I recently submitted my column to Printwear on the subject of optimizing your web site for capturing leads. That will be in an upcoming issue before the end of the year. I have been reflecting on my comments and suggestions in that column this week, as I ran into what I consider to be a negative approach to capturing leads.The long and short of it is this: Your web site a virtual door that leads visitors into your business. Therefore your home page and/or landing pages should be as friendly and welcoming as you are when a customer walks into your place of business. Naturally you'd greet them with kindness, introduce yourself and begin the process of giving them the best service possible. Hopefully you'll close the sale, if not you're sure to get a business card and/or information from them to follow up at a later date. Thus capturing a lead.
This week I saw an ad for sublimation equipment that caught my attention. I have been searching for another printing solution for my busy dart shirts web site. Having an hour or so free to research their products I was off to their web site to spend some time browsing the equipment, warranties, financing options, getting an idea of pricing etc...
My hour of research - as well as my interest in doing business with that company - ended within a minute and a half. Why?
Landing on their home page I was greeted with a few options to click on for their equipment, and a login box accompanied by a "register now" link. When I clicked on the equipment links I was redirected to a page telling me I must register before I can enter their web site. And that was the end of my interest as well as the time I spent at their web site.
That approach may make sense to some hardcore sales reps as the site immediately asks for the users contact information and details, but in my opinion it is forceful and disruptive if not damaging to that companies online sales efforts. Consider entering a physical location to shop for something and being greeted at the door by a sales rep who hands you a clipboard with a form to fill out providing all of your contact information before you're even greeted with a handshake. Imagine having to provide them that form before you could even take a glance at what they had to offer.
In my opinion capturing leads is a method blended in with courtesy and consideration for the customer, making them comfortable with providing their contact information and doing business with you. Forcing users to provide their personal information in order to capture leads is a bold, car salesman type of approach that in the end could be detrimental to business.
That's my two cents anyway...
