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SITE-SELL! Issue #003
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SITE-SELL!
The World's Most Usable E-commerce E-zine
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>A free, twice-monthly e-zine dedicated to showing you ...
> ... how to MAKE YOUR SITE SELL!
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August 31, 1999
Issue #003
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PLEASE SHARE THIS E-ZINE WITH FIVE FRIENDS...
... AND ZERO COMPETITORS! ;-)
OR SEND YOUR FRIENDS TO...
>> http://www.sitesell.com/site-sell.html
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> MAKE YOUR SITE SELL! (MYSS!)
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>> "THE BEST BUY ON THE NET TODAY"...
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And MYSS!'s "100%-no-matter-why" GUARANTEE makes this
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MYSS! is all you'll ever need to know to truly SELL on the
Web. Order at ...
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Each issue of SITE-SELL contains USABLE
content in 1 or more of these categories...
CATEGORY IN THIS ISSUE
SITE-SELL XPRESS --> YES
HANDS-ON SITE SELLING --> YES
SITE-SELL! SPOTLIGHT --> NO
BEST OF THE REST --> NO
TEST YOUR SITE --> NO
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SITE-SELL XPRESS -- News
What's new in the world of sitesell.com...
--
1) The MYSS! BOOK.............................
The printed version should be available next week!
Watch for the announcement.
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2) The 5 PILLAR AFFILIATE PROGRAM.............
We're about to launch a powerful traffic-builder for
affiliates. If you have not yet joined the 5 Pillar
Program, please investigate it at...
>> http://www.sitesell.com/affiliateprogram.html
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3) The PRODUCTS.............................
We've just completed the survey to find out why customers
*don't* buy (we talked about this in the last issue of
SITE-SELL!). Visitors (who did *not* buy) were chosen at
random as they left the site. We offered a free copy of
MYSS! if they provided useful information regarding why they
did not buy MYSS!.
The results were so important, and so surprising, that we're
turning the data and conclusions into a new product -- a
full, interactive report. We're rushing this one into
production ASAP.
This report will actually put you inside the head of
visitors who "almost-but-don't-buy." More on this in a
couple of weeks, once we've finished compiling and
interpreting the data.
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HANDS-ON SITE SELLING
Based on our own experience, or on yours (send e-mail to
hands-on-column@sitesell.com), this column features
original, in-the-trenches info that you *WILL* put to good
use... IMMEDIATELY.
--
Well, the family and I have just returned from vacation.
Stayed at the wonderful, legendary Beverly Hills Hotel. Hey,
you might even see us on CNN's "ShowBiz Today" (September 2,
1999), at 4PM, then 3AM (Eastern time). We'll be the ones in
the pool!
OK, why would you want to see my daughters and me in a pool,
even if it is the BHH pool, right? So let's get to the
point. :-)
--
Every now and then I receive an e-mail that goes like
this...
"Hey, your MYSS! approach might work for people selling
stuff to the average Joe (or Josephine!). But what
about..."
And then they go on to explain why the MYSS! process won't
work for their target market, or their product, or their
service, or whatever.
They're wrong, of course. The principles outlined in MYSS!
are universal. It doesn't matter *what* you're selling or
*who* you are selling to...
... it's just a matter of *ADAPTING* the MYSS! principles.
As an example, let's take a look at how a world-class hotel
could sell to its target, i.e. the most affluent of world
travelers. I say "could" because they are not doing it well
right now.
Here's the story...
--
After we arrived home on Sunday night, I wondered if the
Beverly Hills Hotel (BHH) had a Web site. So I punched in
http://www.beverlyhillshotel.com/ and...
BINGO! There it was. I settled back for a pleasant
reliving of a wonderful experience still fresh in my memory.
I also looked forward to seeing if they had made a "site
that sells."
The disappointing answer? No.
-----
First, the raw fundamentals of Web-selling...
To win on the Web, you have only have to succeed at three
steps...
STEP 1 -- Develop a great product -- position it for Web
sales.
STEP 2 -- Build a site that SELLS with deadly effectiveness.
STEP 3 -- Attract targeted traffic to the site.
Let's apply these steps to the BHH...
