Three Words That Can Roadblock Your Sales!

There’s a seemingly small mistake lots of online sellers make that can actually roadblock their sales! It has to do with 3 little words that could act like a barricade to the customer. What are they?

The 3 words are “Thanks for looking.” A lot of Etsians use them near the end of their product write-ups. How could these innocent little words be a roadblock to sales?

First, let’s find out why sellers like to use this sentence. When asked, most say they feel so thankful toward shoppers who spend time looking at their products, that this is a way to show their appreciation.

While it certainly is true that we never, ever want to take our prospective customers for granted, is this the best way to show our appreciation? What is it about these words that could make them a roadblock to sales?

Imagine you are a customer, visiting an Etsy Shop. You are searching for a particular item and are reading through the product description to see if it has all the features you want. You’re totally focused on the merchandise. You see it’s available in more than one color. Great! You wonder, “If I were to buy, would I purchase it in the soft green or the deep burgundy?” As you get to the bottom of the product description, you are hit with “Thanks for looking.”

Suddenly your focus has been interrupted and you are jolted into realizing that you don’t have to decide which color or even whether to buy the item, you could just look. Inadvertently, this seller has possibly lost your purchase!

Here’s how it works: While the customer is reading the product description, she’s moving along mentally from considering the item … to thinking about owning the item … to which style or color to purchase. She’s gaining momentum toward that purchase, exactly what we want her to do! Hitting her in the face with “Thanks for looking” instantly breaks that momentum and, like a car hitting a roadblock, causes a crash. We have possibly derailed our sale!

Why is that? Like subliminal advertising, this phrase has an unwritten last half: “Thanks for looking … rather than buying.” We (the seller!) are reminding her that, despite her fascination with our product, she doesn’t have to buy it!

Avoid those 3 not-so-innocent little words! Don’t roadblock the customer’s forward momentum!

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