Imagine that a customer has just made a purchase through your website, and is excited about the prospect of owning your product. However, as a couple of days pass and the buyer awaits delivery of his product, his initial excitement quickly wanes. In a moment of reflection, he wonders if he made a mistake by committing to a purchase. Thoughts of canceling the order cross his mind.
What you have just read is a common experience that most businesses face. Chances are that you have experienced it yourself before as a buyer. This tinge of regret following a purchase is surprisingly common; so much that it has earned a name: Buyer’s Remorse.
Buyer’s remorse is the great enemy of customer satisfaction, and one that every Internet-based and mail-order business will face time and time again.
Buyer’s remorse is the number-one reason that customers call in to cancel their orders. It is also one of the most common reasons behind refused deliveries and credit card chargebacks. Even companies that offer the highest-quality products face the issue of buyer’s remorse from time to time. No one is immune. |
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How to Shatter Buyer’s Remorse Once and for All
Fortunately, there are three simple approaches you can take to dramatically reduce buyer’s remorse – or even eliminate it altogether.
The first approach is the one most commonly used and easy to implement: instant order confirmations.
When a buyer places an order over the Internet they often experience zero human contact, and are left with no tangible feeling that they have received value. Most Internet orders, after all, end with the buyer typing in their credit card information and being presented with a receipt.
By setting your website up to automatically send a personal e-mail confirmation following an order, you can deliver a sense of immediate reassurance that will calm even the most anxious buyer. The best e-mail confirmation include a personalized letter from the owner of the business thanking the buyer and reassuring them that you are there to help.
As an added bonus, personalized confirmation e-mails will also drastically cut down on worried customers calling to check on their orders. The removal of such a time-consuming hassle can go straight to your bottom line.
The second technique for sweeping buyer’s remorse away is to send a personal note by mail as soon as the order is placed. The note should contain reassuring words congratulating the buyer on their purchase, and asserting that they made the right choice. The note will have considerably more impact if it is also hand-signed by a manager or the business owner, and is personalized with the customer’s name.
Such a note has the effect of pre-emptively rooting out any feelings of buyer’s remorse before they even have a chance to take hold. This simple technique, by itself, will reduce your returns by at least 60%, guaranteed. In most instances, I have seen returns drop by 80-90% within a week of implementing this approach, provided the company sells a high-quality product.
The final, and most decisive, way to remove all traces of buyer’s remorse is to over-deliver on your promises. If your business ships products out to buyers, you might consider including samples of your other items. You may also consider including a personalized guide to getting the most out of the product.
Professional service providers may have the opportunity to include a certificate good for a follow-up consultation, or sample magazine articles that you have authored in the past. Reinforcing your image as an expert will often fill the customer with pride at having made a smart choice in hiring you.
How to Turn Buyer’s Remorse to Your Advantage
By reassuring a normally-anxious buyer and over delivering on your promises, you make use of a principle known as the law of contrast.
Customers who experience buyer’s remorse often visualize themselves receiving less than they were promised. If you over-deliver - even by a tiny amount - the buyer will find their anxiety instantly transformed into relief and contentment, which creates a tremendous sense of emotional satisfaction within them.
In fact, people who normally experience buyer’s remorse will actually appreciate and enjoy the little extra effort you put in… often much more than an easy-going customer would.
These customers, who might have otherwise returned your product, suddenly become loyal buyers and patrons of your company. Naturally, people who normally experience buyer’s remorse will be hesitant to try out any of your competitors once they realize that you over-delivered on your promises and put their persistent fears and anxieties to rest.
Using This Technique to Secure Even More Customers
I always say “strike while the iron is hot.” This principle is particularly helpful in sales situations. From the moment that your customer is enjoying the satisfaction and emotional relief you provided her, you have a window of opportunity to tap into their enthusiasm for even more sales.
There is no better time to sell to someone than after they have just made a purchase with you, especially if were pleased with the result. This is also an ideal time to motivate your customer to refer other buyers to you. For that reason, be sure to send a follow-up note to your satisfied customer three to five days after they receive their purchase, asking for another order or – even better – giving them a chance to refer their friends to your website.
Good customer service is an essential part of any business. However, the savvy marketer quickly realizes the sales opportunities that these situations present.
Daniel Lorente is the author of How To Prosper in the Coming Recession and The Unfair Advantage Guide to Attracting All The Customers You Can Handle. President of the Aphelion Marketing Institute, he gives seminars and publishes Internet Sales Review magazine for professionals across the world. Daniel Lorente also speaks at conferences and trains executives on becoming more persuasive.
Daniel can be reached at 1-800-440-8057, or by e-mail at daniel@aphelionmarketing.com.
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