=================================== Creating A Winning Order Form That Makes The Sale By Yanik Silver =================================== Most people don't pay enough attention to their order forms (or worse, they have no order form). The majority of sales are abandoned online at the order form or the shopping cart page. Translation – tons of lost revenue. That’s why right now I’m going to give you some simple tips and a few examples to try and squeeze out more profit for you just by making a few simple changes. Your order form needs to reassure the prospect they're making a wise decision, restate all the benefits and the irresistible offer, plus be extremely simple to fill out. Your order form needs to make such a compelling case for your product that it could stand on its own. You want to think about your order form as a “mini pitch” for your offer. In fact, that's the way I would judge an order form. Step back and consider for a moment if somebody just clicked on the "order now" link, would they be compelled to order? If not, rework your form with more compelling copy. But on top of copy changes there are some basic elements that I see missing in the majority of sites I review. So let’s start at the top… Order form mistake #1: Calling it an Order Form. Gee, how exciting. Think headlines – your order should also have a headline. In the past I’ve successfully used… * "Risk Free Trial Action Form" * " Acceptance Form" * "100% Risk-Free Activation Request" Order form mistake #2: No assurance of security. On our order forms right up top we use a “secure key” graphic so people won’t feel nervous about giving their credit card information. Yes, some people are still a bit nervous about handing over their credit cards online even though millions of transactions are run per day – but only if someone gets their credit card data hacked does it make big news. I’ve also seen secure certificates, Hacker-safe, BBB Online, etc. all used to help alleviate concerns about safety and security. Order form mistake #3: Not written in customer’s own, excited voice. I use a very similar order form format as mail order advertisers have used for decades usually starting with the word "Yes" (which is a very powerful selling word!). Then I use the prospect's own voice to restate the offer and the guarantee. This helps solidify the order in their heads. Order form mistake #4: Making it too hard to order from you. I’m sure you’ve been frustrated more than once trying to fill out an order form and just said, "Screw it" and left. Use a clean layout for all fields (name, address, email, etc.). Another thing to keep in mind is how much information you are asking for. Typically the less information you ask for, the easier it is for customers to purchase. But don’t get me wrong – ask for a home phone number if you are going to use it. It’s better to have data and not use it than to wish you had it later on. Also, pay attention to giving explicit directions to the customer. Will they get a password immediately? Will they need to hit “continue”? Will they have to give their credit card information to Paypal? Whatever the case is, don’t leave them guessing. The biggest secret to a user-friendly order form is to have a few friends and colleagues try your order process and tell you what they think. On top of the four main mistakes – let me also give you a few optional elements you can consider… 1. Testimonials. Sometimes I like to include an extra testimonial or two on the order page. This is another small help to push fence-sitters over to whipping out their credit cards. 2. Checkboxes. I haven’t tested this – but one prominent online marketer found an increase when he made customer manually check the box next to "YES." You can also let them check off boxes next to each bonus to build up the "yes" momentum. 3. Photos of the product. 4. Upsells. This is huge and usually overlooked by most people. This little “magic trick” can instantly increase your profits 20-66% even without getting any additional business or website visitors. It works great because your prospect is all hot and heavy and ready to buy. They’ve got their credit card in their hand and they’ve already made the commitment.Make the upsell something that goes hand-in-hand with what you’re selling and you’ll see a nice increase in sales. Even the “big boys” do this. Try buying a book on Amazon and you’ll see a couple recommendations that automatically are featured. I guarantee you’ll be surprised by the results of a good upsell. Here’s a little order form “cheat sheet” for you: * Assurance of security and safety * Affirmative excited, first-person voice * Restate guarantee * Restate bonuses * Necessary elements like (name, address, etc) * Specific instructions * Possible checkboxes * Possible photo of product * Possible additional testimonial * Possible additional upsells Now the last thing is when should you write your order form? Some people tell you don't save the order form for after you've created your sales letter because by that time you'll have run out of energy and excitement. And for a good order form you really need to muster up all the excitement and energy you can! Or the flip side is creating your sales letter and then take the best elements and include in your order form. Personally, I create my order forms after the sales letter – but see what works best for you. Bottom line – your order form needs to make it as easy as possible for people to give you their money and now you know what to include. ========================================================== Yanik Silver is recognized as the leading expert on creating automatic, moneymaking websites...and he still doesn't know how to put up a website. He is the author, co-author or creator of several best- selling resources including - http://www.InstantSalesLetters.com ==========================================================