If you’re like many entrepreneurs and small business owners, the world of online marketing can be dark and mysterious.

And frustrating!

The key to making more sales?

 Knowing who your ideal customer is.

A huge part of that includes anticipating the questions they want answered BEFORE they visit your website and making sure you answer them.

AS you've "heard" me say many times, the #1 question your prospects' want answered when they arrive on your home page is this:

Of all the options available to me for solving my problem or fulfilling my need including doing nothing, why should I pick yours?    

(Thanks to Dan Kennedy for that!)

So that's the Big Kahuna...

But there are 7 basic questions most prospects want answered BEFORE they will consider doing business with you.

And by the way, these aren't "seal the dealers"...you need to answer these just to considered by your prospect 

QUESTION #1: What exactly is your service or product and why should I be interested?
 

You have 3 seconds to answer this question. It is asked by your prospect immediately as soon as they view your home page or landing page, read your email or open your sales letter. 

Fail to answer it to the satisfaction of your prospect and you will quickly lose what probably was an excellent sales opportunity. Many home pages do not come close to answering this question. That’s why many business owners view their web site as a cost instead of an investment in what should be the most cost-efficient, productive salesperson they could ever hope to find. 

And make no mistake: it's the "why should I be interested?" part of the question you want to focus on. 

Put another way, they are really asking 'What makes you different from your competitors and how are you going to change my life?'

QUESTION #2: Will it work for me?

Somehow, the information on your home page, in your email or in your sales letter MUST communicate a compelling message to the prospect that says, "If you have a need for what our product or service does, we have irrefutable proof it will work." 

I'm not saying you must offer a guarantee - if you can, great, cause there’s nothing that lowers sales resistance faster than reversing the risk for your prospect - but you MUST provide the kind of details that leave no doubt in your prospect’s mind that you can solve the problem or satisfy the need they're bringing to you. 

Remember, you have the upper hand here. The prospect is looking for something. That's why they came to your site. This is your opportunity to lose. It's your job to demonstrate why you have the best solution.

QUESTION #3: What kind of results can I expect?

If you have won the fierce battle for your prospect’s attention, and they have given you permission to continue your sales story, you have overcome a significant hurdle. 

Now, you’ve got the spotlight. 

It’s important to understand what you’re really selling at this point. The answer? Hope. Your prospect hopes you will make him richer. Healthier. Sexier. And your answer must take the following into consideration. 

When we think, we think in pictures. That is, we "see" how a service or product can improve our lives. Your job, as a marketer, is to use words to paint a picture that will allow the prospect to "see" how your product or service will improve their lives. 

AI can't do this!😀

Once you've done an effective job of engaging the prospect emotionally, you need to include logical reasons why this is a sound buying decision. 

People buy for emotional reasons first (make me look better, feel better etc) and then back up their emotional decision with logic eg. (these guys have credible testimonials, they’ve been in business for 11 years etc).

QUESTION #4: Who else has used this service and what were their results?
 

This is where you need to offer independent, third-party evidence that you can deliver. That means making sure your testimonials are compelling and meaningful. 

And ATTRIBUTED! Becky from Sioux City ain't gonna do it!

You want to remove all doubt in your prospect’s mind that they are in good hands. Many business owners have weak testimonials and they leave money on the table because they do not answer this question effectively.  

QUESTION #5: How exactly do your services work?

What's your process? This is an important part of the selling process. 

Prospects today are curious as to how you would go about helping them. They want to know what they can expect when they do business with you. 

By addressing the prospect’s expectations, it demystifies the process which often leads to an increased comfort level. Especially if your prospect has to relay your information to someone else. Details sell and bring your offering to life.

QUESTION #6: Are you credible?

Do you have the experience to help your prospect? The prospect must be convinced you are the real deal. 

This is no time to be shy. 

Get your track record in front of their eyes - on the home page and everywhere else you can think of where it has a chance to win the day. 

I often see clients burying credentials in their site. Sadly, the prospect never gets that far. 

That's the kind of selling ammunition you need on the front line - your home page. Make sure to include industry awards you've received. For some businesses, a client list and numbers of years in business are other facts that can be used to convince the prospect.

QUESTION #7: What do I have to do next to get and use your services?
 

This is one of the most expensive mistakes many marketers make. 

They don't identify the next step in the buying process for the prospect and invite him or her to take it. They do not have a clear call-to-action (CTA). 

This is very costly. 

Prospects are lazy. Complacent. Easily distracted. Not self-action-oriented. 

Guess what they do when you omit this step? Right. They just drift away after all the hard work you did to get them in front of our message. What a shame. 

Without a CTA, 90 per cent of the time your prospect will just drift over to a competitor who will ultimately steal a sale that should have been yours. Happens all the time.

There is nothing magical about the seven questions presented above. They are based on proven selling fundamentals – online and offline.

How well you answer them for your prospect will mean the difference between convincing them to spend more time with you and eventually becoming a lifetime customer or having them click away to seek out one of your competitors.