Christian

5 Ways to Create Urgency

By Christian

Urgency is a staple for anyone who sells anything, anywhere. As anyone who follows this blog knows, my career started in door to door sales. In that environment, you learn immediately that the time to make the sale is NOW. Not later. Later never comes. No one ever calls you back when you’re selling stuff door to door, so you have to make the sale on the spot or just move on to the next appointment. So the ability to create urgency is mandatory.

Selling online is very much the same, but the approach is very different. If you try hard selling people online, you will be wasting your time in a big way! You will turn them away and you’ll never see them again. Yet at the same time, you need to sell things in order to make money, so what’s the solution? How can you create urgency to buy your product or service now?

How to Create Urgency

Here are the ways to get prospects to buy your product now, as opposed to later…or never:

Limited Supply – This needs to be used very cautiously. In other words, be truthful. Honesty is absolutely essential with internet marketing. If you expect people to trust you that is. And remember what we’ve said about trust. If you’re product is a digital product, how can it possibly be “only available to the next 100 people?” It is this type of claim that will make your buyer leave immediately, thinking poorly of you and your brand. This type of urgency is easier to use well when you apply it to a service. For example, I do consulting for business owners who want to get better results marketing themselves online, and it’s easy enough to say at any given time that I can “only take on 3 more clients”, because it’s true. My time is very limited, so I really can only take on a few clients at a time. If it’s true, make sure your buyers understand the supply is limited. It creates urgency.
Limited Time – Placing a time limit is one of the more common and effective methods of creating urgency with both products and services. Placing a time limit on a valuable asset (like an ebook or a service you’re offering) is very reasonable, especially if you back it up with detailed information as to why you’re doing it this way. People respect authentic boundaries and expect you to charge for valuable things. They understand you need to make money. But keep one key point in mind: make sure to follow through. Stick to your word. If you’re offering an introductory price for an information product for a specific time frame, when that time frame closes, it closes. If people catch you going back on your word just to make another sale, you’ll regret it. Remember, everything you do has a ripple effect!
Reduced Price – Price is always one of the first things people want to do to entice sales. I’m including it because it works, but it’s not one I recommend. I usually avoid it and prefer to do business at full price. I always offer full value and then some, and I expect to earn what I’m worth. I feel that if someone is only buying something from me because it’s cheap, then they’re really not an ideal customer. In other words, if the value is actually there, the real customer would have bought it at the higher price anyway, so why drop the price? This is a personal choice. It’s not an endorsement for over-charging, mind you. Charge what something is worth and leave it at that. That’s my take on it. Dropping the price and making it cheaper just cheapens the product. I prefer to increase the value. If your product only sells well when it’s cheap, you have a problem.
Added Benefits – This flows nicely out of my argument about pricing. Instead of dropping the price of something you’re selling, add more to it. And leave the price the same. I’ve always believed that people are not nearly as cheap as Wal-Mart makes them out to be. Of course if you put two pairs of jeans together and one costs $150 while the other is priced at $20, most people are going to go the $20 route. But that’s just where your business differs, right? You’re offering a unique service that no one else can compete with, right? If someone wants to get what you’re offering, they pretty much need to go to you, right? So why cheapen it? Instead, add MORE value. Constantly add to your products and services. And of course, blog about the improvements you’ve made. Tell the world. And leave your prices alone. People want value, and they are willing to pay for it, because they know it’s what enables you to keep working your tail off.
Create an Overwhelmingly Compelling Value – This is the holy grail of urgency. Create a product or service that speaks directly to your buyers’ needs in a powerful way. Create massive value, and show them in detail how you can help them create huge pleasure or avoid pain in their lives. Do this, and market it with passion, and you will create urgency by default. We’ve all experienced it…when a marketing piece connects with us in just the right way, at just the right time…it’s almost magical, and we have no choice but to pull out our credit card. Any time this happens, it is not luck. Behind that sales copy and product that reeled you in at that unexpected time is an entrepreneur who was up very late for days or weeks…or months, researching and planning, writing and rewriting, getting every detail right. And then it all came together.

