Using the Internet as part of your marketing mix can bring with it
interesting challenges; a primary one being the amount of competition
for the reader's attention. For the sake of this article I
want to talk about two primary types of Internet buyers.
There is the impulse buyer looking for the next get-rich-quick program
or the product that makes outlandish promises; a product that
miraculously solves some type of physical ailment whether it be weight,
romantic challenges, or money problems. Face it, most of these promises
are empty and yet, people do buy this garbage and the empty promises.
There is a huge market for it.
The other type of buyer is someone seeking professional services from a
reputable business or person.
Interestingly, credible Internet marketers often offer solutions for
the very same problems as the quick fix sellers and yet, how they do it
is very, very different.
The reality is if you are going to use the Internet to establish market
share it can take months, even years, to gain your customer's
complete trust.
Recently, I received an email from a customer that supported this fact.
Her message was not unlike others I have received. At some point she
signed up for one of my complimentary resources such as an Ezine, tips
list, or report. After a period of time (in this case three
years) she felt I had given enough value and established enough
credibility to make an initial purchase from me.
What she purchased was not a small ticket item so the “sales
cycle” was longer than if it had been a $20 or $30 purchase.
In most cases, the lower the price the faster the decision to buy.
This got me to thinking of my own buying habits. Recently, I bought a
high-ticket information product (over $1,000) from another Internet
marketing expert. Some of the very same decision making processes my
buyers go through were what I went through when I made the investment.
1. I have been on her list for several
years.
2. I got on her list by way of a free
offer - a report. The report was so valuable I stayed on her
list.
3. I consistently receive high-value
correspondence since first getting on her distribution list
4. She has been very conscientious about
offering quality information regardless of whether it is free or costs.
This has established her credibility. . (The mistake many wanna be
Internet marketers make is they lack high value in their free offers.
For some reason they think if it's free they can cut corners.
Big mistake)
5. I purchased a lower ticket item at
some point and my experience was stellar which positioned me as a
likely buyer of other products from this expert.
Because she has been consistent in how she markets, her systems are
solidly in place, and she established a level of trust with me (the
buyer), when it came time to buy a high priced item that I not only
needed, but also wanted, I was very comfortable making the purchase.
Over the years, I have had conversations with lots of people about
their frustration about how hard it is for them to sell via the
Internet. Their frustration stems from the fact they sent out one
message, put a product up on their site to sell, or made a blog posting
and the flood gates of sales didn't miraculously open up.
Rather than looking at their part in why they are not selling they
blame the market, the economy or the fact that you just can’t
make money selling on the Internet.
I've got news for anyone who thinks sales are going to happen with one
contact with their market...IT AIN'T GONNA HAPPEN.
The fact is the process of selling a product or service online is just
that, a process. Part of the process is keeping in touch.
Before you can keep in touch, you need to build a database. Before you
build a database you have to give people a reason to leave you their
contact information whether it be with an Ezine, weekly tips, articles
of interest, a report, a white paper or a teleseminar.
Once you have someone in your database you must continually create
value and trust. This doesn't happen with one article, one
tip, or one short message. It will happen when it becomes your way of
doing business. Simple as that.
Kathleen Gage is an Internet Marketing Advisor for Speakers, Trainers,
Authors, Consultants and Entrepreneurs. Access her eBook The Truth
about Making Money on the Internet at StreetSmartsMarketing
