May 2006 - Sales - How to Make Them

Your Internet Marketing Tips
“Sales - How To Make Them - Closing the Sale”

Publisher: Enable UK

Welcome to this months issue of Internet Marketing Tips Newsletter.

So now you’ve established your credibility with your customer and convinced them that they have a need for your product or service how do you close the sale and direct them towards making that first all-important purchase?

The four part series all about Sales – How To Make Them can be found in our archives here:
http://www.enable-uk.co.uk

For further tips and advice on all areas of Internet marketing, visit http://www.enable-uk.co.uk

I hope you find the article useful.

Sales – How To Make Them – Closing the Sale.

The last few sentences on your sales page can make all the difference. The content here must convince the new customer not only to buy your product or service, but to do it now. If you fail to close the sale and your new customer wanders and clicks away, the chances are that they will make their purchase somewhere else rather than return to your web site

There are many methods for closing the sale.

Repeat all the major features and benefits of your product in a concise conclusion. Bullet points are ideal for this.
Tell your customer what will happen when they buy your product, or conversely, what will happen if they don’t buy it! Illustrate a problem they have that the product will solve.
Give guarantees and assurances. If you have a product or service guarantee, tell your customer about it. You may also want to include testimonials from previous purchasers or even product reviews supplied by them.
Give your customers a reason to purchase now. A time limited offer is ideal for this, it could be a discounted price, additional free bonus products or a free upgrade.
If your product or service is priced above impulse purchase level and you find you lose customers at the point of purchase, you could also consider offering a free trail or sample to entice them.

The Art of Persuasion and Closing the Sale are two topics covered in our in depth DIY Internet Marketing Guide “Writing Text That Sells”. For more information visit: http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/diy_internet_marketing_guides.html

Once you’ve closed the sale and your new customer has made the decision to buy from you and has their credit card in hand, they will add their selected item to your shopping cart, and this is often where things start to go wrong.

Many web site designers are so concerned with the sales funnel (getting the purchaser to select the product they want, pay for it and leave) that they don’t make allowances for the purchase of additional items along the way. How many times have you visited a web site that once you have selected an item sends you off happily to the shopping cart at which point all navigation to the other sections of the web site disappears. What happens if you suddenly decide that perhaps you need the Premium rather than the Basic service and you want to read up on all the details of both, or you realise at the checkout that you need a new case to go with the camera in your shopping cart, along with some memory cards and spare batteries? Don’t take the sales funnel to literally. Give your customers the opportunity to continue looking around your product or service range and pick up additional items, or change items in their basket before proceeding to the checkout.

Once your customers are happy with all their selections, give them a simple and efficient payment gateway (it goes without saying that it must also be secure). Accept as many payment options as you can and remember not everyone has a credit card or is happy to use it on the Internet. Provide a telephone number at this point in case they experience any problems using the payment facility or have any last minute questions. Then once they’ve paid, make sure you acknowledge their payment, issue a receipt and reconfirm their delivery details.

The page that is served after a sale has been made is known as the Thank You page and they are often sadly undervalued. Remember that your customer has just made a purchase, you’ve already done all the hard work, you’ve established credibility, you’ve convinced them to buy, and they now have their credit card out on their desk and are buoyed by the idea that their new purchase is on the way. They are basking in that after shopping glow and what happens? After they’ve been through the check out, the Thank You page appears and effectively pushes them out of your shop door. Ladies will know what I mean when I say how many times have you spent hours deliberating over just the right dress, you’ve window shopped, tried on at least 27 different versions, you’ve finally chosen it, paid for it and as you walk away from the till in the same shop you spot the perfect matching bag, the shoes, the necklace, the earrings… and within two minutes you’ve bought the whole lot.

Thank you pages are an ideal opportunity to pull your customer back into your web site and get them to make another purchase. Have links here to your latest special offers, offer a time limited discount on second purchases, or provide links to similar or complimentary products or services to those just purchased. If you only sell one product or service, consider a joint venture with a vendor in a similar field, for example if you sell garden furniture, why not exchange adverts on this page with another vendor who sells seeds? If nothing else, at least ask your customer to provide their email address to sign up for occasional Special Offers or Latest News mailings.

In order for our new customers to enjoy their buying experience on our web sites and return time and again to make additional purchases, web sites must be designed to incorporate it. Make sure you effectively close the sale but don’t forget to give your customers every opportunity to buy additional items on the way to the checkout and even after they’ve completed their purchase.

Is your web site driving high quality, targeted customers to your business? Learn how to make your web site work harder for you by downloading our DIY Internet Marketing Guides packed with tips, information and advice on all areas of Internet marketing. Stop losing customers to your competitors and start making more money from your web site TODAY.
http://www.enable-uk.co.uk

To catch up with previous issues of this newsletter, visit:
http://www.enable-uk.co.uk/html/internet_marketing_newsletter_.html

If you have any questions about any of the topics raised or any other Internet Marketing issues, feel free to Contact Us. I do my best to answer all questions or to cover the issues in future editions of this newsletter.

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