5 Musts For Turning Sales Page Visitors Into Clients

But there are a few basics that are essential to success.

·First, sales page enemy #1 is distraction. If he gets distracted, he's gone. That's why each product or service needs to have its own sales page, with no navigation tabs. The fewer the potential click aways, the better.

Think of it this way-you've got the prospect in the car and want to make it as easy as possible for him to get to the desired destination. So you program the GPS, top off the gas tank-anything to keep him from getting confused or taking a detour along the way.

·Second, you need to persuade him to take that next step. By the time he hits the end, he has to want to hire you more than he wants any of the 2 bazillion other things he can spend his money on.

This is why sales page copy tends to be a lot longer than other pages. (But long does not mean you can ramble on and on. It should be "tight"-so you've taken out any parts and words that are not necessary-and easy to pick up the gist if you scan it.)

To do all this, your sales page needs to do five essential things:

You MUST get his attention.He may be on your page, but he won't be for long. Studies show you have less than 10 seconds to convince him there's something here worth reading. That means two things...

·Always have a benefit or outcome-driven headline that draws him into your copy.
·Pay special attention to your opening. It's often the hardest part to write, but the first 500 words will decide whether he keeps reading or not.

You MUST connect with the reader. Studies show that prospects who know, like and trust you are much more likely to buy...especially when you're selling a service. So achieving that is key. That means...

·Write as if he pulled up a stool next to you in a bar and complained about the very problem you can solve. What would you say? Your sales page should have the same "me-to-you"conversational style.
·Use his language. In person, we're told to mirror the other person's body language when we're trying to connect with someone. In writing, you need to mirror his language-how he would talk about what he needs and describe what you do, so he feels that you're like him.

You MUST present a compelling solution. He doesn't care about your process or other "features"of your service. And the most logical argument in the world will not be enough to win you the sale (unless he's Spock from Star Trek). So...

·Tell him every benefit he'll get, every fear that will be assuaged, every desire that will be fulfilled, and the terrific results that can be achieved by hiring you (but skip the used-car-salesman"hype").
·Use words that evoke emotion throughout and aim for the emotional "sweetspot" of what he's really hoping that hiring you will do for him.
·Answer any likely questions and counter common objections so there's nothing to encourage him to procrastinate.

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Tracy Needham, founder of Compelling Communications, LLC, helps small business owners boost their business through compelling copy and marketing strategies that make the most of their time and money. Sign up for her FREE Special Report: The One Press Release You Can Write to Get Thousands of Dollars Worth of Free Publicity at www.compellingezine.com.