Granted, I'm more than a little jaded, but I ask this question of my fellow marketers to see if you entertain the same question. Every once in a while, I set out to scrutinize other people's sales pages, frankly just to learn from them, and to see if there is something I can borrow for my own sales pages to make them better, or at least to convert better. I do much of this research in my inbox, so naturally, most of it is Internet Marketing pitches, which has little to do with my niches. But heck, selling is selling, even if subtle and subliminal. I also check out my competiton, though none of my competition is a direct match to what I am doing online.

I check out how these offers communicate emotionally and objectively. What snags me? What do they need to say to draw me in? What turns me off and causes me to reach for the delete button? We've got to find those "hot buttons" and play them. I have many hot buttons, and also know when someone is playing them, and that often offends me and loses the sale. It's a tricky, delicate balance. Get 'em, but don't offend 'em. Do we buy even when we know we are being manipulated? Yes, I do all the time. So what makes the difference? Crossing the line for me is "predictability", expecting a different result from the same action, basically the same offer that has not worked before. So why would I trust the same idea, the same approach, yada, yada, yada? Once the buyer is convinced that you have nothing new or special to sell or impart, you lose him. What constitutes a believable convincing offer that will cause a person to pull out his/her credit card and joyfully make that purchase? What makes the person hopeful that you have supplied "the answer" to their dream? Why would you buy the same product from one person and not from the other? What would keep them from returning the product for a refund?

This is what I think. Integrity shows. Integrity wins. Also, your reputation precedes you. That's why building a reputation over the Internet in your niche is important. When people see your name a lot in connection with good advice and a good product, they will tend to believe you when you have a new product to sell. When your product, whatever it is, was of value to them once, then they will trust your product will be of value again. But, don't let them down. Over deliver and don't make promises that you can't keep. Also, don't drop people in a ditch. I've bought so many programs from very bright marketers. Frankly, at the time I bought them, I was not savvy enough online to make these programs profitable, and there was not any back up or support, so I would have been better off taking my money to a good restaurant and having a nice dinner.

Hence, once again, the brilliance of Kyle and Carson, who recognized the need and created WA.

Presentation communicates a world of information. I'm not talking fancy graphics, though I love interesting graphics. I think all of us get an emotional message from the visuals, whether we're conscious of it or not. We get an immediate impression the moment we open to a page. The "look" of it can draw us in or repel us. It tells us something about the product and the seller. If your page looks sleezy, then people will most likely click off if they themselves are not sleezy. If you're selling a sleezy product to a sleezy audience, then maybe it'll work. I think it's all in knowing your audience. The visuals play to the audience as much as what you are selling and what you are communicating in your text. You know, in sales they say mimick the person you are selling? No, not make fun of them, just "match" them so they will be comfortable with you.

The Internet is saturated with Internet Marketing "how to's". That's fine. So how do you set yourself apart? Be original in some way. Stand out. Make sure every product you sell is the best one. Be responsive to your buyer. Be real. In my case, I sell a physical product. Why should they buy it from me? Honestly, don't know. So far, I have pulled out the stops, supplying value everywhere I can and there's plenty more where that came from. Will it pay off substantially? So far, it's working in my favor at least, and in everybody else's favor too. At least, I'm building Internet credibility, and that's what it's about. And I can sleep at night.

As a consumer, newness and freshness are important to me. When I walk into a store, I like to see activity. I like be be stimulated with new things. If you see the same things all the time, you become imuned. After a while, you don't see anything. Same rule online. To be noticed, I think you need a fresh approach, different layout than the competition, different structure, different close. Maybe a softer sell. I'm so tired of the typical "call to action" which is buy now because price goes up at midnight.

Join in guys. Your shared thoughts are always appreciated.