When you first meet a potential customer in person, you ease into it. You hang out, schmooze a little, maybe share a cup of coffee, before getting down to business.

But on your company’s website, there’s no time for that. Everyone’s in a rush. Your prospect has a million distractions, interruptions and other things to do. Her finger is poised just above the BACK button, twitching with impatience. She’s ready to bail if she doesn’t immediately see what she’s looking for. Or if she thinks you’re wasting her time.

As we talked about last time, website visitors have three immediate questions when they land on any site for the first time:

• Am I in the right place?
• Do they have what I want?
• Do I feel comfortable here?

You only have a few seconds to reassure them. So your headline and lead paragraph must get right to the point. Don’t be too subtle or “creative.” On the other hand, you can’t seem pushy, desperate or obnoxious.

Here’s how to do it.

• Make sure your heading and first paragraph make it obvious — instantly – who the page is for, i.e., your ideal customer.
• Acknowledge their pain, problem or desire. You know, the reason they went Googling in the first place.
• Assure them you have a great solution, preferably a quick one. We’re all impatient, remember?

This may sound like a lot, but it doesn’t have to take a lot of words. Here’s an example:

“Golfers: Are you sick of hooking or slicing the ball?
Wouldn’t it be nice to hit the fairways for a change?”

In just 21 words, we’ve told visitors that we know who they are (golfers) and what they’re problem is (hooking or slicing their tee shots). It’s also hints that we have a solution (Wouldn’t it be nice to hit the fairways for a change?) which we reinforce in the next few sentences.

Believe me, I know just how you feel. But after years of frustration and expensive lessons, I finally found something that works. What an improvement!

Now my ball hardly ever lands in the rough. I’m making more birdies and fewer bogeys, so I enjoy the game a lot more. In fact, I’ve shaved nearly 10 strokes off my handicap.

Want to do the same?”

Notice the copy hasn’t even mentioned the product yet. We don’t know what it is. (At least I don’t, and I wrote the copy.) The focus is on the outcome, i.e., what they stand to gain if they stick around and buy. And we did all that in less than 100 words.

At the risk of repeating myself, remember what’s going through the visitor’s mind: They just landed on your site. They’ll only stay if you give them a compelling reason (a/k/a benefits). They’re not interested in hearing about you, your company or your widgets – not yet. They just want to know IF you can help them, and HOW, and if they can trust you. So just tell them.

And make it quick.

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To paraphrase Somerset Maugham:

“There are three rules for writing the novel a website. Unfortunately, no one knows what they are.”

A few people have already contacted me to ask an obvious question in response to my earlier post (and newsletter) about how to write your own business website.

As one person put it,

“What are you — off your meds, Tom? Aren’t you going to put yourself out of business?”

Naw. Actually, I’m just showing off, demonstrating how smart and clever I am. That way you’ll be impressed and throw more money at me. Right?

No, seriously. I’ve got two good reasons for doing this. First, I’m a communicator. This is what I do. I love learning, and I love sharing what I’ve learned. That’s also why I’ve started teaching again. (FYI, I used to be a computer trainer. Now I’m teaching a couple of writing courses at USM in Portland, Maine.)

But here’s the biggest reason. In 2010, I’m shifting the main focus of my business. More teaching and consulting, and less client work. I’ll be doing more writing (including here) but less copywriting. I’m already working on several e-books and e-courses, maybe some audio and video projects too. (Join my mailing list for advance notice and early-bird discounts.)

OK, there’s one other reason, too.

Writers, including copywriters, don’t get nearly enough credit for the skill and effort it takes to do what they do. To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, “What is written without effort is read without pleasure.” In other words, if something is easy to write, it’s usually tough to read. And prospective customers won’t bother. They’ll just go elsewhere.

Many people hold graphic designers in high regard, because most of us can’t do what they do. It’s a mystery. But writing? No mystery there. Hell, we’ve all been writing since second grade. What’s so hard about that?

Familiarity breeds contempt, and all that.

People who are clueless about the difficulty of copywriting often figure the words on their site don’t matter all that much. So why spend a lot? Words are cheap, right?

“Writing is easy. All you do is stare at the keyboard until little drops of blood form on your forehead.” (Gene Fowler)

Writing well is the hardest work I’ve ever done. You will soon see how many factors you need to juggle when writing — especially website copy. Then you might have a little more sympathy for the ink-stained wordsmiths, sweating blood all over their keyboards.

