Is It Harder to Make a Sale Now?

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Is the economy making it more difficult to get sales now?

I have a product for which I've had a site up for about two years. It had a sales page but I didn't have the product finished yet. When I noticed the site getting traffic, I added a list where people could sign up to get a notification when the product was available.

The product was listed as going to be $39.95. I had maybe a half dozen people sign up on the list. Now, this was a site I didn't promote. I had intended to have the product finished much sooner, but got working on other things.

So, anyway, I figured that with the traffic I was getting with no promotion and people signing up on the list, I thought there was good potential there. So, I wrapped up the product and put it up there. And, I listed it at an "introductory" price of $7.

I figured, hey, if people are interested at $39.95, they should snap it up at $7.

But, since putting it up, I've had around 200 visitors and no sales. The only inquiry I've had is from someone (not a potential affiliate) asking for a free copy.

I would have thought I'd be getting 2-4 sales out of 200 visitors, especially at $7. This is just discouraging, especially when I've had around 18-22% (or higher) conversion rates on some of my sales pages in the past.
#main internet marketing discussion forum #harder #make #sale
  • Price it close to its true worth. If something costs $7, it may appear to be of low value.

    Test various sales pages, altering one or two variables at a time. It will take many more visitors in order to get reliable results.

    You might give a few copies away in order to get some honest testimonials to be included in the sales page.
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • I have found products priced below $20 sell better than premiums.

    Having said that I am doing well with some premiums too. Just depends on positioning.

    200 hits is no real indicator of average conversions FYI
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  • I have a product in the guitar niche, I've changed nothing about the site, still getting the same traffic, but where I was getting one or two sales a day, I now get one a week. I think you could say that some niches will get affected more by the Credit Crunch than others.
  • Banned
    [DELETED]
  • You're bound to hear a range of experiences depending on different markets, price ranges, etc. but I'm experiencing a very tough time with a well-established product that's been on the market almost 4 years. Conversion is running at less than one-half the long-term average.
    • [1] reply
    • Dan, this is what it comes down to and I don't think it's price, though that
      could be a factor.

      Is it something that really solves a burning, serious problem?

      I stress this now more than ever because yes, times are tight...but...if you
      have something people really want, they will buy it.

      My income, though I now only work a few hours a week, compared to last
      year at this time, is only down by $8,000.

      Last year I was working 14 hours a day and created many more products
      and did many more promotions.

      The money is there if you have something that people want.
  • Is it harder to sell right now?

    NO

    Do you need to connect properly with your visitors to make sales right now?

    YES

    This has always been true...

    People will buy stuff that they WANT, much more readily than they will buy stuff that they NEED.

    I'm not making light of your stats, Dan... but 200 is not a number you can use to gauge the effectiveness of your funnel for this particular thing...

    We're having our best year so far.. aside from a few blips and tweaks that have been required, our sales have been on the up all year. Completely in-line with out projections, although we have had to increase the output of work a little bit to account for various anomalies (i.e. The UK Postal Strike affecting amazon sales etc)

    Drive some real traffic, and track further results... would be my choice.

    Peace

    Jay
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • 200 has long been my magic number. Generally, if I don't have any sales after 200 visitors, the product's a dud.

      It's in the self-help niche.

      I don't know that it's a "burning, serious" problem, but it's one a fair amount of people have and for which they'd like a solution.
  • Defining a proper value proposition is the key. I definitely see a shift in how payment options are presented for high ticket items. A few of the big names here you see shifting to multiple payment options to enable better sales penetration (for example Jeff Walker, Frank Kern, etc). Though they present products worth many thousands of dollars, the market eagerly purchases, and likely in most cases has better penetration due to the options for payment. While a $2k hit up front hurts, break it down to the ridiculous 7 x and you feel more justified in dropping that kind of money, as it doesn't "hurt" as much. I don't think its any harder to make a sale. If people want what you got, then they will justify purchasing it. Make the purchasing options easier in a time where family's are stretching their dollars, and you still stand to do well so long as you provide a legitimate value in what you offer.
  • Hey Dan,

    I know that it is discouraging to send to 200 hundred visitors to a sales page and not get a sale. I have had an opt-in page that converted at 5%. Sometimes sales pages don't convert that well. What I do when that happens, is add a few tweaks to the page by changing the coloring/copy of the pages. I would highly recommend that you pick up a copy of "Web Copy That Sells" by Maria Veloso. It is filled with golden nuggets. People will always buy, if you position your offer the right way to the right audience.
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    • 600 visitors. 0 sales. Is it officially a "dud" yet?
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  • I've noticed more success this year with the "traffic > opt-in > sales pitch via email" route vs. "traffic > sales page" route. I think people are being a bit tighter. Of course, it depends on the niche and how hungry the buyers are, as others have alluded to. Just thought I'd throw that out there, since you already mentioned having built a small list from that same page. Perhaps you could offer a trial version or whatever the equivalent would be for your particular product in return for signing up to your list. Then hit them up via email for the whole sh'bang.

