The best way to to sell is to create demand. Creating scarcity helps your business to create just such a demand. What we are talking about is creating a demand for a product or service, with familiar examples such as a sales promotion that says “sorry, no rain checks”. If the offer is big enough you can also generate some buzz and good public relations exposure. Which will lead to even more word of mouth marketing.

Typical Examples:

Direct  TV:	Free shipping for the first 50 callers
Discount:	First 100 sold will be given away free
Limited Quantity	In Stock Quantity: Special buy, limited quantities. When we sell out that is it.
Invitation only:	Google is infamous for only allowing a certain number of beta users to sign up when they launch a new service.

Why does this technique Work?

By creating a short or limited supply you are forcing consumers to make a decision. If they wait they will lose out it is as simple as that.
Think about this for a moment, what would you do? If you received a flyer in the mail about an invitation only event, or an offer that was only available to the first 30 shoppers. Would you be the first person in line to take advantage of that offer?

Recent Example

Probably the most recognizable example is the Apple iPhone. There was a huge demand for people wanting to buy them, but until a year after it’s launch the iPhone was not available in countries outside of the United States. Further you had to sign a contract with AT&T to activate one because of an exclusive contract. Then when the next generation was released only certain quantities were sent out to specific Apple stores. Again because of limited quantities they sold out in the first few hours of availability. And of course there were lines of people waiting to be first to buy them.

Share your Stories

What has worked in your business? Please leave a comment sharing your story.

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Customer Testimonials are great at establishing credibility and authority, which are two key elements in a customer’s buying behavior. As long as the testimonial is genuine and can relate to the prospective buyer. As an example, if you see a local small business owner giving praise for your customer service or product support and you yourself are a small business owner looking for better customer service from your supplier this will resonate with your prospect. Even better yet if the testimonial is from a business in the same industry as your buyer, because that will help to tip the sale in your favor.

Testimonials are also perceived to be unbiased because they are from a third party, and can motivate your buyer to act.

Key points to remember when providing Testimonials:

1) Website Coverage
When adding testimonials to your website many companies place these on their homepage beside head shots of people to represent the customer.  If you have a bunch of testimonials you could place them in a sidebar or even in a dedicated section on your website for testimonials.

2) Great for Sales Copy
Testimonials help to cut their the clutter of your sales brochure and help to show how your business helps your customers. From the voice of the customer directly. This is almost as good as a customer reference speaking to a prospective buyer directly.

3) Newsletters
You can add testimonials section to your newsletter  for “what customers have to say”, to further convey what sets your business apart.

4) Email and Confirmation Messages
Adding testimonials in your order confirmation email, or shipping notice emails you could provide additional testimonials to remind customers why they are buying from you. Which will add that extra perceived satisfaction.  Perhaps your testimonials talked about your return policy or fast shipping, the testimonials inserted in these communications will drive home that your business is easy to work with and stands by their claims.

5) Endorsements
Endorsements are actually the best kind of testimonial because they add credibility to your business. Industry leaders, public figures, writers or even bloggers if they are known in your industry and have an established following. You better use an endorsement to your advantage as they can be hard to get.

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