How to Derive what Your Visitors Want to Know and in What Order...

Question Zoning aims to improve the quality of communications with your visitors and hence improve the level of success you are experiencing from your website.

From your visitors point of view, they are looking for information to satisfy their wants and needs. For them, a great website is one that delivers the results they are looking for efficiently and honestly.

From your point of view, you want your visitors to turn into long term customers. For you, your website will be a success if it reflects the passion behind your business and attracts great customers.

Both can be achieved by ensuring that your visitors are being provided with the information they are looking for and yet know that more information is available on their return visit.

Question Zoning uses the information obtained from your Marketing Analysis exercises. This enables you to collect anticipated customer questions based on scenarios and quality issues. The responses you create will be used to guide and nurture your visitors to become returning visitors and eventually customers.

Marketing Analysis Re-cap

This section extends the exercises covered in Jumpsite TL1: Marketing Analysis. Please review the sections below if you are not familiar with these exercises:

• Deriving Quality Issues

  Customer Relationship Analysis: Analysing your existing relationship with each customer or prospect type and reviewing their existing or perceived qualities.

• Customer Scenarios

  Customer Scenario Analysis: Analysing individual customer types with a specific quality issue and identifying relevant scenarios that describe their situation.

Collecting and Grouping Questions

The 5 zones below are designed to collect similarly styled questions. The style of questions take the customer from first time visitor, who know little about your product, service or business, down to prospective customer who are ready to buy and looking for specific information.

The objective of this exercise is to be able to provide the right kind of information that gets straight to the point so the visitor doesn't end up having to trawl through pages of sales literature only to be dissapointed that the information doesn't provide the right level of detail.

Zone 1: Can You Solve My Problem?

• Visitor commitment assumptions

  You must assume that there will be no visitor commitment at this stage. The visitor will not know anything about you and not even know if you can solve their problem.

• Product/Service/Business familiarity

  You must assume that the visitor has a basic level of understanding about the kind of product or service they are looking for, but will know nothing about you, or how different your product and services are.

• Visitor anxieties

  Visitor anxiety will be very high. They will have fixed opinions on how to solve their problem. They will want to know if you have solved similar problems and at least understand their problem. They will probably be unaware of any alternative solutions, and have a healthy scepticism of any suggestions at this stage.

• Question style

  The questions asked will reflect their high anxieties. The style of questions will be specific and results orientated. Examples would be:

  • "I've Got this problem...",
  • "How do I...",
  • "Need a {product/service} can you help?",
  • "Need advice on {general}..."

• Visitor expectations

  At this stage, the visitor will be looking for empathy and trust. You should respond with impartial advice and case studies that reflect similar customer scenarios.

• Visitor direction

  The response you provide will have a purpose to either build trust (educate and nurture) and keep the visitor within this zone, or empathise and persuade them to move the to next zone, "Will it work for me?" (capture and hold).

Zone 2: Will it Work for Me?

• Visitor commitment assumptions

  You can assume that there will be a low level of visitor commitment at this stage as they know you might be able to solve their problem. The visitor will still know little about you and not even know if your solution will work for them.

• Product/Service/Business familiarity

  The visitor will still have a basic level of understanding about the kind of product or service they are looking for. They will know a little bit more about you, and may be more open to your suggestions and ready to see how different your product and services are.

• Visitor anxieties

  Visitor anxiety will be high. Their specific problem will be different or unusual in some way, and they will want to know under what criteria your solution will work for them. They may be more open to suggestions on how to solve their problem. They will still want to know if you have solved similar problems and at least understand their problem.

• Question style

  The questions asked will reflect their high anxieties. The style of questions will be specific and results orientated. Examples would be:

  • "It needs to be able to {specifics}...",
  • "Will it work under these conditions...",
  • "I have these circumstances...",
  • "Need advice on {specifics}..."

• Visitor expectations

  As the previous stage, the visitor will be looking for empathy and trust. You should respond with impartial advice and case studies that reflect similar customer scenarios. If you have alternative solutions then the 'feel-felt-found' technique would be a good persuasive introduction to consider new concepts.

