How Can You Encourage People To Buy When They're Struggling to Make up Their Minds? By Stressing the Instant Benefits of What You Sell.
By Lisa Lake
My friend Erin and I went shopping for clothes the other day. She tried on this slinky, strapless dress, perfect for a night on the town. The problem was that the only color available made her skin look a bit sallow, and the cut wasn't flattering. Erin sensed these setbacks, but the dress was on sale and she really wanted to like it.
She asked the inevitable question. "Does this dress make me look fat?" Being a good friend who would never want to feed Erin's insecurities, I said, "No, of course it doesn't make you look fat. It's really cute." Erin wasn't convinced. She continued to analyze herself from every angle.
While Erin was striking a pose, the sales girl walked by and said, "Oh my gosh! You look SO hot in that dress! It makes you look really skinny."
Bingo! Erin bought the dress and we were out of the store within three minutes.
So what was the difference between what I said and what the sales girl said to induce Erin's instant decision to buy?
The sales girl pointed out the benefits the dress would have for Erin. I said that the dress was cute. The sales girl said the dress made ERIN look "hot" and "skinny." That was the difference. Erin didn't want the DRESS to receive the compliments and be asked out by good-looking men. She wanted the dress to help HER receive compliments and be asked out by good-looking men.
What sells is benefit-oriented selling techniques. When you write advertising copy or try to sell a product, you need to point out how the product is going to benefit the buyer.
The buyer usually wants to hear about the way the product will benefit them instantaneously. We live in a society that worships instant gratification. We can check email on our cell phones, take our video games with us to the Sahara and expect our takeout to reach us within twenty minutes or it's free. Erin didn't want to be told that the dress would make her look skinny after she lost ten pounds. She wanted to know that she looked skinny right then.
If you don't stress the instant benefits of your product or service, your competitor will, and they'll make the sale. If you want to sell a mattress, let the buyer know that they'll sleep ten times better, improving their entire attitude toward life. If you want to sell your services as a web designer, let your potential customer know that your eye-catching design will bring them web traffic, thereby making them money, thereby allowing them to buy a new speed boat.
Don't make your customer rack his/her brain to figure out the benefits of your product. Let them know up front how their life will be forever altered.
Author Lisa Lake is a writer and self-made business expert. Lisa is the moderator of DrNunley's PromoteTown, a sounding board for marketing suggestions. You may view the board at, http://www.PromoteTown.com
You may also reach Lisa by calling 888-429-6203 or by emailing
lisa@drnunley.com
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