If you have read the previous three instalments of this series, you should be a lot closer to having all the knowledge you need to create amazing web copy that will compel your prospects to buy while blowing away your competitors. In this part, I will help you continue your journey towards copywriting excellence by showing you how to introduce the price, offer a guarantee and close the deal.
It’s All about the Money
Talking about the price is an inevitability and despite mankind’s fascination for cash and downright greed in some cases, discussing financial arrangements can often be an awkward affair. Have you ever been in an interview when the issue of salary comes up? It can get a little tense as you don’t want to blow it by asking for too much yet you’re also afraid of selling yourself short.
When it comes to online selling, the temptation is to explain the cost straight away and ‘get it over with’ but this strategy will not work. In fact, you should NEVER contemplate mentioning the cost until you have already stated the offer and conveyed the benefits. Talking about the cost may drive away prospects before they have ever learned the most important aspects of your product/service. And when the times comes, you should use the ‘minor-purchase’ technique to make the offer sound like a small financial investment.
Reducing the Perceived Cost
The aforementioned minor purchase technique is a great way to reduce the fiscal impact of the product. The basic premise is to reframe the cost so that it sounds like a minor indulgence rather than a risk. For instance:
For the price of a 3-course meal in a restaurant, you can unlock the secrets of outsourcing and expand your business globally.
For less than the price of a microwave, you can increase your sales by 100%!
The above are fairly generic examples but you can see the point: You make it seem as if your product is a trifling expenditure yet it produces such great results you’ll kick yourself if you don’t buy it! You can take this a step further with the ‘daily cost’ technique:
Boost your business for less than the cost of a cup of coffee.
Change your life for $1 a day.
As you can see, you divide the cost even further and can compare it to what someone spends absent-mindedly on a daily treat. This is a tactic that is also known as ‘equating’ and it works wonders in the world of advertising when used correctly.
And That’s a Guarantee!
Whenever I used to hear the phrase ‘guarantee’ in sales, I got images of used-car salesmen in cheap polyester suits with gold teeth and fake jewellery everywhere! However, the money back guarantee is an essential sales technique and will actually clinch a sale in many cases since it eliminates the buyer’s risk. Yet simply explaining that there is a guarantee in place is not nearly good enough, you have to write it in a way where customers think they will be out of their minds to not take you up on the offer:
Try out system A and if you don’t increase your sales by 100% in 60 days, you get your money back with no hassle or stress!
With this golf instruction program, you are guaranteed to improve by 6 strokes within 30 days or your money back!
A good money back guarantee displays a level of conviction that can persuade customers to choose your products over those of your competitors. It shows that you are so confident in your product that you can ‘quantify’ the success it can attain and human psychology does the rest. System A above will probably increase sales simply because the customer works harder than before to ‘justify’ the purchase. Likewise with our fictional golf instruction program; the golfer will feel foolish if he doesn’t improve his game after spending money so he practises harder and gets better!
Closing the Deal
While I will be going into much greater detail on this subject at a later date, I will do a concise description how to close a sale right now. There is an old selling slogan which states that “delay is the enemy of a sale”. When concluding your copy, you need to get rid of any remaining obstacles that stand in the way of a customer making the purchase. The classic technique in this instance is to make the offer and add urgency. This can be achieved by:
- Adding a free gift.
- Offering a discount if the customer buys within the next 24 hours.
- Stating there is a limited supply.
- Placing a time limit on your special offer.
- Inform customers that prices are going up soon.
Essentially, you need to place emphasis on what customers have to gain by purchasing your goods now and what they lose by not acting immediately.
The call to action is the last step and involves telling prospects what to do next. This can consist of telling them to click a download button to start a free trial, fill in an email address form or to make a purchase now. It’s really that simple!
When you use the above information cleverly, improved sales with naturally follow. Yet again, you are getting inside the heads of consumers to find out what makes them tick. Reducing the risk involved should be your number one priority in online selling but by using carefully worded statements, you can also reduce the perceived cost. Add in a compelling call to action and you have web copy that makes sales.