Well, maybe you haven't employed the ageless tactics brick and mortar stores have been using for years. Words like "Last Chance!" or "Supplies are Limited!" have a way of driving consumers to buy.



Why? Because by creating scarcity you're tapping into that "gotta have it now" mentality, and did you know that it's been proven that some consumers are driven by scarcity and will buy because they're afraid the product won't be available? Not because they want or need it, but because according to the store, pretty soon it won't be there anymore.

When stores use this tactic they have one advantage over you: they have a product that can be bought immediately and can be picked up and inspected by the purchaser. And while you don't have the ability to do this (other than in the ways we discussed above), you can employ a very persuasive campaign that will help increase sales tremendously.

Here are a few tactics that I recommend you look into, but don't wait until sales are faltering, build them into your store page now before one single sale falls through the cracks.

1) It really is a popularity contest: make your book or product seem super popular. How? Well, how about endorsements and blurbs from other buyers? Or, how about reviews from respected industry professionals? Remember, what someone else says about your book is one thousand times more effective than anything you can say, so let others do the talking.

2) There's only one left and if you're really, really, really lucky, it can be yours: scarcity is driven by things like deadlines and a small number of products left. I've seen web sites that actually have counters that read "Only 5 more in stock!" Amazon does this, which is a great idea, it's both informative and helps drive sales, or you can put the item on special and offer a timeline for ordering.

For example, I've seen sites that have clocks built into them so it can tell what time the user clicks on the page and then counts 48 hours from that time with a banner that says: "Only 48 hours left to get this special pricing."

3) If you buy this today, you'll get this and this and this: you know it's common when you're at a fair or trade show and you're looking at this blender that does everything but wash and wax the car. You didn't need another blender; in fact, the one you're looking at is so complicated you'll need an advanced degree just to understand the attachments.

But, the sales lady is throwing in all sort of things: mixing bowls, serving spoons, even a spiffy set of ice cream cups for that homemade ice cream you know you'll never make. Before you know it, you're buying this blender and hoping to God your Ph.D. brother will be able to show you how to use it. That's the psychology of gifting a consumer.

Give 'em so much stuff they can't say no, but here's the trick: don't deplete your inventory when you're doing consumer gifting. Instead, limit your gifting to your electronic or downloadable audio products. Why? First, they can get them right away which buyers love, and second, you don't have to ship more stuff.

4) Walk them through it: the bigger the purchase, the more steps you'll need to take to get to a buy. When you go out looking for a car the salesman doesn't say: "So, can we start your paperwork?" the minute you walk on the lot (well, let's hope not). Instead, they let you pick your color, they let you sit inside and when you're ready, they take you for a spin around the block.

These are the kinds of steps I'm talking about. If you have a product that's expensive, you may have a few more layers of convincing you'll need to do. But remember, even if you step them through pages and pages of sales copy on your site, you must always have a "buy now" button prominently displayed in case they get the immediate urge to buy.

If it's not there, you'll lose a sale because only 5% of your shoppers will make it to the final page; most will be convinced by page three. You want to give them a chance to buy whenever they feel they're ready.

5) Credibility, rapport, and honesty: Listen, no one wants to buy from someone they don't trust, so make sure your trustworthiness shines through on your web site. Make sure your copy is conversational and honest.

And I'm not talking about just being truthful, I'm talking about showing a character flaw or two: people love that.