Simple Sales, A Study In Banana Bread
August 15, 2013 filed under: Website Design, Website Optimization
A few days ago I stopped into the (highly addictive) Tandem Bagel Company to grab some lunch. While there, one of the staff asked if I’d like to sample “the best banana bread on the planet”, to which I said, “Yes”. While I munched, the staff person asked if I enjoyed it. “Yes”, I answered. I was then asked, “Would you like to buy some?”, to which I answered, “Yes” even though 2 minutes earlier I'd had no interest in banana bread.
Clear and direct wins the day
This sale was so elegant in it’s simplicity. The bagel place had a goal to showcase and sell some banana bread. They could have had a “buy 2 bagels and get free banana bread” sale. Or they could have just left the bread out on a tray with a “free samples” sign. They could have even added the bread to their menu and hoped for the best. Each of these actions could have either called attention to their bread OR sold the bread. Instead, because they knew exactly what they wanted to do, the shop was able to both call attention to AND sell the bread.
Applying banana bread sales to your website
It’s the same with building a website. It’s not enough to just get the site up so that visitors can come and view it. You need to think about what you want the visitors to do once they arrive.
- Do you want them to purchase your product?
- Do you want them to sign up for your lecture series?
- Do you want them to fill out the contact form?
Once you know what you want them to do, you will be able to set your website up in way that encourages those actions. It doesn’t have to be that hard either. With some straightforward, focused thinking guided by a pro (me!) you’ll soon be on your way to showcasing and selling your own banana bread equivalent.
If you think you need some help focusing on your goals get in touch. I’ll bring the banana bread!