A few years ago I took a course from a professional sales trainer, Howard Olsen, on how to be an effective sales agent and close bigger deals. I never ended up going into professional sales, however there was one thing I took away from that class that I will never forget, and still applies to online sales completely.

The 5 Decisions Every Customer Makes before they Buy (in this order!) are:

1. About you

2. About your business

3. About your product

4. About your price

5. About the time frame in which you can deliver.

These 5 decisions are always made in this order and by every customer. This decision process remains true whether you’re buying  a car or a piece of pizza.

1. About you: How much do you like the sales person? DO you like the sales person? Are they approachable, friendly, professional, pleasant, knowledgeable, etc? Do they address your concerns and listen? Do they smile? Do you feel at ease? You have to like the person you’re buying from if you’re going to continue in your sales process with them.

2. About your company: How much do you like the company? Do you even know anything about who they are? How long have they been around? Do they have a good reputation? Where are they located? Do they have good business ethics? You want to know why you should trust them over the competition if you’re going to buy from them.

3. About your product: Does it solve your problem? Does it have the features you’re looking for? Is it good quality? Does it come backed up with any guarantees or warranties? Does it deliver? If you’re sold on the product, THEN you look at price.

4. About the price: Does it seem like good value for what you’re getting? Is it reasonably priced compared to competitors? The biggest question is “does it give you the VALUE you’re looking for” whether it’s the lowest price or not. You don’t have to have the lowest price to win the sale, you just have to have the best perceived value.

5. The time frame in which you can deliver: Is it in stock? can you get it now? If there is a delivery time, is it 2-3 days or 5-7 days? Will you have to wait several weeks for delivery or is there a processing time in addition to shipping time that you have to consider.

These are all questions your customer is going to ask when they come to your website. The sales person in this case IS your website. It makes the first impression on the customer and answers the questions in the customer’s mind listed above. Do you have a strong About Us page with testimonials or certifications displayed to ease shoppers about who you are? Are the benefits of the product and your value propositions properly laid out and easy to find on your website? Are those messages repeated throughout? Does your product show availability, estimated shipping time and your shipping policy?

These are all things you need to address and consider in helping your website visitors make a faster and easier buying decision. Focus on doing all five of these things well and you’ll see happier customers and a much healthier bottom line.