Why redesigning your website is pointless?

So often we get calls from companies furious at their previous design agency for not doing their job. “We spent ages and a large amount of our marketing budget on the site, however we haven’t seen an uptake of sales” is a typical comment.

My question back to them is "Why would you employ a designer or design agency to generate sales?"

Their reasoning is often quite simple and one we see time and again. The business had an issue with sales, we had an internal meeting to work out what the issue was and decided that their website was the problem. Nothing wrong there. However, the outcome was that they then made the decision to find two or three design agencies to pitch to redesign it. This is where the mistake occurs, designers....well they design.

So if the company has a poor message, hasn’t outlined a five year business growth model, hasn’t looked at their competitors and what they are saying, hasn’t looked at why someone would do business with them and not one of their competitors, hasn’t looked at creating a stand out pull marketing strategy to attract the type of clients they wish to win to create the business growth they require, I could go on (and really I could go on) then they will inevitably make the same mistakes just now it has a prettier face.

Typically, this means lifting a vanilla messaging and sales/marketing argument into a new fancy container. Same issues, same poor sales conversion, same poor processes, same business, new pretty face.

A great design needs a function. It needs to have a reason and make the impact it set out to. If that is sales then a clear business, sales and marketing strategy must be included within the brief. This is often where businesses make mistake number two.

They think they know what their strategy, business plan is. Or no-one dares ask or challenge the business regards its direction. The issue here is they don’t, wood for trees.

Generating new sales in today’s noisy, competitive market where the consumer is way more knowledgeable than ever before is NOT just about how you look, it is about what you say and creating a value behind what you offer. The value needs to stand out in the market, the business needs to be able to support and maintain it and the employees need to believe in it and clients need to want it. To do this a business typically needs to have external input and a clear well facilitated meeting where their thinking can be challenged, and open conversation can be had. This enables the business to in effect recreate itself. Not it’s staff, not its service (although this can happen) and not its products (however this can happen also) but how it can pull in clients and clearly explain why they should work with them.

NONE of this is design based. But only when you have this structure CAN you wrap it in a sexy new outfit.

If you do this then you may find that redesigning your website is more effective, creates the sales you wish for and you don’t need to get angry with your design company.

Everyone’s happy.

Quick tip: When you have the business goal and vision and have your five-year growth plan. Design your business website, sales collateral and marketing like you're already there. If you look like it your staff will start to behave like it, clients will believe you already are it and hey presto, you’ll get there sooner than expected. We often find that clients hit their five-year growth target in year three. 

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