To Sell More – Make Buying Easy

Easy Buying Experiences Increase Sales

EasyCan your business pass the Easy Test? Do your prospective and new customers go elsewhere because you make it difficult to purchase or use, your product, service, or information?

Customers really do want to buy from you. That’s why they are checking you out, using your trial offering, or inquiring about more information. Why do so many businesses make it difficult? And, what does an inconvenient first attempt to use your service do to your long-term brand image?

Word of mouth PR buzz works both ways. Good and Bad. If you are not ready to deliver an outstanding experience, maybe you’d be better off not offering it at all.

I’ve had two contrasting experiences that illustrate this recently.

I work outside the office a lot. To stay connected, I usually meet people where I have access to wifi and always make purchases at the coffee shop or business providing me with a place to meet and work.

My choice (and subsequent recommendations to others) are usually local owned shops where I get immediate and trouble free wifi service. Recently I’ve been meeting weekly with a small group for breakfast snacks and beverages.

We chose a well known (world’s largest) national brand coffee shop because of the location. I can tell you now, after numerous real-world experiences to log-on to their (semi-free) wifi service (also from the world’s largest communication brand), that I will find every opportunity to NOT use either of these brands in the future JUST BECAUSE IT WAS NOT EASY.

I will tell everyone I meet whenever the subject arises and will not be a fan of either of these brands. I think that both brands should re-consider how offering a perceived service can turn into a detrimental PR move if not executed properly with the user in mind.

If your not going to make it easy, don’t do it at all. You may receive the opposite result that you are seeking.

Today I experienced just the opposite kind of experience.

I like to read. I use RSS to follow my favorite topics, bloggers, and authors. Every morning I scan a few articles that interest me.

One article caught my eye this morning with a link to more information via another internet service that was quick and easy to view with a link to the author’s site where I viewed a video of him and developed enough immediate trust that I followed his “Buy Now” link for his book.

Wow, an easy and well executed book sale. The new social media is here folks. You can learn from examples like this how to sell more of your product or service. If you don’t learn from it, your competitors will and you will be left in the dust.

In about 10 minutes, I was taken from awareness to interest to desire to trust to decision and to action. I purchased a book (information product) from someone I was not even aware of when I woke up this morning.

A satisfying and complete sales process in 10 minutes and from my home. That is how you sell more by making it easy to buy. You can do that for your own product, service, or information.

Learn more…

Experience SenseAble Selling Sessions– Discover Your Sense of Sell and learn how you can attract more customers without paid advertising or high-pressure sales techniques.

By Howard Howell

Howard is an Internet Sales Consultant. He speaks professionally about Web Marketing and Sensible Selling from an experienced entrepreneur’s viewpoint. He also provides individual coaching, group training, and web marketing consulting services. Contact him now.

85 comments

  1. Howard, this is so true. I recently stayed at a very nice hotel for a convention and was so disappointed to be charged for every little thing (internet in the room PLUS access to wifi in the lobby if I didn’t *know* to go to the desk and ask for it and another charge to print your boarding pass in the business office!). If you pay enough money to go to a professional conference in a nice hotel all that should be included so guests are free to connect without a hassle. Charge more for the room – I don’t care – just make it easy for me to do what I need to do.

    I won’t be staying at that hotel again, and I’m also miffed at the event organizers for not negotiating that for the 2000+ conference attendees. Bad marks for both companies.

    Great post! (and I got to use the word “miffed!”)

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