You Only Have Two Seconds to Make the Sale

Actually, it’s your web site that only has two seconds. Specifically, a retail web site has two seconds to load before it starts to lose a shopper’s interest, according to a new study by online research company Forrester Consulting. That’s half the time online shoppers were willing to wait just three years ago.

Consumer expectations keep increasing and if your site can’t keep up, you’re losing sales. In the physical world as well as the virtual one. According to Forrester’s research, slow-loading sites not only cause people to abandon the site, but also make shoppers less likely to visit their brick-and-mortar store too.

It’s important to recognize that everything about your business causes prospects to be more or less likely to do business with you, from obvious things like your web site, brochures and sales presentations to less obvious things like your lighting, your average on-hold time and your billing practices.

So go over your entire operation with a fine-tooth comb, looking at everything from your customer’s perspective. Ask your most critical friends and relatives to give your business a once-over. Or hire a mystery shopping company to give you a detailed report of your strengths and weaknesses. (When I’m developing a custom sales training seminar for a client, I learn more from mystery shopping than any other research method.)

When you find aspects of your business that detract from the buying experience, fix them. Your sales will benefit. Remember, it takes a lot of time to attract a new prospect and only two seconds to lose one.