Pretty Site vs. Ugly Site
March 4th, 2006
You know, you just gotta love it…
I cannot tell you how many times I hear from prospective clients who want to develop a “brand” and develop a really “pretty site” that looks really nice…
While I can appreciate the good will behind these desires, the reality is that your prospect does not care.
Yes, that’s right, they do NOT care!
And in testing of over 3,000 domains, I can say this with 100 % certainty. And the reason is simple. Your prospects only care about themselves, period.
They don’t care about your “grand opening” unless it means they will get 50% off…
(the list goes on and on)
The reality is sure, if you have a really hard site to read, or your site is covered with a bunch of ugly banners etc, then yes, you are hurting yourself with the look and feel of your site.
So that leaves us with the question of what sites are actually making money out there? What sites are actually working?
It’s the sites that do the following:
1) Grab the attention of your prospect
2) Make an irresistable offer
3) Ask for them to take action right friggin NOW!!!!
That’s it!
And all of these Ad Agencies out there who are ripping off their clients by creating these pretty flash websites with merky descriptions on what they do for a living should be taken behind the shed and given “the business”.
I really feel for these poor souls who take the advice of these agencies. I can recall a time in my younger days where I had the head of an ad agency who told me the following:
“Stick with us, we’ll teach you all of the excuses…”
Or, even better perhaps:
“You know Matt, I DON’T want to know how our advertising is doing, because I am afraid I won’t like the answer”.
And hence is the game most businesses play with these monkeys who couldn’t sell their way out of a wet paper bag.
I had a conversation not long ago with an account director at an Interactive Advertising Agency who didn’t understand what Pay Per Click was and how well some of us are actually doing with it online at the moment.
I was floored. And this person actually can feel good about herself when she cashes that check on the 1st and the 15th???
Ughhhh..
Remember this- the whole goal of your website is to build your database and sell your flipping product, whatever it is, period.
DONE, END OF STORY.
Quit trying to build a “brand”- if you do eventually build a brand as a result of your advertising, great, but that should be a nice “spillover” effect from actually advertising for the sole purpose of building your database and making money, period.
Let me end this blog by asking you this…if you think the advertising agencies are so great, go ahead and see how many will take you up on 100% commission…
None will do it, and the reason is simple.
Their sites don’t sell…
And it’s better for all of us who stick with the plan as I outline above.
See you next time,
Matt
