Simplify Your Sales Process

posted by Ted on December 30, 2011

I tried to order a product from a particular website recently. I did my research and found the product I wanted at a price I was willing to pay. I tried to use the shopping cart on this website and the trouble began. It took three attempts before the shopping cart recognized that I had indeed given it the quantity of the product to be purchased. The fact that I was patient enough to keep trying is more of a reflection of my stubbornness than of the good feelings or trust they had generated.

Anyway, once the shopping cart showed the correct information, I tried to check out. It kept sending me right back to the order page. After the third attempt I figured there was a problem and clicked on the contact page. I filled in the information concerning my problem placing my order and gave my contact information.

This happened on a Saturday morning.  I figured that, since it was a weekend, I may have to wait until Monday for an answer. This is a product that I needed rather quickly, so I began to see if it was available at a similar price elsewhere.  I did, was able to quickly move through the online sales process, and placed the order.

I received an email on Tuesday afternoon.  It was a response to the question I had sent in on Saturday morning.  I had completely forgotten about this company and the issue I had with their website.  The sales process was so smooth at their competitor’s site that I had given them my business.

This company all but had my money in their hands.  They didn’t get it.  Not because I was not willing to part with it, but because the whole process wasn’t smooth. I had a problem with the order. And wasn’t able to quickly get an answer. Rather than trying to figure it out or waiting for a reply to a support ticket, I moved on and purchased it from another site.

Could you be guilty of the same thing? How often do your test your sales process? Is it easy to buy from you? Do you have a clear idea of how long it takes your customer to go through your sales process? Are all the steps necessary? Could you streamline it so that the time is shorter between impulse to buy and purchase completed?

Who should test your sales process? A friend of mine was showing me his new website for selling his product. I asked him if he had tested the website and processes for ease of use. He said his webmaster tested it. I told him there was a flaw to that strategy. That is like hiding your own Easter eggs and then being proud at how quickly you found them all. I recommend you have a couple of your less tech-savvy or internet sophisticated friends test it for you. Get feedback on how easy or difficult it was to find what they wanted and complete the purchase.

Building a profitable small business can be challenging enough. Don’t let a clumsy or blocked sales process rob you of sales.  Make sure that the process is simple and that, if there is a problem, the buyer has an easy way to contact you.

Tags:e-commerce,effective website,internet marketing,online marketing,Shopping cart,small business,website,website optimization