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After spending the last 16 years helping over 100 businesses gain more value from their websites and online presence, I have uncovered some key points to leverage their investment of time and money.

Websites have problems

One of the top problems I encounter when talking with contractors is that their websites are outdated and contain old information. They are typically correct, and many sites contain generic information that is similar to their competitors and not very helpful to the visitor.

In these cases, there is good reason to be concerned, because their websites don’t accurately represent the company’s brand or the value they deliver. They are usually not proud of how the website makes the company look and believe it is a cause of cash flow issues. Thereby, they are not standing out from the competition, and as a result, not getting enough leads.

The deeper causes of their issues are most likely that they don’t have a consistent brand, unique content, or a good lead generation system and strategy. These can lead to bigger issues such as excessive time looking for new business, as well as excessive time in the sales process, trouble justifying a higher price than the other guy, and even going in with a lowball price, because that’s what “normally” wins the job.

You’re not alone

One of my recent clients was convinced that he was losing business through the website simply because the site had an old design. He was seeing traffic to the site, but not acquiring many leads from the visits.

He couldn’t imagine receiving more than a few leads per week. Most of the business coming through the website was from past customers or from referrals.

Once we started working together, we made some much-needed improvements to the website to improve the user experience and convert visitors to leads. It was important to improve the site so that new prospects connected with and trusted his company enough to move forward with a purchase. Within about four months of working with us, our client was making multiple sales per day rather than per week.

Using these principles, we greatly improved his outlook of online business. He was now experiencing more calls and sales from new leads than from past customers or referrals.

Solution

The solution to these problems can be fairly simple and your website can play a key role in building trust, authority, and answering pre-sales questions for your potential buyer.

Start with this three-part framework and start reaping the benefits almost immediately:

  1. Branding – It is important to have a website with a strong and consistent brand that echoes the quality and value that your company provides to its customers.
  2. Content – You should have content that connects with the visitor and speaks to the issues and challenges that they are facing. It shouldn’t always be about your company and what you can do.
  3. Strategy – Lastly, the website should be the core of your lead generation system or process. This means having planned and well-executed copy, content organization, strategically placed opt-in forms (i.e. request for quote, contact forms…), and valuable lead magnets.

Benefits

With a proper strategy and website in place, you will begin recognizing the following time and money-saving benefits:

  • Shorter and higher converting sales process – A key part of the sales process is building trust and demonstrating authority with your prospect. A good website will greatly reduce the time it takes to convince them that you are the right choice.
  • Less time searching for new projects – Keeping a consistent flow of work coming down the pipeline is one of the most time consuming and stressful parts of the contracting business. Utilizing a proper lead generation system with a website at the core will deliver steady leads in less time.
  • Proudly charging premium prices – Sometimes it’s difficult to ask a higher price for a service, which on the surface, appears to be the same as the next guy charging rock-bottom prices. You know why your prices are higher, so your brand and website should position you as the premium choice, justifying the premium price tag.

Conclusion

There are many tools, tactics, and frameworks for achieving positive results in your business, but I am sure you will find that by making the improvements outlined in the framework above, you will get the most bang for your buck. With a stronger brand and business, you will experience less stress, more time for your personal life, and hopefully, more worry-free summer adventures.