Written by guest author, Michael Williams (info about Michael at the bottom of this article)

I've written this post for a specific type of person in a specific type of situation… …

it's for the entrepreneur who has a good product, but isn't happy with its sales and isn't sure what to do next. If this sounds like you're situation — you have a product but it isn't selling like it should — then I'm going to give you 3 questions to ask yourself right now that could change your fortune. For each question, I'll also give you specific action steps so you're crystal clear on what you should do next to increase your conversion and sales by 10% or more.

The best part — it shouldn't require much change in your copy (which takes a lot of work). What we're going to focus on is 3 critical aspects of your offer that, when done right, make it "automatically attractive." When you do these, you'll have a much easier time because the offer is attractive in itself… and when you're selling something that is inherently appealing, it takes a lot less work to convince someone to buy. And that means more and easier sales for you. Here are the questions to ask yourself.

1. Is your offer risk free?

Anytime you make a purchase, you take a risk. Imagine buying a product with no return policy…

• You risk the time it takes to order…
• You risk feeling regret if it doesn't reach your expectations…
• You risk the ridicule of your friends if they discover it didn't work out…
• And you risk losing that money forever…

… which are 4 big risks: time, regret, shame, and money. If your prospect is reading your ad and feels even 1 iota of risk in any of those departments, she's NOT going to make the purchase. Even if you're lucky and she really wants your solution, chances are she'll wait to "think about it" or ask someone for advice. Fat chance you'll ever see her again. Good bye, sale. You can remove these risks and make your purchase an easier decision by including a guarantee.

Let her test your product risk free for 30, 60, or 90 days. If she likes it, you've just made a customer for life. If it's not for her–that's OK, too. If you handle the return promptly and cheerfully, studies show you still very likely just created a repeat customer. Don't lose a repeat buyer just because she decided to return 1 product. You'll want to test different guarantee lengths, but in general the longer the better. The longer she has your product in her hands, the more time she has to grow attached to its benefits… and that decreases the chances she'll return it. Plus, longer guarantee periods make it easier for her to succumb to humanity's inherent laziness ("I'll just return it tomorrow.").

Action Step:

1. Evaluate your guarantee. Have you minimized buyer risk as much as possible?
2. Test longer guarantee periods to see if your conversion increases (it probably will).
3. Analyze your return process. Is it quick, hassle-free, and enjoyable?

2. Does your offer provide instant gratification?

When a human has a problem, we want it solved yesterday. No one likes waiting. We want results immediately. So is there a component in your offer that gives your prospect instant results? Here's a personal example of how I dealt with this: My Dirty Copywriting course teaches entrepreneurs quick and easy techniques for writing hot, high-converting copy.

But here's the catch:

Copywriting isn't something you can learn overnight. It takes time to learn enough to produce real increases in your conversion (but once you do–you're off to the races, forever). Which creates a problem: it takes most prospects a few days (or weeks) to first learn enough, then actually implement the changes to her site that will meaningfully increase her sales. And in that time, her enthusiasm may dip… she might start asking if the product is really for her… if she really has the chops to learn it… … and that's natural.

If we don't see results, it's hard to stay motivated. So I needed to offer something that produced immediate results while she learned my copy secrets… which is why I also include a free guide on how to generate steady, targeted traffic to your site by blogging. This is MUCH easier to learn and use right away.

It produces instant gratification, which keeps her motivated and excited about my course. She can put in the time needed to truly learn copywriting… and while she does that, she can blog on the side for immediate increases in her traffic. Her motivation stays high and she stays in my course. She's happy because she's making real progress. I'm happy because she continues paying the fee. Everybody wins.

Back to you. What piece of your offer produces instant gratification? Is there something she can start using right away for quick results? Even if they're small, immediate results will keep her believing in what's possible. Not only does instant gratification make the purchase more attractive so you get more money in your pocket, but it also reduces returns so that money stays in your pocket.

Action Step:

1. Does your offer include instant gratification? If no, can you tweak your product or create a bonus to fix that?
2. Are you talking about those immediate results in your copy? If not, you should be!

3. Are you selling dollars for pennies?

Imagine walking down the street with 2 quarters in your hand. If someone walked up and offered $100 for those quarters, would accept? No catch. No funny stuff. Just a straight trade.

