The Critical Difference
Between Selling and
Pre-selling

By Ken Evoy, M.D.

I've been spending some time reviewing the difference between affiliates with high Conversion Rates and those with low ones. Beside the obvious futility of banners that we've talked about before, I've spotted something new...

... and it's IMPORTANT. VERY IMPORTANT.

You know how I've shown how banners actually HURT your Conversion Rate? I figure it's because visitors simply arrive feeling "pitched" rather than informed. So they arrive at makeyoursitesell.co.uk in a suspicious mindset, rather than with an open, ready-to-buy attitude.

Well, I've spotted something else that can create this mindset. Some 5P affiliates have really made great efforts in creating sites to promote MYSS!....

... and are building some sales and traffic. But when I see a low Conversion Rate (i.e., CR under 2%), I know that something is amiss. Great efforts deserve greater results than 2%, so this week's article (Part I) and next week's focus on how to increase those CRs dramatically.

NOTHING happens by accident in the world of computers and customer response. There is always a reason. When I see other affiliates with CRs over 10%, I figure that those of you with CRs at 2% or less could be multiplying their sales five-or-more-fold. How?

Not by working harder, but simply by pointing that motivation in a better direction. That's why I started this research. Here's what I found...

The #1 boo-boo is still a reliance on banners. Enough said about that. But here's the strong #2...

As I reviewed many of these sites (those that are getting sales but CR under 2%), I realized that almost half were basically one long sales letter for MYSS! and Ken. Which means that these affiliates are SELLING when they should be PRE-selling.

There's really not much point in straight SELLING off your site -- that's what makeyoursitesell.co.uk is for. Picture this...

Your visitor arrives at a straight sales site. Yes, I know that your words are sincere -- I owe you all a big thanks for some of the truly wonderful things you say. But put yourself in your visitor's shoes for a moment. They don't see editorial content -- they see a sales effort.

Then, if they do click, they come to makeyoursitesell.co.uk. What do they see? More sales effort. And, in some cases, many of the words on makeyoursitesell.co.uk are similar to the words that they're just read.

Which is pretty counterproductive. But even before your visitor ever reaches our site...

If your site jumps straight into your "sales letter," you have not yet built your credibility and likeability with this visitor. Your visitor ends up feeling "pitched." And then feels double-pitched when at our site.

That's why the CR actually goes down. So here's the bottom line...

It's your PRE-sell effort that will boost your Conversion Rate. More on this in next week. But first, let's review this from the 5 Pillar Manual...

-----CHAPTER 6, 5 PILLAR MANUAL-----

What's the most important thing to keep in mind during the whole sales process? Your customer's mindset! Let's review that process now, from the customer's point of view. Hey, this must be our lucky day, because here comes a couple of entrepreneurs right now. Let's get their attention, then get inside their heads, and follow them through the process. First, though, let's boil the sales process down to its core steps... STEP 1) Identify potential customer -- MINDSET = ignorant of MYSS!. STEP 2) Identify how to reach that customer -- MINDSET = ignorant of MYSS!. STEP 3) Reach customer -- MINDSET = "It all depends on how you do it and what you say." Visitors can arrive at a Web site in a variety of states of mind. Here are a few examples of common mindsets... Feeling smart, because they found the site on their own via the Search Engine. So one good strategy -- design an informative gateway site that refers customers to your RR URL. Ready to buy, because someone they trust has highly recommended it. So if you write a strong, benefit-oriented review in your e-zine, or if you recommend it in your Club newsletter (any club -- PTA, Legion, Golf, etc.), or you just tell your friends about it, they arrive "ready to buy." And they'll double or triple your CR. Guaranteed. Suspicious or arrogant (ex., small ad buried in an e-zine). Zero credibility. They arrive knowing they've been pitched, probably by some small-time outfit since it was on a small ad buried deep in the middle of a bunch of others. Tough, tough sell. So, however you get your message to your target, consider the effect on your customer's mindset. Your CR will literally vary from 1% to 20%, purely because of what you say and how you reach your customer. STEP 4) Customer is on our site -- Now, leave the rest up to us! :-) Bottom Line? Do all you can in your promotional efforts to increase your CR. You'll know you're doing a great "pre-sell" if you see that your CR is way above average (check your Accounting Page of the Web site).

What did I not explain well in the Manual?

HOW TO PRE-SELL!

Next week, we'll dedicate the whole Affiliate Report to this all-important topic. We'll cover...

• how to develop a pre-selling concept

• how to turn that into a site that builds a relationship with your visitor

• how to make that site attractive to SEs

Basically, we'll deliver a way to PRE-sell your way to a CR of at least 5-10%.

ACTION STEP FOR TODAY

Log into the 5 Pillar Club and check your Conversion Rate (for First-Time Purchases). If your CR is under 4%, please do not miss Part II next week. And if it's over 4%... ... well, the higher it is, the less you'll need this article. :-)

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The Make Your Site SELL! book takes you to the next level of marketing on the Web. Allan Gardyne, THE affiliate guru, has called the 5 Pillar Affiliate Program "where other programs will be in 18 months." The Five Pillar Affiliate Report, e-mailed to Five Pillar Affiliates only, is acknowledged as the best, the only, e-zine of its kind. We're launching several new books, software and a major server-side solution -- 5 Pillar Affiliates will earn substantially more than a living wage on the Web. And that's when we close the program (to protect our successful partners-in-sales) -- no new applications. Join the 5 Pillar Program today -- grow your business as we grow ours... as partners.