One of the most important parts of sales is learning how to influence buyers effectively. The trick is learning how to influence buyers, without pressuring them. Pressure has become a poison pill in sales, and will drive away prospects in droves. Using the proper marketing and sales techniques to influence buyers, without adding pressure to the sales process, will help ensure that they see the value in your products and services. Learning to influence buyers effectively isn’t difficult, but does require in-depth knowledge of what your prospects are looking for, and where they’re looking.

Weighty Recommendations

Peer reviews are still an extremely important way to influence buyers. A majority of people will conduct some type of research before deciding to buy a product. Some of that research will include finding out what other people are saying about that product. While you can’t control reviews appearing on other sites, you can provide beneficial reviews on your own website and social media pages. Don’t try to fake it! It’s better to have no reviews than to get caught providing fake endorsements. Encourage your customers to provide you with reviews of your products, and then post those reviews for other prospects to see. When a prospect sees that their peers have had success with your business, they’re more likely to view you favorably.

Right Place, Right Time

When your prospects are doing research, their searches can take them to many different places. If you’re not present in those places, you’ll have a hard time trying to influence buyers. It’s important to diversify your marketing campaigns to cover a variety of channels. These can, and should, include traditional media, social media, websites, and mobile. You want to be the primary source of information about your business. If you leave any gaps in the coverage that creates an opening for another business to step in and influence buyers that may have been looking for you. Analyzing your prospects’ research methods will help you decide where your efforts can best be applied.

Easy Reading

The content you provide will only influence buyers if they take the time to read it. If your content is difficult to navigate or read, prospective buyers will just look elsewhere. Make sure your websites follow standard design practices, with lots of white space and easy navigation prompts. You should also be using landing pages for different buyer personas, so not everybody ends up on the same page. Landing pages provide tailored information for particular interests, making it easy for buyers to quickly find what they’re looking for. If you want to influence buyers effectively, a well-designed website that is easy to navigate is a great start. When prospects come looking for information, they don’t want to waste a lot of time digging. When they find a website that makes their search easier, they’ll see an immediate value in the company that provides that website.