Ideology

Hello,
Been getting so much great info from this group.

Had this question, How do we prove to a business that having a mobile website will generate more sales?

A biz owner doesn't want more hits, they want more sales.

How does a m website get them more sales and how do we prove we got them more sales?

bryson

What type of business?

Lots of great info here to help you out Mobile Library | Think Insights with Google

tobyddd

Brutal answer is you can't. Just the same as by having a normal website won't guarantee sales either.

However, it could greatly increase the chances of them gaining sales - you would be as well getting some mobile search stats for there area of business and in their particular local area. Show them competitors of theres that don't have mobile websites and tell them that they could be gaining extra business as the competitors haven't switched on to an ever growing trend - push the early movers point, etc

But never guarantee that it will bring sales - you are on a hiding to nothing going down that route

Damielle

You can't prove that anything website, mobile, TV or any form of advertising can convert sales. Conversion is dependent on their products and services. What you are doing is putting them in front of more customers.

The great thing is that mobile users tend to take action much faster especially in regards to local business. You can show them this video by Google.


They can't ignore the stats and of course this info is independent of you.

Hope this helps...

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JToneyUK

This is one thing which I had concerns about too. If this isnt going to get them more customers they may not see it as a good investment, they're happy for people to see their desktop site on their phone.

I don't think business owners think too much about the user experience, ease of use of their site etc.

There are other benefits though which may open up more doors to get people onto their mobile site, such as using QR codes to integrate into any print advertising, and the fact you can integrate with Google maps or Facebook with a mob site.

Mobileico

Nothing works if it just sits. However, unlike social media where you have to ask to be a part of it, people are looking for local businesses every second. That means it's basically automatic. You aren't creating a mobile website to bring in sales. That's the first thing you have to realize. You are simply creating a mobile website to be in front of the customer when the time comes. You should have told the person, "Why do you like your customers to leave your site and not see your services and risk a sale at a 100% loss, because that's essentially what's happenjing? You have to make it known that it is up to the business owner to drive their sales in and this is the perfect tool. That is the problem with a businesses that fail, because they are looking for an instant solution to making a sale. Nothing works that way. Also realize this. If you're looking for businesses who are in demand for instant gratification to making a million bucks, you'll lose everytime. You want to look for businesses that are serious. They'll buy.

"My aim in design and UX is elegance, intelligence, functionality, and fun." - Wallace Morrison.
Desktop - Mobileico.com / Mobile - m.mobileico.com
Featured in Google's video about mobilizing, Mobile 1:35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Rzs5Iud20bk

peter360

The mobile version of the site is just one part of the whole marketing system. It probably does not make a huge difference in sales. However, if you add the mobile website, a facebook page, a PPC campaign, a good converting landing page, a YouTube video, etc..., then you have the whole marketing system working more efficiently.

slr3950

As noted, it's virtually impossible to "prove" that the mobile platform is going to deliver actual sales..but just think about it for a minute. What it really going through this biz owner's mind is that he's uncertain about something he knows very little about.

Pointing him to the Google Mobile video on YouTube will give him facts, but probably too much, especially if he can't get the context.

SO, you might try simply using the analogy of the "street traffic" which is something he can surely relate to more easily. Ask him why he located where is now? And, what would he do if he "knew" that a large part of his current "store traffic" was going to be taking the "new expressway" which is now just down the road.....? Get the picture? My bet, is that he will as well.

Good Selling!
Steve

rahmat

Hi Steve. Thanks. That's an easy way to explain it, without having to claim/prove anything.. since you really can't.

WillR

Just remember, as humans our fear of loss is GREATER than our desire for gain. A mobile website is not necessarily about bringing in more customers but serving your current customers better.

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philboy uk

You can prove that mobile users are accessing the website by looking at the google analytics. If they do not have google analytics, offer to install it.

If the business is paying for google adwords, you can let them know that they will be penalised for not have a mobile optimised website by having higher costs and lower ad placement.

Techono

unfortunately, as stated previously, no-one/business can guarantee increased sales for whichever marketing method they have. However, you can prove that mobile marketing is a preferred/accepted method of advertising, which would give the business customer a more positive outlook on mobile sites.

Give them a free trial for a short period of time, and/or have the mobile user press an accept button on the mobile site (just like "click to call" or similar method) that would add to a counter on the site for viewing by the business concerned. If they cant/wont pay after that, move on, but keep the site archived and the .mobi site name.

Hope to have helped
mark

rotten72

I like to set up tracking phone numbers and have the calls recorded. Some people don't answer their phones, or they just suck when talking to potential customers. I've set up phone scripts for clients to help them close more sales. In the end it is all up to the client to close the deal.

So, you can't prove you can increase sales. Focus on tracking calls and opt ins.

