There are some customers that know they want what you have.

And then… there are those in more of a confused daze.

You get the gut feeling that they could be perfect customers, but they’re not so sure. They’ve visited your site, read your copy, and then ask hesitant questions such as:

• So… how does this work? How do I use it? 
• Is this a live workshop or do I do it online?
• Will it work for me if I’m a web-designer?

If you’ve received emails or comments like this you’re probably frustrated.

Didn’t you explain all that in your content? Didn’t you mention it was for service-professionals? The web-designer could have figured it out from that surely?

It really isn’t your fault, it’s just that most people feel in a daze today, bombarded with so many sales messages.

But before you can snap them out of it, there are 3 things you need to know:

• Buyers are wary and do more personal research today than 10 years ago
• There are more unconventional products around today
• Your personal expertise is making links your buyer may not make

1. Comfort the wary buyer

People want to feel confident when they buy something. Behaviour in the past has made buyers wary of businesses, so trust is critical. What’s more, consumers have the tools to fire off email questions, hit the search engines, scour forums and do their own personal research.

Whereas there was once a time prospects would trust businesses that said they could solve a problem, these days people want proof, proof and more proof. If you are getting hesitant buyers who are asking your questions, at least you are receiving valuable feedback on what you need to tweak in your copy.

How to fix it: 

• Help them with their research – Help your customer make an informed decision rather than just telling them about what you have. If you can take the time to explain who your product is suitable for (and who it isn’t suitable for) you can help them focus on the buying decision. Frequently asked questions are a great place to start with this.
• Repetition – If you have an important part of your offer, (a course date, a special offer etc) repeat it throughout your copy. Saying it once (even in large type) just isn’t enough to get through to people just scanning the page. When customers feel they know exactly what’s going on, they feel much more comfortable with buying.
• An ironclad guarantee – Let them know what will happen if they decide it’s not quite for them, with a strong guarantee.

2. Prove that unconventional is not unbelievable

Come on, if 10 years ago someone was trying to sell you an online 4 week course to master social media for $349 you’d probably think that was crazy.

But these days online learning, courses, eBooks and highly specialised subjects are par for the course… for people within that field. Are your customers in that field though? If not, you need to do some extra explaining about what it is you have.

How to fix it: 

• Walk them through it – It might be painful for you to outline the step-by-step details of how a webinar works, but the extra effort is worth it if your customers are unfamiliar with what you do. We’re not talking about dumbing down though, it can be as straight forward as: “The course is delivered online so you can watch the classes via your computer or tablet. You can even ask questions live by typing a question into the chat box.” 
• Compare it to something more conventional – It can also help to compare your product to something similar that your customer is more familiar with. If your customer isn’t used to a digital product you might say: “It’s a similar experience to being at one of my classes. You’ll get to see and hear me in person, although it will be by video. You’ll also still get worksheets and teaching materials that I would give out in class, only you’ll be able to print them out from your computer”

3. Be careful of your own expertise 

You live and breathe your business right? You’re steeped in knowledge about the subject because you’re an expert.

But your customer may not be.

It might seem obvious to you that after one module of learning how to use Twitter, your customer will get them more traffic and enquiries to their business.

But there will be people who fit into your perfect customer profile who just won’t make that link.

These “missing links” contain valuable selling points, so don’t hide them!

How to solve it

• Get into the habit of saying “what this means” – Whether you’re giving them a feature, get into the habit of telling them what that means. More sales? More time? More energy? Spell it out and make no doubt about what impact your product will have on them.
• Promise, Process, Proof – I see businesses with integrity opening themselves up for doubt because they make promises (they can keep) but don’t explain how. You can read more about a method for fixing that here.

Have you experienced confused and dazed customers in the past? What was the source of it and how did you overcome it? Let me know in the comments