The Art of the Sales Process

A proper sales process is essential to your online business success. If you’ve got a promo page for your product(s) with a buy now button nearby, like most web site owners do, then you’re probably missing out on a lot of sales potential. You might even be wondering why you’re sales are down right lousy. That’s because there is a definite science to selling online.

An effective online sales process contains several key components: a sales page, an upsell page, a downsell page, an exit popup, and a thankyou page. There are other components too, but these are the basics (The five step sales process).

The Sales Page
Here’s where you pitch your primary product. Main components of the sales page include:
- Eye-catching Headline
- Comprehensive product information
- Testimonials - Free Bonuses (if any)
- Money back guarantee
- The purchase link or button

There’s a real science to creating an effective sales page … a topic I’ll cover in another installment of this series …

The Upsell
You’ve made your sale! Hurray! The customer has their wallet out and is in the buying mood, so now is no time to let them simply wander off. It’s time to UPSELL! Here are a few ideas:
- A complimentary product (You bought shampoo. How about some conditioner too?).
- Add on services and Upgrade (You bought web hosting. How about a website design package to go along with it?)
- Advanced Level (You bought level one Thai Massage Training. How about Level 2 and our advanced Thai Massage Teacher Training course too?)

The important thing to remember about upselling is to offer your new customer a “One Time Deal” (known as OTO) … a special discount or offer that they can only get right here and right now!

Downselling
OK, so your customer didn’t make the purchase. This is no time for feeling sorry for yourself. Maybe it wasn’t quite right for them. Maybe they wanted something similar, or maybe the price was a little too much for them. Give it another try. For instance, offer them:
- A bigger discount
- a similar product (of lesser, or better quality)
- the good ol’ free trial!

Downselling is a real art. It means understanding your customer, and what they want. Your experience will payoff here. If people don’t buy the product you’re offering, then what do they usually buy instead? If you don’t know the answer, then offering a free trial gives your customer a chance to try out your product, and it also gives you a chance to get to know your customer – what they think of your product, and if they don’t like it, what they would rather have.

Exit Popup Windows.
It’s that (annoying?) little window that pops up when you try to close a page. Though most people don’t like them, they can still be a good way to capture a lead if you don’t overuse them. A couple things to offer here are:
- another discount
- and of course, that free trial!

The Thank You Page
After buying, you must send your customers to a thankyou page. That’s where you tell them how to get the product they just bought. You can also sneak in another promotion or 2 here, if you are subtle about it. It’s also another chance to ask them to sign up for your newsletter or product update emails.

Successful online sales takes much more than just a sales page with a purchase link. A little time spend studying the psychology of online purchasing, and the mechanics of a well-orchestrated sales process can pay huge dividends for your business. Over the next couple weeks, I’ll be going through all the steps in the online sales process. Stay tuned …