The sales process is the art and science at the same time. Science for the application of scientific methods and techniques in a sales process in which there is the domination of psychology. Art because of entrepreneurial creativity, which makes successful businesses differentiate themselves from the average one.
Amazon is one of the biggest sellers on the web. Although the primary operating function of this company is on the Internet, it doesn’t mean that the principles, creativity, methods, and techniques you cannot implement in offline businesses.
Amazon didn’t invent anything new. They just made the right combination of the improved sales techniques inside their sales process used by successful offline businesses to build their online empire.
Let’s see how Amazon makes a sale. In this presentation, I will not go into the importance of each element that I will mention here. I will just use their approach in the sales process for this presentation.
1. Amazon Use Recommendations in Their Sales Process
Knowing your customers is the critical principle if you want to design your own successful business. Using this knowledge into your sales process will help you to improve your sales numbers.
As you can see in the picture, after a welcome message, they immediately give me recommendations. Amazon keeps records or knows what I previously purchased and based on that they make recommendations about what they think I would want to buy.
2. Making Sense of Look and Feel into the Sales Process
While Amazon and in this case in the screenshot we talk still about an electronic vendor, we can see how special attention is paid to familiarize prospective customers with the products. So you can see the content and certain parts of some chapters with the primary purpose to help you in deciding on purchasing.
3. Always Include an Attempt to Upsale in Your Sales Process
If I am still in the thinking mode and go through the page below, the seller is trying to make upsale with a recommendation of another book, that if I buy it together I will get a 5% discount.
The upsale is a sales technique where the seller offers the buyer additional products for the purpose to increase the first sales from that one customer. In such a way you can generate higher-level income and normally more profits. This technique is used to reach the maximum from each sale in your sales process.
This discount is not too much (in this case it is only one dollar), but on the other hand, draws attention in the form of recommendations and benefits. 5% sounds much better and will attract more attention than one dollar.
4. Presentation of Other “Related” Products Inside Your Sales Process
Furthermore, the seller also presents other books that are in some way related to my subject of interest. They are books that other customers have purchased in addition to the book that right now I consider as a potential customer. If I look at a book from a business-related theme they will not offer a presentation of books that are related to cooking recipes.
At this point, the seller in their sales process is trying to increase sales. In the worst possible scenario, the company wants to make me aware of the possibilities of future purchases of some of these other products.
5. Include Additional Presentation and Description of the Product
Amazon, in this case, one more time wants to bring me close to the product through a few words by the publisher. However, what matters is the content of this description. Take a look at the underlined words in the screenshot. They are not features of the product, but benefits that I will get as a potential customer if I decide to buy the product.
6. Include Comparison With Other Customers
Everyone wants to be with the majority of the world. Well, so with this attempt Amazon wants to show me that 64% of other consumers immediately buy this book. On the other hand, the list below is a trying to make upsale again with other popular books that were purchased by customers who also have purchased the product that I am currently watching.
So, including a comparison with other customers in your sales process, you want to connect potential customers with the majority. In such a way you are attempting to make a new upsale.
7. Reviews by Those Which Already Bought the Product
Reviews by consumers are very powerful marketing weapons for all businesses. And, they will need to be included in your sales process. If after everything above the potential customer still didn’t decide to buy, Amazon gives him a chance to read what are the opinions of other people who already purchased the product. The idea is to encourage the potential customer to make the right buying decision now.
This is simply a recommendation by the customers that businesses can use to sell or increase sales.
I think it is enough to recognize the logic of a salesman – robot. They want their sales funnel always to be full.
Notice that nothing is new inside this approach in the operation of a sales process. For example, McDonald’s consistently offers a combination of products. Salesperson continuously tries to make upsale, always have some recommendations. Why you and your small business don’t use these approaches?
If you want more, here are 5 things you can do when your customers stop buying from you.
