Why should I buy from you?

March 29, 2007

So you've joined the affiliate program for some great product, and you've started to drive traffic to your site that promotes the product. If you're finding that your conversion rates are low, you might need to ask yourself the question: why would anybody buy from me?

Think about your product or service from the customer's perspective. For example, if you have a travel booking site, what makes you better than Travelocity or Expedia? Are your rates better? Do you offer faster service, an easier interface, additional services? What would make somebody buy from you instead of the big names?

If you find yourself struggling to answer that question, then chances are you're not going to go very far with your promotional efforts. You'll get some sales, sure, since some people are more interested in convenience and they're at your site at that moment. But will they come back again when they need those same products or services?

That's important, because the real money is in getting people to come back and buy again. It's a lot easier, and a lot cheaper, to sell to an existing customer twice than to obtain a new customer. Once you've won over a customer with great prices, great service or additional benefits, they'll stick with you for a long time to come. But you have to give them a reason to stick around.

One way to do this is to offer an exclusive free gift to your customers. Using the travel booking example, you could offer a list of the best restaurants nearby the customer's hotel, complete with reviews and a PDF copy of their menu. I know that's one of the big issues when my family and I travel — where should we eat, and what kind of food do they have? Going the extra mile in little ways like that will keep your customers coming back again.

But you might say, "That would take a lot of time!", to which I respond, "Of course it does — but that's what makes you better." In the end, the amount of time you're willing to invest into providing a great experience and product for your customers is going to be reflected in your bottom line. The more you invest in your customers, the more they will invest in you. There's no getting around that.

Remember, too, that you're already at a disadvantage online, simply because there are so many competitors in almost every niche. Competitors who have already become established and trusted. If you're new to a niche, you need to offer enough benefits to make it worth a customer taking the risk of buying from an unknown.

A customer may not get the best price, or even the best service with a big name company, but they may not care because they feel like they can get support with problems, and that their purchase is backed up and secure. Even if that is not true, people tend to trust the big names they've heard of more than the little ones they haven't heard of. You're working against that, so make the risk worth it to the customer. When you deliver, they will reward you with their loyalty!

So the next time you're looking for a product or service to promote, ask yourself: what can I do to make this product better for my customers? You may not be the creator of the product, but you still want to take ownership of the customers who buy from you. Offer them support and services that they can't get from any other affiliate, and you'll win their loyalty, and their purchases.

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Posted by Jonathan Leger | Filed Under Internet Marketing, Blog
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Comments

15 Responses to “Why should I buy from you?”

DAN on March 29th, 2007 3:53 pm

Hey Johnathan,

I enjoyed this article. I know it is common sense but sometimes it takes another run at it to wake you up I guess.

I didn't know you were doing the voice version of these blogs. You might be interested in the free TTS service BlueGrind.com has. You just copy and paste the article and it will generate a voice version of the article for you.

Thought you would like to know about it.

Dan
Jonathan Leger on March 29th, 2007 3:56 pm

Thanks Dan. I know it's basic, but I hear so many people who say they have a site but it's not going anywhere. So my question is, what makes you better than the competition? If you have a solid answer to that, you're in business (literally)!

Thanks for the suggestion about the TTS service, but I prefer to read my own articles. I like being the one who reads it, since I wrote it, and to me that makes it more personal for the people on my list.
DAN on March 29th, 2007 3:57 pm

Sorry forgot, you can get to it directly by going to http://www.bluegrind.com/UserSubmission
DAN on March 29th, 2007 3:58 pm

What you say makes sense. Of course you reading it is better. Thanks for the very quick attention.
Dan
James on March 29th, 2007 4:11 pm

It is common sense but a lot of us need that common sense pounded into our heads.
Great advice.
bryn on March 29th, 2007 4:34 pm

absolutely right Jonathan!

In fact I just finished watching a Trevor Cook video on YouTube that talks about the lifetime value of a customer..sometimes we can lose track of what's important by trying too hard to market to new customers, when perhaps we should concentrate more on looking after the ones we have..maybe?

Anyway, enjoyed your post and here's that video link..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbV-zR0gbQ4
Leong Him Woh on March 29th, 2007 5:59 pm

Informative. Referrals is very important to improve sale.
Kevin Riley on March 29th, 2007 6:18 pm

Hi Jon

Most definitely! If you want to be the person customers turn to, you have to go the extra mile. Remember the old Avis motto? "We Try Harder".

I find one thing that's been great for my business is answering e-mail personally. Yes, it takes up time, but for one thing I enjoy helping my customers. For another, it has turned a few of my customers into evangelists - and good word-of-mouth never hurts.
Roger Seher on March 29th, 2007 8:17 pm

Thanks for the ideas,
One of my many sites is devoted to vacuum sealers, we spent the time to test the product, and I made the videos that show customers how well it works. But why buy it from me?

I am finishing up an ebook that is full of useful information that they will get for free when they buy from one of our sites. I will also sell the ebook on another domain using your seven-dollar script.

My thoughts are not everyone visiting my sites can afford to spend $400+ for a Vacuum sealer, but many can afford a $9.97 ebook.

But you got me thinking, what else can I offer my customers?

I think what I need is a membership site script that allows my customers to log in and watch how to videos for my specific product (anyone know of a good membership script that can auto respond with a unique username and password) I think that will help me add a value to my customers that they won't be able to find anywhere else. This will also show visitors that I am the expert on this product.

Thanks,
Roger Seher
dan on March 29th, 2007 9:10 pm

I am more apt to buy when something is given thats not already being offered buy others.
Dan on March 30th, 2007 1:58 am

What has been described by Jonathan is part of a basic business tool every entrepreneur should be using. It is used by every fortune 500 company. It is using a SWOT Analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats. It is very easy to complete one and it can be applied to every product, website and your business as a whole.
Jan on March 30th, 2007 4:11 am

Hi Jonathan

I am only just starting out and I ask myself this question every time I create a webpage, but it can get depressing when you see so many high-powered websites out there offering the same products. However, I am very determined to keep this question to the forefont of my mind - I have even printed it out and stuck it on my office wall - to ensure that I can answer the question with confidence.

Its easy to forget when you live in the wilds of Spain where Customer Service is almost non-existent, so thanks again for reminding me.
Katarina on March 30th, 2007 4:41 am

I have squeeze page and free report for signup. That is also one way to give something to your visitors and get emails.
Alex Newell on March 30th, 2007 8:20 am

I have always found this to be a very challenging question! It ranks alongside, "What is your USP?"

I don't think it's about piling up freebies but more about creating the right connection and speaking the language of the customer and addressing their needs. It's about having a kind of "hook" or angle that the corporate players are missing.

After all, just about everything can be bought at Wall Mart but plenty of other businesses thrive.
They thrive because they are different; they thrive by "being themselves" in a way that customers like

And if the above sounds confused it is because I am still puzzling over it!
Franck Silvestre on March 30th, 2007 1:32 pm

I am working on this right now, since I intend to start PPC advertising (again). There are many ads with the same products.

One of the best ways to stand out of the crowds is to upload your own video, and show a demo of the product or explain your USP.