How can a company effectively use the Internet to promote their business if they are
service orientated? Are web sites effective only if you have a physical product to display??
Read what three prominent Melbourne Financiers have to say about
why it is important for them to have a presence on the web.
Scroll Down - or - Click on the links below
to read a 'testimonial' from the following companies:
You can also click here to read what our Satisfied Clients say about Mentat.
15 June, 2001
I work as a finance broker and had for some time been considering the development of a web site. I put this off believing that the Internet is best suited to visual products rather than a service orientated business. All we really had to say was "We're the best - use us". How does anyone choose?
When I finally decided to have a go, I elected not to say we are 'the best', but to stick with what we do and let the customer decide if it fitted their needs.
I also think you need to offer something on your site to make a client want to visit. I spent time developing an
equipment finance calculator as an attraction to the site. There are few equipment finance calculators on the web (although there are plenty of
mortgage calculators).
When I started I knew nothing about preparing a web site for listing on the search engines. I do believe that you need an expert to assist with this.
Mentat Consulting were very good with their advice.
Our Web Site has only been completed for
two months and I have been surprised by the response - even though the listing has not been fully taken up by all the search engines yet (particularly the majors).
Have I gotten a
lot of enquiries?
NO
From the enquiries received, have I gained any business yet?
NO
Has it been worth it?
YES
Why?
I can see that even though I have not yet converted business, the type of enquiries have had substance and have been in the nature of the work I do. I feel I am reaching my target market -
this is important. While I have concentrated my push for Victorian based clients, I have received enquiries from all over Australia, Malaysia and the UK. All have related to work in Australia.
So I can recommend the web for a service based business, but make sure you spend the time to set your site up to reach your target market.
Peter Ryan, Director
Liability Risk Management Pty Ltd
www.lrm.net.au
18 June, 2001
Thanks for your enquiry seeking feedback about how we find our website and more particularly whether or not the financial investment in that facility has been worthwhile or not.
There is no question that having the website has been worthwhile for us, in a number of respects as I shall comment upon hereunder. In fact, in addition to my being happy with the existing "investment", I have come to judge our website to be sufficiently important that I want to make "continuing investments" in this area to further enhance some areas that I chose to leave uncompleted initially; secondly to add a few items that we did not think of previously, and thirdly, to maybe improve upon my previous choice of graphics.
I have a permanent connection to the Internet and use it very regularly. We obtain a couple of Internet initiated new business enquiries each week plus I send and receive about 3-6 business e-mails each day, corresponding with customers, financiers, and insurers. We also show our web address on all advertising plus frequently give it out when talking to prospective customers on the phone. I believe that having a website is now approximating the act of having a phone number, a fax number, and a business address, in that any business that does not have all of these will be viewed as amateurish and "incomplete".
I also find that a significant benefit of my website is that people can download our application forms and some other documents from there. This provides a "serve yourself" alternative to our having to manually fax or mail these things out to potential customers. I estimate that several times per week I get enquiries via our website, and that at least once per month I actually write business that had some nexus to our website.
My existing customers have little use for my website but I regard that facility as an integral part of my new business process.
Regards,
Stewart Smith, Director
Australian Commercial Credit Pty Ltd
www.av-insure.com.au
20 June, 2001
QUESTION:
Why do you need a website?
ANSWER:
This calendar year we received inquires resulting in new business as follows:
- $4,400,000.00 of new business settling in June & July 2001.
- $1,400,000.00 of new business settling in June 2001.
- On average we receive THREE (3) new inquires per month, from prospects we would not normally canvass via our newsletters.
- As a result of (2) above we are currently quoting for this Supplier, two more quotes totalling $1,940,000.00.
I feel the real QUESTION should be:
Why would you NOT need a website!!!!.
Our website has more than paid for it self. We know that we receive up to 30 hits a month from around the world.
Jamie Hannah, Director
Plant & Equipment Finance Pty Ltd
www.plantequipment-finance.com.au
