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CONTACT SCBJ John Wolcott, Editor jwolcott@scbj.com

Business passion can boost Web sales

By Brian Keith
Internet Marketing

Why are you in business?

Let passion show in your business and your sales will increase. I’ll show you how.

First, decide what benefit you are bringing to the world.

Not the product or service you are selling necessarily but the end benefit.

Second, write the benefit down. Right now. Then put it away for a week. Then read it again later and ask yourself if that is your real purpose.

For instance, momAgenda.com (www.momagenda.com) doesn’t sell day planners. They help families enjoy more time together because Mom’s life is a little more under control.

Clearly Lasik doesn’t do Lasik surgery, they help people truly see their loved ones. When you write down a benefit that clear, that world-changing, it’s easier to get excited about your marketing. And then you can share that enthusiasm with your clients.

Case Study: Portent Interactive
For our company, a first draft of our benefit may be that ‘we help people grow their companies online.’

When I look at that a week later, I see that while it’s accurate, it isn’t that sexy and it isn’t that unique. Many companies can help your business grow in some fashion online.

Looking further for the real benefit, I realize I get up in the morning because my efforts will result in hundreds of families with better lives because of mom-Agenda.com, and hundreds of people will see more clearly because of my work with Clearly Lasik.

Here’s the benefit I write down: “We help companies grow online and dramatically improve people’s lives.”

That statement still needs work to bring the passion out, but you can see the direction it’s going in.

Third, ask your employees and your clients about your company’s benefit.

When your staff hears you describe the benefit and heads nod in agreement, that’s good. Puzzled looks? Try again. Same thing with clients. If you have the core benefit right, most of your clients will recognize that. Ask them.

Fourth, demonstrate your passion for the benefits your company provides and pass those feelings on to your employees.

When a client calls, walks in the door, talks with your sales staff or makes a service call, it should be obvious to them that your people are fired up about what they are doing.

To encourage your staff in demonstrating their passion, make sure everyone can recite your company’s benefit.

Recitation doesn’t mean unemotional memorization. It means that everyone is on the same page. For example, the way a developer and a copywriter express a company’s core benefit differs greatly, but they are both helping companies grow online and dramatically improve lives.

Also, reward passion.

If a client points out how one of your staff “obviously loves their work,” give that employee $100 at a company meeting in front of everyone and tell them why.

A good book on this philosophy comes from another Snohomish County Business Journal columnist, Jeffrey Gitomer.

In “Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless” Gitomer not only provides a practical approach to using this philosophy but also inspires the reader with his passion.

It all starts with you.

The business owner or manager must display passion first.

Hesitant to talk with your staff about your company’s benefit because you don’t quite have it worded right yet?

Talk about it with them anyway. You will probably never word your benefit perfectly. Start experimenting now. Share it. Let your employees help you refine it.

When you and your staff exude passion for what you’re doing, everyone you talk to will know why you are in business.

And that will increase your sales.

Brian Keith works for Portent Interactive (www.portentinteractive.com), an Internet-marketing company based in Seattle. You can contact him at 206-575-3740 or send e-mail to brian@portentinteractive.com.