Thinking the way your customers think

How well do your products grab your customers' attention?

Offering great products is important to making sales. But you've probably already discovered that just putting the products out there isn't enough to make the sale. HOW you offer it is just as important as WHAT you offer.

Nobody comes to your product offerings, whether on a website or in an auction, thinking, "I wonder what this person is going to let me buy." They come with specific needs in mind, needs they want to fill.

If you approach them from a seller's mindset, you won't make the emotional connection with them that is crucial to making the sale. You want to approach them from a BUYER'S mindset.

What makes people trust you

Ever met a new person who asked you lots of questions and listened with great interest to everything you said? Chances are, you walked away with an instant liking for that person because that person was interested in a topic that was very important to you: you.

You want the people who visit your product offerings to have the same feeling—that you are someone they feel comfortable with because you understand them and what's important to them.

The more comfortable they feel with you, the more likely they are to buy from you.

Tapping into their emotions

Let's picture the scenario of meeting a person for the first time again. You meet them and they rattle off a string of cold, hard facts. Maybe they have a great grasp of the subject, but does a cerebral recitation of facts make you feel like this is someone who knows what you need?

But what if, instead of reciting cold, emotionless facts, they seemed to intuitively recognize what questions and concerns were on your mind and unfolded those facts in a way that answered all your questions and solve your concerns?

Would you feel comfortable with this person? You bet you would! Would you give greater attention to this person's advice? Absolutely!

That's the way you want your potential customers to see you.

But how do you do that?

First, look at your product. What attracted you to it in the first place? What about it made you like it enough to want to sell it?

Second, figure out the emotional attraction behind those reasons.

Did the product jump out at you because it was such a great solution to a problem you've encountered? Then focus on the problem it solves. Paint them a picture of the relief they'll get from using it.

Or did the product make you want to sell it because it struck a chord with you emotionally, because it was unique... or beautiful... or whatever the attraction was?

Third, once you understand what made you feel a connection to your product, express that connection to your customers.

Now, that doesn't mean a windy dissertation on, "Why I like this product." You want the focus to be on them, not you. But work the feelings you identified into your description in a way that lets them see themselves feeling those same feelings.

Translate your product's features into benefits

Don't just list features; focus on the benefits they'll enjoy from your products. Check out a site I've worked on, the MasterVisions Etched Glass Home Decor and Furniture site, to see that in action.

For example, we could have been satisfied just to describe the frames and tables as solid hardwood. We stress the durability of the solid hardwood, the lustrous, silky finish.

We draw comparisons between the type of sketchy etching that people are used to seeing and the highly detailed etchings that our special process produces.

We extol the solid brass and porcelain hangers on the coat racks and even comment on how the grooved plate racks on top makes the coat racks an even more versatile piece of decor.

Take every feature of the product and point out how it's going to make their life better/easier/more fulfilled. Don't wait for them to figure these things out for themselves; do their thinking for them.

Finally, anticipate their concerns

Each one of the people who view your offerings will have concerns that will lead them to hesitate before committing themselves to a sale. Recognize and deal with those concerns before they derail your customer from buying.

Some of the typical concerns customer have and ways to answer them are:

A) Is it safe to use my credit card with these people?—If you have secure transactions (and you should) make sure you make that clear to them up front. And stress how easy it is to get hold of you if there's a problem by offering multiple ways of contacing you (e-mail, phone, snail mail address) throughout your site.

B) How much will this cost?—Depending on what you're selling, you might not want this to be the first thing they see, but make it easily available.

Use some common sense to determine where to reveal your price. If the price is low enough to surprise them with how inexpensive it is, use it as an initial selling point. If the price is likely to scare them away, hold off on it until you've had a chance to reveal what all they're getting for the money.

Be sure, though, that you make any shipping costs available to them before they reach the shopping cart. Nothing can kill a sale faster than an unpleasant surprise charge just as they're about to give you their credit card information.

C) What if I don't like it, or what if it breaks in shipping?—Let them know your policies up front. The less the possibility of them being stuck with something they don't like, the greater the chance of them trusting you with their purchase. And studies have shown that the amount of sales you gain with a strong return policy far outweigh an loss that comes from people taking you up on it.

In summary

Actively seek your customers' trust by understanding what brought them to your products and anticipating their concerns. The more they see you as providing solutions to their problems instead of just selling products, the better the chances that they'll put their trust—and their sales—in your hands.

Helping you become the successful business owner you want to be.

LIKE THIS PAGE? ADD TO YOUR SOCIAL BOOKMARKS:BlinkDel.icio.usDigg
FurlGoogleSimpySpurl Technorati Y! MyWeb