Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I am renovating my site. I have on average about 10-20 repeat hits & 5-10 new hits a day according to Traffic Facts. But have had few sales in the last 6 months. My product is currently focused on the construction trades. I am adding a new version of my product that will trump the older tool. It will be introduced with this renovation of the site. My product allows a worker to make one climb up a ladder or scaffold and then pull up multiple loads by himself. After the work is done they reverse the process, lower everything down & then come down.`One Trip Up, One Trip Down`.

The `Home Page`- I think it is too cluttered. It should have the idea of the product readily apparent with 3-4 catch points. `Save Time` Save Money` etc..

Quik Cart-Does it bother anyone that the page is so much different than the 4 web pages? Restricted by hosts available colors, templates.

I am also in the process of making up an investors portfolio. Are there any ethical issues with posting an investor notice on the site?

http://www.tradeworxproducts.com/

Interesting.  Is any of your intellectual property [name, product patent] protected yet? 

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James Lindon, Ph.D. Patent Attorney
Lindon & Lindon, LLC
Cleveland, Ohio
Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights, Pharmacy Law, Litigation
[this is not legal advice - provided for discussion only]
Intellectual Property for the Individual and Small Business: Identify, Protect, Enforce, Defend.
"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread."
http://www.LindonLaw.com

That is so cool - I want one.  Any discounts for VBA members?

I was going to suggest more videos, and I know just the videographer for the job, but I just moved from San Jose to Massachusetts.  Rats.

I can think of a lot of uses besides construction.  It`s not unusual for me to be hanging lights on a stage and need to lift another instrument and no one around to help.

On your site, though... Why isn`t there a photo of the product on the home page? 





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Steve Mann
Internet Videographer
MannMade Digital Video
My Email

Very cool gizmo!!!

2 thoughts on the front page - th text in the gray background should be actual text as opposed to part of the graphic.  It will diplay better.

The large graphic on the left seems "squished" like it has been resized to fit into the space you have there.  I would make that crisper - since it is the first thing a visitor sees.

Question:  Why does it take 2 clicks to purchase the product.  When a visitor clicks Purchase they should be taken directly to a page that asks - how many or buy it now - nothing in between.

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Web Site Design
Internet Marketing
Web Hosting

NewWard Development, LLC http://www.newward.com
"We Make Your Web Site Your Best Employee"

Aside from it being a cool gizmo, this is a really interesting problem! We don`t often get inventors with a complete, for-sale product. :-)

I looked at the site, then pondered it over the course of the day. I see how you could get visitors but limited sales, and I`ve been letting it stew in my mind (what little is left).

First of all, I think your video demonstrations are great! I do see a couple of places in each where they could use the help of a professional video editor, but for now, they`re fine. I get the idea, get the invention, and see everything I need to see.

So two other areas are affecting the sales, I think. The one is the lack of "push" on the site. It`s as if you have a sign: "I Got a New Invention. It`s Great. Buy One."

Your product lends itself so well to infommercials, I wonder if you have one planned? If not, it doesn`t matter: the concept and flow of these types of ads offer all sorts of ways to improve the copywriting, page organization, and so forth.

The other area is use-and-application.

Here`s what I thought, looking at both videos. My first thought, with the HVAC demo, was that a "lifting product" would be like a pulley system so I could lift very heavy weights on my own. Little did I know that it was only a way to lift the same weight I could carry, but to some other location.

My second thought was, how come these people didn`t think to carry their item up to the roof or scaffolding in the first place? The third thought was how much it was like "fishing" to get the rope plug into the hole and slot.

The result of my pondering is that I realized that you`re spending a lot of time on the *solution* to a problem, but not enough time on the problem itself! See?

How many people *really* need to lift something they`ve left on the ground like this? I`m not saying there aren`t thousands...I`m literally asking for a proportion or percentage. :-) WHY did they leave it behind? HOW did they get into this condition where they routinely have to go "backward" in a process, to retrieve something they left on the ground?

That`s going to be something you have to focus on a lot more. Not in video, but in content.

Any product is supposed to be The Solution to a Problem. You`ve got a terrific site that presents and describes The Solution. But you haven`t really got much at all that sets for The Problem. Y`know?

I`d like to see a better landing page, where you follow the tried-and-tested principles of salesmanship, particularly as you`d see in an infommercial. Describe the problem, make the visitor instantly relate to this, "Damn...! That`s ME! I have this problem all the time! I wonder how this guy`s gonna solve it for me?"

Then have the next "click" in the Call to Action. That`s where the person will be curious and engaged in doing something about this problem.

• Who lifts bulky things many times?
• Why do they need to save time to "fish" for what`s left on the ground?
• Is this a process problem, or do people simply forget to carry things upward?

I think you should target both commercial and retail customers, but not have two areas on the site. Instead, have a "per unit" price, then "bulk" price....or maybe "dealer discounts."

Finally, I`d hire two types of people---spend the money, it`ll be worth it. One is an excellent copywriter with experience in infommercial-type writing. The other should be a good marketing person who can get into the nitty-gritty of position and perception.