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 Getting More Sales From Your Order Page
by: Karon Thackston
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 ()
and the other is for my ezine guide ().
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
customers get 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 new 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.
Most buying decisions
are emotional. Your ad copy should be, too! Karon is President & CEO of
Marketing Words, Inc. who offers targeted copywriting, search engine
copywriting, and ezine article writing. Subscribe to Karon's free ezine
at http://www.marketingwords.com/ezine.html or visit her site at http://www.marketingwords.com.
You can also learn to write you own powerful copy at http://www.copywritingcourse.com.
About The Author
Copy not getting
results? Let Karon provide search engine copywriting, catalog
copywriting, or other types for you. Just visit
. You can also learn to write your
own SEO copy that impresses the engines and your visitors at
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