Have you ever bought something and then thought that maybe you’ve made a huge mistake?
I know I did – when I made my biggest purchase ever – my house.
In fact, when I bought my house, I experienced a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows so much so that I felt physically sick for days.
I soon learned that this is a common experience and one that often occurs with purchases big and small. It is normal consumer behaviour and is known as ‘buyer’s remorse’.
Have you ever experienced a case of buyer’s remorse? Has anyone ever done 180 on you and called or written looking to return what they’ve just bought from you?
We all have experience with this in some way or another, but here’s a simple and effective way to minimize this problem with just one letter – the ‘Stick’ letter.
Stick letters are sent to customers directly after a sale to do three things:
- Reinforce that they made a wise decision
- Thank them for making such a wise decision
- Ask them to send you more money (yes that’s right!).
You see, people feel powerful before they’ve made the decision to buy (‘I can buy or I can choose not to buy’). But after they’ve purchased, their options have vanished, they’re tied in, and they start to panic.
Whatever you’re selling, people will be scouring review sites and testimonials to validate their choices and convince themselves they got a great deal. People want to make smart choices and they look for affirmation from other people to confirm this.
Don’t make them look for it! Send them a letter with a great review or a customer testimonial. Reassure them that they’ve made the right decision and congratulate them on being one of the smart ones who can see the value in their purchase.
I guarantee it’ll make them feel better about themselves – and about you.
And what’s more, once you’ve got them feeling all warm and fuzzy about their purchase it’s a great time to introduce them to or remind them about a complementary product or back-end service that you offer. There’s no better time to offer a targeted upsell than when they’re feeling good about a purchase they’ve already made with you.
So remember, include praise for making a good decision; take them on a brief tour of their purchase and remind them of the benefits they can expect to achieve; tell them about any add-ons they might like and can buy from you – it’s all about adding value.
These points and a good old-fashioned ‘Thank you’ will go a long way in reducing returns and refunds.