• Visitor direction

  The response you provide will have a purpose to either build trust (educate and nurture) and keep the visitor within this zone, or empathise and persuade them to move the to next zone, "What's in it for me?" (capture and hold).

Zone 3: What's in it For Me?

• Visitor commitment assumptions

  You can assume that there will be a stronger level of visitor commitment at this stage as they know you will be able to solve their problem. The visitor will be beginning to learn more about you and be interested in the benefits you offer.

• Product/Service/Business familiarity

  The visitor will have a better level of understanding about the kind of product or service they are looking for. They will know your products and services to some extent, but want to see how you differentiate from other businesses.

• Visitor anxieties

  Visitor anxiety will be low. Their specific issues will be in identifying the value and results you offer.

• Question style

  The questions asked will reflect their low anxieties. The style of questions will be benefit orientated. It could be they may be comparing an existing solution with you. Examples would be:

  • "What's so different about...",
  • "What are the benefits over my existing solution...",
  • "What are the short/long term benefits...",
  • "What are the cost savings..."

• Visitor expectations

  The visitor will be looking to see how you differentiate yourself. When persuading, you should respond with strong benefit statements. When informing, you should respond with impartial advice and case studies that reflect customer decisions based on your benefits.

• Visitor direction

  The response you provide will have a purpose to either build trust (educate and nurture) and keep the visitor within this zone, or empathise and persuade them to move the to next zone, "Why should I choose you?" (capture and hold).

Zone 4: Why should I Choose You?

• Visitor commitment assumptions

  You can assume that there will be strong level of visitor commitment at this stage as they will probably have decided to favour your products and services over the competition. The visitor will now want to learn more about your business history and be interested in what assurances you offer.

• Product/Service/Business familiarity

  The visitor will by now have a high level of understanding about the kind of product or service they are looking for. They will know your products and services quite well, but want to see more about your systems infra-structure and support.

• Visitor anxieties

  Visitor anxiety will be high. Their specific issues will be the stability of your organisation and whether you can provide the assurances they are seeking.

• Question style

  The questions asked will reflect their high anxieties. The style of questions will be probing for weaknesses in your organisation. Examples would be:

  • "What guarantees do you offer?",
  • "How long have you been operating?",
  • "Can you support this {product/service}?",
  • "Will the service levels change over time?"

• Visitor expectations

  The visitor will be looking to see how your organisation can support the products and services you offer. When persuading, you should respond with strong benefit statements. When informing, you should respond with impartial advice and case studies that reflect customer decisions based on your assurances.

• Visitor direction

  The response you provide will have a purpose to either build trust (educate and nurture) and keep the visitor within this zone, or empathise and persuade them to move the to next zone, "What's next?" (capture and hold).

Zone 5: What's Next?

• Visitor commitment assumptions

  You can assume that there will be a very strong level of visitor commitment at this stage as they will have decided to use your organisation. The visitor will now want to learn more about the product rollout and any contractual and support information.

• Product/Service/Business familiarity

  The visitor will by now have a high level of understanding about the kind of product or service they are looking for. They will know your products and services very well, but want to see more about deliverables and the fine details of any contracts.

• Visitor anxieties

  Visitor anxiety will be low. Their specific issues will be the details of the immediate deliverables, and any information regarding long term contracts and support.

• Question style

  The questions asked will reflect their low anxieties. The style of questions will be seeking negotiation or confirmation of variations. Examples would be:

  • "How much is it?",
  • "What exactly do I get?",
  • "When can you deliver?",
  • "Where do I sign?"

• Visitor expectations

  The visitor will be looking to see for commitment from you and a process to follow to receive the deliverables. When persuading, you should respond with strong benefit statements. When informing, you should respond with impartial advice and case studies that reflect customer expectation based on your deliverables.

• Visitor direction

  The response you provide will have a purpose to either build trust (educate and nurture) and keep the visitor within this zone, or empathise and persuade them to become a long term customer.

Summary

The objective of this exercise is to be able to provide the right kind of information that gets straight to the point so the visitor doesn't end up having to trawl through pages of sales literature only to be dissapointed that the information doesn't provide the right level of detail.

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