Getting
More Sales From Your Order Page
By
Karon
Thackston Copyright © 2003
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 $10 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:
'May 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
$1.00?"
"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:
Most buying decisions are emotional. Your ad copy should be, too! Let Karon
write targeted copy and ezine articles for you. Visit her site at
http://www.ktamarketing.com,
or learn to write your own copy at
http://www.copywritingcourse.com.
Don't forget to subscribe to Karon's free ezine at
http://www.ktamarketing.com/ezine.html.
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