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How to make your website your best employee.

By on 07/31/2012

Imagine you’re a manager. You’ve got two employees, both exceed the qualifications for the job. On paper, they’re both good eggs.

But, in practice, one consistently wows you with her performance. The other… well, she’s just punching the clock.

The Star Employee represents the business well, answering the phone pleasantly & professionally, creating systems for herself & others, improving quality standards, and selling more than you imagined possible. The Clock Puncher ignores company standards, creates more work for you & the rest of the staff, annoys customers, and takes no ownership over the job.

What would you do?

Inane HR policies notwithstanding, you’d fire the Clock Puncher!

She’s damaging relationships, misrepresenting your vision, and costing you money.

So why do you let your website punch the clock?

Sadly, most business websites are just punching the clock. They misrepresent the vision of the business, damage relationships with potential & existing customers, and cost you money.

Just like there’s no perfect employee, no website is perfect – certainly not this one. But there are ways to make sure your website is the employee you dream about, not the one of nightmares.

Bottom line, your website needs to work when you’re not working. Click to tweet!

What good is it to have an employee that only works when you do? Spacing out “coverage” during all the hours you’re open for business is important. Of course, your business is open 24 hours a day if you’re online. So your website needs to be working for you while you’re eating lunch, playing with your kids, and sleeping.

If you’re not posting a new article, does your website still get traffic? If you’re not launching a new product, does your website still close sales? If you’re not answering your email, does your website still provide the answers?

Here are my expectations for “website employee of the month:”

  • Answers questions. It’s not enough to have a “contact” page – you’ve still got to do the work! You need to make sure your website is anticipating your customers’ questions so they don’t need to contact you before you make the sale.
  • Directs customers to where they want to go. “What can I help you find today?” It’s the first thing you hear when you walk into a store and your website should be no different. Again, you need to anticipate what your visitors are looking for and place that front & center. You can also create paths through your site that invite people to go further & further into your world.
  • Makes appropriate suggestions. I love when a waiter suggests something he loves off the menu. Or when I’m in the dressing room and an attentive employee brings me something that would look great on me. Your website needs to do that too. Think, “If you like this, then you’ll love that!.
  • Follows the dress code. Polos & aprons at Starbucks, white shirts & black ties at your favorite Italian restaurant, fashion-forward & quirky accessories at the hip design firm down the street. What you wear says a lot about you as an employee – and consequentially the business you work for. What’s your website wearing nowadays? If it’s outdated, cheap, or it’s shirt isn’t tucked in, it’s probably giving people the wrong impression of what you & your business can do for them.
  • Tells the business story. Truly great employees engage customers in the history, vision, and story of the business. It’s more than just answering questions or closing the sale. It’s about making the customer feel like a part of the family. Does your website find opportunities to engage your visitors in your business story at every click?

It’s time to take some serious disciplinary action against your clock punchin’ website. Whether there are known problems that just keep escalating or you need to carefully observe it in action, make a list of what your website is doing well for you and how it could be working harder for you.

You can’t afford to have this employee slacking off.

– PS –

Website Kick Start 2.0 is here! We’re fighting lazy, clock punching websites and teaching you how to create hardworking, money making sites that work for you.

Click here to get started today!

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Posted in , | Tagged , | 44 Responses

44 responses to “How to make your website your best employee.”

  1. Brenda
    Brenda 08/03/2012 at 8:01 am | | Reply

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  2. Link Hype 8-3-2012
    Link Hype 8-3-2012 08/03/2012 at 10:01 am |

    [...] Your website has the potential to be the most important worker in your business and Tara Gentile wants to show you How to Make Your Website Your Best Employee. [...]

  3. Kate
    Kate 08/03/2012 at 3:25 pm | | Reply

    Wonderful article. Tara do you have any thoughts or advice for those of us who have that grand vision for our website that you describe, but are trying to get by on a shoe-string budget? Can we really manage to create that visually outstanding and functionally sleek website for our customers that we want, doing it all ourselves?

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    Body Loving Blogosphere 08.05.12 | Medicinal Marzipan 08/05/2012 at 8:02 am |

    [...] Hire someone to work hard so you don’t have to – How to Make Your Website Your Best Employee. [...]

  5. Daisi
    Daisi 08/06/2012 at 1:00 pm | | Reply

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    IS your website your best employee? : Home Business Blogs 08/06/2012 at 8:01 pm |

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  7. Blenda Tyvoll
    Blenda Tyvoll 08/07/2012 at 12:21 pm | | Reply

    Hi Tara,
    Great article! Makes me stop to think about whether my website really is “my best employee” The tip I love is “make appropriate suggestions” Must go work on that right now. (P.S.Just sent this article out in a Tweet for you, too!)
    ~blenda