The supplier responds
Got an email from someone who obviously works for GlobalSpec. Here is his email and my comments in blue.
One issue I see that you have not addressed is how an engineer or technical buyer searches for products today. Have you done research on this for your company and do you have data points on user search habits?
*** No I haven’t done this research. Interesting idea to do.
From my research users are very time cautious and want to be able to find their required products as fast as possible to meet their project deadlines.
They dont have the time to flip through catalogs or read the myriad pdfs found on the web but want to quickly spec out a product with user friendly search forms. And, they want to be able to find all their different product needs at one site, which saves more time.
*** Depends on what they need to “spec out”. I am selling capital equipment which is not something just added to a bill-of-material. It is expensive, high profile equipment that they are staking their reputation on. They will search until they are satisfied with their choice. This is not a commodity purchase like a motor or a valve!
What do you gain from buying keywords from google or overture when a user clicks through to your web views some product info and leaves. How do you capture the user contact information for further contact ? How do you justify the cost ? I would be looking for channels that can supply you personal contact information in real time.
*** Will engineers use a service that they know is actively tracking their behavior, possibly resulting in calls from salesmen without their request? Many web users have a fear of cookies already. Finding out a site is passing out their information is risky to the site and the vendor.
In fact how does a keyword lead compare with a specification lead ? A keyword lead means your sales force will be working overtime trying to figure out what the user’s needs are. You may have to send a catalog, email some pdf’s and follow up a week later. A specification lead means the user needs have been met and the sales force can sell on the spot. The timeliness of the buy is maintained. Ths sales cycle is decreased. Revenue increased faster.
*** The specification lead is only good if the data is useful. For our product line, a search on GlobalSpec can result in over 150 models that match. Now the client doesn’t have any better idea of a fit, and neither does the vendor. I’ve found that an effective website allows the client to automatically filter out products that don’t meet their needs (without involving a salesperson).
How many clicks does it take for a user to find product specs that meet their needs on your web site ? I dont think you know because you dont ask the user up front what specs they are looking for. Studies have shown 50% of users opt out everytime an extra click is needed.
*** I’d love to have a “bot” that walked the customer thru a product selection. But I feel my site is effective because the products are arranged in with clear descriptions and/or “buckets”. Some of my competitors offer their products lines by proper names and unclear titles. Yes, the aggregate experience of shopping thru many poor websites can make a service like GlobalSpec look more enticing to an engineer…until he is faced with 150 matches to his search without any clear way to filter them further.
You seem to be following the standard road most companies use as they try to leverage the web. Buy some keywords, put up some pdfs and hope the users find their ways to your products. Savvy Marketeers can see through the fluff. Good luck.
*** Yes, you are right. But look to the previous case I mentioned about Envirotronics in this blog. They used “Industrial Quick Search” to leverage search engines to get more traffic to their website. Which dumps them into a band-width hogging website. Net result is a waste of money. What Vincent Flanders says is true–you don’t want to have foreplay with a visitor to your site. You need to give them what they are looking for right away. It becomes part of the integrated marketing process. And for me, ultimately the most critical.
I should do the research you suggest, but my assumption for now is that for a “high involvement decision” product like mine, the client is going to use multiple avenues to try to find what fits (willing to expend “high search cost”). My guess is that Google will be the first tool they use, and that’s why keyword ads there could be of much higher value than anywhere else. This also reinforces the importance of my website (both in ranking on Google and in content).
