Spin the Web
Everybody nowadays seems to have a website. All you hear about is Ebay, Amazon, Travelocity, Yahoo- the list goes on and on. Even your favorite TV show or movie has its own site.
The question is why would you, as an independent kitchen and bath dealer, need a website? It's not as if you would be auctioning off your design services or selling cabinets online. Most of us are proud of ourselves just for finally getting an email account. So what is it about a website that would help your business?
Quite simply, our industry is changing. In fact, it's not just our industry; it's business in general. There has always been a natural evolution in the way consumers learn about where they want to shop. First, there was word-of-mouth, then print, radio, television and now, the Internet. Although all other media are still used, the electronic medium has a special appeal to today's shopper.
For one, "web surfing" is done on the customer's own turf - their home - at any time of the day or night and without you there. Instead of worrying about being intimidated or pressured (of course, you'd never pressure them, but they don't know that), the customer can relax and concentrate on your carefully worded and professionally designed message (if it's there to be found). Instead of waiting for information to come to them, they can go and get it from their computer, and since websites don't require high printing costs like brochures do, they can hold much more information. Furthermore, searching for this data has never been easier as more and more consumers invest in cable modems or other high-speed connections at home.
With all this information at their fingertips literally in seconds, it's no wonder that today's consumer is much more educated than ever before and that more and more of our clients are coming in with appliance and plumbing fixture specs in hand - all obtained from manufacturers website.
The obvious conclusion? If our customers are shopping on the Internet, we need to be visible in that media.
So think of a website as a much larger brochure about your company. You can tell prospective clients about what makes you different from the competition. A photo gallery of your past projects not only shows your talent, it open the consumer's eyes to new ideas. Testimonials from satisfied clients legitimize your ability to execute the job. The big difference is that a paper brochure is static and a website, if done correctly, is dynamic. The ability to be easily updated and made current is the key to making your site popular and revisited by surfers to see what is "new" with your company.
Image building is another great benefit of a well-designed website. You have heard the old adage, "You only get one change to make a great first impression." Savvy consumers make judgments about your company when they see you on the Internet. The way your site looks and its ease of use can create an impression on the shopper that compels them to buy from your company. To take this further, not having an Internet presence say nothing to the prospective client, except maybe "I'm behind the times." It's frustrating when today's consumers see a small ad in a local paper or magazine, but can't find additional information on the Internet. They've just come to expect it, so when it isn't there it looks bad for your business.
Having a website has another benefit. The ability to partner with manufacturers and related businesses in the form of links and banner ads is unique to the Internet. Links to your site from industry manufacturers or other professionals like architects or real estate companies act as virtual goodwill references for your company. Not only is your image enhanced by the endorsement but it also draws people to your site.
We are supposed to be in the creativity business - on the cutting edge. In today's world, that translates into the latest use of technology. It is no longer enough being a talented kitchen designer. To succeed in today's business climate we need to show this new millennium client that we are as competent in their arena as in ours.
