Cost Versus Value

Anyone who has gone through any kind of sales training will have encountered the issue of cost versus value. Budding salespeople are taught to always encourage their potential customers to think in terms of value rather than of cost. In internet marketing we, almost invariably, sell to what people “want” not what people “need”, that way we will be appealing to their emotional side rather than their everyday side. Only when we have fully communicated the value to a customer do we introduce the issue of cost. If they have taken on-board what the product or service we are presenting can do for them; how it can help them; enhance their life; solve a problem; etc. then they are far more likely to accept the cost associated with the purchase.

I’m sure, like me, you have waded through an online sales page which seems to be about three furlongs in length. Finally, in exasperation – even boredom, we scroll down to the bottom to see just how much this incredible opportunity is going to cost us. Of course it is necessary to promote as many positives about the product or service as possible, but this is, sadly, often overdone. You want a visitor to your sales page to understand the benefits you are offering before you get to the cost, but if they get fed up and scroll to the bottom to have a look at the price then your sales copy has not worked.

It often seems to me that some copywriters go far more for quantity than for quality. Rather than trying to list every single benefit that you can think of with your product or service, it is far better to select the main ones and discuss them in a bit more depth. This will engage with your reader much better. If you simply try to come up with as many benefits as possible, there is a real danger that the issues raised further down your list will become less convincing and more tenuous. Treat your sales page as if it were a novel and try to keep your readers following the narrative. In a novel, if there are too many characters or the storyline is particularly convoluted the reader will literally lose the plot. The same applies to a sales letter. The old adage of: “KISS! – Keep it Simple Stupid” comes to mind again.

The use of photographs and other artwork can greatly enhance a sales page. However, there is a danger here of putting in so many images that they distract from the text. It is all a question of balance. In the niche of business promotion, I am often irritated by the number of photographs of fast cars, private jets, exotic beaches, enormous houses, sea-going yachts, Las Vegas casinos, etc. etc. You will have seen this too. The text of the letter ends up almost as wrapping for the pictures and the impact of the information is greatly diminished. Whereas the photos are obviously there to emphasise the possibilities of success, not everyone goes into an internet business looking for a millionaire’s lifestyle. This is taking the projection of potential value to the nth degree.

Value is the key issue when angling for a sale but never hit your customer over the head with it. Keep it real, keep it truthful and keep it simple! If you are visiting a retail outlet in the High Street, it is so refreshing to emerge from the shop with your purchase under your arm and feeling that you have just had an enjoyable experience. With the quality of staff in some shops these days this certainly isn’t always the case. If you have enjoyed the buying experience you are much more likely to return to that shop for other purchases at a later date, indeed, you may even look forward to it. The same applies with an online business. So, promote the value of your product or service in a realistic and engaging way and set a fair price. Help your customers to enjoy dealing with you; they are more likely to buy what you are offering and far more likely to come back for more.