Customers Buy When They Feel Good

By Bob Leduc
Posted Friday, September 3, 2004

Prospective customers will not buy unless they feel good about you, your company and your product or service. Here are 4 simple ways you can stimulate their good feelings ...and motivate them to buy.

1. Personalize Your Marketing

Prospects are more likely to buy from you when they feel you are talking directly to them about their unique needs. Look for ways to make your sales message more specific to the needs of prospective customers.

For example, subdivide your targeted market into several more narrowly defined niche markets. Then customize your sales approach so it appeals to the specific interests of prospects in each niche market.

Tip: You can narrow the appeal of your web site without losing its effectiveness with your broader market. Just create customized web pages for each niche market you target. Then add a link to each of these specialized pages on your home page.

2. Emphasize Good Feelings

Prospective customers usually base their buying decision on how they feel about your product or service. Get them excited about using it and they won't hesitate to buy.

One way to get them excited is to convert the benefits provided by your product or service into a vivid word picture. Put your prospect in the picture by dramatizing what it feels like to be enjoying those benefits.

For example: If you sell financial products, describe what it feels like to enjoy an affluent lifestyle without debt.

3. Confront Buyer Skepticism

A prospective customer will not buy if they have any doubt that you will deliver exactly what you promise. Here are 3 of the many ways you can confront and overcome skepticism in your customer's mind.

* Use testimonials. They prove you've already delivered satisfaction to other customers. To be effective, they should describe a specific result your customer got by using your product or service. For example, "In just 2 weeks I lost 9 pounds, felt years younger and still continued to enjoy my favorite foods".

* Provide specifics. Convert general statements into specific descriptions. Instead of "quick and easy", explain exactly how quick and how easy. Also, reduce round numbers like "15 pounds" into specific odd numbers like "13.7 pounds". It sounds more authentic.

* Tone down your claims. A bold claim creates doubt in your prospect's mind and jeopardizes the sale. Avoid using any claim that sounds exaggerated - even if it is true. Reduce any bold claim to a more believable statement.

4. Eliminate The Need To Make Decisions

Try to structure your selling process so prospective customers do not have to make decisions. Every decision they have to make interrupts the buying process. It diverts their attention away from the action of completing the sale.

This can be especially hazardous when customers have difficulty making a clear choice among several options. Some will avoid the risk of making a wrong choice by making NO choice ...and you lose a sale you already had.

That's why you should promote only one product or service each time you advertise. You can use separate promotions for each product or service. But limit your prospect's decision to only "Yes, I will buy" or "No, I will not buy". Don't risk losing them over a "Which One" decision.

Tip: Sometimes you can successfully combine 2 or more related products or services into a special combination offer. But limit your customer's decision to "Yes" or "No". Don't include an option to buy the items separately.

Prospective customers must feel good about you, your company and your product or service before they will buy. Start using these 4 simple tactics to stimulate their good feelings and motivate them to buy.

About the Author
Bob Leduc spent 20 years helping businesses like yours find new customers and increase sales. He just released a New Edition of his manual, How To Build Your Small Business Fast With Simple Postcards and several other publications to help small businesses grow andprosper. For more information: Email: BobLeduc@aol.com Subject: "Postcards" or call: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV