Managing sales, finance and production are all challenges to a start up enterprise. New company operators rarely bring a complete package of experience to their new management role – especially in the area of managing the sales effort. Accordingly, many good, small business enterprises struggle to develop good prospecting and sales systems.

Within the business environment, the internet presents an opportunity to build sales and attract customers for the new enterprise. Many successful companies have entered the market using the internet as major elements in their sales strategies. The reasons for this are simple. Internet readers tend to research product purchases on-line prior to buying. Accordingly, the internet can be used effectively for building revenue and generating sales traffic.

Referring to internet sales as “on-line selling” may be a bit misleading though, as actually selling a product or service usually involves first establishing trust between prospective purchaser and seller. Building trust is an interpersonal task and building trust via the internet is a challenge. “People buy from People” as purchasers want to buy from an individual that will stand by the product or service should unexpected events occur.

Global companies pour huge sums into website development and internet research. The value to these companies is clear – a highly focused web page can yield increased revenue. Social networking, ordering on line and other (Software as a Service or SaaS) business models all provide testimony as to the ability of small enterprises to use the internet to support their sales efforts and build a customer base.

New start-up businesses must attract attention to generate revenue. The internet is an important part of this strategy just as it is for major companies. A web page that accurately delivers useful information can act as a company sales representative on a 24 hour basis.

Techniques such as ‘localization’ also allow business start ups to attract internet traffic by competing in a specific geographic area. Organizations offering narrowly defined products in specific areas, such as Denver Furnace Repair or or a Denver Graphic Designer can use the internet to compete for business in the Denver, Colorado area.

Investing in an on line web sales or marketing initiative can be a difficult decision. Marketing and sales projects cost real dollars and there is no guarantee of a specific outcome or result. Still, a new entity’s presence on the internet can be a huge support to a start up enterprise by attracting readers, distributing useful and valuable information to customers looking for data as part of their purchase process.

How then does a new business use an internet web page to attract attention and build a customer base? A fancy or expensive web design is not essential, but the website should at least communicate some degree of industry competency. The main components though are that the web page must contain a: Specific call to action Clear “Value Proposition”

Call To Action – “Always ask for the Sale!” is the cry of sales managers everywhere. The web page is no different, although closing the deal may not involve an exchange of money for product. Although smaller ticket items or consumable goods with established brand value may be sold on line, many new business websites simply focus on inspiring the reader to provide her/his contact information.

Building a network of potential customers then may be the essential objective of the web page that represents a new business. Building credibility usually requires personal contact with someone representing the enterprise, so actually closing the deal may not be practical using the web page. The call to action in this instance may be something as simple as filling out a data form. The company sales reps then can reach out to provide specific information to the prospect.

Value Proposition – The web page needs to communicate a reasonable expectation of the value the product or service delivers. Without setting these expectations, the potential customer has nothing upon which to base his decision to purchase and no way to calculate a return on his investment should he become a paying client. Bold result statements such as “cut production costs by 15% by” get the reader’s attention, inspire her/him to keep reading and provides a way for the prospect to calculate a Return on Investment (ROI).

New enterprises can use these two simple rules to build their businesses. By attracting potential customers to the business web page and then delivering a call to action and value proposition, these readers can be invited to build a longer term customer relationship with the organization.

SEO Consultants in Denver help business organizations of all sizes compete for additional customers using the worldwide web by improving web traffic and tuning readers into customers.