10 Reasons Why People Don't Buy From You Online

1. You don't make people feel safe when they order.
Remind people that they are ordering through a secure
server. Tell them you won't sell their e-mail address
and all their information will be kept confidential.

2. You don't make your ad copy attractive. Your ad
lists features instead of benefits. The headline does
not attract at your target audience. You don't list any
testimonials or guarantees included in your ad.

3. You don't remind people to come back and visit.
People usually don't purchase the first time they visit.
The more times they visit your site, the greater the
chance they will buy. The most effective way is to give
them a free subscription to your e-zine.

4. You don't let people know anything about your
business. They will feel more comfortable if they know
who they are buying from. Publish a section called
"About Us" on your web site. Include your business
history, profile of employees, contact information etc.

5. You don't give people as many ordering options as
possible. Accept credit cards, checks, money orders,
and other forms of electronic payments. Take orders
by phone, e-mail, web site, fax, mail, etc.

6. You don't make your web site look professional.
You want to have your own domain name. Your web
site should be easy to navigate through. The graphics
should be related to the theme of your web site.

7. You don't let people read your ad before they get
your freebie. When you use free stuff to lure people
to your web site include it below your ad copy or on
another web page. If you list the freebie above your
ad they may never look to see what you're selling.

8. You don't attract the target audience that would
buy your product or service. A simple way to do
this is to survey your existing customers to see what
attracted them to buy. This information will help
you improve your target marketing and advertising.

9. You don't test and improve your ad copy. There
are many people who write an ad copy and never
change it. You have to continually test and improve
your ad copy to get the highest possible response
rate.

10. You don't give people any urgency to buy now.
Many people are interested in your product but they
put off buying it till later and eventually forget about
it. Entice them to buy now with a freebie or discount
and include a deadline date when the offer ends.

Just came across GoDaddy.com CEO Bob Parson's list of 16 Rules for Business and Life and found these incredibly relevant to small business marketing and entrepreneurship.

See if you agree with me (and mainly Bob) on these words of wisdom...

1. Get and stay out of your comfort zone.
I believe that not much happens of any significance when we're in our comfort zone. I hear people say, "But I'm concerned about security." My response to that is simple: "Security is for cadavers."

2. Never give up.
Almost nothing works the first time it's attempted. Just because what you're doing does not seem to be working, doesn't mean it won't work. It just means that it might not work the way you're doing it. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it, and you wouldn't have an opportunity.

3. When you're ready to quit, you're closer than you think.
There's an old Chinese saying that I just love, and I believe it is so true. It goes like this: "The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed."

4. With regard to whatever worries you, not only accept the worst thing that could happen, but make it a point to quantify what the worst thing could be.
Very seldom will the worst consequence be anywhere near as bad as a cloud of "undefined consequences." My father would tell me early on, when I was struggling and losing my shirt trying to get Parsons Technology going, "Well, Robert, if it doesn't work, they can't eat you."

5. Focus on what you want to have happen.
Remember that old saying, "As you think, so shall you be."

6. Take things a day at a time.
No matter how difficult your situation is, you can get through it if you don't look too far into the future, and focus on the present moment. You can get through anything one day at a time.

7. Always be moving forward.
Never stop investing. Never stop improving. Never stop doing something new. The moment you stop improving your organization, it starts to die. Make it your goal to be better each and every day, in some small way. Remember the Japanese concept of Kaizen. Small daily improvements eventually result in huge advantages.

8. Be quick to decide.
Remember what General George S. Patton said: "A good plan violently executed today is far and away better than a perfect plan tomorrow."

9. Measure everything of significance.
I swear this is true. Anything that is measured and watched, improves.

10. Anything that is not managed will deteriorate.
If you want to uncover problems you don't know about, take a few moments and look closely at the areas you haven't examined for a while. I guarantee you problems will be there.

11. Pay attention to your competitors, but pay more attention to what you're doing.
When you look at your competitors, remember that everything looks perfect at a distance. Even the planet Earth, if you get far enough into space, looks like a peaceful place.

12. Never let anybody push you around.
In our society, with our laws and even playing field, you have just as much right to what you're doing as anyone else, provided that what you're doing is legal.

13. Never expect life to be fair.
Life isn't fair. You make your own breaks. You'll be doing good if the only meaning fair has to you, is something that you pay when you get on a bus (i.e., fare).

14. Solve your own problems.
You'll find that by coming up with your own solutions, you'll develop a competitive edge. Masura Ibuka, the co-founder of SONY, said it best: "You never succeed in technology, business, or anything by following the others." There's also an old Asian saying that I remind myself of frequently. It goes like this: "A wise man keeps his own counsel."

15. Don't take yourself too seriously.
Lighten up. Often, at least half of what we accomplish is due to luck. None of us are in control as much as we like to think we are.

16. There's always a reason to smile.
Find it. After all, you're really lucky just to be alive. Life is short. More and more, I agree with my little brother. He always reminds me: "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!"
 

Closing effectively is all about answering this question: "What can you do to minimize the risk to the prospect of buying your product or service?" Look at all the products out on the market that offer risk-free, money back guarantees. Do you offer guarantees, warrantees, refunds, free trials or make-ups? In today’s “do more with less” business environment, many economic decision-makers have a new top priority – and it’s not “making the very best choice.” It’s “not making a mistake that will cost me my job.” If you can reassure someone with this mindset that buying from you is smart and safe and risk-free, you will automatically close more sales. Ask yourself the following questions: * How can I provide a free version of my product or service? * What can I learn from the auto industry’s new trend of “the 24-hour test drive”? * What does the buyer have to lose if they buy from me? * What do they have to gain? * How can I ensure the buyer’s success – not just their satisfaction? * How can I employ the concept of risk-reversal – meaning that the risk is all on my side if they don’t achieve success? When most sales training programs talk about overcoming objections, they usually don’t discuss the real objections that are in most buyers’ minds. These are things like: * I don’t trust you * I don’t believe this will get the results you say it will * This sounds too good to be true * If this works, I would have heard of this solution already * Who says so besides you? You should understand (and expect) that people probably will not trust you in the beginning of the sales process. They have been sold stuff all their lives “against their will.” They bought the steak knives, the insurance, the Girl Scout cookies, the raffle ticket, or the car and regretted it later. (OK maybe not the cookies.) Trust has to be earned over time. To address these aspects of buyer resistance, you can use a battery of smart sales tools. You may be using some of these already, but the more you pile on, the more effective they will be. Start to collect, use, and document: * Client testimonials (letters are good; audio and video are even better) * Awards and industry recognition of your product/service * Press clippings and articles mentioning you or your clients using your product/service * Objective, fact-based side-by-side comparisons with competing products/services * Cost analyses and comparisons between using your product/service, using the competition, doing it themselves, and doing nothing All of these items will help reduce risk, build credibility, and pave the way for closing more sales - even to your toughest clients!