The World Wide Web is a software application that runs on the Internet. It is the graphical interface that incorporates underlying functions in an easier-to-use manner. The Web's technical capabilities are changing at a phenomenal rate. New features are proposed and implemented with breakneck speed. Your technical team will have to work overtime just to stay current and they will keep you apprised of the latest and greatest to ensure that your corporate Web site doesn't get stodgy and boring. A technically boring Web site might be just the thing you need. Yes, some changes will be required to keep you from technical stagnation. You will install seat belts. You will switch to unleaded gasoline. You will install air bags. You will have to keep up to date. But don't let the techno-maniacs get the better of you.



It may embarrass them to look a little behind the times in front of their peers. But you can lose the potential return on your Web investment if you get too far out in front of your customers. The Web has caught on so quickly because it enables you to present information in a myriad of media: hypertext, graphics, video, sound, and so on. A business prints a variety of documents to help move a prospect through the sales cycle. Each document has its own purpose and life expectancy.

Each document is crafted to achieve a specific goal. A flier handed out at a trade show, an ad placed in a newspaper or magazine, and a direct mail piece are each designed to do one thing -- hook the reader into wanting more information. Your goal is to entice the recipient into a relationship that will culminate in the purchase of a product or service, perhaps on first contact.

The four-color, eight-page brochure gives prospects a taste of your quality, a picture of your product or people, and something they can show to the manager who approves the budget. If they like the brochure, they will want to know more. Firms selling complex equipment or lengthy consulting services often use some sort of concepts and facilities guide. This document outlines the company's approach and provides detailed specifications. It lets the prospect fully understand what is being sold in order to make a more informed decision.

Finally, the product or service might be tested on a trial basis to ensure a good match and account for any unforeseen incompatibilities between buyer and seller. What if all of these documents, all of these steps, all these interactions, could be managed online, interactively and untouched by human hands? What if your prospects could reach into your organization and take the information they want? What if they could educate themselves? What Instant delivery of promotional materials to a worldwide, growing population of self-selected prospects? What if they could place the order, track the shipping, answer the tough questions and get the help they need online? This is the promise held out by the World Wide Web. This is what is making companies all over the world rush to implement back-office connections to their Web sites. All that remains is to do it well. Doing it well depends entirely on your definition. Being successful at anything requires a means to measure that success.

Without clear goals, you will never know if the end has been achieved. Each association, group, society, or business that sets out to create a presence on Web must first know why it wishes to invest the resources. Selecting reasonable, achievable, and measurable goals at the start is the only way to be sure your efforts have paid off at the finish line. The best marketing ploy on the World Wide Web may well be a strong customer service offering. It doesn't need to be cool, hip, sexy or cutting edge. What people want is more value for their money. If your new garden tool is backed by a Web site full of tips, tricks and gardening traps, it has more value than the one that just comes with a price tag. If your site offers numerous ways to acquire your products, people are more likely to do so. If you are successful at promoting and selling products and services on your Web site, you have to be prepared to manage the needs of your new customers. They come to the table with high expectations, having been taught the possibilities by all the other Web sites they frequent.