Why Shouldn't Send People To My Corporate Site? It's Professionally Built And I Paid For It?
Read More: Imagine your one your way to your favorite store... You love this store because the the customer service is great and the cute clerk behind the counter always compliments you on your new shirts. The owners have been in the same spot for as long as you could remember.
The price isn't always the cheapest but you know it's about more than just price when your dealing with people you trust!
Then imagine that the next time you visit the shop the owners have updated the place and put robots in their stead. Everything else is exactly the same though.
They even programmed the robot clerk to say your name and compliment you on your shirt, not just sometimes but every time! They thought you'd like the personal touch ;-)
As a matter of fact, it's the latest rage in small businesses so they can have there business run on autopilot and finally get some well deserved and needed vacation.
What would you do?
"How do you know that a replicated company website is ineffective?"
It Seemed Like A Good Idea, At The Time
Just like the robots who can't read expressions not make changes to themselves. Your equally at a disadvantage with a robotic replicated site.
Although the premise behind a replicated site makes sense on the surface: Quality control and easy of duplication (hey it's replicated, create once use many times) it is a hum bug to you the business owner and here's why...
And I'll use my own, now defunct, replicated site for this example.
The only thing I got to add was a picture and create a subdomain (www.bedohave.mlmcorporate.com) unless I was at one of the higher positions (which I was) then I got to add a Bio. Not just any bio though... a corporate approved, white glove bio.
Hardly enough to fully express the network marketing, diva bad ass that I am :-).
I had no way to track who came in and when nor for how long... the 'contact me' tab was obscured by all the mind numbingly boring information about how great the company is and the totally uninspiring product descriptions (Don't you wonder who their copywriter is? Booooooo)
But It Gets Worse!
"If it is hard to use and receive information that could be a reason for low conversion."
I wish for your sake that ease of use were the only problem that causes low conversion. You can not leverage the power on the search engines using a replicated website. It looks like duplicate information when 100,000 other sites exist with the same exactly information. Making your job even harder to attract traffic to your site.
The only people who come are the desperate ones who found your sizzle card at the gas station or the nosy ones who found your ($5 a pop) Success From Home magazine on top of the trash at work (now you know why your boss wants to see you in their office your next shift).
Then you can't make any improvements either :-(. So if your headlines suck and your article make your visitor yawn, you can't change a thing. Tracking conversion only works if you have solid numbers to work with ie. X amount of browsers and Y amount of buyers. Last time I checked that wasn't information replicated site owners were privy to.
It's like being robbed with your hands tied behind your back and blind folded.
"I pay for the website. It is a marketing expense." That's just to bad. Your marketing should be an investment held to the same standards as the best employees. There comes a time when you must say "You're Fired!"
And While We're back On The Subject Of Money
Your customers will not trust you enough to give you any of it. If you think that they should just be impressed by the name of the company, how long it was started and how many squillions of customers the have (YARN* having a hard time even talking about it)...
Look if you have or had a replicated site you know what I'm talking about. Seeing the same top 5 diamonds success stories and testimonials make a negative "staged" impression on your potential prospects they will not trust you enough to open up their purse.
"Lastly, I am clueless on the reason why you would tell me to market myself. Why would I market myself? I am not the company. I am not performing any of the services? I simply don't get it."
Maybe, but you didn't feel like coming back for all that really important stuff when they stuck that robot that said your name with a bad robot accent?
You are the product and the service! if you disagree then do me this solid: Think about the top earner in your company. (no, were not going to make voodoo dolls).
The person with the same business, products and services as you... why aren't you moving the same amount of products or earning the same amount of money?
You may say, "But, they started before me... experience etc." and that maybe true. But what about that Realtor or house wife that started right after you and blew through the charts!?
The answer may disturb you.
The have more people who know like and trust them enough to have enough eyeballs look at their offer. The law of large numbers is always at work (oh my God, I'm sounding like my ex-upline!). The only thing they have that you don't is a bigger circle of influence.
Only a fraction of the people you will ever come across will want or need what you have at any given time so if you have 10 people look and 1% conversion that's only 1. They have 1000 and the same conversion rate that gives them 100 (and you a head ache).
Your conversion numbers will always reflect the people who believe in you enough to get what they need through you and only when the time is right for them.
Just like how those "self-checkout" robots in the express lanes at your local grocer that always have issues, get on your nerves so does your replicated website.
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Malika Duke
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About the Author: Malika Duke
Member Since: 10/10/2007
Company: Malika Duke Inc. dba SavvyBusinessMom.com
Industry: Business Opportunities
Primary Web Site: http://www.SavvyBusinessMom.com
after you have a site
once you have a site, should you give general discription of what you are doing, or should you only give contact information? Should it be like a personal site or what? and do you put a link on your personal site for the ccompany site?
Thanks For your Posting!
You should PM me...
