If you want to develop attention-getting Internet sales tactics, you have to adapt your marketing efforts to your potential customer's mindset. Think about what they want to buy, not about what you want to sell. If your Web site is going to be successful you have to stop people in their tracks.

There are five types of people who regularly visit web sites and they all want something different from you. One group of Internet purchasers are Directed Information Seekers. These are people are focused. They are looking for specific information that's timely and relevant.

Car buyers fit this profile. People will spend months researching before they make their purchase. Chrysler (www.chrylser.com) and G.M (www.gm.com) both do a good job catering to this type of buyer in their Web sites, giving lots of information about each line.

Make sure your Web site provides the information customers regularly request about your products. Don't hesitate to give them generic product-use information which may not directly relate to your product or service. For example, a camera manufacturer might give tips on how to take award-winning pictures.

Always separate generic information from your sales pitch. Otherwise you risk making buyers feel manipulated. Definitely drop in a teaser about your product as a separate element on the same page. The key is not to avoid salesmanship but to separate it.

The next group of people who purchase on the Internet are called Undirected Information Seekers. Some people just like to browse, looking for anything of interest, something useful, something unexpected or something that offers insight. They are likely to buy something that interests them.

For example, many of the airlines offer travel planning on their Web sites, such as Delta Airlines (www.delta.com). While visitors who are looking for airline reservations they can look at entire vacation packages as well.

Whatever information categories you decide to include, make sure they fit your business profile. Pick categories that potential customers for your products and services will find appealing. Trade publications are a good source of this type of information.

The third category of Internet buyers are Bargain Hunters. This group of people are looking for free things: samples, prizes, or anything given away. A good example of this is Microsoft's Web site (www.microsoft.com). Their site lets you download free software. Offering free things on your Web site will certainly attract attention to your Web pages, but remember that your site is a tool to help you sell.

When you offer something for free it is always a good idea to make the visitor sit through a

sales presentation to get it. Promote on-site games, contests, and discounts. Remember, bargain hunters want to justify their on-line investment. Help them.

The fourth category of Internet purchasers are Entertainment Seekers. As an entertainment medium the Web may not equal television, but it does offer a great way to present information. The most successful sites and blogs are those that present information that make visitors feel good about themselves because they're learning and this in turn keeps their attention.

Converting an entertainment seeker into a buyer is difficult. The best way to do it is to create advertising on your site that sells your product and provides entertainment value. In other words you want to create a television infomercial on your site.

The final Internet purchasing group, are Directed Buyers. This group is usually looking for a particular item or a gift idea, and they want to buy right now. This is definitely a group that you should cater to. Make them part of your target market.

The three things to remember when you target direct buyers is to make sure that the benefits of buying from you are clear, make it easy to order, and make the entire process, from selection to purchase as easy as possible.

If you want your Web site to be successful you have to realize that the Internet is not a mass medium but rather a collection of niche markets. If you try to appeal to everyone you will fail. If you want your site to be successful and profitable you need to appeal to one of the specific groups of purchasers.

Copyright©2006 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

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