For the next 10 days we’ll be covering 10 reasons why people don’t buy from you, you’ll see that there really shouldn’t be any reasons for people to not purchase from you. Once you know these reasons, you’ll have no excuse for not eliminating every one of them.

Take a close look at each reason and contemplate what you can do to eliminate it from your marketing. Try to give your customers every reason to buy from you!

These suggestions should not be overlooked simply because they are straightforward. Although some of them are obvious, the majority of all people miss the mark with their sales approach and neglect to consider the impact that these can have on their business. Remember, all you have to do is give your customer just one reason not to buy, and you lose the sale. Take all of these seriously or you could lose a fortune in missed opportunities.

1. You don’t make people feel safe when they order.

Remind people that they are ordering through a secure server. Tell them you won’t sell their e-mail address and all their information will be kept confidential.

2. You don’t make your ad copy attractive.

Your ad lists features instead of benefits. The headline does not attract at your target audience. You don’t list any testimonials or guarantees included in your ad.

3. You don’t remind people to come back and visit.

People usually don’t purchase the first time they visit. The more times they visit your site, the greater the chance they will buy. The most effective way is to give them a free subscription to your e-zine.

4. You don’t let people know anything about your business.

They will feel more comfortable if they know who they are buying from. Publish a section called “About Us” on your web site. Include your business history, profile of employees, contact information etc.

5. You don’t give people as many ordering options as possible.

Accept credit cards, checks, money orders, and other forms of electronic payments. Take orders by phone, e-mail, web site, fax, mail, etc.  Give as many options as possible to make it easy for people to give you their money.  If you limit their options, you’ll limit your sales.

I see too many people that choose to only accept Paypal, or only accept Visa and Mastercard because Discover and American Express charge a little more in merchant service fees.  So what?  You’d rather lose a sale than pay 1% more to your merchant services provider?  That’s crazy.  If your business model can’t accommodate a 1% variance your margins are too tight and you’ll go out of business the next time your vendors raise their rates.

6. You don’t make your web site look professional.

You want to have your own domain name. Your web site should be easy to navigate through. The graphics should be related to the theme of your web site.

7. You don’t let people read your ad before they get your freebie.

When you use free stuff to lure people to your web site include it below your ad copy or on another web page. If you list the freebie above your ad they may never look to see what you’re selling.

8. You don’t attract the target audience that would buy your product or service.

A simple way to do this is to survey your existing customers to see what attracted them to buy. This information will help you improve your target marketing and advertising.

9. You don’t test and improve your ad copy.

There are many people who write an ad copy and never change it. You have to continually test and improve your ad copy to get the highest possible response rate.

10. You don’t give people any urgency to buy now.

Many people are interested in your product but they put off buying it till later and eventually forget about it. Entice them to buy now with a freebie or discount and include a deadline date when the offer ends.