“My new software application is getting rave reviews from the people who use it, but I’m having trouble making sales. What can I do to convince more prospects to buy?
– Kelly Sanders, OH
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Having trouble with skeptics and getting people to take action from your small business marketing?

Forty years ago I had my first experience with mail order. I know it’s hard to imagine but the Internet didn’t exist.  Most people actually bought stuff in stores. Hard to believe, but true.

I’d heard about a mail order outfit called L.L.Bean. And I was interested in ordering a sleeping bag for an upcoming hiking trip I was planning. But I wasn’t sure if, sight unseen, I’d be happy with the one I’d selected from the catalog.

What got me over the hump? What got me to go ahead and make my purchase?

L.L.Bean has always had a 100% satisfaction guarantee. With it I felt confident that if I wasn’t happy, I could exchange the sleeping bag or send it back for full credit. And I’d heard stories of people making good on the guarantee and being “100% satisfied.”

Now a guarantee won’t sell your products or services by itself, but without one you won’t sell as much as you could.

Are you a skeptic?

Many of us are. It’s smart to be one. So how do you sell to skeptics?

One simple selling strategy is to eliminate any perceived risk in making a purchase. When your prospects feel confident that they’ll either love it or that they can easily get their money back, you’ve eliminated the risk, making it easier for them to give your products or services a try.

Want to convert more prospects into paying customers? Get the details >>

What stops people from buying?  The fear of being ripped off…the fear of paying something for nothing…the fear of looking foolish. No question about it.  If you want to turn interested, but skeptical prospects into buyers, you need to conquer fear.

What helps put that fear to rest?  A risk-free guarantee of satisfaction.

In a tight economy like this one, people are especially concerned about money.  Many business owners respond to those fears with lower prices, but they still can’t make sales. When you decide to take full responsibility for your customer’s satisfaction, you make it that much easier for a prospect to decide to buy from you.

Want to know how to get more people to buy from you? Start here >>

So what kind of a guarantee should you offer?

The one that will be the most meaningful to your prospects, of course.

If you offer a subscription to Forex investment tips, for example, a 6-month ‘read it, use what you learn, and then decide’ guarantee would be effective.  It demonstrates that you’re so certain your system will work, that you’re willing to give the consumer 180 days to succeed with it.

A good guarantee will make sales.  A risk-free guarantee will make more sales, double…even triple what you could make without one. Here are some templates for some guarantees that I’ve used successfully:

– “Subscribe today. If you think your first issue—or any issue  —doesn’t deliver at least $XXX worth of ideas and information, you can tell us to take a hike. We will cancel your subscription and send a prompt refund for all un-mailed issues, no questions asked. We won’t be happy to know that we failed your value test, but that will be our problem, not yours.

– You can’t lose with our guilt-free, no-risk guarantee and access to the entire program and every one of the bonuses…all for only <$>! If <product name> is not everything we say it is and you are not completely satisfied with it, then we will refund every penny of your money with no questions asked. That’s more than a guarantee; that’s a promise.

– My guarantee is to ensure you are 100% happy with <product name>. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied, I will refund your money.  No questions asked. This is an ironclad guarantee, no ifs, and no buts. If <product name> doesn’t deliver, your money will be happily refunded. In fact, you need no reason to ask for a refund whatsoever. Just tell us the dog ate it! We trust your integrity and honesty absolutely. We take the risk and you have nothing to lose, so take your 90-day trial today.

Let me ask you one last question. Do you expect the companies you buy from to stand by their products and services?

Of course you do. Use your guarantee to let your prospects know you do the same, and you’ll turn skeptics into buyers and see your sales soar.

Interested in finding more ways to convert prospects to buyers? Find out the simple formula to increase your profits >>

– Charlie

P.S. Yes, I include a guarantee with my products. Take a look here to see it >>