The Art of Making a Sale

Have you ever tried swimming up-stream? Running up-hill? Blowing against the wind? In The Art of War Sun Tzu writes: "It is a military axiom not to advance uphill against the enemy, nor to oppose him when he comes downhill." Sadly, many marketers still violate this rule.

If you want to sell, you need to not suck as a marketer - simple, right? You need to understand the 3-stage Buying Process . You need to know who is looking for meaning, and who is looking for options. You need to inform the former, and you need to pitch the later. Now what?

If you can help it, don’t target information seekers. If you target buyers, your job is almost done for you. Even in the comparison stage, the buyer has already made the decision to buy - all you need to do is not drive them away. So what do you do?

The first step is always to understand what the person is looking for. It’s possible to create needs; it’s much easier to satisfy them. If you can offer your visitors what they really want, the sale is yours. But there are two stages of buyers - how do you choose?

Stage 3 buyers are obviously the easiest. If you’re flexible and can sell them exactly the thing they want, then you only need to strengthen their confidence in the decision they’ve made. Unfortunately, apart from some affiliate marketers and larger retailers, this is not an option.

The best choice for most marketers is to target the comparison stage. First of all, there are more of these people. Second, if you understand what a Stage 2 person is looking for, it won’t be difficult to move her through to Stage 3 . By doing that, you get her to make the decision to buy your product - nothing can change her mind. Not only that, but you already have her at your place for Stage 3 .

You have to be careful, though. Stage 2 and Stage 3 people are different, they want different things. Stage 2 want options, Stage 3 want confirmation. Stage 2 are looking to make an informed choice, Stage 3 are looking to not fall into traps. When you get a buyer to Stage 3 , it is your job to remove all the obstacles she finds.

I really appreciate that you keep coming back to my site, it's loyal people like you that make what I do worth it. If you have any questions feel free to email me at Tony [at] BeginWorkingOnline [dot] com. If you like what you read, and find it helpful, make sure to share it with a friend - they'll love you for it! Remember, this blog is not about me, it's about you - so participate in the discussion, let me and the other readers know what you think and how you're doing.