--
STEP 1 -- Product
BHH is "the perfect Web product." I mean, it's a
mind-bogglingly great product. Luxurious surroundings,
incredible service, fabled history. It's a service, really
-- not a hard good that has to be warehoused and shipped.
And it's proprietary -- only the BHH can sell the BHH!
It's aimed at the affluent, all of whom are on the Web by
now. World-wide clientele -- there was an Indonesian (?)
potentate in the bungalow next to ours, complete with
round-the-clock serious-looking security guys!
You can't have a better product to sell on the Web. But
they *do* have excellent competition. So their site will
have to go the "extra mile" if they want to win the war of
the Web.
--
STEP 3 -- Traffic-Building
The BHH has a great advantage over you and me -- they are
world famous. Potential customers find them in travel
guides. Or they simply do what I did -- punch in
www.beverlyhillshotel.com!
Still, they could generate more traffic by mastering key
words like "Los Angeles conventions" or "Beverly Hills
weddings" But that's not the focus of today's article.
Let's use the BHH to take a look at the key basics of
STEP 2, site-selling. As I said...
Mr. and Mrs. Affluent, from Just About Anywhere in the
World, are, of course, also considering such competitors as
the Regent, the Peninsula, the Four Seasons, etc., etc.
BHH's Web site should be the perfect sales vehicle that
closes the sale on the spot. Yes, the MYSS! approach is
even ideal for getting a reservation from millionaires!
Let's see why and how...
-----SIDEBAR-----
Please visit this URL and follow along...
http://www.beverlyhillshotel.com/
-----SIDEBAR-----
1) Opening Page
Here's the opening copy of the BHH Home Page...
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"The world-famous Beverly Hills Hotel,
built in 1912, magnificently renovated
in 1995, located at
9641 Sunset Boulevard,
Beverly Hills, California 90210.
Telephone: (310) 276-2251
Reservations: (800) 283-8885
Fax: (310) 281-2905
E-mail"
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That's it. Nope, nothing else. Unfortunately...
These are features ("world-famous" and "magnificently
renovated" and the location), not benefits. My goodness --
the BHH is all about...
o a magnificent, relaxed and discrete setting
o sumptuously appointed, ultra-comfortable rooms
o service that is paralleled only by top Hong Kong hotels
o fabled history (the hotel, pool and Polo Lounge are all
favorites of movie stars and other shakers)
Why lead off by giving me the address and the "date last
renovated"? These are features (weak features at that!)?
Fire your biggest gun to open your sales-oriented site
=> BENEFITS, not features.
-----
2) Rooms Tour
This is the first link. The "tour" does not begin to do
justice to the hotel. Actually, it's not even a tour. Just
a slow-loading page with a bunch of pics and weak copy.
A real opportunity was lost here. Don't just toss up
several pictures, in no particular sequence...
Take me on a tour of *each and every* room possible, from
the regular "Superior Guestroom" to the "Four Bedroom
Presidential Bungalow" (with its private pool!) or the
Presidential Suite in the main hotel.
Show me lots of pics of each room and tell me who stayed
there. Romance me. Let me feel the magic. Make me want to
stay at the BHH.
-----
3) The Most Wanted Response (MWR) Page (i.e., "The Closer")
This is their "Reservations" page. It's devoid of any
closing copy. But don't get me wrong. This is not the type
of site that needs or wants aggressive closing "Ginsu
Knives" type of closing.
But it *is* very possible to let the reader know that she is
only a step away from living the magic. I *do* like the
fact that they do not ask for credit card info. Just submit
the time and date -- the hotel calls back to confirm. Nice,
simple, non-intimidating, and appropriate (hey, hate giving
that platinum card over the Net, right?)
--
The BHH has a second MWR -- booking conventions, weddings,
etc. into their banquet facilities. The page that promotes
this suffers from the same "features vs. benefits" problem --
no romance there. And it ends in a weak "call to action"...
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"For further information please call our
Catering Sales staff at (310) 281-2916,
e-mail us, or fill out our online form."
--------------------------------------
-----
4) Facilities
This poorly named link is out of order. It should appear
before the MWR page -- after all, it's part of the sales
process.
This link shows people-less shots of what are really
vibrant, exciting parts of the hotel. The copy for each is
tired and feature-packed, rather than benefit-laden.
