Getting More Sales From Your Order Page

By Karon Thackston
Posted Thursday, July 15, 2004

It's the gold medal of e-commerce. Getting that coveted sale is what every online business owner hopes and prays for daily. But what if you could get even MORE sales from your order page? It's really not very hard to do.

It's the gold medal of e-commerce. Getting that coveted sale is what every online business owner hopes and prays for daily. It's why we fight for good search engine positioning. It's why we battle with our copy, making it "just so." It's what pays the bills! But what if you could get even MORE sales from your order page? It's really not very hard to do.

What I'm about to tell you is not some big secret. It's a widely used practice that works. You've probably seen it before, but never paid it much attention. Well get ready to listen, because with just a few simple steps you could quickly be doing a lot more business.

Will this same tactic work for off-line businesses? You bet!

I have two ebook sites. One is for my copywriting course (http://www.copywritingcourse.com) and the other is for my ezine guide (http://www.creatingezines.com). Like you, I'd seen this sales practice put into place before... I'd even bought more of a product or service because of this tactic. But one day it dawned on me to actually USE this method to see if it would really work for me. I used the two products above to conduct a test.

Instead of just linking my "order" or "buy now" buttons to my credit card processor, I created a separate order page. And instead of just putting the copywriting course on the order page of the copywriting course site, I added a "deal." I offered a 0 discount if site visitors bought BOTH ebooks at the same time. I have a link to buy just the copywriting course, and a link to buy both ebooks at the discounted price. Literally, within minutes of implementing the change, I began ringing up sales for both books.

Have you seen this before? I'm sure you have. Amazon.com, ProFlowers.com and many other huge online retailers use this method to boost sales every day. Why does it work? Simple.

Once people go through your site, read your copy, and check out your products or services, they make a decision to buy. By offering them more for less (more products/services for less money) you take advantage of their "buying mode." You strike while the iron is hot (so-to-speak). It's a win-win situation. The buyer gets a discount, and you get more sales.

So how would you implement this strategy for off-line businesses? Just follow any fast food restaurant's lead.

Have you ever been to a McDonald's restaurant? What normally happens is a conversation like this:

ëMay I take your order?"

"Yes. I'd like a Big Mac combo with a Coke."

"Would you like to super size that, ma'am?"

"Sure, why not."

"And how about adding one of our hot pies or an ice cream sundae for just .00?"

"OK"

Without so much as a fuss, McDonald's just added two sales to your order. One was super sizing of your combo meal... the other was a sundae. You got a discount - you got more food for less money - and McDonald's got more profits.

Off-line retailers can simply instruct their salespeople to ask for more sales. Once the customer gets to the cash register, they are officially in "buy mode." While they're standing there, quickly (and I mean quickly... don't bombard them) ask if they need shoe polish to keep those news shoes looking new, or if they remembered to pick up labels for that box of CDs. It's really that simple. No hard sale, no pushing, no shoving. Just a simple question to which the answer is almost always "yes."

So there you have it... the quick and easy way to get more sales from your order page. Think it's too easy? Try it and see for yourself.

About the Author
Karon is Owner and President of Marketing Words, Inc. who offers targeted copywriting, copy editing & ezine article services. Visit her sites at (http://www.marketingwords.com/) and (http://www.copywritingcourse.com/).