Sitepro Blog - Entries by author 'Steve Allingham'

Deal Me In

Steve Allingham — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 22:56:00 -0500

Are you a manufacturer with a network of dealers who sell your product? If so, you could be missing out on a terrific opportunity to significantly increase sales. Yeah, I know I sound like a TV pitchman, but for a small investment and support, your dealers could be selling your product online and making money for themselves, and for you.

Wai Tie Mai Tie

Steve Allingham — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:38:00 -0500

Selling well means interaction with customers. And before you can sell your product you need to sell “yourself.” Sales people who look their best tend to come across as more confident, assertive, professional and most importantly, more productive.

Let’s Go ‘Kamping’

Steve Allingham — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 22:24:00 -0500

Wouldn’t you like to know what visitors to your site are thinking? Certainly an unhappy or pleased visitor could email you through your capture form, but I’ve discovered a better way. One of my clients turned me on to a new program; it’s great for all flavors of sites, but extraordinarily important for ecommerce sites.

In-House versus Out-House – I mean Out-Source

Steve Allingham — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:30:00 -0500

So you’re going to hire your own team to build your business website. But wait – is that really the cost effective way to do it? At the very least you’ll need a web designer and developer and probably a technical writer if you aren’t skilled in writing. And do you know how to best optimize your page in the search engines?

Fruit Baskets – Comparing Apples to Apples

Steve Allingham — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 08:01:00 -0500

I recently met with a client to discuss some updates for their site. The first thing they brought up was a quote they had received from a local web development company to redo their site for just $300, which supposedly “offered everything Sitepro offers for a lot less.” Well, I know lots of companies like to claim they do what we do for "less", but it’s just not true, and this quote was a prime example.

KISS Me!

Steve Allingham — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:22:00 -0500

Don’t all stand in line with your lips puckered! What I’m talking about is “Keeping It Simple, Sweety.” I read an incredibly useful and informative book recently called “Don’t Make me Think,” by author Steve Krug. The premise is that if your site visitor has to think too much about what to do on your site, they’re not going to do it – they’re just going to move on.

Mixed Messages

Steve Allingham — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 11:52:00 -0500

A few weeks ago an email circulated pointing out one hapless company’s image problem. Their website was upbeat, bright, with neon green highlights and a hip feel. But the actual company’s retail location was drab, old, with ancient signage and really the opposite feel to their site. While they may have intended to capture the web audience and show them how hip they were, their actual location was anything but, and the mixed message was killing them.

Using Sitepro’s Testimonial Feature to Get Customers

Steve Allingham — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 17:39:00 -0500

Your company probably has at least one – a lovely handwritten letter from a well-served client pleased to let you know how wonderful you are. (Makes up for the handwritten note from an unhappy client pleased to let you know how rotten you are). If nothing else, that school class you gave the tour to probably sent you a thank-you note, as well. Either way, if it was positive, you probably passed it around the office, pinned it to the company bulletin board, or sent it to everyone via email. But did you think to pass it around to your customers?

Who Wants to Know?

Steve Allingham — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:10:00 -0500

Have you ever wondered who’s been on your site? Well, I suppose it would be nice to know names and addresses of people who browse your site, but that’s not possible – yet. I’m talking more general terms, specifically, how often your site gets visited.

Why Use a Content Management System (CMS)?

Steve Allingham — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:07:00 -0500

Websites grow old and die for a variety of reasons, but most notably because site content goes out of date. Since visitors to your site equate the quality of your site with the legitimacy and credibility of your company, you want to make sure that the information you present is clear, concise, relevant, accurate, and up to date. Here at Sitepro, we make it easy to keep your content fresh.

How to Excel in Musky Fishing and Sales

Steve Allingham — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:50:00 -0500

Believe it or not, there are some striking similarities between fishing and sales. Here are four proven personal attributes that will help you catch bigger fish both on and off the water...

Why Ecommerce?

Steve Allingham — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 15:35:00 -0500

While the recession continues to batter brick and mortar stores, online sales are still pretty hot (in comparison). When gas prices climbed through the roof last year and no one wanted to leave the house – everything you needed was just a few mouse clicks away.

Web Marketing 101

Steve Allingham — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:50:00 -0500

Web marketing is easy - put your web address on absolutely everything that will ever come in contact with a customer, prospective customer, or someone you hope may one day be a customer. Yet, how many times have you come across business advertising and marketing that omits a company's web address?