4,274 page views…but only 4 sales. It might as well had been no one bought your last product despite all the effort you put into the launch.
You followed that launch formula to a tee. You created your pre-launch marketing materials and spend hours working on that sales page but the end result is you’ll have to keep working your day job.
Imagine if it had been even a tiny bit better?
If you had improved your conversion rate by just 1% that would have been 100 times as many sales. That’s the kind of money that would let you hand in the resignation letter, which you’ve already written in your head, tomorrow.
Well, the good news is that even higher than 1% conversion rates are easily attainable but the bad news is that we’re going to have to deal with some awkward home truths and make some tough decisions.
So before we go any further I need you to promise.
Promise that you won’t immediately dismiss an idea that seems to attack your identity. Promise that you will take an honest and tough look at your marketing materials.
If you do that, then read on, if you can’t then either come back when you are ready, or don’t bother reading on.
The cause of your sales problems
If your conversion rates are that low then your marketing materials aren’t good enough. There’s no ifs or buts about it.
You may have read a ton of materials on how to launch a product, you may be able to write great content, even content that gets easily shared, but sales writing isn’t the same thing as viral content.
The stuff you need to write for top of the funnel attraction isn’t the same as bottom of the funnel conversion.
And being good at one isn’t the same as being good at the other.
There are many factors that can create poor sales materials but here are some of the common factors.
1. You can’t explain clear and persuasively what you offer
Some people just can’t explain a product or service well. They can help educate people brilliantly or craft engaging stories, but when it comes to something to buy, suddenly they get tongue tied, write overused cliches and talk about vague abstract concepts that leave a potential buyer not sure what you are actually selling.
2. You turn into a used car salesman
The opposite side is when you suddenly switch from being a mild mannered creative to the hard sales used car sales man. Just as you instantly walk away from sales people like this, unless you really have to deal with one, so will your audience.
3. You try to be over clever with your writing
I see this time and time again, someone comes up with a clever hook or they see a nice sales line and then build the rest of their marketing around it. But when you zoom out and look at all the sales material, it falls flat.
It gets over used and instead of being a subtle phrase that results in a “that’s right” from your audience, they literally roll their eyes and move on to the next browser tab.
The antidote to poor sales conversion
You’ve got two real options here.
1. You can spend time learning sales writing. Invest in a course run by an expert and cram before it’s time for your next launch window.
It’s not a bad option and it will help you in the future, but there are limits to how much you can learn and it will take your attention away from other business building activities you could be investing in.
2. The better alternative is to invest in someone to do it for you.
A skilled copywriter can either brush up your existing sales material, correcting minor and major mistakes, or start from scratch and build you a proper funnel with materials that sell your offerings without being vague or becoming a used car salesman.
Even just getting a second set of eyes can help you dramatically improve your sales materials as they can point out the flaws and false steps you can’t see.
The differences a copywriter can make to sales numbers
Chris saw some common errors in my work and made suggestions that improved my copy for the intended audience in a way that I had not thought of. He took what I’d written and helped craft the message so it hit harder.
If no one bought your last product, get a free 15 minute copy consultation
If no one bought your last product and you’d like to get a second set of eyes to look at one part of your material, contact me for a free 15 minute copy consultation.
In this, I’ll point out any major mistakes in your strategy. I won’t rewrite a 2000 word sales page, but you will be able to improve your sales page massively after that.
You can also hire me to write any email or sales page for an upcoming launch.
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