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So Who Do You Believe?

I'm in touch with a lot of webmasters on a regular basis and I've been hearing a lot of grumbling lately. A higher than normal percentage of them have been reporting slower sales.

If you are noticing that trend at your site lately, I believe I can help. There may be just one key component missing from your site, and I have an idea what it is. Let me explain...

Do a search at google.com for "internet marketing expert" and you'll find more than one million (yes, that's 1,000,000) web pages listed.

Wow. That's a lot of experts. I wonder how many of those million really know their stuff.

Heck, do a search for ANYTHING you need or want online and you'll find thousands, if not millions of choices.

So who do you believe?

That's the question millions of potential customers want to know!

Who can they believe? Who can they trust?

What website will not rip them off or leave them for dead after they get their money?

As a web business owner myself, I hate to have to admit this, but... making purchases from unknown vendors on the web can be a real crap shoot. There are far too many cons, scams, cheats, hacks and just plain old bad businesses on the web.

And because of that, TRUST is probably the biggest obstacle any website owner has to instill in their visitors. Yes, trust is the first thing you have to earn in order to make sales on the web.

Now, let's get back to that key component missing from most websites, the component I mentioned at the start of this article. Do you have any idea what it might be? (Yes, it has to do with trust.)

I'll give you a hint:

Go to amazon.com - one of the web's largest Internet-only based retailers, and look for any product you might be interested in. When you get to the product page, more than likely you'll find one thing prominently displayed...

Customer comments.

Why does Amazon.com include these with nearly everything they sell? It's a simple theory. People are more comfortable purchasing when they can first read what people like themselves think about the product. It makes them feel more at ease knowing not only that other folks like them bought it already, but exactly what they thought of it.

Simply put, a few good customer testimonials can increase sales literally overnight. But you have to do it right...

Here are five tips on using "customer comments" at your website...

Make sure testimonials at your site are specific and not generic in nature. Generic testimonials are not as believable as detailed comments.

Be sure to get permission from your customers to use the testimonials.

Include the customer's full name and some contact info if they'll let you.

Use customer comments everywhere. Sprinkle them throughout your website, sales letters and ezines. Set up a whole page of letters like I have here - and then take your very best one or two testimonials and put them on your most prominent pages. I did this recently at my bizweb2000.com home page and saw an instant increase in conversion.

Consider the top three or four reasons your potential customers may be hesitant to order. Then get customer comments up that address those issues. Getting testimonials is not hard if you have a good product or service.

OK, let's wrap today's tip up with a quick summary...

The web is still like the wild west of old -- full of snake oil salesmen. If you want to establish your web business and earn steady, reliable income, you need to earn the trust of your potential customers. And letting them read great comments from your best customers is still the best way to do that. So do it, and do it over and over. You may be surprised at the results.

See ya in next month...
Jim Daniels

P.S. How Often Do You Find Yourself Saying: "I Wish I Knew How To Make My Living from the Internet." (There really is no lifestyle like it, unless you were born into riches.) I can show you how to... make a living online.

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* Article by Jim Daniels of JDD Publishing. Jim's site has helped 1000's of regular folks profit online. Visit Jim at http://www.make-a-living-online.com.