How Not To Sell Something Online
Stop making it hard for people to buy things from you. Sounds simple right? It’s human nature to avoid painful experiences, even if that avoidance will lead to more pain later. Even if I really want what you are selling online, you can make it so hard for me, that I won’t buy it.
I recently spotted a cool product advertised in Popular science that I wanted to purchase. The manufacturer has a very nice web site which shows how the product works, how it’s installed, etc.
In order to purchase the product I then have to enter my zip-code to find a local dealer. I hate doing that, but OK. I get a list of local dealers and click on one of their web sites. It is a virtual clone of the manufacturer, offering me the same basic information. OK, I don’t need that. Now, in order to get any pricing information I have to fill in a form with all of my contact information. This is where I, and a lot of potential customers drop off.
I’m not ready to purchase the product yet, and I don’t want salespeople to call me or a mountain of printed information mailed to me. Even if I did want the product now, I want to order online.
I am guessing that many companies who do this lose more customers than they gain from their web site.
I am a big fan of being really upfront with pricing information. I don’t trust you if I can’t get that information without giving you my contact info.
What if the manufacturer site acted as a portal? You could place the order directly at their site and it would be fulfilled by the local distributor. Then, during checkout, you could select options for installation and the distributor could contact you - if you wanted.
I understand that some products, which must be installed, require an estimate. Just give me a ballpark range or list the parts price and ”+installation”.
