Finding a New Sales Angle: How to Stand Out from the Crowd and Blow the Competition Away at the Same Time

What if there was a way that you could not only increase your website traffic and get more sales, but also stand out from your competitors as well - would you do it?

Absolutely!  And the best part is it won’t cost you a thing, except a few minutes of your time. 

This post was inspired by a fellow blogger, Chris Garrett over at chrisg.com.  His post on How to Overcome Customers Sales Objections hit the nail right on the head. 

But it leaves several major questions unanswered. 

For example:

• How do you really make your product or service stand out?
• How do you know what kinds of issues your buyers might have with your product or service if they don’t tell you? 
• And if you ask, will they be forthcoming with the information or will they simply shrug off the request?

To elaborate on Chris’ post, you’ll want to answer some of the most common “inner objections” your visitors and readers have - before they even ask them. 

Price/Cost - Managing your prices is a sticky, tricky area - especially online where competition is hot.  If you want to be the rock-bottom “cheapest”, you’ll invariably lose customers who are looking to build a strong relationship with a seller they can trust and refer others to. 

If your product or service is too cheap - they’ll subconsciously expect it to break or fail to deliver.  If it’s too expensive, they’ll justify reasons why they “shouldn’t” buy it. 

In these cases, consider setting up a payment plan or working with the customer one-on-one so that they know exactly what to expect and when.  I do this with my design packages so that clients stay updated on their website’s progress at all times.

Time/Delivery - How soon will I get my order? What happens after I press “Buy Now”?  Can I track my item’s delivery?  What if it never arrives? 

These are all common questions your customer is thinking of “behind the scenes”.  The more you can spell out the ordering/shipping process, the more your buyer will feel at ease and confident ordering from you.

Trust - With identity theft, stolen credit card numbers and account hacking flooding the media, trust is a big issue in the online world.  The more you can do to demonstrate your reliability as a merchant, the more sales you’ll make as a result. 

This doesn’t necessarily mean putting up every “Trust Seal” you find on your website, but rather doing the same kinds of things you would do if you were in the customer’s shoes - including things like:

• Adding a phone number and letting people know the approximate wait time for an answer
• Adding a “Live Help” chat feature to your website
• Stating your Money Back Guarantee clearly and simply

Politics/Organization - Oftentimes, your customer is not the only decision-maker.  They may be buying something for their family, friends or acting under the direction of their employer.  No matter who they’re doing it for, people don’t want to look dumb or be made a fool of because they trusted you.

Keep this in mind by writing to include not just your core audience, but the people they may be buying for as well.  For example:

“Your guests will swear you’re baking a fresh, hot apple pie when you light one of our deliciously scented candles …”

Knowledge - How much do you really know about the product or service you’re selling?  Have you tried it yourself or are you merely “parroting” what other people have said about it?  If you don’t know, how can you answer your customer’s questions and deep-rooted objections about it?  The more acquainted you are with the product, the better off you’ll be to address that buyer’s objections right from the start. 

If you’re an affiliate, ask for a trial copy or sample before you promote.  You may discover things you never knew about it before - things that could damage your reputation as a seller right from the start!

Altogether, you need to address your customer’s objections up front - without forcing them to wade through your FAQs or “About Us” page to find the answers.  How you face their hidden questions is often what results in the sale!

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