Creating urgency is an art that balances reason and emotion. The successful internet marketer understands that people buy because of emotional reasons, but they back up their decision with analytical data. The successful internet marketer uses both of these elements in sales copy to make sure that the buyer has everything necessary to make a buying decision…now.

Everyone is an Entrepreneur

By Christian

The following is a post I wrote recently about business in general. It does not specifically address blogging or internet marketing. I’m publishing it here, because I hope it gives you an idea as to where I’m coming from and why I’m involved in internet marketing to begin with. Knowing the “why” is a powerful thing! Let me know what you think!

Everyone is an Entrepreneur

Something just occurred to me. I naturally think of myself as an entrepreneur. Mostly because I own businesses; that’s kind of always been the way I operate. Even when I’ve had jobs, I’ve always had a business in the works. It’s how I think…it’s always about “how do I build something out of this idea I have?” or “would this be something of value to others?” But not everyone thinks that way, do they? Perhaps you don’t think of yourself as an entrepreneur. Maybe you don’t own a business and you don’t WANT to own a business.

I want to communicate that I believe this is a dangerous way to think. You ARE a business owner, whether you think you are or not. Whether you run a very small home based business, a large publicly traded company, or whether you work for someone else, it doesn’t matter. You have expenses, taxes, income, assets, a balance sheet…you are a business, my friend!

The Power of Learning Basic Business Skills

Now just because you are a business does not mean you are an efficient and profitable one. But the point is, you can be! By learning about business, you can take control of certain things in your life that can make a great deal of difference for you. Everyone can benefit greatly from learning basic business principles like cash flow management, the definition of assets and liabilities, how to write up a balance sheet and profit and loss statement, etc. This really is basic stuff, and it’s amazing how many people (even business owners!) do not know how to do these things. Trust me; it’s not overly complicated, and a little discipline goes a long way. If I can learn to read a financial statement, you can too! And something amazing happens when you learn these business basics…you begin to make different, more profitable and sustainable decisions about your money!

The World is Changing

Why do I care to write about this? It’s compelling to me right now, because I see so many things changing around us. Few would disagree that we’re in a time of significant change. Technology and a major financial crisis are working in tandem, reshaping our world daily. As these things unfold, this is some of what I’ve seen…and I’m sure you’ve seen it too:

1. Job security no longer exists
2. Instead of working for one company for 30 years, most people have dozens of different jobs throughout their careers.
3. Recently, millions of people have lost their jobs. Millions more have lost half of their nest egg in the stock market, if not more.
4. Entrepreneurship is on the rise.

More and more, fending for yourself seems to be the order of the day. Employers don’t take care of us anymore. Neither does Uncle Sam. It’s no secret that social security does not offer any substantive retirement benefit, and as the years pass, most of us are learning that we shouldn’t even count on that as part of our retirement plan. So what are we to do?

Here’s what we do: we become financially competent. We learn to take care of business ourselves, because it’s obvious that no one else is going to do it for us. We need start to think of the lives we run as businesses, because that’s what they are. Financial competence is mandatory now. This didn’t used to be the case. In today’s world, you need to know how to manage your cash flow. You need to keep a close eye on your balance sheet. You need to know how to invest. Throwing your money blindly into a 401(k) isn’t going to cut it. We need to learn what we’re doing. You, me…we’re all entrepreneurs. We’re all investors. It’s not really a choice. And the sooner we wake up to that and start taking the reigns of our financial lives, the better off we’ll be.

Does this scare you? Do you disagree? I honestly think the days of employeers taking care of us are over permanently. Financial competence and personal accountability are mandatory. What do you think?

Everything You Do Has a Ripple Effect

By Christian

My last post made me think about something that I wanted to mention here briefly. This will be a short post, because I think I can make the point very succinctly. Remember this rule when you’re marketing your business online:

Everything you do has a ripple effect.

