One sales mistake that easily cost me $1 million: Thinking that, when a prospect started raising objections, it meant I’d lost the sale. But here’s what I’ve since realized. May be, they have only 2 reasons why people don’t buy from you:
1) What you’re selling, they are not interested in
2) They don’t trust you
Objections don’t put a sign of failure – It’s a natural part of successful sales process. The real enemy isn’t your competition. It’s the status quo. It’s people’s natural resistance to change, even when it’s in their best interest. When you’re selling, you’re not just battling other companies – you’re fighting against inertia.
You can win this battle by homing in on 3 critical elements:
- Offer a high-quality, well-designed, simple solution
- Build trust through social proof and consistency
- Craft persuasive copy with clear calls-to-action
In this newsletter, we’ll break down the 7 main reasons people don’t buy and show you how to tackle each one. The Key to Creating Content That Converts. But now, back to the 7 Reasons People Don’t Buy from you.
Reason 1: Your Product Lacks Quality
Quality is the ultimate pattern interrupt. The word is only getting noisier. What that means:
1) Persuasive marketing is harder than ever.
2) Word of mouth is more important than ever.
You can’t fake word of mouth. That’s why it’s never been more important to obsess over product quality. I follow one rule for this: “Improve until they tell” – i.e. until your product is so good your customers tell their friends about it without you asking, it’s not good enough.
Make no mistake – this is hard. Founder OS isn’t there yet. We’re trying. Great products take time to build. But poor products never make it.
Reason 2: Your Design Confuses Them
Taste is the ultimate competitive advantage. I sometimes spend 30 minutes selecting the intro song for my next YouTube video. Many people will tell you that’s a waste of time. I disagree.
If your company is a restaurant, your product is the meal, and the design is the interior. Some founders tell me: “I don’t have great taste” To which I reply: “Well, me neither – I just copy what I think looks good to me.
Great taste isn’t something you have. It’s something you build. Whenever you come across a design that stuns you, save it in a photos folder. Build a mood board. Then emulate it for your brand.
Reason 3: Your Offer Is Too Complex
If it is, people won’t get it. Then simply, they will not buy it. The answer?
Use simple words to boil your message down. And make it crazy clear. Make it so simple, they can’t say no. My rule for this: The Starbucks Test. How to do it:
1) Write down your offer on a one-pager and print it
2) Next time you’re in Starbucks (or any café), walk up to a stranger
3) Tell them “I’ll buy you another coffee if you can take 5 mins to read this”
4) Have them read the one-pager and explain your offer to you
5) If they can’t do it, your offer is too complex
Reason 4: You Don’t Show Enough Social Proof
People follow the crowd. If they don’t see others buying, they won’t buy either. When you lead with your offer, people ask “Will this work for me?” When you lead with social proof, people ask “What’s your offer?” So:
Display outcomes, share success stories via showing off happy customers.
For example: Get testimonials and case studies like your business depends on it (because it does).
Reason 5: Your Brand Is Inconsistent
An inconsistent brand is like a book where each chapter is written by a different author:
The disjointed narrative makes readers lose interest.
Your brand should be like a Michelin-star restaurant:
Create an operational, yet magical, experience over and over again.
How to do it:
Over-communicate with your creative team
Have clear brand guidelines your writers & creative can follow
Have your marketing, product, and design teams work together (not in silos)
Because to your customers, the saying “how you do one thing is how you do everything” always holds true.
Reason 6: Your Copy Doesn’t Persuade
Most people think world-class copy means crazy persuasion tactics. I disagree. Trust isn’t built through ads. It’s earned through consistent, authentic content.
World-class copy, like a top-notch salesperson, is about speaking about the prospect’s feelings. If you read this, I know you’re making less money than you’d want to. And that’s okay. I also know you’re curious about building a personal brand. But a part of you still doubts the opportunity. Because I know that, I can adjust this newsletter to suit your unique thoughts.
To write persuasive copy:
1) Spend 80% of your time understanding the customer
2) Talk to your customer’s problems, desires, and fears in your copy
3) Sprinkle persuasive tactics on top of that
Reason 7: Your Calls-to-Action Are Unclear
Picture this -You’re back in high school, and you want to ask your crush out for a date. So like any teenager, you put in way too much preparation:
You pick your best outfit
You perfect your hairstyle
You pick the perfect situation to ask them out
After class, you walk over to your crush’s seat. You open your mouth. But your mumble is incomprehensible. “I was thinking… we… could… maybe…” That was painful to watch, right?
You can NAIL your product, marketing, and brand……but if your prospects don’t know what you want them to do, they won’t do it. Make a clear ask that makes taking action simple.
