If you work with products like Microsoft Dynamics GP, Intuit QuickBooks, or Sage Accounting, you know the software you sell is top-notch, but you’ve also got a lot of competition. How do you set yourself apart, draw traffic to your site, and convert that traffic into sales?
If you work with products like Microsoft Dynamics GP, Intuit QuickBooks, or Sage Accounting, you know the software you sell is top-notch, but you’ve also got a lot of competition. How do you set yourself apart, draw traffic to your site, and convert that traffic into sales?
Make your website, your name, and your logo unique.
Don’t go for any sort of “cookie-cutter” website that looks identical to every other software seller’s. Do make the software companies’ logos and names prominent on your website for the products you sell, but make your own website – and your name – unique. An easily recognizable logo will also make you memorable. If there’s a particular industry or niche focus for your company, make that recognizable on the home page.
Provide lots of detailed product descriptions and photos.
Provide detailed descriptions and photos of the accounting products you sell on your website. Customers can’t browse in the same “hands-on” style they would in a brick-and-mortar store, so you’ve got to do that work for them. Although a company like Intuit or Microsoft is sure to provide you with screen captures and box shots, it’s worth the extra effort to create your own images; they better reflect your business approach and what you value, and they’re unique, setting you apart from competitors that merely post the canned images from the parent software company.
Request customer reviews and feedback.
If you do right by your customers, be proud of that – and let your customers tell the world! Provide prominent space on your site for customers to leave testimonials and reviews of your products as well as your attention to customer service; when prospective customers see that others are happy with you, they’re much more likely to buy from you. A good, honest, substantive testimonial still works wonders!
Set up a corresponding blog for your customers to follow.
Set up a blog and keep it updated with news of your latest products, discounts and promotions. Subscribers will always be up to date, and you’ve got a captive audience to sell to, as well. Keep track of customer problems you help solve during the week. These can be a great source for new posts.
Make sure you use RSS feeds on your website and blog.
Both your blog and your website should be set up to automatically generate RSS feeds every time you update; it’s an effortless way to keep subscribers in the loop on the latest products and discounts. A feed lets the visitor be notified of new information, making it much more likely they will return to your site in the future.
Offer time-sensitive discounts and special promotions.
Your homepage should always prominently display discounts and special promotions that are time sensitive. Customers are enticed to buy immediately, and if they redeem them within the allotted time, they’ll get in on big savings. You can also offer a 5% or 10% discount for every referral customers give you. Again, these should be time sensitive in that customers have just a limited time to take advantage of the offer; the urgency will drive sales.
Provide great customer service.
Top-notch customer service will always make you stand out from the competition. Promise a response within 24 hours for emailed queries or complaints, and provide a phone number for direct calls.
Interact with your customers.
Social media sites like Facebook let you set up pages specifically for your business, and this is a great way to interact with your customers (and for them to interact with each other) in real time. You can also allow for comments on your blog. Be sure to follow up on comments from visitors with comment responses of your own. This is a great way to grow relevant content. When you communicate directly (and regularly) with customers, you set yourself apart from your competitors simply because you provide a truly personal touch.
Offer something for free with purchase.
Customers love feeling like they’ve gotten a deal. If you can provide a free gift with purchase, such as an inexpensive piece of related software or hardware, you’ll stand apart from competitors who don’t.
Offer free shipping.
If you ship physical product, don’t overlook the power of free shipping. Customers love free shipping, and it’s a cheap and easy way for you to increase sales volume. Make it cost effective (and increase individual order values), by offering free shipping with minimum purchases, such as $50.
Be willing to put more effort into your website than your competitors and you will gain a significant advantage. A successful accounting software reseller website is the culmination of doing a lot of little things, like these 10 tips, on a consistent basis.
If you have a tip you would like to share, or any comments or questions, please share them below.
