Something like that, I suppose.   My initial plan was to do one of these every day for 30 days.  Not because I want the business, because I'm a one man shop, I couldn't handle it.

The intention is to make guys aware of the first impression they may be giving a potential customer.

I obviously sent the video to him.  He responded. (Nicely I might add).

I asked him a few questions, I'll share the answers when/if I get them.


So, what's the purpose of the video? I think of many in this industry as my friends, even if I've never personally met them.   Now that I do websites, I get calls on a regular basis from guys who've been doing it a long time, do excellent work, and they're honestly struggling to stay afloat. I'm not talking about 2-3 guys. I'm talking about dozens and dozens of companies.  They're in a panic trying to figure out what to do. Potential visitors aren't seeing the value in doing business with them.


Some have Google analytics installed, some don't. On the occasion that I can look at their analytics, I generally see that they're consistently getting local traffic, but that same traffic is clicking away before they view the contact page.. So, it's clear they're losing opportunities.

Just look at the traffic and frequency of posts on this site.  Just a few years ago, you could post something and within a matter of minutes you'd have multiple responses.  It's not that way anymore, guys are vanishing.

Now, I'm not saying that you're going to sell a $40-50k system from a blind search to your website, it happens...but it's not  common. Most of those folks will be referrals.

What happens when your newly referred customer goes to your website, and something on your website gives him an uneasy feeling and he calls your competitor instead? It happens all the time.   That's when the company has a problem on it's hands.

We've all done it. We've visited a website, the website wasn't good and we clicked away and gave our money to a different company.  A lot of guys are selling big ticket items, working in beautiful homes.  Shouldn't the website make the customer feel comfortable with the purchase? That they're decision is the correct one?

Think about some of the products these folks buy. Mercedes, Cadillac, BMW, Rolex, Breitling, etc. Shouldn't CI's website have a similar feel? I think so.  If that's your market.  If you're selling luxury, your website should say that in it's words and images.  Unfortunately most don't.

How can the industry make claims of being "state of the art" "luxury" "technology driven"  when there is no reflection of that on their website? 

Here's a site I found for a company in Ohio. They're a Control4 dealer.  If you think this is the worst one I've ever seen, you'd be shocked.

http://www.wirefreehomeautomation.com/

In the end, I guess I'm just trying to start a conversation about why the industry (manufacturers included) feel like they can neglect something that is so vital to the identity of their business.