Why Aren't They Buying?

by Michael Southon

You've polished your sales page over and over again
until it's gleaming with benefits. You're getting
plenty of traffic. And still - no sales.

What's wrong?

It could be the recession (although that's debatable).

With thousands of people losing their jobs each week,
consumer confidence (and therefore consumer spending)
is down.

But on the other hand, if thousands of people are
losing their jobs, there is without doubt a growing
army of people out there who are looking to the
Internet to make their living.

But let's leave aside the recession, and look at two
other reasons you may not be getting sales:

(1) People very rarely buy the first time.

You must have heard the statistics - people have to
see your product an average of 7 times before they buy
it. When I cast my mind back to the marketing eBooks
I've purchased, in each case I saw those books
advertised for months - on websites, in newsletters -
before I bought them.

So if you want to make a sale, you must find a way to
stay in contact with your visitors - and bring them
back.

The easiest way to do this is to offer your visitors a
free subscription to your newsletter.

Another way is to offer your visitors a free
autoresponder course that educates them about the
product or service you are offering. Create a series
of 5 emails about your service or product and put them
on an autoresponder that provides automated follow-up.

Getresponse is a free service that allows you up to 20
follow-ups (you specify the intervals between each
message):

http://www.getresponse.com/

The point here is that if your visitors leave your
website without taking anything away (a free version
of your E-Book, an autoresponder course, your
Newsletter), you've probably lost them for good.

(2) Allow people to feel they already own it.

If you give your visitors the feeling of what it would
be like to own your product or service, they're much
more likely to buy.

Here's a real-life example of this principle (a rather
disturbing one).

It's a well known fact that if a burglar can see into
your house, they are much more likely to rob you than
if they can't. Why?

Because by seeing into your house, the burglar has
already 'owned' it psychologically. What you can't
see, you can't psychologically 'own'.

Here's another interesting fact. If your house has
been burgled, there's a very high probability that the
same burglar will return - 6 or 8 weeks later. Why?

Again, it's the same principle. The burglar has seen
the inside of your house - and has psychologically
'owned' it.

It's because of this same principle that car salesmen
try and get potential customers to sit in the new car.
Once you've smelt the inside of that new car, you're
much more likely to buy it. You've imagined owning it.

So give your visitors a free download of one or two
chapters of your E-Book, or a free trial period of
your service. Let them imagine what it would be like
to own it.

About the Author

Michael Southon is the author
of the popular new E-Book, 'Ezine Writer!'
- Boost Your Traffic, Increase Your Sales -
He also publishes the twice-monthly Newsletter,
'e-Profit Tips':
mailto:e-Profit-Tips-subscribe@topica.com