To stand out above the crowd,

particularly if you are an online business, the 7 Question Method is a great tool to help your business dramatically boost sales as well as being recognised as a business that listens to its customers.

Answer the 7 questions honestly, on behalf of your customers and you will be 95% ahead of your competition.

So, regardless of whether you are selling physical products or services, either offline or online, you need to make sure that in all your business’s promotions and marketing, that you answer these 7 questions for your prospects:

Question 1: What is the biggest problem this solves? (And what other problems does it solve)

You may think it is obvious, for example that if you are selling dog leashes, that the problem that it solves is the dog running away.

But however obvious it may seem, if you don’t spell it out to the potential customer in your description of your product or service, you will make less sales.

People like you to do the thinking for them, and perhaps there are multiple benefits they may not have considered and there you are, spelling them out to them.

Question 2: What makes this product unique?

Every product, even generic no-brand products, can be positioned as unique in some way.

Some products are of course easier to do this with than others.  But if you do not spell out at least one reason why this product is unique and different to other products they may already be considering, then you will make less sales.

For example, selling socks is difficult because there are thousand and one competitors out there, so describing the socks and what they are made from and how they provide durable, moisture-absorbing performance, no matter what sport you play, makes the difference.

Question 3: How long will it take to arrive?

People want instant gratification. If it is a physical product then they want to know they’ll receive the product fast. If it is a digital product or service, then spell it out that the customer will get immediate access to the product.

If it is a physical product, be clear WHERE it’s being shipped from, and how long it will take.

The quicker the better as far as the customer is concerned.

Question 4: Why do I need to buy now?

There should be at least 1, if not more, good reasons to buy this product right now.

This can be a price scarcity, a limited quantity that you have in stock, it could be that they get an additional bonus for buying today, or you could simply point out the opportunity cost of not having that item for another day.

For example, ’Do not wait until the mice in your cupboard chews holes in your favourite clothes, order now before it is too late’.

Question 5: How do I know my purchase is safe and secure?

People still worry about giving out their credit card details.

If you use PayPal or Apple Pay or Google Pay, there is always that added trust, but outside of those, you can still get a security seal that shows your credit card processing is secure.

Question 6: Is this product demonstrated in a way that makes people say wow?

To get this message across, images and/or video are a must.  You need people to say to themselves ‘Wow, this is great, I must have one now’. Describing the benefits to your products rather than the features encourages customers to experience that ‘Wow’ factor.

Question 7: What do others think of this product?

Testimonials are critical here but if you cannot gather any, then the next best thing is to demonstrate the product yourself and provide your own review of it.  This is the way to go, particularly if you are just starting out selling the product and it has no reviews so far.

Ok, so that is the 7 Question Method.  Write it down, turn it into a checklist and make sure that every item or service that you sell answers these questions.

You can even run a series of split tests on your products or services, adding in this information into your copy.  Guaranteed you will see some increased conversion rates by adopting the 7 Question Method. Also, have some fun with it.