I don’t think of myself as particularly self-analytical but I did something over the weekend that is quite telling from a marketing point of view.  What did I do?  I made a reservation to stay at a Bed & Breakfast and I did it online.  Now, it is not the fact that I made an online reservation that was so revealing.  I’ve done that many times.  What struck me, about an hour or so after I made the reservation, was why I chose one Bed & Breakfast over another one that had been recommended by trusted friends.  I made my choice strictly based on the B & B’s Website. 

A STUDY IN HOW CHOICES ARE MADE

I was down to two contenders; one that some friends had visited, enjoyed and recommended and another that I found doing a search on Google.  Actually both B & Bs had Websites that were placed well on Google.  The Website of the B & B that I found online was very well designed with lovely graphics and easy navigation.  The Website of the B & B my friends recommended was less attractive and it was harder to find the information I wanted from the site but I did discover that the room charge for this place was $50 a night less than the other B & B.  Not caring one whit about the extra $100.00 this trip would cost us, I whipped out the credit card and registered for the B & B with the better Website.

I LOVE IT WHEN I’M RIGHT

Later, my husband had some questions as to why I would choose a more expensive B & B that I knew nothing about other than what I found on their Website rather than a place that came recommended by friends.  It was at this point that I realized how much the B & B’s Website had affected my decision, so instead of getting into an argument with my husband, I shouted, “I knew it!” and hurried to my computer to write this article. 

If prospects are not choosing you to the extent that you like it may be time to take a good, hard look at the face you are presenting to the online world—namely your Website.  Are you demonstrating your superior knowledge of real estate and your area?  Does your Website make visitors feel that they will enjoy working with you, that your level of service exceeds the ordinary?  If not, you are probably losing business, just like the B & B that my friends recommended lost my business due to an ordinary but unexciting Website.

 HOW TO MAKE YOUR WEBSITE SIZZLE

As you know, I highly recommend that any agent or broker who is serious about increasing that good old bottom line consider developing a unique, custom Website and I offer to provide a Free Custom Web Plan for anyone who calls me toll free a 888-814-5347 or who visits me online at http://www.sellrealestate.net/FreeWebPlan.asp. In today’s world, your Website is really all about you and this is true even if your picture is not on your Web.  It is true even if you do not have a page or a section that tells about you.  So if your Website is ordinary, not all that easy to navigate, not terribly helpful or informative---THINK ABOUT IT!  What is that saying about you?

USABILITY DOESN’T SOUND LIKE SIZZLE

No, a Website’s usability index may not sound like an item that belongs in the Sizzle Column, but it does.  A Website’s usability is something that must be planned before colors and graphics and all that good stuff is even thought about.  The reason why the custom Websites we create are so effective for our clients is that we take the time to understand what the underlying purpose of the Website we are creating will be.  We take the time to know exactly who the target market will be and then set about the task of creating a pleasant and rewarding experience for them.  When your Website makes your customers feel smart, feel relaxed, feel comfortable and even excited about working with you, then you can say your Website has Sizzle.

Some of you have been reading this Newsletter since 1998 when we first decided to provide a really meaningful and helpful Website and to share our knowledge of marketing, advertising and the Internet with others.  In the early days, many agents believed that Realtor.com would put them out of business. Later, agents and brokers thought the same thing about broker reciprocity but the beat goes on and I expect it will continue to go on with a few modifications.  When you think about it, in less than 10 years, the Internet has made a tremendous impact on all of our lives and whether that turns out to be a good thing or not for you depends entirely on how you approach it.

 BETTER NOT IGNORE PAST CLIENTS

Agents and brokers who obtain most of their business from past clients and sphere of influence often tell me that they don’t see the need for developing a custom Website.  And yet, these same agents tell me that they are experiencing a decline in the number of referrals.  Just good marketing principles tell me that their reasoning is fallacious but now I’ve seen it in action.  Remember, the B & B that was recommended by my friends did not win my business.  The B & B with the better Website got my credit card.  While your friends and past clients know you in a very special way, the people they refer to you do not, and many of these people are going to want to see your Website.  It needs to present you at your very best.

SHOWING YOUR STUFF ONLINE

Whether or not you tell online visitors about your background, your experience or your life’s story, the choices you make in presenting yourself online tell a great deal about you.  The graphics you choose, the information you give and the information you withhold tell your Web visitors more about you than all the words you can use to tell about yourself.  That is why agents who choose to stick with template Websites are not giving themselves all the advantages they need in order to complete in this Internet dominated market.