On the internet, everything is connected. It’s massively convenient this way, and it’s hugely powerful, but it’s also a double edged sword. Think about it…everything is connected. This means your message is going to spread across the globe instantaneously. And along with your message will go your value proposition. If you’re creating real value for others with your business, you’ll be able to grow successful quickly. Likewise, if you’re a spammer of any sort, if you refuse to handle complaints professionally, etc…word will get out in regards to that as well.

With everything being connected, everything you do creates a ripple effect around the world. All businesses are global. If you handle a rabid commenter poorly, not only will you likely lose that potential customer forever, but you’re comments will be seen potentially by hundreds of others. Hundreds of other people who are likely still forming an opinion about you and your company.

If you, alternatively, respond to a complaint about you or your product on a forum, and you do so promptly, professionally and in a way that truly helps, you will likely create at least one customer for life, but even more likely is that hundreds of others will see your comments and be impressed by your attitude and the value you added in that instance.

Everything is an opportunity to either build your brand…or damage it. And with everything being even more connected than ever, the effects of our actions are magnified many times. Think before you act…but don’t just think about the event itself…think “what ripple effect will I be causing?” Because, there WILL be a ripple effect. Be good 🙂

20 Ways to Instill Trust and Make More Money

By Christian

As I mentioned in my last post, trust is a hot commodity. It’s essential to instill trust with your readers if you want to get good business results from your blogging, social networking and internet marketing. So how do you instill trust?

The methods we use to market products and services these days are changing rapidly, and if you’re reading this blog you’re obviously aware of these changes and are taking steps to learn. Kudos. But it’s important…absolutely essential…to understand one simple fact.

The way people buy things is changing, but the REASONS people buy things haven’t changed at all.

In other words, people may be searching for information differently, they may be hyper-connected and using new resources to find out what they want to know, but deep down they still need the same things. People want to avoid pain and increase pleasure. They have the same hot buttons: greed, envy, love, etc. And they also need to trust you if they want to buy from you.

Here are things you can do to instill trust:

Create quality content, specifically written for your target audience.
Respond to your comments. Be thoughtful.
Respond to your email. Take time to be helpful.
Be everywhere. The more your audience sees you “out there”, the more your credibility increases.
Offer a guarantee for everything you sell. Take all risk upon yourself, leave only value for your customers.
Honor your guarantee. It should be just as easy to get a refund as it is to place an order.
Don’t spam people.
Leave thoughtful comments on other blogs. Use comments on other blogs as a conversational tool, not a promotional tool. People know comment spam when they see it. If you think real customers are going to click through your comment spam on other blogs and buying things from you, you’re deluding yourself!
Be honest.
Be consistent.
Make your products and services targeted. In other words, don’t just produce what you want. Confirm there is a need first. Targeted product creation instills trust, because it speaks directly to your customer. They will really feel like you really know them.
Don’t post blind, stupid links on Twitter or in your social networking status. Would YOU click on a link that says “hey check this out! crappyaffiliatelink.tinyurl.com”? I’m not against affiliate marketing of course. Not at all. I’m just saying, blindly blasting out affiliate links, hoping some of them will stick is NOT the way to build trust.
Before you post anything, anywhere, ask yourself “Is my goal to create value for my customers, or am I just trying to sell something?”
Be around for a while. There’s really no getting around this. The longer you are around, the more credibility you’ll build and the more your reputation will proceed you. This is a key element of trust, and it takes time.
Make your site easy to navigate.
Be an active member of other forums or a guest author on other properties that are valued and trusted by your target audience. This is another element of “being everywhere”, from #4.
Avoid overzealous claims in your sales copy, even if they’re true.
Don’t ignore complaints, and don’t be rude…seriously, someone who has taken the time to complain or leave a stupid, hateful comment on your blog is EXACTLY who you want to interact with. They care enough to let you know…99% of the time, it’s a simple issue you can resolve immediately with very little effort, and when you do this, you come off like a hero. If you choose to attack back, you will be justified in doing so, and you will also lose at least one customer forever. You can choose between using such an event as an opportunity to grow trust in your brand, or you can choose to come off looking like a jerk. Your choice!
Testimonials. This is a classic. It works, and it will ALWAYS work. Show people proof that your product or service has produced favorable results for others. Produce a system for getting testimonials from your buyers today!
Be good. This one might sound like a cop out, but I think it might be the most important one of all. Being good requires constant hard work, networking, staying on top of things and really putting your honest, full effort into your business…every day. These are all things the “gurus” claim they can teach you to skip. Learn all you can from the gurus, but then go out and bust your ass implementing what you’ve learned. Don’t skip the hard stuff, because doing what your competition is not willing to do…that’s exactly what will turn the tables in your favor. Can you make money online by doing very little? Yes, you can make chump change that way. Of course, if you’re in it for chump change, you’re reading the wrong blog 🙂

