The Killer Mouse

The way of doing business has changed and it will be changing more rapidly; take advantage of the technology available and tell the world what you do. As business is becoming global and time more scarce customers go online seeking for information, products and services .Make sure that your site is accessible and attractive.

If you do not have a website invest some time in developing one and please don’t ask your neighbour’s cyber kid to do it just because he is cheap. Invest some money, do some research, look at competitor’s sites and get professional advice as it will pay off.

Websites if well placed in search engines will offer you the opportunity to make money when you are asleep or having fun however there is some work to be done before you can escape to the golf course.

Before I give you some tips answer the following questions: How is your cash flow? Need to improve it? Most business people will respond with a loud “yes”. The economic forecast is not helping confidence, on the contrary is affecting debt collection by either increasing bad debts or by extending trading terms. A healthy cash flow will allow businesses to pay bills and wages on time, obtain discounts for prompt payment and seek new opportunities of expansion.

So you’ve established that you are in need of better cash flow, go to Google and search by using key words such as debtor finance and cash flow. What do you see? Pages and pages of companies offering debtor finance but you may not go past the first 5 pages, perhaps 3 maximum. You don’t need to, the best companies are at the top and that is one tip, aim for the top.

Location, location, location, you have the address and you want everybody to visit you, you are open 24/7 and what happens? Nothing, no body clicked the door open; it had nothing to offer, worse still, your position is so bad that people never got to see you; on page one they found what they were searching for.

Websites are more than just an address; it can be a reflexion of what your business is, what it does and whether you can satisfy customer needs. It’s not about you; it’s about your business.

This is a crucial tip: Potential customers will click in and out of your web site with no concern about your feelings if your message is unclear; don’t let them escape to your competitors, let them enjoy the browsing by offering accurate, precise, and robust information about your business.

Finally, look at your web site in depth and with an open mind. Is it well designed?  Is it user friendly? Could anyone understand what your products or services are in just a few seconds? Is it frequently up dated? Does it have contact details? Just an email or mobile number doesn’t give you credibility.  How many clicks through do you have? And have your enquiries and sales conversion rate increased? If your answer is no, please go back to the top.

A pretty site is not a better site, clear information and location will benefit your business more. Dazzling graphics sometimes take too long to down load and constant pop ups are annoying.

Ximena,  [email protected]