Educational article with video
Websites in trade: from introducing a business to generating sales leads
An adaptation of Mostafa Nezamparvar's teaching on the difference between finding information and selling online, and the website's role in initiating contact with a buyer.
Based on a talk by Mostafa Nezamparvar
Full article contents
Full lesson video
Define the website's purpose in terms of business contact
In this lesson, Mostafa Nezamparvar explains online presence in terms of helping a business be found and establishing contact. The central question is how a customer searching for a product reaches information about the seller and finds an opportunity to speak with them.
In the session's view, each activity should be presented in a setting that its relevant audience uses. For trade, the internet is an important place to access information. Its role should not be limited to direct purchases from an online store.
Finding information is not the same as buying online
The speaker distinguishes between using the internet to find information and making an online purchase. A customer may find only the business's name, telephone number or address, with further cooperation taking place through contact and negotiation. In that situation, the website is part of the sales process even though the transaction itself is not completed on the site.
Two different uses of an online presence
Online purchasing
The transaction takes place directly online.
Finding business information
The audience finds the business and its contact details so that negotiation can begin.
Do not build a website merely to print its address on a business card
The speaker criticizes a website built merely so its address can be printed on a business card. That differs from a site that connects a customer searching for a product with information about the business. The goal should go beyond simply having a web address.
The video mentions website features and criteria that can help attract relevant visitors, but does not teach those features in detail.
Accordingly, this article does not attribute to the speaker a technical SEO checklist, advertising method or interface design that is absent from the source.
The practical conclusion is to clarify the website's purpose before evaluating it: is it intended only as a brief introduction, or should it also help a relevant buyer find the business and begin a negotiation? That distinction affects what the business expects from its website.
Treat a relevant visit as a lead, not a guaranteed sale
At the end of the session, online visitors are discussed as initial sales leads in the context of the topic. A lead is an opportunity for follow-up and negotiation; it is not yet a confirmed order or guaranteed income.
The task at this stage is to enable contact with someone who is interested in or needs the product.
The website at the start of the sales process
Searching for a product
The audience is looking for relevant information.
Finding the business
The website helps introduce the business and provide access to information.
An opportunity to connect
An initial lead is created for follow-up and negotiation.
About this talk
This article is an edited, thematically organized adaptation of Mostafa Nezamparvar's video “Why do winners in trade use the internet?”, embedded on this page. It is based on automatic Persian captions and is not a word-for-word transcript. A historical claim about why the internet developed, along with statements guaranteeing success or large numbers of customers, has been omitted. The focus is on the website's role in being found and initiating business contact.