How to increase your sales on the Internet? How to improve your purchases on the Internet? How to generate more sales thanks to 5 simple techniques?
Attract customers. To convince. To sell. These three actions may seem simple, but you who own online business, you know the work that entails. You know that selling is complicated, it’s time-consuming, and you have to continually test new methods to get your business on the road.
Increase your sales
Oh, if only you could know reliable strategies that would allow you to increase your sales … Yet you have already tried to find tips on the Internet to achieve this.
Yes but here it is the same thing every time, and you come across everything and everything.
Typically, you come across 3 kinds of articles:
1. Articles that teach you nothing
2. Articles are written by people who do not know anything about it
3. Or, unlike items that are full of information but are far too complete, the kind of article entitled “45 ways to increase your sales” for example. In the end, you read and do not apply anything because you do not know what is essential or not.
I would like to change that. Now.
In this article, you will not find a multitude of tips, all more useless than the others.
I will give you 5 rules, not one more.
And here is the best: these rules were established by men whose job is to write to sell: copywriters. And the ones I’m going to reveal come straight from the brains of the most talented copywriters. Once you know these rules and apply them, here’s what will happen:
You will no longer need to take the lead in hunting customers … they will come from them to you. Why? Because you will be credible and they will trust you.
You will no longer need to comply with the capricious requirements of some customers: you choose who you want to work with.
You will no longer need to lower your rates (and therefore your margins) to try to attract more people. Competition? It no longer exists: your power of persuasion is so dominant that you can practice high prices.
It interests you? Then read more.
Whether you are a blogger, consulting firm, B2B company, or even an agency, these rules will allow you to boost your sales.
And if you also practice inbound marketing (or content marketing) and you have a blog, stay well until the end because I have a surprise for you: a gift that will allow you to increase your results in addition to 5 rules that I will give you in this article.
1. Increase your sales by talking about what is essential for your prospects
This first rule was highlighted for the first time by John Caples, a copywriter known for writing one of the most popular (and most profitable) commercials of all time.
You may have already read or heard the title “They Laughed When I’m Down at the Piano … But When I Started to Play! (“They laughed when I sat at the piano … But when I started playing!” In French).
This is indeed an advertisement of 1926 for piano lessons famous for having used the lever of emotions (“I could be this person”) to address those people who have never learned to play the game. Music (but wishing to learn secretly).
Here’s the rule: take profits from your prospects instead of attacking them with the features of your services or products.
Let me show you a second speaking example, thanks to which you will immediately understand.
Imagine: you are a B2B company, and you are determined to turn your website into a real business. Only for that, you must increase your notoriety.
Of course, you browse the Internet looking for a communication agency.
Only, the more time passes, the more you feel that the agencies are all the same, that they repeat the same things:
– We will tell your story while highlighting the values and characteristics of your company …
– We will manage your social networks: we will take care of everything from content design to publication …
– We will define an effective content strategy for your site …
The same arguments come back in a loop, tirelessly.
You feel lost, and you do not know what to choose when suddenly you come across an agency that writes this on its site:
– We will tell your story while highlighting the values and characteristics of your business … your audience will be impregnated by your brand, and you will increase your sales. Why? Because our storytelling will resonate with your audience on an emotional level: this is precisely what triggers the act of purchase.
– We will manage your social networks: we will take care of everything from content design to publication … You will have nothing to do, if not appreciate the supportive community that will train to follow you on your networks. Your credibility will increase, and again, your sales too.
– We will define an effective content strategy for your site … You will no longer need to think about what content to create. Everything will already be done, you will only have to publish. “
If you were in the place of this company that wants to turn your site into a real generator of leads and customers, which agency would you choose?
The last is not it? It’s normal. And you want to know why? It’s simple: it addresses the direct benefits of its prospect. The majority of agencies only mention the “features” of their services: it is soporific, and it does not want to go further.
On the other hand, the last agency stands out by having precisely the same speech … but by just adding the benefits for its client. The company then understands what is its interest to work with such an agency. Packed, it’s weighed, he becomes their client.
Do you also want to be useful when you communicate about your services or products? So turn those features into benefits.
Examples: Do you sell services as a marketing coach? Do not blah blah with your expertise, your years of experience … Instead, emphasize your message that you will double or even triple the turnover of your prospect and move his business to the level above.
Do you sell a program that makes sales pages? Do not bar your prospects with useless details to show that your landing pages are the best … Tell them rather than the ones they will achieve will have a higher conversion rate and they will help it to increase its leads and the number of its customers.
How to successfully apply this rule? To do when you write a communication medium, Internet content, a sales page, or anything that aims to sell: ask yourself the question “So what? Every time you talk about a feature of your product to achieve actual profit – one that is important to your prospect.
Example: This training will help you increase your conversion rates. So what? You will generate more leads.
