Here are two of the things you need to do with an effective sales page online:
- You need to write a strong sales message.
- And you need to minimize the perception of risk.
In other words, you need to write compelling sales copy, at the same time keeping anxiety levels at a minimum.
As an example, you might write a very compelling sales page about a piece of $97 software. Toward the end of your sale message you could offer a 30-day guarantee.
The sales message gets the reader within half an inch of making the purchase... and the guarantee then helps them cover that last half inch.
"Yes, I want this software. And if I don't like it I have 30 days in which I can get my money back."
This is a simple case of risk-reversal. You'll see it in play in almost every direct mail sales letter or online offer page.
Here's how it should work...
A while back I was taking a look at Camtasia Studio. It's a great piece of software that enables you to record what's on your screen in video, edit it, and then upload it.
I read through the information pages and sales page.
Then I hesitated half an inch from the shopping cart. Why? Because it's not inexpensive. It costs about $300.
They had done all they could to sell me the software. Now they just had to reverse the risk and remove my anxiety about paying that much.
And they do that with an offer of a 30-day free trial. They don't ask for my address, or a credit card number. There is no small print saying "You will be billed at the end of 30 days if you don't cancel."
They simply enabled me to try the software free for 30 days, with no strings attached.
Perfect.
That is the perfect balance of sales plus risk reversal.
Now for how you shouldn't do it...
Risk reversal is intended to remove the perfectly natural anxiety people feel about making a purchase. Particularly if one has never purchased from that vendor before.
However, it is not a magic bullet that allows you to load up your sales copy with messages that actually increase anxiety levels.
So don't pack your copy with unsupported claims, exaggerations, and superlatives.
In other words, don't write as if you are selling a used car or a set of Ginsu knives.
When you do that, your sales message itself is creating anxiety.
And, in some cases, the risk reversal device itself can cause anxiety.
In the case of Camtasia, the company could have asked for a ton of personal information, including my credit card number... and then billed my credit card if I didn't cancel before 30 days.
In that case, the offer itself would have created anxiety. Simply because, in common with millions of other people, I know that I tend to forget about canceling the order.
Concluding thoughts...
Your risk reversal message is there to counterbalance a perfectly natural anxiety that people feel about buying online.
It is not intended to balance outrageous claims in the sales message itself.
To use an imperfect analogy, just because you are wearing a seat belt doesn't mean you can start driving like a maniac.
The seat belt is there to reverse the risk of injury in the normal course of driving. It won't help much if you dramatically increase the risk of having a major crash by driving aggressively.
It's the same with writing a good sales page.
A final point...
If you find that to close sales you have to write very aggressive copy and have to use a "negative option" risk-reversal device (we'll bill you if you don't cancel), you probably have a problem with your product or service.
