The 8 Biggest Sales Mistakes I’ve Seen
You’ve done, I’ve done it, we’ve all done it! That’s right; when it comes to sales pages, we’ve all made mistakes. But that doesn’t mean our sales pages have to keep existing with these mistakes on them. Instead, let’s review them, figure out how to fix them, and start selling more.
Let’s dive in, shall we?
Mistake #1: Focusing on features over benefits
This one is easy to make because features and benefits are so closely related. A feature is something your offer does, while a benefit is what your customer gets from the feature. For example, a feature of my Course Launch Checklist is an itemized breakdown of how many different emails you’ll need. The benefit is that you have a handy-dandy list right there to follow as you create your emails, so it’s less stressful.
On your sales page, make sure that when you describe the features of your offer, you then follow up with how it will benefit your customers. Don’t confuse the two!
Mistake #2: Misrepresenting your product
This mistake is far, far too common. Misrepresentation is a massive issue in the online world, and it can affect your overall sales and your brand’s reputation. So watch out for these common misrepresentation mistakes.
You undersell your offer.
This one hurts so much. I see so many great incredible entrepreneurs with unique products and offers who act as if their stuff is nothing special. Or worse yet, they only focus on what’s IN the offer instead of what folks get OUT of it. If you’ve got something unique, you’ve got to sell it. Make sure your customers know the value of your offers and how they can benefit from them!
You oversell your offer.
We’ve all seen it — those courses that promise you’ll save your business and your marriage if you buy now. Those products that guarantee you’ll feel 18 years younger and have a better relationship with food. Those coaching programs that swear you’ll be able to manifest a mansion and health for everyone you love.
This type of misrepresentation is going to hurt your business. If you make any claims about your offers or products that you can’t back up, you’re overselling. There’s a big difference between hyping up your offers and lying about what they can do, and your customers will notice. If you oversell your offer, you’re going to have pissed off customers demanding refunds and leaving bad reviews.
Mistake #3: Hiding your prices
This mistake is tricky. It can be a strategic part of a sales funnel, to show the value of your offer before providing pricing details. This way, your customers will already know your offer and how they can benefit from it. However, if you wait too long to reveal your pricing details, your customers will get bored or overwhelmed and ditch your sales page. Or worse yet, they’ll feel tricked when they get to the pricing section and find out that it’s a price they can’t afford. Instead, be upfront with your pricing on the sales page.
Mistake #4: Using your social proof wrong
Customer reviews are a great thing if you use them right. You need reviews and testimonials on your sales page, but you want the right kind. If you have reviews from fellow business owners or well-known figures, use those. But make sure that your reviews are verified and specific to your offer and what it can do. Don’t saturate your sales page with reviews and recommendations. A few trusted sources can do the trick!
Mistake #5: Stealing the spotlight
As an entrepreneur, you have to show who you are and how you can run your business. But you shouldn’t be hogging the spotlight. Remember, your sales page is about how your customers can benefit from your offers — it’s not your biography. So keep the focus on your customers and put your offers in the spotlight! Don’t start your sales page with “I” or “My” or “Mine.” Start with “You,” “yours,” etc. Let them know you’re talking to them, not about yourself.
Mistake #6: Skipping out on calls to action
You know those cooking blogs that have fantastic recipes but… you have to scroll through the blogger’s whole life story before you get to the damn recipe? We’re all skipping straight to the recipe at the bottom, right?
You don’t want your sales page to be like one of those cooking blogs. Instead, it should be like a highway. Your customers are along for the ride, but if they suddenly have all the information they need, there are exit ramps that make it easy for them to buy your offer (instead of being stuck scrolling to the bottom).
Think about it like this: Everyone has different road trip tolerances. Some people like short rides and others can go for hours without stopping. It’s the same thing with sales pages. So make sure you have plenty of exit ramps throughout your sales page for every type of customer. I like to include them at the beginning, middle, and end just to keep things simple.
Mistake #7: Making it too hard for people to buy your product
You need to make it easy for your customers to buy your offer on your sales page. Make sure to have plenty of call-to-action buttons throughout your sales page. Don’t leave your pricing details to the very end. You’ll just tick people off. If your sales page is too complicated, your customers will walk away, just like we all feel like doing at the car dealership.
This is also a note if you decide to bury your sales page in a long sales funnel. This can make it much harder for people who are ready to buy to just buy, so make sure you consider how they’re coming to your sales page if it’s not converting.
Mistake #8: Mixing up facts and emotions
It’s easy to share the facts of your offers and products. You have cold hard data to prove that what you offer works. But we all know that facts and statistics aren’t always how we buy things. When we buy something, it’s because of how it makes us feel.
Are you connecting with your sales page visitors on an emotional level? Are you letting them know that you understand where they’ve been and that you’ve found a way to fix it? Telling a brief story that shows you understand their pain points lets them know that you get it. By sharing the transformation you offer, you’re also showing them (on an emotional level) that change is possible. Whether it’s your transformation or the transformation you’ve gotten for clients, it’s important to show people that it’s not just a course or program or service. It’s a path to the resolution or solution they really want.
Time to update your sales page?
We all make mistakes, but it’s important to update your sales page if you realize you’ve made any of these errors. If you haven’t written your sales page yet, you’re in luck. Now you can avoid some of these pitfalls! Of course, like I always say, launches and marketing are an experiment. Just because your sales page feels right today doesn’t mean it will be perfect a month or six months from now. Make sure to routinely review your sales pages, especially if your offer changes, if you get more testimonials, or you realize you need to include other details.
This is exactly what we’ve been covering inside the Launch BFF membership this month. If you join now, you can get access to everything we’ve covered about sales pages, including what they need, how to structure them, and how to make sure they work for your offers.
Interested? You can join the Launch BFF membership for just $49!