Attention Businesses! Your customers have added a new step in their buying cycle.

The business cycle between buyer and seller was simple and remained unchanged for centuries. Historically, when a buyer was interested in a product or service, sellers presented features, benefits and price.

The internet has added a new step in the consumer buying cycle. Businesses must now anticipate that their customers are utilizing the Internet and adjust their sales and marketing strategies to ensure so they remain competitive.

The internet now allows consumers to research, review, compare and even buy without ever talking to company or with a sales person. Prior to the Internet, consumers had little choice but to deal directly with businesses and their sales staff when making buying decisions.

The internet will continue to have a profound impact on how companies build and maintain their online presence and service both their online and off-line consumers. Companies can be certain that their current and potential customers will review multiple competitors online prior to making their purchases. As a result, companies today must ensure their online marketing is effective, engaging, informative responsive and capable of selling without the physical presence of a sales person.

Here are three crucial adjustments that businesses can now make to effectively deal with the new step taken by the consumer during the buying cycle.

1. Develop and consistently improve your company's website and overall online presence. Do not design brochure sites that simply present products and services. Websites should be developed on the philosophy of sincere engagement; that means it's not about you, it's about your customer and what is important to them today. Make it easy for your customers to recognize that you are thinking about them when communicating about your products and services.

2. Confirm that your corporate sales process and communication scripts are consistent with your online marketing. If not, make the required adjustments. Many companies invest in innovative websites to attract consumer interest but do little to re-align or elevate their sales scripts. You need to ensure there is no disjoint between online and offline marketing and sales communication when communicating with clients and potential clients.

3. Provide more than one reason for your clients and potential clients to visit and stay on your site. Most websites have only one obvious call to action: "Contact Us”. Consumers often feel too intimidated to call or leave their email, believing that you will try to sell or repeated send them information they do not need. Provide a secondary or third options for them to consider, perhaps a free consultation, trial offer, white papers or an interactive survey.
 
The step of using the internet will only continue to grow by consumers around the globe. It's imperative that companies integrate this step when considering their sales and marketing practices and once again walk side-by-side with today's consumers.

Minto Roy
President
CareersToday Canada