Business Growth Insights

Websites have been around for several decades now, but still, website owners continue making the same mistakes that have driven thousands of sites downhill.

Here’s a list of the 10 most common website mistakes, the ones that will repel visitors and lead you to your online death:

1. “Under construction”
This is probably the worst sign you could have on your website. Websites are supposed to be active, they should lead somewhere, and they should change and evolve. This sign shows you are not a serious website owner. If your site is not ready, don’t put it out there.

2. Visitor counters
People normally don’t care how many people have been to your website. In fact, it may be counterproductive because if the number is low, you will be perceived as a novice, and if the number is high, visitors will think you falsified it. Use website analytics to measure accurately how many people visit your site, and get rid of that counter.

3. No copyright statements
Protect your assets! The entire content of your website should be copyrighted. Put copyright statements on every page and update the year appropriately. It’s counterproductive to find a copyright statement from 1995 on a website.

4. Technology overuse
Technology is awesome, and there are many cool things you can program into your website; however, if these distract your visitor from your website’s main purpose, or if they take too long to load, then you are better without them. Visitors like simplicity and websites that are easy and fast to navigate.

5. Passive verbs
Active verbs and sentences denote power and energy, and this will be felt in your site. Passive verbs do exactly the opposite, so don’t use them.

6. Long sentences
People hate reading long sentences simply because they have to remember too much in order to understand what you’re saying. Visitors get distracted easily; so help them stay focused by writing short and confident sentences.

7. Long pages
Most people won’t read a long page on their screen; they will print it or scan it in search for the main information. The wise thing is to keep pages short; if you have lots of material, create several easy to navigate pages, and always put your contact information at the bottom of each page.

8. Failing to mention how your product or service benefits your prospects
People buy a product or service either to get rid of something negative or unwanted, or to obtain something that presents a positive advantage, and they want to know directly and exactly how your product or service will help them do just that.

9. Not telling the visitor what to do
This is known as a ‘call to action’ in marketing. Let your visitors know what you want them to do: sign up for your newsletter, call you, order online, answer a survey, etc.

10. Believing that people will visit the website as if by magic
Magic tricks are neat; however, in the Internet marketing field nothing happens out of the blue. If you want visitors, you have to create a website and then market it. You have to let people know you are out there.

What if you knew that you can do so much more with your business, but you didn’t know where to begin? For most business owners, it can be a very daunting task to find the right path and stick with it.

Adam Armbruster was looking for opportunities to grow his business. Once he found OneCoach, he took action. He realized that the old model of business, sales, and calling more customers sometimes isn’t necessarily the right thing to do. He changed his way of thinking and applied the strategies taught by OneCoach.  Here is the rest of Adam’s story.

Adam Armbruster is a partner of Eckstein, Summers, Armbruster & Company, a retail advertising and media sales consultant business in Redbank, New Jersey, where local businesses experience their high performance advertising. For more information on Eckstein, Summers, Armbruster & Company, you can visit www.ESACompany.com.

Problem

The business wasn’t at the level he thought it could be. He was pushing himself to work harder everyday, but he wasn’t seeing any growth.

Some of the challenges he faced:

• Wanted to do more with his business, but didn’t know how to do more
• Tried to force what he wanted to happen

Solution

Since becoming a OneCoach client, Adam has seen incredible growth. Despite the recession, Adam has:

• Experienced a 30% increase in growth after the first year with OneCoach
• Experienced a 40% increase in growth after the second year with OneCoach—doubled his results in 24 months

How OneCoach helped

“I have a bigger sense of opportunity now. I really enjoy the recorded calls with the OneCoach experts, who I like to call “super achievers.” I’ve learned so much from them. There is no other place where you can sit down and listen to a conversation between millionaires and billionaires talking about how to become one. It’s information that you can’t find anywhere else,” said Adam.

The “aha” moment

“The thing that hit me between the eyes is John Assaraf’s philosophy, which I practice now. It’s about controlling your surroundings. I don’t let the world set my mood for me in the morning. I’ve learned a deep sense of gratitude for everything in life including the little things and have been building a list in the morning. The momentum of controlling your mindset was huge for me,” said Adam.

Why OneCoach?

“The content is authentic and it’s relevant in the real world. There is no fluff. You can’t get this info anywhere else. I’m in sales and marketing and John is the only one who can teach me,” said Adam. “There are others out there, but it’s all about zen stuff and you don’t really learn anything. Feeling good is great, but you also need to learn. I’m completely turned around times 10.”

Learn more about what we do at OneCoach…check out these 7 FREE videos!

Happy customers are the lifeblood of every company. Employees who can create those happy customers are worth their weight in gold. Companies often refer to these special employees as “Top Performers.” Top performers consistently demonstrate the ability to turn opportunity into success. Here’s a peek at the five common characteristics of top performers.