So what? You will have more potential customers.
So what? You will increase your sales, and you will increase your sales.
So what? You can use it to focus on the best customers and increase your margins or spend more time with people you love … or on the contrary reinvest in your business to take it to the next level.
You see? The benefit of this training is not merely to increase conversion rates … it’s to increase sales, increase sales, potentially improve your life …
But to go so far and be as effective in your communication, you need to know your prospects at your fingertips. That’s good, we’ll see how to do that with the second rule. And it’s happening now.
2. Improve your sales by writing with your ears
This rule comes from Eugene Schwartz, one of the best-paid copywriters in the world in the 50s and 60s (it was not uncommon for him to pay 13,000 € for one hour of his work). Moreover, his book Breakthrough Advertising does not sell at less than 300 dollars on Amazon …
Here’s the second rule: you must understand your prospects and speak their language.
“There is your audience. There is language. And then there is the language that your audience uses. Eugene Schwartz
If you want to sell effectively, you must listen to your prospects:
– What are their problems?
– What is their urgency, what are their desires, what are their dreams?
– What do they need now?
Anyone is suspicious when it goes to the act of purchase. Make it easier: reassure your prospects by telling them exactly what they want to hear, using their words and phrases.
Examples: Your prospects do not want to hear that your service delivery is innovative, incredible, and revolutionary. They want to be reassured above all that they will be able to reach their goal in a few weeks and not in 3 months.
Do not tell your prospects that they will have a website worthy of a work of art. Just tell them that they will have a successful site that will turn their visitors into buyers – that’s what they want to hear.
How to successfully apply this rule? There are no secrets … you have to spend time understanding your prospects. Here is the complete list of ways to listen to them (and find out what they really think):
1. Train on the forums of your theme: look at the most popular topics, analyze the responses of users, report topics that often come up …
2. Go to Facebook groups: whatever your theme, a Facebook group exists. If so, I swear … you just have to watch, this group on knitting that brings together more than 6,200 people … Just great
3. Spy on the big blogs of your theme: find the most commented articles and analyze what people are saying. You’ll find a wealth of information: what they liked, their unresolved problems …
4. Discuss with your prospects: this is, without a doubt, the most effective way to get to know them. Exchange with them by email, reply to comments, polls … Better: talk directly with them, by phone or Skype. If you do that, you will get a huge head start on the competition. Why? Because you will know precisely what your prospects think: what are their problems, their expectations, their frustrations. And that is priceless.
To do when you are on the phone with a customer:
Listen to what your client has to say, ask questions … Put him at ease so that he confides in you, and reveals his real goal – the one he cares about.
For example, when I do coaching with my clients, and they tell me that they want more traffic on their site, they want to generate more sales, etc.… I go to the bottom of things, I dig to know why they want that.
And often, the same answers come out: “We have a portfolio of large accounts, but we are dependent, and we do not know how to find new customers”, “We are wasting a lot of time looking for customers”, “We won’t develop the company with more premium customers, we’re drowning in work, we’re out of life “,” It’s a strategic goal to position myself this new management position … “
Once this course is completed and I know what motivates them deeply, I can work effectively with them: I know they listen to me because they know that I understand them. As a result, they will apply my advice and have better results.
All because I listened to them, and they confided in me. Do the same thing, and you can increase your sales: indeed, you can practice high prices. Nobody will complain, because your prospects know they can count on you.
Because you understand them. Because you can help them. It’s your turn.
3. More sales by being specific
This rule comes from Joseph Sugarman, a famous copywriter who managed to sell a plane with an advertisement in a magazine (seriously, I do not know anyone else who can do that). What’s more, the value of this plane was estimated at $ 190,000 … which did not stop Joseph from selling it at $ 240,000.
In other words, this man’s words are so powerful that he can make a profit of $ 50,000 in one hour of work. Here are his words:
“When people perceive exaggerated or typical statements of advertising, these statements are at best ignored or accepted with considerable doubts. On the contrary, statements made with specific facts generate strong credibility. “
What does Joseph Sugarman mean? Once is not custom, I will show you with an example.
What is most credible for you between “Our service is used by thousands of people” and “Our service is used by 8417 people”?
We agree. That’s why you should follow this third rule to boost your sales: be specific.
Look at how Joseph Sugarman went about selling his plane 27% above the market price when he was old and used by applying this principle.
One of the passages of the pub in which Joseph is very precise about the characteristics of his plane:
The Aerostar 296PA is a fully pressurized lightweight twin-engine that achieves an incredible 28 gallons per hour at a realistic cruising speed of 200 knots. It was aerodynamically designed to accommodate jet engines, but its designer opted for two 290 HP Lycoming engines combining remarkable speed and fuel economy.
