{"id":1143,"date":"2020-03-05T18:00:55","date_gmt":"2020-03-05T18:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rocksolidbizdevelopment.com\/ourblog\/?p=1143"},"modified":"2025-07-01T17:20:22","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T17:20:22","slug":"if-i-were-a-prospective-new-customer-for-your-business-would-your-website-pull-me-in-or-turn-me-off","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rocksolidbizdevelopment.com\/ourblog\/if-i-were-a-prospective-new-customer-for-your-business-would-your-website-pull-me-in-or-turn-me-off\/","title":{"rendered":"If I were a prospective new customer for your business, would your website pull me in or turn me off?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We claim no expertise in website design.  But we did come across a video of a workshop\npresentation featuring a guy who does claim some website design expertise, and\nwe thought it would be worth passing along to you.  Don Miller is an American author, public\nspeaker, and business owner. His company, StoryBrand, is a company that helps businesses clarify their messages<\/a>.  His\npresentation is in two parts.  In the\nfirst part, he critiques websites provided by workshop participants.  In the second part, he talks about how to\nwrite a \u201cone-liner\u201d (aka, an elevator speech). \nHe then critiques the one-liners provided by volunteers from the\naudience.  In both parts, he offered\ntips, observations, and lessons that are worth your attention.  To learn about the ideas and conclusions he\noffers, please continue reading below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If I were a prospective new customer for your\nbusiness, would your website pull me in or turn me off?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are two themes that run through both\nparts of Miller\u2019s workshop: brevity and clarity.  In both the home page of our websites and in\nthe construction of our one-liners, he wants there to be absolute clarity about\nwhat we do while using the fewest possible (carefully chosen) words.  We\u2019ll start with how he advises us to\nconstruct an effective one-liner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Miller dissects a one-liner into three parts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Describe\nthe problem your customers are experiencing. \nThink carefully about what it is your customers dislike about doing\nbusiness with companies in your industry.<\/li>
  2. Describe\nhow your company helps to solve that problem. \nThis is your differentiator, what sets you apart from your competition.  Essentially you\u2019re saying, \u201cWe understand the\nproblem most people have doing business with companies like ours, so here\u2019s\nwhat we\u2019ve done to prevent that problem from happening here.\u201d<\/li>
  3. Describe\nthe positive outcome your customers experience as a result of your solution.  Here we tell people about the happy ending our\ncustomers experience when they do business with us.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s an example from a medical massage\ncompany:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The problem: People are tired of taking pills<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The solution:\u00a0 we offer medical massage therapies for the relief of chronic pain <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The outcome:\u00a0 We help people have less pain, more movement, and a better life.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Put all together, this\none-liner looks like, \u201cPeople are tired of taking pills, so we offer medical\nmassage therapies for the relief of chronic pain.  We help people have less pain, more movement,\nand a better life.\u201d  Yeah, this \u201cone-liner\u201d\nis actually two sentences, but that\u2019s OK. \nEven at two sentences, it\u2019s still short, succinct, and covers all three\nelements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Once you have crafted your one-liner, Miller wants you to use it everywhere . . . in all your collateral materials, on your website, and if public speaking is part of your marketing mix, use it there as well.\u00a0 Then get everyone<\/span><\/em> in the company (not just the sales people) to memorize it and practice it so that everyone in the company, when asked, \u201cWhat do you do?\u201d is giving the same, exact answer.\u00a0 And just like that, you\u2019ve made your entire company part of your sales force without paying so much as a dime for it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Miller also brings his\nthemes of brevity and clarity to website design.  He talks about the \u201ccurse of knowledge\u201d which\nis something most of us suffer from.  We\nall know more about our respective businesses than just about anyone else on\nearth . . . way more than our customers know or want to know.  And while we may believe we\u2019ve filtered out\nall the industry jargon and technical terms from our customer communications,\nin many cases, we have not.  Everyday, we\u2019re\nso immersed in the language of our business, we may forget that the words and\nphrases so familiar to us are mere gibberish to outsiders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Miller believes that the\nhome page of our website has but one purpose: to tell visitors exactly what we\ndo in the clearest, most concise terms possible.  Visitors want to know, \u201cAm I in the right\nplace?  Do these guys do what I need?\u201d\nand they\u2019re only going to give us a few seconds to make our case.  If visitors are confused by what they see, or\nif we try to get them to read too much, they\u2019ll be gone.  So make sure visitors have to read as little\nas possible and make sure that every word and every picture on your home page\namplifies and clarifies what you do.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Below are links to videos of the 2-part workshop\nwe\u2019ve been describing here.  The first is\nthe part where Miller talks about website design, while the second part is\nwhere he talks about \u201cone-liners.\u201d  You\nmay not agree with everything he preaches, but he has been successful in the\nbusiness of \u201chelping businesses\nclarify their messages\u201d for a long time. \nIf you believe your communications with your customers and prospective\ncustomers would benefit from a little clarifying, watching these videos will be\nwell-worth your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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