Increasing Conversion Rates One Step at a Time
PART THREE: THE HUMAN EQUATION
by Bryan Eisenberg
Online sales would be easy if it were merely a matter of driving traffic to your site and presenting your product or service. But the equation is not so simple. One of the primary reasons is because people, consciously or subconsciously, go through a complex mental process before, during, and after making a purchase. They also display different buying patterns depending on the type of product or service they are seeking, their personalities, their demographics, even their changing moods.
You will succeed in increasing sales online not by pushing what you want to sell the way you want to sell it, but by constructing the perfect sales process and sales environment that naturally leads your customers through buying the way they want to buy. Your ultimate goal is to delight each of your prospects, for the delighted customer is the one most likely to complete a purchase, refer your business to others and return to buy again.
This 4-part series of articles, presented by Future Now, Inc., (www.futurenowinc.com) is designed to help you increase your online conversion rates. Part I focused on some of the critical ideas that should form the basis of your online enterprise. Part II examined the 5-step professional sales process. In Part III we will explore elements of the human equation that apply to your online efforts.
Buying is the Flip Side of Selling
To succeed in getting your prospects to take action, you must be able to see the world from their "buying" point of view. Whenever people make a buying decision, it represents the culmination of a process. It may take place almost instantaneously or stretch out over time - but it's a process, not an event.
No matter how long it takes, the decision always begins when people become aware of a need. Once they have identified that need, they begin to explore possibilities for meeting it. While gathering information, they refine the criteria that will affect the decision to purchase and narrow the field of choice to the "best few" alternatives. Finally, they choose from the best few and take action.
What's In It For Me?
At the most fundamental level, everyone is motivated by one critical question: What's In It For Me (WIIFM)? Your prospects' dominant personality types strongly influence how they ask that question, perceive value, and consciously or subconsciously approach decision-making.
One of your most important objectives is to communicate effectively with each of the four main personality types, so your prospects can "self serve" the information they require from the "buffet" of information you provide on your site and in your e-mails. Not only must you give people what they want and need, you must give it to them in a manner that acknowledges how they interact with the world.
Drivers want Accomplishment. They seek competence in themselves and others. They want to understand and control. Driven by curiosity, they are often preoccupied with learning. These individuals have a deep appreciation for challenges. They are goal-oriented and are looking for methods for completing tasks. They usually are quick to reach a decision.
Question: What can your solution do for me?
Approach: Provide options, probabilities and challenges.
Example (underlining indicates what this personality type will respond to most strongly): Our approach is personalized to meet your objectives. The bottom line is that your results are guaranteed. Explore our methodology to discover how thousands of clients just like you have been delighted.
Amiables want Acceptance. Amiable individuals, above all, must be authentic. They must find their unique identity and live their lives as an expression of it. These individuals appreciate the personal touch. They like things that are non-threatening and friendly. They hate dealing with impersonal details and cold hard facts. They are usually quick to reach a decision.
Question: Why is your solution the best to solve my problem?
Approach: Provide guarantees and assurances; credible opinions rather than options.
Example: Our approach is personalized to meet your objectives. The bottom line is that your results are guaranteed. Explore our methodology to discover how thousands of clients just like you have been delighted.
Expressives want Applause. These individuals need to belong. They often feel they must earn a place by being useful, fulfilling responsibilities, giving to others instead of receiving from them. These individuals are very creative and entertaining, enjoy helping others and are fond of socializing. They usually are slow to reach a decision.
Question: Who has used your solution to solve my problem?
Approach: Offer testimonials and incentives.
Example: Our approach is personalized to meet your objectives. The bottom line is that your results are guaranteed. Explore our methodology to discover how thousands of clients just like you have been delighted.
Analyticals want Accuracy. They need to feel free to act. For them, "doing" is its own reward. These individuals appreciate facts, hard data and information presented in a logical manner. They enjoy organization and completion of detailed tasks. They do not appreciate the "personal touch" or disorganization.
Question: How can your solution solve my problem?
Approach: Provide hard evidence and superior service.
Example: Our approach is personalized to meet your objectives. The bottom line is that your results are guaranteed. Explore our methodology to discover how thousands of clients just like you have been delighted.
AIDAS Provides The Momentum
AIDAS stands for Attention, Interest, Desire, Action, & Satisfaction. It provides the momentum that moves your visitors to and through the act of doing what you want them to do.
If you don't employ AIDAS, you have little, if any, control over where your visitors go or why they go there. On the other hand, if you use it correctly, AIDAS will increase your sales directly and immediately.
Every page of your Web site should pass The AIDAS Test:
A - Grab their ATTENTION.
Does the page capture them in 10 seconds or less? With something that speaks to their felt needs? And, do you sustain their attention by responding to their clicks (their questions) just as well, just as fast?
I - Strengthen INTEREST.
Do you show your visitors immediately that you can meet their needs? Do you provide useful information in a user-friendly format? Do you give them a reason to stay? Do you make it easy for them to find everything they are looking for?
D - Instill DESIRE.
Inspire your visitors to stay with you and keep clicking up to, and through, the close. Ignite their desire by appealing to benefits rather than features, so you offer an appealing portrait of the value of your product or service.
A - Get them to take ACTION.
The action you want them to take may mean making a purchase, or it may mean ensuring they click again on the path toward a purchase. It might involve getting them to register, subscribe, opt-in or generate referrals. Whatever action you are trying to motivate, make it logical, easy, obvious, desirable and safe - even for a newbie. Do you lead your prospects through the buying process in a way that makes sense to them? Are you helping them to take action, pushing them to take action, or demanding they take action? Which would you prefer as a customer?
S - SATISFY them.
Does every click on every page get them more of what they want? Or do some clicks get them what you want to push, or confuse them, or display what one of your programmers or graphic artists wanted to show off? Do some clicks even generate error messages? Does the experience of interacting with your site delight your customers? Does it make them feel good about doing business with you? Satisfied customers come back and tell others. Dissatisfied people don't come back and tell even more people about their bad experiences.
In the final installment of our series, Klixxx and Future Now, Inc. will offer you strategies for taking all the pieces we've discussed so far and integrating them, to create a Web site that is a powerful conversion "machine."
About the Author:
Bryan Eisenberg - One of the principals and CIO of Future Now, Inc. (www.futurenowinc.com), Bryan is an expert at bridging the gap between technology and the real world. He has been helping companies realize that to maximize results it is essential to incorporate expert persuasion techniques into Web site design, development and implementation. He is the co-inventor of Future Now's proprietary Digital Salespeople process, is the author of Future Now's award-winning newsletter GrokDotCom (www.grokdotcom.com, is the author of the weekly ClickZ column "Converting Web Site Traffic" (clickz.com, has been a featured speaker at numerous e-business events both in the United States and overseas. The application of his vision and processes has helped Future Now clients increase their conversion rates, not just by percents, but by multiples.
In addition to his background in both e-commerce and in technology, Bryan also has proven expertise in e-commerce customer service and support solutions, as well as consumer psychology, education and motivation. His eclectic background includes thought leadership in the critical area of Web site branding and positioning, and membership in the Usability Professionals' Association. A successful entrepreneur in his own right, he has also consulted to, and run seminars for, numerous corporations, large and small, both on-line and in the real world. He holds a B.A. from Brooklyn College, CUNY, and did graduate work at The Wurzweiler School. Bryan is also a graduate of Roy William's Wizard Academy.
|
Printer
Friendly Version