How to gain the buyers trust?

Customer trust comes from providing what you say you will (which is hard when you use third parties - but can be improved by disclaiming what you actually offer and providing some sort of dispute resolution help.

Second - if you want to improve traffic - make sure you understand your customers and their needs - thus you can more target the visitors that do come.

My instincts tell me to start out with a story for this kind of product. A good, well-told story about beekeeping will create resonance and build a bond of trust. Make it more personal. Include your photo. Let them see you.

Include your full contact details on the contact page and at the bottom of the sales page. Name. Address. Phone number. It let's people know you're a real individual who isn't hiding behind a website. I will NOT order if there is no contact information.

In your testimonials, include name along with city, state. Adds another element of realism. And I wouldn't call them "success stories." Not for this kind of product. Call them "Satisfied Readers" or "Happy Readers".

Also, make the "tone" more personable and casual.

Include some really solid bullet points to build anticipation and desire.

See if you can get a written endorsement from a dealer or organization or well-known individual in your niche to post on your site.

Some ideas to point you in the right direction.

Thanks phanio, customer trust is not a problem. The site has been active for 3 years and has had hundreds of sales. Never a dispute, I take care of my customers.

The question is in creating trust in the buyer, if the buyer does not feel comfortable with you then he will never become a customer.

Okay, there are several issues with this copy. They may seem small but the cumulative effect will be negative. In your sub-header you set off the phrase, 'just like you' with commas. Why would you do that? Make that one free-flowing sentence. When you proof and edit your copy always edit out punctuation that snags or slows the reader down.

Then, in your opening paragraph you make an attempt to relate to your clientele by saying you were once in the same shoes as they were. I don't think that's a good approach because you assume that everyone starts out frustrated. Lots of people won't have a clue as to what you're talking about because you haven't even hinted at a reason for any frustration. Better you lay out exactly what you can do for them and do it quickly.

People want to know what you've got right away so accommodate them. If the book is about how to produce honey, say so right up front and start showing specific benefits with bullet points. Throw all of your best stuff out there right away. Then repeat it a couple more times. Most people skim so you usually can't go wrong using this approach.

Another thing, you've got three testimonials inside a single box. Instead, isolate each and place them strategically. And while we're on the topic of testimonials, it wouldn't hurt to have a bunch more. By placing them strategically, I mean near the bullets and other 'valuable' info you're offering.

By valuable info, I mean, give them some real meat in the sales piece. I'm always impressed when a sales letter is loaded with real info and not just lofty promises. When people see you're not stingy with info in your sales piece they often assume that the book itself will be loaded with good stuff.

Another thing I personally don't like is a sales letter with an opt-in box. I don't know what the latest stats or trends are showing but I think this amounts to a major distraction and leads people away from buying. They often feel that they'll see what you're all about with the freebie and then forget all about you. You're going to spend considerable resources getting customers to your page, so why not do your best to make the sale? Make your opt-in box a floater that they only see if they are about to click away.

There's more but that should give you something to think about. I do notice some punctuation errors and awkward sentences. For example, in the first sentence, if I were going to keep it at all (which I wouldn't), I'd end it with the line, "...what do I need to do first?" Then I'd start new with the short sentence, "It was very frustrating." Get yourself a professional proofreader to go through any copy you want to stimulate a buyer.

And when I say a professional, I mean someone with some actual experience and credentials. I've seen lots of people on this and other forums who advertise such services and actually have typos in their posts. Yikes! Good luck.

Establishing trust with your website visitors is critical and Joshua offered some excellent suggestions.

IMO if you were to run with using your grandfather as the character in your copy you should be able to gte it to resonate very well with readers since grandfathers are supposed to be highly trusted and knowledgable.

Otherwise to help build trust in another way without copy keep your eyes peeled for my top secret Trust Establisher software

travlinguy - Thank you for that critique, it's alway's interesting to see how different people perceive written word in different way's. I had the subheader commas in to try and stress the point 'just like you' but I see your side in the pause and the disruption in flow. I will make the changes you talked about and see if it helps with the flow. Thank You for taking the time to look at it!

justin - Grandfathers are the best I'll keep an eye out for the trust establisher, sounds interesting.

wowhaxor - I've been very lucky with this site, the return rate is about 1 in 50, it actually got worse with the downturn in the economy but I expected as much.

Thank you all for the ideas! Any others?

I kept bees for three years. There is nothing about creating Queens in the chapter index at least. You could include it unless it is already inside.
About 11 years ago I had written a story about bees, their war with a wasp colony etc. The story got destroyed when I was migrating from my 386 to a Pentium. If you are interested in receiving such a story let me know. I'll do it with only a thanks from your side as payment (even if it turns out to be lousy).

Perhaps don't try to convert the prospect as soon in the funnel but use reciprocity to build trust over time? Give them some value for a while.

Frank Kern just came out with a video about using a blog post with a video that gives people good content then tells people to "click this link for more great information". The link goes to the sales page. In testing, he said it converts better then a straight sales page.

What I'm noticing first is that this appears to be a sales letter site, based on the home page copy. But then you give them links to other pages. That's how you lose them...they just click away, never to return.

I like the headline, but the lead and the rest of the copy doesn't flow. It feels disjointed and contrived to me. I see where you're attempting to bring in some emotions and emotional benefits, but it's falling flat. (IMO)

Your site has great potential. If you'd like some help with it, feel free to contact me.