It is the season to go shopping for presents and that is what I embarked upon. My experience reminded me yet again that the fundamentals one had learnt many years ago are still valid today. But why are they not being applied? And why was Santa missing out? For all that's being written about various marketing strategies, success on the web, as in any business, isn't about marketing or about design; it's about sales.

As other contributors to this magazine have said , ultimately, it's about the conversion rate: the percentage of visitors your site can turn into buyers Marketing is an essential part of any business equation. Marketing paves the way for sales. But it's only where sales and marketing overlap that buying happens. Think of it like one of those Venn diagrams you probably remember from school. Let’s say S represents sales and M marketing:

Now, imagine pulling these circles apart, so sales moves further and further away from marketing. How much buying do you have left?  Hands up who said: Less and less until you have none.  Now imagine pushing these circles together, so sales and marketing increasingly overlap. What are you seeing? How much your buying will increase!

Before your potential customers arrive at your web site, they are exposed to a lot of other information and compare that information with their personal desires and values. This is where marketing plays an important role in creating the willingness and inclination to buy. But as soon as a visitor begins to interact with your web site,  all the marketing in the world isn't going to save you if your site doesn't know how to sell.

Let me illustrate with my little shopping excursion which started when some friends called in whilst my wife was plugging away at her lap top computer.  She is a competent typist and needs to be very productive at her typing and hence uses an external keyboard and mouse rather than those miniature devices which are part of all laptops. All is fine except for those cords one has to plug in and out each time the computer has to be moved. Even pushing it aside is a hassle.

Our friends suggested cordless devices which they had recently purchased and found to be an excellent solution for just those problems. Great, I thought - Santa can get her these gadgets and what a nifty gift. A quick whip around various bits of advertising and  there I was in an electronics store, credit card at the ready and willing to buy. I knew there were several options so I was keen to check them out and buy a “good” one.

I looked around for a sales person to firstly direct me to where they were and then perhaps answer any questions. Maybe even demonstrate how well they worked.

Alas. Not a soul  ready to serve me. So I wandered through the store and, hey, there they all were in boxes. Once more I looked for non existent assistance and decided to wait patiently as I had travelled some way to get to this store.

I read what I could on the boxes and started to wonder what the difference was between three apparent options. The price went from what I had been lead to expect to something much more expensive. But what the heck. It was Christmas and she did deserve the best. If only I could figure out which one to choose.

  Some fifteen minutes later my excitement started to turn into a head of steam as I was still not being attended to. Two assistants were busy on the phone whilst two more had disappeared into a back room as I entered the store. Maybe something nasty had got them in that back room as there was no sign of them ever returning. One of those on the phone was clearly aware of my presence but from the laughter he obviously did not wish to have his enjoyment interrupted and serve a very willing customer.

Finally the steam pressure became too much and I marched out of the store. Went home, logged onto a couple of web discount houses and had my bits the following day. And never to return to that store again. Not the buying experience I had wanted but at least this  Santa’s helper had a result.

So let us  analyse what really happened.

You walk in with the desire to buy, but you still need to be sold on the product. You have questions about options, service, and which model would best suit your needs. You want to be treated like you matter. You want to feel good about the decision to buy. Without a salesperson holding your hand throughout the sales process, treating you the way you want to be treated, and selling to you the way you want to be sold to, you probably aren't going to buy a thing from this shop, even if it is set up with all the dazzling lights and funky music ( for the web read graphics and Flash ) and sells the greatest  “whatever” in the world.

Marketing got me to the store, but it didn't result in a sale. Had someone bothered to help me, I might have bought that keyboard and mouse I had in mind. If this same person were good at selling, he or she might even have been able to make me feel good about buying the more expensive option (up-selling) or adding a mouse mat or keyboard carry case (cross-selling). Or he or she might have helped me figure out that I really would be better off with a different brand. They would have won my loyalty for that also.

And that is also what your client expects of your web site. After all - aren’t these the things  you would want too?

Are you getting the idea? Shoppers want to buy, and they do want to be sold to. They don't, however, want to be "pushed." Yet the average conversion rate on the web is only 2 percent, while the average conversion rate in the brick-and-mortar world is approximately 50 percent. Do you think just maybe there's something greatly amiss in the way web sites function?

By all means, drive traffic to your site. But look at the Venn diagram, and you can clearly see that marketing alone must fail. In order to sell more of anything, you need to do more selling.

So how does all this relate to your web site and my real life story? Let me show you:

Promoting the product meaning how do I find  your web site ?

Marketing meaning the traffic stopping first page to irresistibly drag me through the door in under 8 seconds

Speed of download  meaning  how quickly a helpful sales assistant appears

What’s in it for me? meaning  how quickly can I decide I’m in the right shop or viewing the right product

Content  meaning  how quickly helpful, complete, persuasive information is provided

Ease of navigation meaning  how quickly the product range and benefits can be inspected

The options, add-ons or specials on offer meaning  Cross-selling and/or  up-selling What are all the benefits meaning  I want to feel good about the purchase I am about to make

Ease of committal meaning  how quickly and easily can I buy ?

Remember, all the above in  58 seconds of web time spoken about previously and committal to buy always only “one click away”.  It is that simple.

In closing, may  I sincerely wish you all  a successful and happy festive season and hope Santa’s helpers are kinder to you.