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May 17
2007
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A New Approach for Successful WebsitePosted by: nirmalgyanwali in Web on May 17, 2007 Tagged in: Website
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1. What is your initial impression of this website?
I can't imagine that you found it delightful, impressive, or confidence-building. If you put yourself in the frame of mind of a potential customer- a piano buyer - your impression could be decidedly worse. Since I personally know a lot of piano players, I know that piano players in general are rather fussy people." Would a fussy person warm up to a website that, to put it mildly, has little focus?
2. Does this site describe any of the store's benefits of any reasons you should you buy from it?
Maybe it does, but I can't find those benefits or reasons. I have worked professionally with hundreds of business helping them find and communicate benefits and reasons to attract customers. Did you find any benefits or reasons that you didn't have to strain you brain to come up with?
The knee-jerk answer, of course, is people who are interested in pianos. But look more closely. At the top, you see the logos of five different piano and organ manufacturers. It seems to me that the only person who would really be interested in that is the sales re for the one of the companies that isn't represented..... So she could get a little free exposure for her company, too. The problem is that the site doesn't directly address, or indirectly satisfy, the questions most on the mind of the prospective customer: Is this good store that has its act together? Will I be treated well? Can I get what I'm looking for here? Will I be taking care of after the sale? Is it worth my time and trouble to come by and visit, or even pick up the phone and call?
4. What action does Starbird Music want you to take?
Starbird does ask you to visit the store or send and email. It says so, right at the bottom of the page. But why would you want to visit or email? Doing so would only benefit Starbird- or you, if you were just about ready to buy a piano. That leaves out a lot of people. My point is that this site offers no service that would bring along a barely interested customer to the level of a warm prospect, nor does it give current customers any action to take to stay in a relationship with the store. Look at all those missed oppurtunities!
5. How many navigation links does the site offer you? Which links do you want to click?
I counted 16. I'm still deciding which ones to click.
6. What kind of impression does this website, and this business, make on you?
If it's a good impression, you're easily impressed. The site is not business-like, focused, customer-oriented... and that's bad for business.
7. How can Starbird Music evaluate the success of this website?
This, perhaps, is the biggest problem of all. Because there's no objective way to measure its success. You can send and email, but that is hardly meaningful by itself. As a "necessary evil," this site earn its keep. But as a productive, profitable part of the business, its got a long way to go.

A New Approach for Successful Website





