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What's Keeping Your Customers From Buying?:
FAQ Lessons from the Encyclopedia Man
 When I was eight, the set of shiny red Encyclopedia Britannicas in the Robert Gray School library introduced me to the world beyond the Kress's store on Broadway Street and the pulp mill across the Wishkah bridge. All I had to do was open Volume 8-dash-H, with the country of Hungary. Or Volume 13-dash-M, with names of distant-sounding places, like Morocco and Minneapolis.
Man, I wanted a set of my own. As luck would have it, one day Mr. Huggins, a lisping door-to-door salesman with greasy black hair and the smell of stale cigarettes, showed up on our doorstep.
Soon after, the rapid-fire ping pong game began: Objection (Mama), counter serve (Mr. Huggins), new objection (Mama), and back and forth they went. In the end, Mama won, but it wasn't for any lack of effort on Mr. Huggins's part.
The encyclopedia man had one advantage as I see it: selling to real people in real time allows you to address each objection that comes from your prospect.
But selling on the web is different. In order to find your "1,000 True Fans," you know, the ones who will purchase anything you offer, you must address the objections you can't hear.
Because for every prospect who asks you about your product or service, there are at least ten (often more) who have the same concerns, but keep quiet.
Want to learn how to blast through your customer's objections with confidence, just like the encyclopedia man? Create a killer FAQ page on your website. Here's how:
1. Identify your ideal customer or client. I bet you already know her. She loves you, she'll buy anything from you, and she tells all her friends about you. But won't you be excluding people if you just focus on her? Trust me, it's exactly what you want to do. The more traits you identify, the closer you'll get to reaching more customers just like her.
2. Get inside your customer's head. Your prospect has reasons for not wanting to buy. Put yourself in your ideal customer's shoes and brainstorm every reason she might not want your product or service. This step is important. Don't hold back.
3. Put each objection in question form. Now go back and put the objections into questions. Let's take an example for a consultant who is selling teleseminars. Prospect's question: What if I can't make it to the classes?
4. Empathize with your client. Using the above example, recognize your prospect's fears. Answer: Stuff happens. You're moving, your kid has soccer practice, or you have a big meeting with a client. I wouldn't feel like signing up for something I might not be able to be there for, either. But here's the thing: You don't have to be there for the classes. (And go on to explain. You get the idea).
5. Address each objection in a friendly, respectful and honest way. Don't promise your product or service will solve all her problems. It won't. You can even go so far as to recognize that your product or service is not for everyone. This will add tons of credibility and help you find those 1,000 True Fans-your ideal customers.
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