For example, the Polo Lounge is legendary -- so show rich
shots of the wheelers and dealers that settle in for their
$500 suppers every night (while outlining multi-million
dollar deals on their napkins!), and of the elegant staff
serving the culinary delights, etc. And sheesh -- don't
reduce it to the status of a "facility" -- how cold.
Another example? They list the pool on this page, but don't
even show it. Nor do they show the "beautiful people" and
cell-phoned sunbathers lolling around the pool.
On the same "Facilities" page, they also (in somewhat of a
non-sequitur) list all kinds of activities and attractions
within easy reach of the hotel. Don't list stuff -- *show*
the beaches and the golf courses and Disneyland and...
Include maps for how to get to each attraction, ready for
the guest to print and use, making the BHH and its site the
*HUB* of a great vacation.
And hey, what the heck happened to that great free limo ride
to Rodeo Drive, or anywhere else within 3 miles of the
hotel? I've got a great pic of my daughters climbing out of
that elegant black stretch! Run a photo of a guest
photographing their children getting out of that limo --
that alone would make me decide on the BHH!
Emotion and benefits, please -- not features. That's what
gets the sale, *no matter who your client is.*
-----
5) General comments
a) Frameset -- the site is in a frameset for no apparent good
reason. MYSS! outlines all kinds of reasons why framesets
are *generally* a big mistake. There are exceptions, but
not for a simple site like this one.
b) Speed and reliability -- the site was down Monday
morning, and brutally slow that afternoon and evening
(200-500 bytes/second). Today (Tuesday), I get a "document
contains no data" message. Not good.
c) Glaring Absence 1 -- no testimonials. Can you imagine
the power of kind words by Mick Jagger (a poolside regular)
and other high profile habituis?
d) Glaring Absence 2 -- lack of a backup response. They *do*
have a newsletter. Amazingly, it's only html and there does
not seem to be any way to subscribe to it.
It's a terrific newsletter, including some great articles
on key employees. They even give away their recipe for
their renowned "Chicken Tortilla Soup," a nice little
example of "giving" on the Net.
But that's *all* there is, just the recipe -- include a bit
of sizzle about the soup (bad metaphor, I know -- it's
steaks that sizzle!)...
o describe its wonderful taste
o explain its origins and history
o mention how Elizabeth Taylor and Britney Spears order it
whenever they're at the hotel.
I'd sign up to receive their newsletter by e-mail in a
second, just to receive warm notes from a place that I love.
But I can't because they don't offer that option. Since I'll
never get around to revisiting just to see if a new
newsletter is out, well...
... out of sight, out of mind. :-(
A regular e-mailed newsletter would be a powerful, low-cost
loyalty-builder for former guests and a great
relationship-builder for potential ones.
e) Broken text links at the bottom of the Home Page
("Reservations" and "What's New"). This should simply never
occur in any kind of site, let alone the BHH's.
f) Design and Usability -- the overall feel is amateurish,
and inconsistent with the high class of the hotel itself.
Many of the links are not intuitive and the "What's New"
text link is named differently from the "Happenings"
graphics link in the left margin -- it should, I assume, be
the same.
g) e) Glaring Absence 3 -- no joints between pages (see
MYSS! for more information about all-important joints). An
effective site has a process, a logic behind it. It pulls
the visitor inexorably towards the Most Wanted Response. Not
here, though.
-----
6) Conclusion
There's no romance in a site that is trying to sell one of
the most romantic hotels in the world.
In short, there is simply no evidence of a thoughtful sales
process, no steady pathway that leads irresistibly into
getting the booking.
Bottom line? There is no MYSS!-process going on here.
This site can do little good. At worst, it knocks a bit of
the luster off the image of the BHH and loses the sale to
its 5-star ultra-luxurious competitors. At best, people who
already know and love the hotel simply say, "Oh well, at
least I know how great the Beverly Hills Hotel really is."
-----ACTION STEP-----
Review your site against the above points. Does your site
flail or fly? Be honest -- it's the only way to improve.
-----END ACTION STEP-----
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Written by Ken Evoy, M.D.,
President of SiteSell.com Inc.
(c) and ™ SiteSell.com Inc. All rights reserved.