The art of closing sales is undeniably crucial in face-to-face selling. However, many wonder if these potent techniques can be adapted to online marketing. The answer is a resounding "Yes!" While some techniques are more suited to the digital realm than others, there are certain strategies that can significantly enhance your online sales and boost your digital revenue. These strategies are particularly effective on direct response websites, which aim to elicit an immediate response in the form of an order or lead.
Before diving into the specifics, it's important to note that a significant part of the sale is made in the presentation. The success of the close is largely determined by how effectively you've presented the product to the potential customer. Your goal is to guide the prospect smoothly past the point of closing, making it easy for them to make a purchasing decision. This can be achieved through the strategic use of questions.
In online selling, you lack the advantage of interacting with your prospect as you would in face-to-face selling. Therefore, your web copy's opening statement must be something that disrupts preoccupation, captures attention, and highlights the result or benefit of your product.
Given that your prospect's mind is likely preoccupied with numerous things, a well-crafted question can direct their thinking towards what you have to say. Your opening question should target something relevant and important, something that your prospect needs or wants. For instance, if your target market consists of sales managers, a question like "How would you like to see a method that would enable you to increase your sales by 20% to 30% over the next 12 months?" could serve as an effective headline or opening statement.
Such a question prompts the prospect to think, "What is it?" thereby capturing their attention and allowing you to explain how your product or service can address the need posed by the question.
Questions are also crucial during the presentation, i.e., within the body of your web copy, to clearly explain how your product or service solves your prospect's problem in an easy, fast, or cost-effective way. Therefore, incorporate questions within your sales copy that capture attention and keep your prospect engaged.
For the duration it takes a prospect to answer a question in their mind, you have their undivided attention. As your questioning progresses, the prospect is drawn further into the sales process. If your questions are logical, orderly, and sequential, you can guide the prospect towards the inevitable conclusion to purchase your product or service.
Just as questions are important at the beginning and within the body of your web copy, they are even more crucial at the end in securing a commitment to action.
The key to asking a closing question is confident expectation. Your question should convey that you confidently expect the prospect to say, "Yes" or agree to the sale. For example, you could ask, "When would you like to start using [YOUR PRODUCT] to multiply your profits?" This way, you're not asking if they want to buy your product, but when.
When you ask a compelling closing question, you alleviate the tension that often arises in your prospect at the "moment of truth." This tension often leads to the hesitation that kills many sales, both online and offline.
To be truly persuasive in the selling process, learn to use questions judiciously throughout your web copy. Instead of trying to overwhelm your prospects with reasons and rationales for doing what you want them to do, ask strategic questions instead. When you take the time to plan the wording of your questions, your prospect will become more interested in your product, and as a result, you will make more sales.
