Reasons Customers Aren’t Buying

(1.) “I created this afghan using pure alpaca yarn. I carefully knitted each garter stitch. It’s lovingly packed by me, and then delivered to you, with a note of gratitude.”

Or, it could say:

(2.) “This warm, luxurious afghan was created from the best-quality, softest yarn that money can buy. The neutral colors will enhance any living room; it will look gorgeous draped over your favorite chair. This blanket is waiting to be well-loved. Your family will fight over who gets to use it!”

As a shopper, which of the above paragraphs appeal to you?

Example 1 is written by the seller, for the seller. Whether you realize it or not, when you write a listing like this, you ask the customer to envision you knitting away in your home. When I read example number 1, I picture my grandmother. I remember her sitting by a fireplace crocheting an afghan, and I really loved her afghans, but that’s because they came from her. I don’t necessarily want an afghan made by a stranger’s grandma in a home I’ve never seen before.

Example 2 is written by the seller, for the customer. I don’t need to know what your living room looks like in order to make you think of it. I certainly don’t know what your favorite chair looks like, but I bet you could easily picture it with a pretty knitted afghan draped over it!

Moreover, I have a large family that loves to get cozy and watch movies in the living room. We keep a stock of pillows and blankets for this special time that we enjoy so much. If I was interested in the knitted afghan above, I would read example 2 and know for sure my whole family was going to fight for that blanket! Therefore, I’d buy two.

In the first example, you pictured the maker’s house. In the second example, you pictured your own home in which this afghan becomes a favorite treasure. Be very careful where you take your customer with your product descriptions. You want to join the conversation in their mind (where they’re thinking of themselves), NOT interrupt their thoughts with details and descriptions about what you’re doing somewhere else.

3. You’re losing them with the shop talk.

I was recently hired by an amazing photographer who could not understand why nobody was buying her prints. She wanted to know what she needed to improve in order to start turning a profit on her failing online business.

I always approach a client session as if I’m an interested buyer who stumbled across the seller on my own accord. At first glance, her work was beautiful and her talent was apparent. The photographs were selling themselves!

I clicked on the listing I was most interested in purchasing, and that’s where she lost me. There were a lot of options written in a language I did not understand. The first paragraph of the listing launched into resolution and pixel talk (a photographer’s language). If you wanted to buy her print, you had to pick out paper textures and quality; she listed the actual names of the paper (a printer’s language).

Well, I’m not a photographer. Or a printer. And neither are her potential customers!

It’s a common seller mistake to create more options in an effort to obtain more customers, but you’ll actually lose sales by doing so. Remember human inertia? All those options are actually giving your customers a reason not to buy. It’s too much fuss.

A customer comes to you because you’re the expert. My client was the trusted photographer and printer, yet if you read her listings, the only people who could possibly understand them were other photographers and printers (and they’re not interested).

You may think your customers need options, but they actually want to trust your expertise. Be a good expert, and decide the resolution, best size and whether it should be glossy or mat. Leave the technical stuff somewhere towards the bottom in the listing, put the sizing we can all understand up top (5×7, 8×10, etc.), and let the customer trust and enjoy your hard-earned knowledge.

4. You’re not giving them a visual.

Visuals are extremely important these days, especially with the rise of social media platforms, such as Pinterest and Instagram. When I’m talking product photography with my clients, I have a strict guideline that the main listing picture should sell the product all by itself.

Have you ever spotted something on Pinterest and thought, “I want that! I don’t care how much it costs!” That’s a well-executed product photo and what you’re aiming for every time you create an image to represent your brand.

I keep inspiration boards and wish lists on my Pinterest account so that I’m always learning more about what captures and compels a user to click. I then adjust my photography or graphics accordingly.

5. Your customer hasn’t tried it on yet.

I love this one, and I think you will too. Yes, I know we’re talking online business, and there’s no way the customer can actually try on the product before they buy. But, you’re forgetting one important factor …

The customer always tries the product on in their mind first.

Right? Just think about it for a second. When you see a product, even if it’s physically in front of you in an actual store, you first think: How would I look in that? And you try it on in your mind’s eye. If you bump into a unique lamp or see a gorgeous painting, you think: Where would I put that in my home? And then you imagine it there!

Therefore, you need to use your product description to help the customer “try it on.”