By George Farris
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – “Go easy on me,” Adele sang to her lover. The Eagles suggested you “Lighten up while you still can – and take it easy.” And Lionel Richie was “easy like Sunday morning.”
“Easy” is a special and often-used word in every language. Search “easy” in Google and you’ll get 8.9 billion results in 1.25 seconds.
Everyone likes easy. You were probably attracted to this article because the word is in the headline.
“Easy” is also a powerful word in marketing. Almost every study shows it is one of the top-20 most powerful words you can use in your ads, list of benefits and other marketing materials.
EASY IN ACTION
Easy is more than a word. It’s the gold standard for a great sales process. You can usually increase your sales just by making the sales process easier for customers.
Making life easier has always been a goal for developing new products and services.
Almost every new version of consumer products is easier to use than the previous version. Every car is easier to drive. Every TV is easier to operate.
Imagine having to get up from your chair to change a channel instead of using a remote control. Barbaric.
Right?
BLAME JEFF BEZOS
While product innovations made life easier, they still seemed to come out in an orderly fashion. But the buying process still crept along.
Then Jeff Bezos launched Amazon and everything changed. Buying almost anything was easier on Amazon.
While we made Jeff Bezos the richest man in the free world, he was busy setting the bar high for easy purchase transactions. If you want to compete, you have to try to come close to that bar.
SLOWING DOWN SALES
Ads often refer prospects to a website. But once there, the prospect is lost. He has to search for the offer, product, service, terms or sale he saw in the ad.
Why should customers work to give you a sale? They like it “easy.” Remember?
When customers come for a specific offer in an ad, they should see that offer as soon they arrive on your website.
Why not link the ad to a landing page or form on your website that corresponds with the offer? If your offer is in print or even video, you can use a QR code to bring them to the right page.
COMPLEXITY KILLS
The real sales killer is complexity. A customer is interested. He wants to buy. He is in a hurry. So he calls you.
Unfortunately, now he must listen to four minutes of instructions and navigate through “Press one if you want administration. Press two if you want our sales team. Press three if you now have a headache.”
In effect, customers are penalized because they want to buy quickly.
If you have an important campaign, a great offer and want direct response, give that campaign and offer its own phone number and set up staffing
for it. And give it its own landing page and a pop up on your website homepage.
NOT JUST ONLINE
When there are too many steps in the sales process, any business – online or bricks-and-mortar – suffers reduced sales. The solution is simple but not “easy.”
Put yourself in your customer’s shoes: Try the process yourself. Hire secret shoppers. Test and refine until buying from you is easy all the time – not just Sunday morning.
EDITOR’S NOTE: George Farris is CEO of Farris Marketing. Send questions and comments to [email protected].