Are You an Impulse Shopper? ~ Focus and Action for Online Entrepreneurs

Are You an Impulse Shopper?

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Marketers know a little bit about the human mind and the human psyche. They’ve done testing and experiments to see how it all works. Why do you think all the artificially colored, favorite cartoon character cereal boxes are at kid level? Why are there magazines and chocolate at the check out? All of these things are done to get us to buy on impulse.

It works too. There are many times when I go to the store with a list. I get everything on the list. We get to the check out with a cart full of healthy food and then my husband ends up throwing in a ton of candy and crap. He’s a terrible impulse shopper. Me… I know their tricks and I’m not going to give them the satisfaction.

The same techniques that work in the grocery store work online as well. Can you say one time offer? Not only is this impulse buying, it’s fear of something being taken away, fear of not buying something that can change your life, fear of missing out… these tactics are used because they work. They increase sales and increase profits for marketers.

But they suck.

I’m sure you’ve seen on a sales page where it says we’re offering it at this low price… but we could raise the price ANY MINUTE!! This tactic is rarely true ~ rarely do people come back in and change their price from $47 to $97. (although we actually did that at Learnit lol ~ it went up incrementally as more people came ~ but that was for a launch and now the price is steady and has been for months) That tactic is used to get you to buy NOW. They don’t want you to think about your decision, they want you to be moved by their amazing sales page and then feel compelled to buy NOW.

So how do you keep from being sucked in to good sales copy and impulse shopper techniques? I’ve come up with a 5 things to think about before you buy(because the price changing thing used to get me a LOT ~ and I’ve got a 1/2 ton of pdfs on my computer to prove it!).

1. Be clear in your business model.

When you are clear on what you’re doing and doing one strategy at a time it is much easier to see if a product is or isn’t needed.

2. Identify places you are having trouble making the business model work for you.

I’m not saying don’t buy anything ever (although it might be interesting to see how life changes with a 6 month buying freeze lol), I’m saying only buy things that you need to improve your business. What YOU are doing RIGHT NOW. (not stuff you think you might need 6 months from now, when this does that or the other thing does the other thing)

3. Be clear about what you need from a product.

If you need help with keyword research ~ that’s where you’re having trouble in your business then find a product that addresses THAT need. Don’t get sucked into a whole different internet marketing strategy product because you’re having trouble with kw research in what you’re already doing.

What I’m saying is if you’re building squidoo lenses and you’re having trouble with keyword research ~ look at micro niche finder ~ not Commission Ritual. Stick with products that will help you overcome whatever obstacle is currently in your way ~ not products that lead you down a whole new path.

4. Identify how much you’re willing/can afford to spend.

Another product is probably never going to change you business so much that it’s worth not paying your rent over. Set your budget and stick to it. If you can’t afford something you really want/need then save up until you can, or find a cheaper alternative you can afford until you can get what you really want.

5. Make sure you know about the product BEFORE you buy it.

This is a key one. You can NOT just google “product name review” for internet marketing products because every affiliate and their brother has created a page that looks like a review but you don’t know if they’ve actually used the product, if they actually liked the product or if they have just slapped up a review the product owner gave them in the affiliate tools section. Do some research before you buy the product. Make sure it fits the top 4 requirements I listed here. It’s important to know about the product before you buy because there’s a lot of junk out there ~ and there’s no sense wasting good money on something that’s not going to move your business forward.

How do I find out if the product is really good or not?

I feel in some ways I’ve been doing you a disservice here. I have a lot of products on my hard drive. I’ve read them, used them mostly and I haven’t told you about most any of them.

I’m going to start regularly writing product reviews so if you’re thinking about a product you can get a feel for what I thought of it, and if it will fit the top 5 requirements for purchasing a product.

Please know I do NOT expect you to buy everything I review, but I do want to provide a place where you can find real reviews on a variety of products.

If you are looking to buy something you will be able to check out the product review category here. If I haven’t reviewed the product you’re thinking about buying I suggest you try Rosiland Carter’s Review section. I trust her implicitly and you will find a lot of things I haven’t and probably won’t use there. The other place you can try is Lynn Terry’s Clicknewz (you’ll probably have to use the search box and look for whatever you’re looking for). I would also suggest you ask at The SSWT forum, you’re likely to get an honest answer there.

I do not recommend you just go to any internet marketing forum and ask ~ chances are you won’t get an honest or knowledgeable answer ~ make sure if you ask in a forum it’s one you’re familiar with and have built a relationship with some people there.

If you are thinking of buying a product and I haven’t done a review yet, just ask me. I’ll let you know if I have it and what I thought of it to help you decide if it will be a good fit for you and your business.

No related posts.

February 4, 2010 By Jackie Lee 17 Comments

Kay@sell-you-things-on-ebay

Hey, Jackie,

Talk about impulse!

I had never heard of backlinking services to I clicked the link you had for Angela's and yes I bought it. Of course 30 days for free was a very good incentive. And I DO plan on using it.

Thanks for such good information and you make everything very easy to understand.

Kay

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Bernita

This was so helpful Jackie,

I have products on my computer that I haven't even looked at yet. I have a tendency to purchase something because its recommended by someone I trust instead of because I need it.

I will have to remember that when your reviewing and recommending a product that I ask myself, do I really need that?

Thanks Jackie!

Jackie

I do have the Lynn's backlink package. They are totally different types of backlinking. The backlink package will have you going from site to site. You will be looking around for a place to create a link ~ maybe a blog to comment on, a forum to put a link in the profile area ~ a forum to comment on with a sig file.

For ME it is tedious and time consuming. I spoke with a friend earlier today who has no problem doing it.

So if you don't want to write ~ and can handle what can be a bit frustrating (finding where where you can link on the site given) of going from site to site and creating links I'd say it will work for you. The benefit of it is that it's a one time payment. However ~ if you're not going to use it then it's wasted money.

