If you're converting only 30% of shoppers into buyers, which means that other 70% is a drag on your total effort. A person who does not buy may take up as much of your time, or even more time, than a person who buys. Also, every prospect that does not act upon your direct mail, answer your ad and buy, or accept your phone call offer is costing you money in ad costs, paper, time, phone bills, and more.



Therefore, it is vital that you strive for the highest conversion rate as you can. Selling efficiency rates make or break businesses every day. Here are 6 ways for you to really maximize your marketing investment...

1) THE GUARANTEE

How do you PROVE that what you're selling is a great deal? One of the very best ways is by offering an ironclad guarantee. This is vital to overcoming buyer resistance, and eliminates the biggest fear to making a buying decision. Not offering a money-back guarantee can dampen potential sales by 50 - 75 - even 100 percent. Try your offer with and without a prominently displayed guarantee, and you'll see the difference.

Quick Tips and Action Points:

1) Don't worry about refunding money. If you're selling quality and delivering on your promise, your sales will far outstrip any returns.

2) You prospects must clearly see and understand your guarantee.

3) Put your guarantee in all your ads, all your direct mail, and even on your business card.

4) Stress that your buyers stand to lose nothing, and take no risks.

2) UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITION

What makes you different from all the rest? How do you stand out from the pack in a crowded field of competitors? You do it with a killer USP. Just what your USP is, is up to you - you have a lot of choices. Longer, more convenient business hours, the best guarantee, the only product of its kind, the best price, or whatever. It's not enough to HAVE a USP, the buying public must clearly PERCEIVE and RECOGNIZE it. It's up to you and your communication skills to make it happen.

Quick Tips and Action Points:

1) You may already have a USP - you just need to recognize it, and then tout it.

2) It's not enough to be merely unique-your USP has to convey and offer real value.

3) If you can state your USP in a single clear sentence that anyone can understand, you may have a winner.

3) TESTIMONIALS

Among the most important and powerful aspects of marketing and selling. testimonials from objective parties are another aspect of "prove it" selling - you get others to prove that what you sell is the best, or a great buy, by attesting to the fact. All your sales material and just about all of your ads should contain at least one testimonial.

Quick Tips and Action Points:

1) A sales letter, brochure or ad is not complete, or all it could be, without a testimonial.

2) Ask your customers for testimonials, and get their written permission to use their names in your marketing messages, and keep them on file.

3) You'll be surprised how happy most people are to offer a positive testimonial. Most are flattered that you value their opinions.

4) Bad testimonials are an opportunity to improve.

4) AUDIO AND VISUAL DEMONSTRATIONS

What if you could multiply yourself by a few thousand, and send your army of clones out to sell far and wide? Well, you can do the next best thing by putting your product demonstration on video, and distributing them by mail, or other methods. It needn't be long, even a five-minute tape can do wonders.

Quick Tips and Action Points:

1) Hire professionals to produce your video. This is no time for amateur video cameras.

2) Cost is expensive for video production, so plan well. Again, it doesn't have to be lengthy, just punchy and effective.

3) Use them to warm up cold calling.

4) Follow up with a phone call to any who don't respond to the tape.

5) QUESTIONNAIRES

The brilliant philosopher Socrates thought of this about 450 B.C. The Socratic method involved leading others to accept your position by asking them a series of leading questions. It works with customers, too. Ask your prospects a series of leading questions, with the goal of getting them to say "yes" every time. After they have said yes a half-dozen times or more, it's extremely difficult to say "no" when you ask them to buy. You can create a written form of this by crafting a questionnaire that leads the prospect to the logical conclusion that they should buy from you. Remember: Questions should be tailored to lead to agreement.

Quick Tips and Action Points:

1) Negative answers are your fodder for fine-tuning your questionnaire, and uncovering weaknesses in your product or pitch.

6) TRY BEFORE YOU BUY

Let them take it home before they pay for it, or send it them free and say return it in 30 days if you don't like it. The idea is that once they get used to having the product, they'll want to keep it. Magazine sellers live on this technique, but can work for others as well. This dies carry some risk in that people may not pay. It's an aggressive way to market, but often pays off well.

Quick Tips and Action Points:

1) You need highly qualified customers to use this technique.

2) Instruct the prospect in all aspect of products use with a demonstration of how it works, and how it provides its benefit.

3) As always, keep a careful track of success rate.