by Todd Miechiels
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Imagine that half the people who called your sales team hung up within 10 seconds. And these weren't prospects who were being cold-called, either—but interested people themselves calling your sales team.
Right, heads would roll. At the very least, you'd want to know why so many people were disengaging.
Well, chances are it's happening to you right now, every day. Your sales team isn't the problem; the real problem is your most visible and active company representative—the Web site.
There's an easy-to-measure but often overlooked number that can tell you a great deal about the effectiveness of your Web site: the "short visit rate," which is the percentage of visitors that leaves your site within 10 seconds.
The percentage itself is not really important. Every Web site, every audience, and every industry is different. Even the most sophisticated Web sites can easily have 50% of visitors bail early.
What is important is what you're doing to reduce this number. Why? Because there is no cheaper way to repair the spout that feeds your pipeline. While it may take months to test and correct your sales process, telemarketing, or direct mail efforts, the Web allows rapid and cost-effective testing. You can positively change your short visit rate in a few days, even a few hours.
The Impact
If visitors to your site don't stick around, they can't request more information, take the demo, sign up for the newsletter, or do any of the things the site was designed to make them do.
It took considerable time and money to bring these visitors to your site—each time one leaves, you're squandering your general marketing and advertising efforts and dollars. Worse, those visitors leaving are likely seeking information or a solution elsewhere on the Web. You're helping create demand for your competition.
The Cause
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