    John
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  • Yea - stats are so important to have and work with.

    Maybe you could just give it away for free to build yourself a nice self-help list????

    I did this with a stop smoking ebook I wrote and it turned the site into a real income generator!

    Allen
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  • All story has it's own owner but none the less the reality comes in to make sales right now is more difficult than ever before. Traffic? Yeah lots of them but they are all wishing for freebies.
    • [1] reply
    • If you want to leave your price at $7 initially, I'd consider tweaking the "reason why" and add/edit elements of urgency and/or scarcity.

      You could also give away a free chapter to your list subscribers.

      Another thing to maybe try is keeping the regular price but take only $1 now and bill the rest in 30 days. This keeps the perceived value high, helps those tight on funds, and makes the offer more irresistible.
  • There goes. You answered your own question. It's all a mater of
    perception. People thought that it couldn't be worth much at that
    kind of price. I would almost guarantee that if you placed it at
    $37 you'll see an increase in sales.

    I think more people are buying things of VALUE that they think they
    are getting a deal on. Other things have gone down in sales. You
    have a place a lot more value into your products these days to get
    the sale.

    -Ray Edwards
    • [ 2 ] Thanks
    • [2] replies
    • Can I know which method you are using to get traffic ?

      It may be reason of no sales.
    • Exact. People are ready to spend a LOT of money for valuable stuff. However, I found it's better to get people in your sales funnel with $10-$40 flagship products. Don't be afraid to over deliver, and LATER down the road, offer the big bucks product.

      Anyway. If people are subscribing to your list, they are interested in what you have to offer.

      Here is what to do:

      1. test, split test and carefully look at the results.

      2. Ask your subscribers what they want.

      3. Rinse and repeat this two.

      Important: Never fall in love with your product because this can kill your business.

      All the best,
      Franck

      • [1] reply
  • November is a slow month for sales usually
    • [1] reply
    • Well, that was dumb. And karma can really bite you back sometimes...

      As I mentioned earlier in the thread, I had a small list for this product. Sent out a notification that the book was now available. No sales.

      Checked my lists today, and I had a spam complaint! This was a 100% double opt-in list. I never added anyone manually. The only way to get on was to subscribe and then confirm.

      So, anyway, I checked the message I had sent just to make sure I had put unsubscribe directions and all that jazz. Yes.

      You know, I think I've complained in the past when "gurus" use the "oops! wrong url!" trick. Well, that's where karma comes in.

      You see, when I typed in the URL for the site where they could buy the book, I used the wrong URL. On top of that, I used an URL for a site that was completely unrelated. And that site didn't have introductory pricing as promised in my list message either.

      Thus, I am assuming, the spam complaint.

      And also the reason for the lack of sales.

      So, this time, I am going to send out the message with the correct URL. Really.

      And, I'll also have to use the "oops... wrong URL!" spiel.

      Karma. Don't mess with it.
      • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • Let us know if you see any activity!
    • [1] reply
    • It's not the economy, it's your offer. You remove your own responsibility in the matter when you blame outside circumstances. When stuff doesn't sell, the offer is usually to blame.

      Are people buying this type of product on some other site? If yes, where? How is it being sold? Have you *confirmed* that IS indeed selling?

      Are the prospects who signed up for it initially (and then had to wait) stale? It's possible. You make someone wait too long and they go find solutions elsewhere. It's happened to us all at one time or another.

      Above all...give up the "economy talk". You're a marketer. Be loud and proud, and turn your thumb back at yourself when it doesn't work. Own it. When our stuff doesn't sell, it's usually because we aren't listening to what they WANT...and giving it to them.

      E
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    Is It Harder to Make a Sale Now?

    Is the economy making it more difficult to get sales now? I have a product for which I've had a site up for about two years. It had a sales page but I didn't have the product finished yet. When I noticed the site getting traffic, I added a list where people could sign up to get a notification when the product was available.