In Sandler, we often talk about the importance of good communication in the sales process. The same thing is true for your marketing as well.

Maybe this has happened to you. It's not unusual to visit a business's website to research something specific, then decide to go there based on what you read. Then when you get there, you find out what the website said wasn't true.

When you complain, you're told something like, "Sorry, we don't know how to update that information on our website."

That's a great example of how communication is all about expectations and behavior. If your expectations are set—in this case by marketing—and then the behaviors you see are contrary to those expectations, there's a huge disconnect!

So what are some things your marketing should do to align with your prospects' expectations?

Consider the following:

• Your website should load quickly.
• Your website should have up-to-date information.
• Your website should look good on a mobile device.
• People should be able to find your website by searching Google for you.
• Your website should link to your organization's social media accounts.
• Your social media accounts should have the same branding as your website.
• You should post regularly on social media so that when people search for you there, you're more likely to come up.
• Your contact information should be readily available everywhere you have an online presence, including every page of your website.
• Your individual contact information should be available if people search for you personally on major social media platforms.
• When you get a lead from anywhere you have an online presence, you should respond promptly.

Of course, we could keep going. But use that as a starting point. It turns out, most of those are pretty common expectations people have. Are you losing sales because you're not fulfilling those expectations?