IF you don't know if you'll be able to follow through with the backlink packets I suggest you try this first. Angela's Backlink Packets are the same type of thing you're going to get in Lynn's packet. This is a monthly service but it's very cheap and you can test it and see if you'll be able to follow through with it. If you can ~ then I'd say it would definitely be worth it to get Lynn's packet.

If you like to write and find that easy I'd say go with UAW.

Cindy@Diamond Heart Pendants

That's the problem, I don't really like to write (I was outsourcing my writing when I was using UAW), so I will definitely try Angela's Backlink Package... hell, you can't beat the price! The first 30 days are FREE (I can do FREE LOL) and then it is only $5/month after that!

I'm a little confused though, I thought you had to write articles to get moved up in Google, but you are talking like you can either write articles or do this kinda backlinking. Is that correct?

Thanks!

Cindy

To move up google search results you need to create backlinks ~ how you create those is up to you. It is good to have a variety of link types ~ so it's good to choose a few types of linking you'll do and do some of each of them regularly.

Hiya Jackie!

This post comes at a great time for me because I have been wrestling with buying Lynn Terry's 5000 Backlinks package for $97 or resigning up for UAW. I had originally signed up for UAW, but I had to let it go around Christmas. I really liked what UAW did for my sites, but the $67/month got to be a little too much. So, now I'm at a point where I really need to get going with backlinks, but I cannot decide which would be better... do you think you could help me? I know you have used UAW before, but how about this 5000 Backlinks package. Have you used it?

Kelly @ Bonsai Tool Sets

It's easy to avoid impulse shopping when you don't have any money :D I kid, (a little) but being broke has helped me focus on purchasing only what really applies to what I'm doing.

The only things I've really spent money on are OWM, MNF and a handful of PLR packs - and they're all things I use just about every day. But I REALLY want The Best Spinner - I was using the beta version and absolutely fell in love. I was able to do 10 articles in the time I used to do 2 or 3. Unfortunately, the price doubles tomorrow, for real, and I won't be able to purchase it until later in the month. That's a bummer- but I think it's worth it, even at the full price.

RonPassfield@squidoomarketing

Jackie, this is very sound advice. I, too, have heaps of stuff and forget what I've got.

I also get a shock at tax time. Like Jean I am putting myself on a no-buy diet for a time.

Three other things I am going to do:
1. Buy only what I need to advance my three priority goals this year
2. Build a membership site - to recoup some of what I have outlayed, provide a bonus for another product I'm marketing and help me find things (it will all be categorized - finally!!)
3. Save some of my online income to buy a CamRecorder to use for video marketing (having this goal helps me evaluate a product - do I want it more than my CamRecorder?)

Airzone-Spring-Trampoline

Jackie--great post as usual--I act just like you in the impulse sections of the world. I skip right on by and it feels great. I consider myself an anti-consumer of sorts, but that is always a work in progress.

As a side note, I hit a major milestone last night...I made my first sale. I wanted you to know that I owe that success directly to you. I don't follow anyone else like I follow your advice and tactics and after 2.5 months of taking action it finally happened.

Thank you very, very much for the services you provide to your viewers. Folks, listen to everything this women has to say. It works!

WOO HOOOOO!! YAY for first sales!! congrats!!

Jean

Jackie,

I have to admit that I am the poster child for impulse buying. When I got all my business expenses together for my 2010 taxes, I was MORTIFIED at the amount of money I spent in 2009 on stuff. Some I didn't even remember buying.

I've made myself a promise to not buy anything I'm not going to use within the next 14 days - we shall see how I do.

Also, I use http://www.imreportcard.com for real world product reviews. You can find info on people, services and products, and most have comments by those that have had experience with the product/person/service. This is my go to site and it has made me change my mind on more than one occassion about a purchase.

Thanks,

Hi Bea~

It completely depends on the product for me. If it's a good product that will help move people forward I will promote it or recommend it. I can't control how they right the sales page ~ I don't particularly like the time thing either ~ but the fact is it works to get people to buy ~ the product owner is in it to make money.

While I'm in it to make money as well ~ my first priority is to recommend good products, with good content that can help people more forward in their business.

So yes, if it's a good product I will still recommend it even if there are some impulse shopper techniques included .

Bea

Thanks so much for the info. I recently got several emails from 'gurus' talking about what to look for in a product if I'm interested in promoting it, and they all included the 'time sensitive' or 'price will go up' as part of the criteria. I've heard that it works, but I detest it and it never works on me.

So, that said, how do you stand on marketing products that use this technique. I'm not saying its dishonest (sometimes yes, sometimes no), I'm just saying I personally don't care for it.

Julie@Buy Sleeping Bags.org

I totally get this. My computer (like Brendas) is filled with SEO guides that I read once and discarded because the information was something I already knew or painfully obvious. This is why I appreciate when you and PotPieGirl recommend products. I know that if either of you are singing it's praises - it must be something good.

Julie

Thanks Debbie ~ I struggled with this one a bit. I don't want people to think I am recommending they buy everything I review ~ but do think it's important people have a reliable resource for information before they buy. So thanks for the encouragement!

Bcarter

I totally know what you mean about impulse buying. My hard drive is littered with stuff too. I have so much, that the other day I bought a $7 report that I already had as part of a membership site that I belong to.

For me last year was the year of the impulse buy, this year is the year of putting all of that info to good use.

Brenda

Debbie

Way to go Jackie,
Yes, you need to tell us about products and make some money while you are at it too. I for one, would like to know about products that I know you like and use, and also want to thank you with any commissions you might get, because you help me so much to grow my business. I have been looking at micro niche finder for a while now, and think that might be my next thing to get.