Call them tire kickers, call them flip-floppers, call them whatever you like, but the fact is that some buyers just won’t buy because they don’t feel they have to. These same lolly-gaggers probably want to buy (or rather have the vaguest idea that they someday would like to kind of, maybe, quite possibly perhaps buy something), but the fact of the matter is they don’t.
Why Buyers Don’t Buy (Even Though They Really Want to and Probably Should)
#1: Confusion — “What exactly do I need? Is it option A or option B? What is the benefit of option A again? What does option B save me?” Buyers waffle when they don’t understand. And unfortunately for you, the list of possible confusion points is long: features, options, pricing, payment method, size, shape, style…you name it and if it isn’t obvious, it will flummox all but the most savvy of shoppers.
#2: Overwhelm — “Oooo…I like this one, but that other one has features I like. Oh gosh, I completely forgot about this other one. Oh golly…there are just too many to decide!” So, in short, they don’t. Like confusion, overwhelming prospects with a smorgasbord of choice often stops them in their tracks (you know the ones who click through every page, but abandon their shopping cart).
#3: Barriers — “I’d like to buy, but I can’t <insert reason here: afford the payments, pay using the available methods, ship to my location, figure out the order form>.” All but the most determined buyers will give up when confronted with a barrier to buying.
#4: Indecision — “I am too busy to figure this out right now…I’ll deal with it later.” These are the shopping carts that are left open, the pages that are bookmarked, the price sheets that are taken home, the proposals that are requested. Often it’s the actual process of making the decision or dealing with the logistics of purchasing that gets in the way of the sale.
#5: Apathy — “Maybe. I like the idea of buying something like that.” These are the buyers who in all likelihood really need what you are selling, but just aren’t motivated enough to take action or lack the real understanding of why they need it.
So what’s an entrepreneur to do with these heel-draggers? How can you motivate the clearly unmotivated to take action and click on the bright, shiny BUY button?
#1: Focus on Clarity — Make everything about your buying process crystal clear: what the product is about, how to buy it, how to manage the logistics, how it benefits them…you get the idea.
#2: Shorten the Options List — Scale back the customization options and give them off-the-shelf bundles that they can review quickly and click to buy.
#3: Remove Barriers — Give buyers easy options. Free shipping, hassle-free returns, flexible payment plans, multiple payment methods. Don’t make them do any work to complete the transaction (and we’re not just talking about online transactions).
#4: Create Urgency — Offer special (limited time) bonuses, or discounts to get buyers to commit now. Give prospects a reason to put in the time now to make the decision and sign on the dotted line.
#5: Educate Buyers — Build the case for your product or service by integrating customer education into your buying process. Just as creating urgency motivates buyers to act now, educating buyers should make them feel good about making the decision because they have a clear picture of the reasons why they need it.
