By: Catherine Franz
There are many psychological reasons why people will buy from the first time and why they do not buy from you again. There are books on many of these reasons. Many of these reasons are totally out of your control.
But what about the ones that you are in control of?
What about the legit reasons that you or your staff cause?
Here are the ten top reasons why people do not buy a second time around.
1. Follow up after the sale was poor perceived quality, nonexistent, or too far after the sale.
2. You didn't ship the product in the time promised. Whether they needed it immediately or it sits in the in-box, when people buy something they don't like waiting. Otherwise, your credibility has been waived. Apologize and offer them an item with perceived value for free.
3. Your product didn't deliver what it promised. Even if your product didn't accomplish what they believe it should have they are not going to think your second product will either.
4. The buyer could not reach you when they had a "after question" sale. You could have added extra lines of communication.
5. Your customer doesn't want to revisit your website because it didn't offer much the first time around. You could have offered more original content or freebies.
6. Your competition is offering free shipping with their product and you aren't. You need to be more aware of how your competition is targeting customers at all times.
7. Your customer forgot your web site address or how to find you. They can't find you easily in the search engines (first or second page lists in their query). You should provide your contact information to your buyers in and on everything.
8. Customer service couldn't solve a problem they had with your product or didn't handle a refund well. Your customer service personnel, and yourself, need clear boundaries on what problems they solve and must pass up the ladder. They should also be trained on what tone, and language to use.
9. You did not up-sell them when they were already in the buying mood.
10. Competition offers a stronger money back guarantee. Always think of better ways to remove the risk from your customers and try to do it better than your competition.
This is a lot to remember, a lot to institute into your business practices, yet every one of these items are just as important as the next.
Remember too, this affects viral marketing as well (word of mouth/referrals).