Of course, I don’t consider this to be a masterfully comprehensive list, but it’s a few things I consider to be absolutely crucial for instilling trust with your buyers.

Do you have any to add? Let me know what you think!

Why You Must Focus on Creating Trust More Than Anything Else

By Christian

Trust is essential. And when it comes to internet marketing and blogging, instilling trust is a unique challenge. People have always bought brands they trust, and trust has largely always come from two places: mass media and word of mouth. If you’ve been involved in internet marketing or otherwise working to make money online for any length of time, you’ve no doubt come face to face with the concept that just because you put up a sales page or a blog doesn’t mean anyone will visit. And just because they visit most certainly doesn’t mean they will buy! So what gives?

Once Again, Prevailing Wisdom Fails…

Here’s where most people screw it up. The prevailing wisdom is that in order to get the sales you want, you just need to “get more traffic”. It’s all about traffic. If you get more traffic, you’ll make more sales. Well, I can’t really argue with that in theory, but it’s so wasteful, and please don’t ignore the fact that you can get WAY better results by simply learning to be tactful about your approach. I have proven many times that you can bring in plenty of money with what most people would consider very low amounts of traffic to your site, if you learn how to apply the “fantastically simple rules” I describe here on Next Level Blogger. And one of the key rules is instilling trust. Bottom line: if your buyers don’t trust you, they’re not going to buy from you.

Let’s face it, not every niche is a high traffic niche. You need to learn to make money even with low traffic.

In other words, you can try to make up the lack of trust by simply driving more traffic to your site. If you get enough people to your sales page, you’re gonna get some suckers! And of course some of those suckers are going to buy from you. But look at the cost of doing business this way:

To drive more traffic, you will likely have to spend more money on advertising. Higher costs mean you make less money per sale.
To drive more traffic, you will spend a lot of time on things like link-building, seo, etc. Not bad activities, but time that could be spent on creating better content, interacting with your customers, etc. In other words, which do you think creates a better user experience, improved content or link-building?
By being dependent on high traffic, the moment something happens and your traffic drops for whatever reason, your sales dry up also. If your income is based on more organic and natural human interaction and real relationships, your income will not be nearly as sensitive or volatile.
By focusing on getting more and more traffic to increase sales, you are not allowing yourself to really zero in on improving your actual offering. Who needs to really improve anyway? Just get more traffic, and that’s all you need to worry about. Believe it or not, most people working to make money online use this mentality…

It’s All About Trust

In a post coming up soon, I will write specifically about how to instill trust. In this post I simply want to motivate you to look at your business a little differently than most people do when they approach internet marketing. If you create trust with your buyers, you’ve closed an important gap. One that separates you from your buyers. You won’t be dependent upon huge traffic to make sales and make money online, because your visitors will trust you. Your closing ratios will explode, because your visitors believe what you say, and they will see the value. Trust goes a long way. It will transform your business, if you are willing to do the work to harness it. It’s all about trust!