If Your Ad Did Not Close the Sale– Ask Them
If the customer did not buy, chances are you did not ask for the order.
Many sellers who are starting the business are sometimes overcome with embarrassment that they are afraid to ask for the sale, even to find out why. People seasoned in selling know that this is a cardinal rule. Customers are sometimes just hesitant to make the initial move at buying or they are waiting for you to tell them more. Sellers on the other hand hesitate to ask for appearing too pushy, too eager or simply tailing in for being rejected.
Selling can be a scary business. This is why, even when it is popularly believed that there is good money in sales, many choose not to get in.
Advertisers do the same. Many advertisers do not ask enough questions why a sale was not concluded after customers saw the advertisement.
The trick for your customer to act on your order forms is for you to walk them through. If you have seen the advertisement of AT&T that says dial 1-8-0-0-A-T-T collect? That is the way to do it. They do not only encourage their customer to act, they tell the customer how and offer the customer with no risk when they do. They do not leave room for chances. If you do, chances are you will be leaving enough gaps for your customer to say no. Then you really are rejected.
When that phone starts to ring and there is a customer on the other line. It is already a clear call for closing a sale even when the customer comes out with the “just inquiring” line. Order forms have to be made always available. You ask for the order. You give them incentive for ordering now. You give them deadlines. Call the shots after all what is the worst thing that could happen if they do not fill out those forms. What will the benefit it will give you if they do? See? When that sale is clinched and your product or service lives up to what it promised, you might even get a bonus. Advertising by word of mouth. Efficient. Effective. Free.
What should be done if the customer refuses to bite even after seeing your advertisement?
Find out why.
Many small businesses do not practice this although it is very obvious. Conducting surveys. Post questionnaires in your domain and offer incentives to your respondents. When you do, you will be surprised at amount of information that you will get. You may not only find ways of improving your add, you could also get more inquiries (which is again, a buying signal) and expand your customer base.
When customers respond when you ask and fills out those survey questionnaires, you may also consider improving the persuaders in your advertisement.
As with all messages in written form, the opening lines are crucial. Often, the opening lines set the tempo and the mood for the whole add article. Consider testing your add because add testing is a must. Write your next adds in several versions and check it for its appeal. Do not stop rewriting your advertisement until there is still that nagging feeling that signal “not yet satisfied.”
Rewriting an add can give you a lot of glimpses to its supposed affectivity and its pulling power can improve significantly. Run the add that you think best represents your product. Test for responses from your customers. Rewrite the add accordingly.
Shortly, you will have written an advertisement that customers would love to line up to. If that add has the best pull you will have a very rewarding run again and again.
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