The Proven System For Making Online Sales

Selling in the online world is a bit different from selling in retail stores. In a retail store, sometimes there are walking salesmen to help persuade visitors to buy, in an online store; your sales page is the "salesman."

Your sales page is the most important part of your web site when you sell on the Web. No matter how good your product or service may be, if you have a poorly written sales page you will have few to no sales.

It is the objective of this article to show you what each basic part of your sales page should be doing, and how each part plays an integral role in each aspect of the selling process. The "flow," of this "sales process," begins with the headline of your sales page.

The headline should arrest the visitor's attention - it should captivate a deep interest, and serve as the "hook," to cause readers to read the entire copy on the page. Sub-heads are often used to further clarify, and specify a huge benefit.

Headlines often contain a big promise, or direct benefit, (sometimes implied) this will usually draw a reader into the body copy of the sales message. It is the main objective of every headline to grab the full attention of the reader to entice them to read further and buy.

If your headline fails to meet, the main objectives outlined herein; you will not make any sales, and it can actually hurt your business by having people perceive the business as unprofessional, weak, and poorly thought out.

Once you have the headline and sub-head down to where you know they should work well, you can then move on into the next phase of the sales process. This process should be smooth and unbroken - having good "flow."

By "flow," I mean the sales message should lead the reader forward in a natural fashion, by keeping their interest, staying engaged with their attention. Once the headline has done the job outlined above: the sub-head should lead them directly into the body copy.

The body copy should heighten the interest of the reader by showing (not telling) the prospect the main benefits to be gained by buying the product or service. People buy products and services for emotional reasons first - so use "emotional triggers," in the body copy to convey the benefits.

Let the words show them how your product/service will bring the exact results they are looking for. How it will solve a pressing problem, save them time or money, or do whatever it is they need done. Once the main benefits have been demonstrated in the body copy, it is time to present them with the "call to action."

A good time to do this is right after your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) has been conveyed to the visitor. When the USP is properly displayed in the copy, it makes the seller stand "head and shoulders" above their competitors.

This is done within the body copy of the sales page. To close the sales page the "call to action," should strongly urge the customer to buy; ask for the sale. Many sales pages fail simply because the writer did not think to ask for the sale.

A sense of urgency should be written into the sales message such as; limited time offer, expires in 14 days. Every sales page that works well also includes a guarantee, and a P.S. (this p.s. serves to make the copy seem more personal.) Most postscripts ask for the sale a second time, as well as include a bonus of some type. It is also common for the p.s. to restate a major benefit to the customers.

When all of the elements of this article are put to use in good sales copy, the Web site will make sales online. If just one of the parts listed here is broken, or not included - the sales page will fail to make sales.

When a system "works," it is clear that it is wise to not try to add to, or take from the process. It brings to bear the old adage "if it's not broke, don't fix it." This is why the "proven system" as outlined in this article has not changed since its development. It simply works.


------

Professional Web Copywriter Stephen E. Monday AAA Web Copy Services