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Techono

Good system to use. However, I thought that recording calls (unless both persons are advised that the call is being recorded) is Illegal. At least in Australia it is.
The rules and regs about call recording are very strong and the fines/jail are scary.
How do you overcome this ?
How to set up a system for recording calls and tracking ?
Thanks
Mark

Mobileico

Yes, here in the states, it's highly illegal unless they're told first. Only way to get out of recording someone legally without having to tell them they're being told is through a criminal action like murder or drug trafficking, etc. Again, just to record is wrong unless they're told so before the conversation takes place.

"My aim in design and UX is elegance, intelligence, functionality, and fun." - Wallace Morrison.
Desktop - Mobileico.com / Mobile - m.mobileico.com
Featured in Google's video about mobilizing, Mobile 1:35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Rzs5Iud20bk

YellowGreenMedia

I think Will hits the nail right on top of the head, show them that they are loosing business right now, if you have a meeting with a business owner show their website on your mobile phone and then show them your demo and explain to then the impatience nature if a human been on the internet, and how visitors on their website are going to leave their site because of poor navigation and slow loading times.

You really need to hit on the "your losing business" hard, business owners hate loosing business... i always stress that point and i always show them why they lose business and how easy it is to plug that hole (whit my help of course )

Dave

WillR

Exactly... and even worse to losing business is when you are losing business to your competitors. Think about it, if I am driving home and looking to buy a pizza online and your website is too hard to use it doesn't mean I'll just give up and not order anything to eat. It just means I will go to a different website and order from theirs instead.

So by not having a simple mobile website for your mobile customers you are not just turning away potential customers, you are sending those customers to your competitors. Once you mention competitors to most business owners their ears will stand right up.

.

➨ Here's How to Make Your First $177 Online
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tobyddd

Very true Will - a quick GA search for the customers main keywords on a local search, just including mobile devices, should certainly help

xlfutur1

I believe you could prove sales to a point, with calls coming in anyway.

If it was a restaurant, the mobile site could have a click to call button (on every page) and that click to call could go to a virtual number (like Twilio, or any other service) that redirects to the restaurant. After 30 days, check your stats, and you could show the owner exactly how many calls came in on that number, which is only accessible from the mobile site.

Another idea is to build a text list and set it up only on the mobile version of the site. Any subscribers to the list would be finding the business from their mobile device.

Granted, proving exact sales numbers is tough, but if you have X amount of people calling in and/or joining a list from the mobile site, its a given that some sales are being made.

Its really about giving the mobile visitor a good experience so they can find what they are looking for fast. That's what Google has done from the beginning and that story worked out pretty good.

Michael Travis

As previously stated you can not guarantee they will get more leads/customers. However, if you set them up a mobile campaign for free and tell them they only pay for any leads they get then it is a win-win for you and your client. There are a few WSOs that explain how this can be setup.

Mary Wilhite

It is not easy to prove. However, you can cleverly use statistics to convince business owners the need to have websites.

For instance, according to Google 9 out of 10 mobile searches lead to action ; over half of these lead to a purchase. That means that a business owner may be losing sales in the absence of a mobile website. You can build your case using these kind of facts.

WillR

If using statistics with business owners, specifics always work better:

1 in 3 mobile searches is local

After looking up a local business on their smart phone, 61% of users called the business and 59% visited.

Restaurants: 29.6% of queries are mobile

etc, etc

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➨ Here's How to Make Your First $177 Online
This Week Using the Piggyback Method...

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xtirpata

Oh no, not you again?!

Aaron Doud

Think about it this way. How much are you charging for a mobile website? $299? How many sales would it take for them to make back the $299?

If you charge a monthly fee for hosting/maintenance you have that too.

But for a lot of businesses $299 is nothing. We are spending $299(one time) to have our inventory feed onto facebook.

My boss asked me if that was worth it.

I pointed out that was a one time fee and if even one sale comes from facebook via that system it pays for itself. Once I said that he decided to do it.

Now for businesses that make less per transaction like restaurants you just have to get them to visualize it. For example on a restaurant point out how you can put their menu up there. That way customers can figure out what they want before ordering. Or the guy trying to get his friends to go there can bring it up and show them.

Will a mobile site bring them business? Yes. Will it have a positive ROI? That depends on your monthly fees and how many people will come upon it. But I think most companies will risk it if you can show them why their customers will like it. And clients that that can cover the costs with one sale will always be a slam dunk.

jhuman

The best way, in my opinion, is to offer a couple of free mobile sites to business owners and have them track by the "click to call" action or simply by checking with the front desk/office how the responses have been because if they see and experience the mobile strategy, they will be convinced on that premise alone. You have to remember that when we read statistics and those hyped numbers, business owners don't care about those things. They only care about one thing only and that is how is it going to increase their business. So if you demonstrate that the mobile website is delivering responses, the business owner will be more inclined to do business.

prosperwithdnb

Do not sell, provide info on how you can increase business, show proof of other businesses use it then explain i can do the same.

