you`re reading this far into it, I figure you`re at least staying on the thread.

Public information seems to be trending toward faster and shorter--the idea of sound bytes (or bites). We have news stories getting shorter, sitcoms and popular series adventures doing the same. Online IMs have moved into cellphone text messaging, with a whole different shorthand.

I believe (no confirmation yet) that just as channel-surfing is a growing phenomenon, high-speed visual scanning is the new way to get informaiton.

I can`t remember the studies, but I believe human beings can track, capture, and process information in fractions of a second. So 4 seconds is a long time---that being the current belief as to how long you have to get someone`s attention on a Web site.

Tying it all in, I think you can get this to a harder "punch."

Headline:

Sell Your Home Faster -- For More Money!

SMART Stagers can transform your home.
Give your house a wide appeal to potential buyers.
 The results: higher offers and a quicker sale!

The issue here is to remove the superfluous. I understand that Cookiemonster wants bare-bones minimalism. But I think there`s a problem explaining the difference between "minimal" and "superfluous."

Think of the signs you actually *see* on the road as you drive through town. In many cases you`re going either 30mph or 60mph. What signs catch your eye? Which ones can you actually read at that speed? Do they get you thinking over the next 20 miles, about going back to check out that store?

Same thing on the web. People`s minds are traveling at 80mph and they`re blowing through Google results pretty much as if they were on a thruway passing through downtown St. Louis.

Questions don`t work so good, I think. :-) And so I`ll argue they`re probably superfluous. Only the answers matter.

And by that, I mean you can ask plenty of questions as you go about writing your copy, while you`re brainstorming in meetings. But questions in the actual content itself don`t seem to work as well. At least that`s my growing opinion these days.

Thanks again!

NHG - I am definetely going to create subdomains to go to those other pages, additionally, I will still mention them on this home page, but not until the end. I personally don`t like websites that I have to scroll down for miles to read all of the infomation. I would like it to be succinct and click to another page if I want. So I may not have too much there to read.

Cartess - Thank you for the advice - We do need to exploint our USP - back to the think tank!

Craig - Thanks for the ton of bricks on my head! I can see it a lot clearer now.

Cari

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Cari Pilon SMART Stagers SMART - Sell More Area Real Estate Today www.SMARTStagers.com

Cari,

Hi...I was a realtor in a past life and I used/referred a homestager.  From a realtor and client standpoint both your service is really valuable and makes sense.  Realtors, however, are sometimes stingy...they`ll make 10k in commissions and have  a really hard time puting down personal money to market/prepare the listing.  Virtual tours/homestaging, etc.

If I were in your business (im sure im not telling you anything new) I`d try to figure a way to help your realtors to push more of the fee to their Clients.  Maybe offer to charge the realtor 1/2 and the homeseller 1/2.  The idea being to take some of the financial risk off  of the realtor.

Also, for your local market and the web pages of your sub-homestagers.  I`d consider listing some of your recent clients/realtors....at the top of your web page.

Our website lists recent clients.  In your case, if you get a well-known realtor in your area as a referral-partner.  Other realtors will have heard of him or her...if they see that they`re offering your service I think it would give them more of an incentive to go with you (especially if they`re successful in their area) 

Also, I`d consider doing some Search Engine Optimization for your website.  If you want the most "bang for the buck" to get your company out there to marketplace...where people are looking for you, this is the best most cost-effective option. 

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Scott Hearne The SEO Company That GUARANTEES Results www.ClickResponse.net shearne@ClickResponse.net 888-392-1110 x102