Most people in their right mind would absolutely accept. The value you're getting — $100 — vastly exceeds the price you're paying — 50 cents. Your offer should be along the same lines. The value you're delivering should far exceed the price you're charging. Let's continue with my previous example to illustrate: By joining my Dirty Copywriting course, my customer will learn exactly how to increase the sales of her product(s).

She'll learn easy ways to create simple, attractive promotions so she can produce cash on demand. She'll have complete control over her sales conversion and the success of her business — and nothing could "suddenly" happen that takes that ability away from her. How much is complete control over the success of your business worth? To me, that is worth a lot. It is to many others, too. When you look at the course fee, you'll see it's peanuts compared to how much you get out of it.

That difference in value, the difference between what she gets out of my course and what she must put in, is enormous. She gets MUCH MORE than she has to give up. If you want your purchase to feel like a no-brainer, your offer needs to be the same way. The value you provide should absolutely dwarf the fee you charge. To do this, you need to understand what your prospect values. What desire is most important to her? What problem is she dying to solve? What benefits would she love to have? So that's 2 things:

• what she wants
• how much value she places on attaining it

When you know those 2 things, you'll know exactly how much you can charge.

Example. I love tea (my desire). But I hate heating the water in a pot because I always leave it on the burner, boil out the water, and then damage the pot (my problem). This honestly caused a lot of personal strife. It was a huge problem… until I discovered the electric kettle. It automatically shuts off once the water starts boiling. Not only can I "set it and forget it" when I want tea, but I no longer need worry about damaging my pots. Finally, guilt-free tea at my finger tips. I can't explain how truly valuable the electric kettle is to me. I'd HAPPILY pay $50 for it. Yet, the manufacturer sells it for $14.99 (they produce it for like 5 bucks). And that price makes it a no brainer purchase for me. The value I get is huge compared to the price I have to pay. That's what your offer should feel like to your prospect. Like she's getting dollars for pennies.

Action Step:

1. Understand what your prospect wants. What benefits does she place the most value on? What is the "game changing" result she's looking for? Make notes as ideas arise.
2. Then, look at your product. How easily does it deliver these benefits? What other important results does it produce that she might not even know about? For each note about your prospect, write down how your product satisfies those desires, solves those problems, and produces those results.
3. Now, look at your copy. Are you properly communicating the value of your product? Can she easily see how your product will give her what she wants so badly?

Charge a fee that feels like peanuts in comparison to the value she's getting (The lists you make will be pure golden nuggets to include in your copy.)

One last thought: This does NOT mean you should charge low prices. Far from it. The rule applies whether you're selling a $17 ebook or $5,000 coaching. You still need to make it crystal clear that the value you're providing is MUCH higher than the fee you're charging. Think about her desires. Think about how her life will change once she solves her problem. What new opportunities will open up in her life? Will she gain prestige? Will she gain more freedom? Will her friends be envious? Your price doesn't matter. What really matters is your ability to show her in crystal clear, easy to understand terms, how much sweeter and easier her life will be after she makes the purchase.

Let's wrap up — where to go from here

After asking yourself these questions, you may realize your offer isn't as hot as it could be–that's just fine, because now you know what to change. Tweak your product. Add a bonus to satisfy a desire you weren't hitting before. Add a guarantee or test its length to remove her risks. Changing your offer is far easier than re-writing your entire sales letter, but it can produce incredible growth in your conversion and sales profit. So review this post NOW and focus on just these 3 aspects…

1. Is my offer risk free?
2. Does it produce instant gratification?
3. Will my prospect feel like she's getting "dollars for pennies"?

You never know, you might just find the tweak that changes your fortune forever. For those possessing the cajones to take action: please post the thoughts, inspiration, and questions that come up. I'll be coming back to this post a few times to discuss and offer advice to those with the fire to improve their fortunes.

"Strong copy will not overcome a weak offer but in many cases a strong offer will succeed in spite of weak copy written by marketing morons…" ~ Gary Halbert, legendary copywriter

Mike Williams is an entrepreneur and former freelance copywriter in Jersey City, New Jersey who runs an online hookah shop and teaches an online copywriting course.