by Jess Mickelson

A website is an interactive advertisement. Once you've done the work of getting people to open your ad, (that means that you got them to go to your website) what are you doing next to get them actively involved? What are you doing that would make them want to come back to your ad? What are your fish hooks? Do they easily lure people into raising their hands to your qualifying process?

Once they are qualified, how do you follow up?

You may understand that a sale is the logical conclusion of a series of steps. What then are the steps? Do they lead people to choose YOU for the products and services they need? Is their experience predictably rewarding?

One real advantage of a website is that you can create a trackable path of simple steps that leave a chain of responses designed to conclude the transaction.

Here are six steps of web-selling success:

1. Make your customers feel like they belong, qualify and relate to them and their needs in clear and easily followed communication patterns.
2. Discover your client's needs; get to know what alternatives they've been choosing; find out what else they would appreciate receiving.
3. Educationally orient your customer to the unique benefits and services that your company offers. Show them what they should be looking for when they buy a product like yours.
4. Address the problems they may currently be experiencing and show them how your products and/or services will meet and exceed their needs.
5. If there are any questions or problems remaining, give them the opportunity to work them out with FAQ's and ultimately with a live person. Help them to overcome any further resistance by demonstrating the ways that you will guarantee their satisfaction and then ask them to make their purchase.
6. Follow up by thanking them for their purchase and continue interacting with them to make sure that they are adequately implementing your solution. This last step is the most important part of the sale because it is the real reason your customers will come back to you again and again. They relied on you to help them, make sure that you were as helpful as they expected and then go the extra mile.

Never underestimate the power of the path! In web programming you can create clear and effective paths that naturally overcome all resistance and conclude the sale in a winning way.

By Jess Mickelson - The Gifter of Success. Want more? Get a FREE copy of his new book, "The River of Superior Results" by e-mailing a request with RIVER in the subject line to jess@supergraphicsusa.com