Another passage where he does the same thing:
The avionics of this machine reminds me of a lot of the quality products that our company sells. The fully computerized Bendix 2000 system includes radar, R-Nav, a DME radar, an altimeter radar and all the goodies we could put on this beautiful dashboard. There is an auxiliary hydraulic pump, an ice surface, plus a flight phone. The plane had to be fully equipped when I bought it – after all, my reputation depended on it.
An Aerostar from 1980 and as well equipped as this one would sell today over 350 000 dollars, and would not even be as well maintained as my plane.
You see? By being specific on the good that he sells and by giving a multitude of details, Joseph Sugarman succeeds there a tour de force:
– The prospect feels like his money: the more he reads, the more he discovers new things on this plane. There are so many things that he is excited about buying it
– The prospect gives Joseph total confidence: indeed, by playing on this precision effect, Joseph manages to create a particular atmosphere around his plane. We see that he takes care of it, that he took good care of it, and that reassures the prospect, who will eventually buy it.
In the end, Joseph will sell this aircraft with this one and only advertising, two days later after its publication. A masterstroke.
Here’s how a typical business can use this rule.
Examples of reformulations:
– We pick up 24h / 24 before the third ring instead of Our customer service is responsive
– 5717 business trusted us to have a practical and functional website instead of Thousands of business trusted us to have an active website and useful
– Build a landing page in 7 days instead of Build a landing page easily and quickly
Do you see the difference? In one case, the words are proven, precise, credible.
In the other, they are vague, bland, and ambiguous. One almost feels they are wrong reading them. The company that makes these kinds of statements instantly loses the confidence of its prospects.
And you know that losing the trust of your prospects is the worst thing that can happen in your business. That would kill all your sales, until the last one.
How to successfully apply this rule? Whether on your brochures, in your offers, in your sales pages or in your mailing (and even in your titles of content ), always be precise when you can. Use:
– Statistics: 95% of our customers are satisfied with our services
– Accurate figures: 1321 people trust us by using our services
– Case studies: Thanks to our services, Michel was able to increase his value by 34% business
– testimonials (which are also accurate): “Thanks to the services of company X, I could double my conversions and increase my income by 23%.”
4. Increase your sales by being transparent and precise
The fourth rule that comes straight from Claude Hopkins, legendary advertising.
His book ” Scientific Advertising ” has been sold to more than 8 million copies worldwide.
“No one should be able to hit an advertising campaign until they read this book seven times” David Ogilvy, founder of the world’s largest communications agency (literally) and also the man who inspired Don Draper from the Mad series Men.
Here is the basic rule stated by Claude Hopkins: “You must be able to express yourself briefly, clearly and convincingly. “
One might think that this rule is necessary, and yet … too many companies lose a phenomenal number of sales by passing by. You must wipe out all the useless words in your text to make it as clear as rock water at the end.
Examples: Do not say “Let us develop for you an incredible website for your business, which will allow you to reap tons of customers,” prefer a more straightforward and direct approach like “Let us create a functional website that turns your traffic into customers. “
How to successfully apply this rule? Here is my best advice for a clear and concise text: edit by rereading each sentence, one by one. Yes, it’s long, but it’s also the most effective.
– Re-read each sentence asking yourself if it is essential if each word in its place.
– If you have adverbs and adjectives that do not mean anything, remove them.
– If your sentence is too long, find a way to shorten it.
Anyway, keep only the essentials. Your text should be a pure juice concentrate on your best ideas.
5. Guide the customer to the sale
Fifth and last essential rule to sell more: have a compelling call to action.
Victor O. Schwab, one of the best copywriters of the time, says: “If you want people to buy from you, you have to ask them clearly.”
Examples:
– Test our service for 30 days instead of If you want to test our service for 30 days, you can do it by clicking here
– Become PRO now instead of Press this button to get to the top level of our offer: the PRO formula
How to successfully apply this rule? Here are 3 simple (but fundamental) criteria that your call to action must respect:
– It must be short
– It must request a single step: buy, register, request a quote …
– And it must be VISIBLE
Do not hesitate: put it roughly, bold, red … Make it as flashy as a Ferrari in the middle of Clio in a parking lot. A thing that works well also is to put it several times on your page so that your prospect is more sensitive.
This is what Rudy does in his quote page for a discovery interview: he does not put it less than 5 times.
And now?
It’s up to you. You have all the cards in your hand. These 5 rules are like the 5 cards you have during a poker game. It’s up to you to play these cards together to get the most potent combination in the game.
So go ahead, use these rules together to improve your sales.
Ah, one last thing. You remember, in the beginning, I told you that I will have a surprise for you if you practiced inbound marketing or content marketing – in short, if you publish content on your blog.
What is the relationship with your sales? Here it is: People buy when they trust.
Of course, you can still use aggressive selling techniques, but nothing will be worth a business that brings value to your prospects through quality content. And you know what? This is precisely what I teach you to do in this free guide.