Top Performers are Customer Centered

Top performers develop the ability to look at things from the customer’s point of view. They try to walk in the customer’s shoes to get a feel for their needs, wants, preferences, buying cycles and agendas. They have a genuine desire to understand each customer as an individual as well as an integral part of the company they represent. Another important focus for the top performer is identifying both the present objectives and long term goals of the customer. To do this they also keep up-to-date with industry trends.

Top Performers Don’t Assume

People who excel at sales never assume that they have been given rights to a sale. They believe that every transaction must be earned and that with every encounter they must earn the customer’s respect, trust and loyalty. They work hard with every negotiation to pace the progress of the deal to suit their client and avoid the temptation to push ahead before the customer is ready. Most important of all, the top performer understands that the quality of the service given, combined with appropriate follow up, is what earns him or her the right for subsequent business.

Top Performers are Involved

Top performers have evolved a long way from the “give them a pitch” mentality, and view their customers as valuable contributors to the sales transaction. Rather than a one-sided presentation, they view their interaction with the customer as a conversation. Customers are encouraged to offer opinions and suggestions and top performers listen and learn. The end result of this two-way communication is a customer who feels he has purchased what he needs, not what he has been told to buy.

Top Performers Use Resources

Top performers understand and accept that they cannot be a one-man show and still be successful. They make good use of all resources both technical and personal that are at their disposal. Though outsourcing some tasks may be necessary, top performers still remain as the key contact to the customer and often served as team leaders within their organization.

Top Performers Think Long Term

Top performers see every customer as a long term asset and work to cultivate the relationship accordingly. Gone are the days of simply delivering a sales pitch and then disappearing from sight. A top performer wants to be in it for the long haul, even if sometimes it means investing more time in the client and possibly losing out on some short term opportunities. The top performer always puts the needs and best interests of the customer first.

Is your business a “top performer” for your clients? Share your comments below and feel free to send this article to your friends and colleagues.

It’s very easy to see why OneCoach recommends that every small business owner must have a business coach. After all, it’s what we do. However, we’re not the only ones that recognize the importance of having a dedicated advisor to help you grow your business.

Watch the video below of Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google, and hear him explain why everyone needs a coach.

Business coaching is a powerful support system that will optimize your performance and guide you to where you ultimately want to be. A fresh perspective from the right business coach is a valuable resource that you can’t get from your family, friends or even the people you work with.

The small business owners that work with our certified business coaches have discovered breakthroughs in running their business. Is this the type of change that you have been looking for?

How committed are you to your business? Despite the many obstacles that small business owners face such as confidence issues, low revenues, lack of direction, etc., successful businesses take the right action steps to break out of what’s hindering their growth. What if your business is on its last leg?

Diana Garroway realized that her revenues would not grow unless she was committed to her business and the help that OneCoach provides. She has been applying what she learned and has revamped her business from top to bottom. Not only is she seeing the rewards of her efforts, she now knows how to map out and accomplish her goals for this year. Here is more of Diana Garroway’s story.

Problem
Diana Garroway owns The Swiss Village, a rustic resort in Quebec, Canada, where adventurous travelers can rent unique Swiss-style cottages (chalets) for a country vacation. Diana was following her passion but was scared that she would have to sell the business or go bankrupt. She was digging deeper into debt each day and was focusing too much on her problems.

Some of the challenges she faced:

• Didn’t know how to run a business
• Treating the business as a hobby
• Had trouble getting financing

Solution
Since becoming a OneCoach client, Diana has been seeing her business grow. Despite facing bankruptcy, Diana has:

• Committed to the business 100% and has completely changed the business model
• Experienced a 40% increase in sales for 2009 after joining OneCoach

How OneCoach Helped
“Before OneCoach, I thought my cap possibility for sales was about $140,000. Now I know I can easily obtain $300,000–$400,000. I listen to the Expert Interviews everyday. I think of new ways to sell and expand, and am considering franchising the concept once I have employees in place. I thought I was at my cap, but now I realize I was just on the tip of things to come,” said Diana.

The “aha” moment
“Making the huge decision to quit my job and sell our house was the toughest point and I don’t think I could have done it if I wasn’t a part of the program. It helped me say, “Go for it and just dive in.” It made me believe in myself and believe in what my product can do. I followed the system. It made me take action everyday,” said Diana.

Why OneCoach?
“I love how practical it is. It’s very straightforward and it’s not just theory,” said Diana. “OneCoach really has the information that I can apply in my business today. The biggest thing that I can recommend is that it gives you action items that you can implement today to make a difference within a measurable period of time.”

Continuing to grow
Diana expects to see a 77% increase in sales for 2010.

Learn more about what we do at OneCoach… check out these 7 FREE videos!