Whether you decide to write it yourself or outsource it, what you’ll learn in this course will make you a far more discerning client. You will not only have a greater appreciation for how difficult writing a website is, you’ll also know great copy when you see it.

Or write it.

I know this will sound like heresy, coming from a longtime professional copywriter like me. In fact, it’ll probably get me drummed out of the swanky and ultra-exclusive Copywriter’s Club.

I humbly submit that you, the business owner, are far more qualified than I am to write the copy for your website. Why? Lots of reasons:

• You know far more about your business than I (or any other copywriter) ever will.
• You talk to your customers every day. You know why they buy, and why they don’t. You hear their objections, and know exactly how to respond.
• Because you own the business, your success is much more important to you than to any hired gun.
• You’re probably more focused on the goal, which is (or should be) attracting more customers. Some copywriters (too many) view your website as a chance to show how clever they are. Your site becomes just another little part of their portfolio.

There’s only one problem with you writing your own website copy, and it’s a biggie.

You’re probably not a very good writer.

That’s not a criticism, just a fact. After all, writing is probably not an important part of your everyday skill set. You’re an expert at doing what you do — not writing about what you do.

Oh, you might be able to write a good article or blog post. But writing a web page that instantly connects with a half-interested visitor? One that establishes trust? A Web site that actually sells? That is a very tough assignment — as you know if you’ve ever tried it yourself.

BTW, that’s why good copywriters are in high demand — and why they can charge an arm and a leg. Oh sure, there are typists writers who will crank out your entire website for a couple hundred dollars. They’re generally novices who hang out on places like elance or guru.com. Some even grew up speaking English! But don’t expect them to deliver the kind of results a top gun would.

So if you can’t afford to hire the best, why not try doing it yourself?

This is the first in a series of blog posts written specifically for small-business owners and service providers. (OK, marketing people with slashed budgets can join in, too.)

Based on my 25+ years of experience writing websites, sales letters, landing pages, and ads — not to mention writing for newspapers, magazines, and radio-TV — I’m going to show you, step-by-step, how to rewrite your website so that it accomplishes your #1 goal: bringing in leads.

If you do it right, leads turn into customers, and that means money in your pocket. If a website doesn’t generate leads, it’s little more than an expensive brochure.

BTW, this series of posts are excerpts of my first ebook, which will be available right after the holidays. If you’d like to receive advance notice (and a substantial discount), just sign up for my mailing list (at the top right).

You might also want to subscribe to my RSS feed (click the little orange thingie) so you don’t miss any goodies.

I don’t believe in charging hourly rates for my work. First of all, real value can’t be measured in hours – only in quality and results. Paying hourly rates for creative work is upside-down and counterproductive. Sometimes they’re even a ripoff for the client.

Suppose you needed heart surgery. Would you shop around for the lowest price? Of course not. You’d want the very best quality care available. It’s the same with your marketing. You want the most attractive, persuasive, compelling website (or brochure, sales letter, etc.) you can get. Now honestly, do you believe you’ll get the quality you demand from a less-expensive, less-experienced, less-knowledgeable provider? Are you crossing your fingers and hoping for Nordstrom quality at Wal-Mart prices?

Let’s go back to your heart surgery again. (Don’t worry, I promise you’ll be feeling better soon.) OK, you need a certain surgical procedure. Suppose one of the surgeons at your hospital had performed hundreds of these procedures over her 20+ year career. Because of her experience, she can open you up, fiddle around in there, and zip you closed again in, say, two hours. A less-experienced surgeon at the same hospital might need 12 hours to provide the same quality.

If hourly rates are the metric you use, the journeyman surgeon would be paid six times more than the expert! Am I the only one who thinks that’s just backwards?

Look at it this way: Would you feel cheated if you were forced to pay more because your writer was slow (or, considering writers’ reputations, hung over)? Likewise, should an expert be penalized because he’s focused and fast?

One more thing. Shouldn’t you be able to call up your writer/designer/ webmaster with a question, idea or concern — without running up your bill? When you and your service provider agree on a flat rate for a project, those issues don’t come up. You can call anytime without re-starting the clock.

In other words, look for creative talent who charge like doctors — not lawyers.

photo credit: Robbie-73