Software + Services Marketing Best Practices

Key Success Factor: Web Driven Model

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Key Success Factors: Web Driven Model (PDF)

Web Driven Model

A Web Driven business model implements all the necessary tools and methods to allow a complete sales process cycle to be consummated online: from supporting effective Search Engine Optimization and Pay-Per-Click ad campaigns, to drawing customers to segment-specific landing pages or micro-sites, through search/research, self qualification, trial, comparison/education, purchase, activation/subscription, to support.

Key Questions to Think About

How do you drive costs out of sales, while increasing perceived benefits to the customer?
How does your prospect become educated on your offer currently? How could they become educated about it?
Is there a way for you to allow and assist your prospect to self-qualify themselves?
Are your employees and value-chain partners saying the same thing you are saying and in the same way? What can you do about that?

All principle aspects of the traditional sales process cycle are present in an optimized Web Driven Model - but they are embodied in their online form. As a firm migrates to full implementation of a mature, optimized web driven model, they frequently find that their costs to perform conventional sales are also reduced since they gain leverage from the systems implemented for their web driven model as well.

The web driven model has the benefit of squeezing inefficiencies out of a firm's processes, helping to automate and streamline tasks that previously relied on human intervention. But, because it means doing hard thinking about the processes at play in moving a customer from inquiry to sale, it's often tough work; some firms find it hard to turn over the sacred stones necessary to facilitate a true online order capture capability. The key, again, is to start with your customer's perspective and work backward from there, crafting a solution that makes the most logical sense for your industry and requirements.

Capture the promise and power of the Web by ensuring that every possible demand generation, channel promotion, and service touch point leverages the web. Keyword: microsite.

What it means

Web-driven model

The most effective web-driven organizations drive action through use-specific web properties - microsites - not through the front door of their home page. Effective use of standards like CSS have made this easy, but it's still all too rare.

Why it's important

If messaging is not being communicated consistently by employees as well as partners, it results in a significant lost opportunity cost in sales. Unify your messaging via increasing effective use of the Web.

Applications of the Best Practice

One operator completed a restructuring of it's value-added services microsite expecting a considerable increase in sales revenue as a result...

The anticipated sales increase occurred just as expected.
But - surprise! The increase did not come from online sales.
Instead, the increased revenue came as a direct result of direct sales and partner sales teams having access to web based tools, messaging, and consistent offers.
The implementation of the web-based site and tools meant all sales agents were communicating the desired value proposition in a consistent manner, resulting in a unified front to customers.

Think about: What would this do to your potential for tracking and following up on leads in a solid CRM system tied to your online efforts?

Next: Demand Generation