Its impossible to give you a proper diagnosis without knowing your specific situation. I would love to show you what would be the best for your particular business and target market...
Malika
malika@savvybusinessmom.com
Magnetic Sponsoring and Building-On-A-Budget for dummies? Learn Attraction Marketing click-by-click www.recessionproofincome.com InterNetwork Marketing = www.GetPaidToProspectOnline.com
Excellent Points Malika
I truly thought I had my own online business with my company replicated site! How naive I was! The only people that ever clicked on my site had been been sent there by me. It was only when I ventured into attraction marketing that I learned that the search engines don't like duplicate content; they want fresh new content.
If we truly want to be independent business owners then we need to brand ourselves and have control of our "list". Thanks for a great explanation Malika.
Me too Irene...
I did the same thing for soooo long! people just don't respond well to the replicated site when thats the first thing they see about you anyway!
You're welcome Irene, My pleasure...
Malika
Magnetic Sponsoring and Building-On-A-Budget for dummies? Learn Attraction Marketing click-by-click www.recessionproofincome.com InterNetwork Marketing = www.GetPaidToProspectOnline.com
You Are Awesome
Malika,
I could not have said it better. Can I replicate your article? Just kidding...
But seriously, recently I created some capture pages (in English and Spanish) for a new product the company I represent came out with, and next thing I know, I got was a bunch of emails from some of my down-lines asking where could they get the same identical site (I considered getting in to the capture page duplication business, for a little while). I disappointed a lot of people, when instead I offer to coach them on how to create their very own capture page.
There is a misconception in our industry, people believe that duplication in this business means that one person does all the work, and the rest just copy it and sit on their butts, and that by doing so, it is going to lead everybody to success and fortune.
I have said this before, selling tools to network marketers is a very good business, when I was younger it was cassette tapes, later CD, and now Websites. I wrote about this on one of my articles:
http://www.betternetworker.com/articles/view/the-value-of-a-leader-is-measured-by-the-knowledge-heshe-can-share
I have learned that duplication means, that you find someone that is willing to put into this business as much as you do, and then you teach them what you know. I am looking for the ones that are smarter than me. I am looking for the ones that after I show them the way, they are going to come back and show me how much better than me they have become.
My goal as a coach is to develop leaders that are niether bound or dependent on a system or a technology, people like Malika and Irene that can stand on their own two feet and take charge, that can take the ball and run with it.
Thanks for the Great Article,
Roberto G Guerrero
Robert, Flattery will get you everywhere...
I love that you have stepped out from under the deceptive, yet widely accepted mlm version of duplication. It reminded me of a quote: "Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die!"
We all what what successful people like you have Robert, we don't want to do the inner and outter work it's absolutely gonna talk.
It's like what one of my mentors always says, "The road to success leads right through the dump" and we've all got to walk it for ourselves by with our guides and teachers we are NOT ALONE.
Thank you for you comments. They added so much value to the post! I'll have to impress you more often so you comment on more of my articles :-)
Malika
P.S. You can replicate my article! lololol... You can also link to it... send it in your ezine or post it on your site... as long as my name and of course website links stay in place so I get my street cred ;-).
Overwhemled? Stuck in "learning mode"? Learn where to kick start your business click-by-click www.recessionproofincome.com Lead Attraction and Conversion Training: www.GetPaidToProspectOnline.com
Can you help me?
Hi Malika
I've been studying attraction marketing and have my own blog and autoresponder series (newsletter) targeted at internet network marketing beginners. (I use a number of affiliate system lead capture pages).
I now want to create my own lead capture page targeting my MLM customers (who'd be interested in my MLM skin care products) and of course I have a company replicated website.
I have started creating an newsletter for them (have 5 so far), but wnat to know how to put it all together...so they go from my marketing content (e.g youtube, articles etc) to my lead capture page (where they'll get free videos on skin care/newsletters) to my sales page/sign up page (which I guess is my company site?)
Could you advise me? Do you think I will need a skin care web site/blog of my own as well? Do you think I need a low cost E product to funnel them to? If so, where do I find one that pays me here in South Africa? (Paypal wont allow us to receive payments)
Tania
Happy to finally see this in writing!
Malika,
I am sooo glad you put these thoughts into print! I became a rep with 5linx almost 3 months ago, and it was clear to me at the onset, that the "advice" I was being given to become a superstar in the company was all wrong. I tried it for 2 weeks and was sure, this ain't the way! I have gotten here to this site as well as to some great courses on my own, and I know I have what it takes. I would love to bounce some questions off on you and would be excited to create a networking relationship as well! Promise, I will give you all the street cred you want!
Thanks again for your honesty,
Claudia
Telecom is one of my specialties...
You can contact me any time Claudia. Check out some of my friends telecom sites: www.mytelecomconsultant.com and www.mobile-broadband-reviews.com to get an idea of what you can do... don't limit yourself!
Malika
www.GetPaidToProspectOnline.com