In the Internet age, you need to share information

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Gary Chow | 1 Comment » | Trackback URL

Once upon a time I was a corporate warrior; worked in an industry where rather aggressive selling practices were the norm.

I was a marketing manager and was exposed to the ways of the sales force. I recall one of the maxims held dear to the heart of sales agents was to ‘sell the sizzle not the sausage’. What this meant was you withheld information, be economical with the facts, until such time you were face-to-face with the prospective buyer.

I was reminded of this out-dated practice recently when I was planning an overseas holiday. I searched on the web of course, and came across a travel agency website. I was quite impressed. The website looked a million bucks, the web copy was engaging and the photos top class. On first impression I gave the website generally high marks. But there was one draw back; it missed some key information, the type of info vital to win a cautious prospect like me over.

So to find out more, I wrote via the website email address but got no response. I then called and this time got through to the business owner. She seemed keen to provide general info of her business and said she had one unique point of difference; that is, she did not earn commission on hotel bookings, and so was able to book hotels at a competitive price. She did however charge a flat ‘itinerary fee’, which was not insubstantial. And here’s the rub, for her to sit down with you to discuss your travel plans, you had to pay a deposit on the itinerary fee.

From this point on, she was less than effusive with her information. I got the gist. She wanted me to pay the deposit before sharing further info. Her information was not free in other words. You had to show her the money before she went further. She was only willing to give you the sizzle not the sausage.

Not surprisingly I did not proceed further. I wanted to, I really did, because she seemed knowledgeable and her website was compelling but…why should I pay for info when I can get it free elsewhere: on the Internet and from other agents?

In the Internet age, consumers demand information. They want to be ‘in the know’ because information helps them make informed choices. As a supplier of products and services, you need to meet this demand: share information and lots of it – on your website and in your marketing collateral. Give answers; in some cases, even give them questions. If your customers can’t get info from you, they’ll get it from someone else.