Fire Search, Hire Salesperson

by John Almberg, Identry LLC, January 2008

Can you imagine a real-world stamp store without a friendly, helpful dealer standing behind the counter? Of course not. Stamp collectors -- particularly those with real money to spend -- depend on their expert, friendly dealer to help guide them as they build their collection.

So why are most stamp websites about as personal and helpful as a vending machine? Can't we do better?

I think we can. In the last few articles, I've argued that site search can be more than just a way to find things on your website. Done right, site search can be your site salesperson.

What is site search? In it's simplest form, it's the search box on your website that lets customers search for stamps, covers, or whatever. When a customer types in a Scott #, for example, it returns a list of search results, just like Google does.

Helpful, but mechanical and hardly the expert salesperson we are looking for. Let's look at some specific scenarios and imagine how site search, morphed into a super site salesperson could do better.

1. A loyal, repeat customer returns to your website, hoping to add something new to his collection.

Search just sits there on the page, waiting for the customer to type in a search.

Salesperson, on other hand, recognizes the customer as soon as he arrives on the site, just as a real salesperson would do. Not only does Salesperson recognize the customer, it remembers everything the customer has ever bought or searched for on your website! Salesperson doesn't just wait passively for the customer to do something. It immediately greets the customer by name and automatically finds and displays some of the new items in the store that match the customer's specific interests.

Wouldn't you, if you could?!

2. A new customer uses Google to search for stamps, and finds your site! He arrives on your home page, eager to buy.

Again, Search just sits on the page, waiting for the new customer to take action.

But Salesperson is smart enough to find out what the customer typed into Google -- before he clicked through to your site (yes, this is possible!) By the time your home page loads for the first time, Salesperson has already found a collection of tasty items that match the customer's Google search keywords, and lays them out on the home page. So the first thing the customer sees is exactly what he's looking for.

"Wow!" he thinks. "They must have read my mind!"

Not quite. But almost.

3. After putting a few items in his shopping cart, a customer searches for something else. Something that you don't have at the moment.

Search says: "Your query is incorrect! No items found! Please try again (stupid!)."

Salesperson says: "Sorry, but we don't have any of those right now. They're quite rare, but we do get them from time to time. Would you like me to let you know when we find one? Let me get your email address..."

Isn't that what you would say? Why shouldn't your website?

4. Remember that stamp the customer was looking for in #3? You finally find one and add it to your site.

Search has long forgotten the customer and what he was looking for.

Salesperson remembers both. Does Salesperson wait until the customer comes back? Of course not! Remember, Salesperson was smart enough to take the customer's email address. While Search is sitting around doing nothing, Salesperson is sending off an email to the customer, letting him know a beautiful copy of that stamp he was searching for 3 months ago has finally come in.

"It won't last long, and I wanted you to have the first crack at it!"

5. A customer finds a stamp for his collection, but would prefer a better (more expensive) copy, that you just happen to have!

You guessed it. Search just sits there... waiting... thinking about whatever computers think about when they're not busy.

Salesperson finds all the copies of that particular stamp, plus some covers that have that stamp affixed to it, plus an essay, and display them next to the stamp the customer is looking at. So when he thinks "Gosh, I'd be willing to pay more for a higher grade", it's right there! He doesn't even need to look for it.

Salesperson is not lazy! Salesperson loves to help! Salesperson loves to sell!

Crazy Pipe Dream?

Absolutely not. All this is technically do-able, and my own company, Identry, is busy building all these features into our new Top Seller II system. Not only is it technically possible, I believe features like these will become common and expected as more and more business moves onto the Web.

As Ralph Wilson of Web Marketing Today noted, the performance gap between successful and unsuccessful online businesses becomes greater every year. The difference isn't in blinking graphics. It's in software that puts your stamp store online -- and a helpful, knowledgeable Salesperson behind the counter.

If you have other great ideas for making websites more helpful and personal, please send them to me at john@identry.com. I'll include them in future issues. Next issue, we'll take another look at an easy way to get started with Search Engine Marketing.  In the meantime, have a great month SELLING STAMPS ON THE WEB.