Same way you can prove Santa was real. Tell a story and people will believe, paint a picture in there mind.

nickhumph

Here are a few facts that are pretty convincing if you ask me:
- Over 89% of consumers use their smartphones to access the internet every day. Our own research into smart phones indicates that 9 out of 10 searchers have taken action as a result of a smartphone search. - Google

- 30% of shoppers who are satisfied with a mobile website are 30% more likely to purchase from that retailer, both in-store and online. If a customer has a good mobile experience, they are far more likely to purchase a product, remain loyal, and engage in positive word-of-mouth recommendations. - Foresee

- By 2014 there will be more people using mobile web devices than traditional desktops

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djff

I think statistics works for us as marketers, but not for local business owners!

That´s my two sents!!

Mobileico

As someone who develops mobile websites for a living and deals with the customer on a regular basis, the stats or analytics is the best selling point. I have used analytics to sell mobile sites to people who own a website and don't even have a mobile phone. Without stats, you are basically asking the business owners to walk in the dark blind. Asking a client to guess is not a game plan at all. I am giving you the whole dollars worth and not just 2 cents.

"My aim in design and UX is elegance, intelligence, functionality, and fun." - Wallace Morrison.
Desktop - Mobileico.com / Mobile - m.mobileico.com
Featured in Google's video about mobilizing, Mobile 1:35
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Rzs5Iud20bk

entrepreneur45

I'd like to know if anyone has a good PPT slideshow presentation on the merits of going mobile, and getting a mobile website.

I spent a lot of time, and money learning how to build mobile websites, but so far I've been unable to find any business owners who wish to buy a mobile version of their website.

I live in a very small out in the country type town where most businesses have little to no competition, and most folks who own local businesses don't have websites. Instead, they rely on word of mouth advertising, and a lot of people here know everybody else anyway.

I'd like to be able to market mobile websites beyond my local area so I don't personally have to visit the business, and can get around this small town mentality that they don't need a mobile website.

If anyone has a good powerpoint slide presentation for why a business should go mobile I'd be interested in getting a copy of it, or partnering with you. Especially if it can be made into a webinar, and emailed to business owners who live in other places.

If you don't have one, but you know enough about mobile marketing to put one together which would show the merits of getting one, the statistics about cell phones, etc., then I'd also like to talk to you.

Entrepreneur45

midasman09

Here's a "Generic" Mobile presentation video;


And...I've sold advertising and promotion programs in "Small Towns", most of my Sales Career.

I just finished an Ad Program where I needed 12 participants (small businesses) to pay me $290 ea. Took me 4 days in a town with 3,600 pop.

I learned HOW to give prospects a "REASON" to buy "My Stuff".

So....in this same town of 3,600 people....not to toot my horn BUT...if "I" were to try and sell "Mobile Sites" there....I'd look for a "Reason" for biz owners to BUY!....other than, "It's the Coming Thing!"

I'd set up a "Mobile Site Directory" for the Town. I'd set up my Directory in Sections; Where To Eat (with ONE restaurant in each Cuisine Category. One Chinese, One Mexican, etc) Where To Shop - Auto Repair - Beauty Salon - Pest Control - Insurance - Real Estate - Jeweler - Auto Parts - etc)

My "reason" would be; "Only ONE in each Category"! By offering EXCLUSIVES in each Category....I'd "build a Fire under each prospect"! and, "exclusives" allow me to charge MY Price to participate.

If I were to go into this town of 3,600 and try and sell Mobile Sites to ANY biz owner....I'd probably sell ONE....in a week. Why? The "reason" to have a "Mobile Site" is NOT strong enough!

But....to "participate in a Mobile Town Directory"....IS a Good Reason. And, I'd "salt" the Directory with 2 or 3 Mobile Sites that I'd set up for no charge....to SHOW that businesses ARE participating.

Nobody wants to be "first" and....you don't have to tell anyone that the 2 or 3 Mobile sites ALREADY IN your Directory....were Freebies!

On a different thread I mentioned that the Domain, "DubuqueMobile.com" is available. Dubuque is a city of about 60k....which is pretty good size. I'm sure that "YourTownMobile.com" is available so....build a "Mobile Site Directory" for your Town. All you need is 1 or 2 pages for each participant.

Note: if you'll PM me, I'll send you to an example of a "Town Directory".

Anyway....hope I've given you some "Food for Thought". I'm sorry that I can't give you a Link to the Mobile Site Directories I've set up already.

Don Alm....Sales Guy