When a person comes to your sales page, you have done a lot of hard work already.

You have created content that was interesting enough to drive someone to the sales page. Or you have created an effective marketing campaign. Or you paid Google or Facebook to bring that person to your sales page, with an offer which was interesting enough for them to click and proceed.

It would be a shame to lose that person when you are so close to making a sale.

Below you will find 5 common conversion-killing copywriting mistakes, and how to fix them.

Conversion Killer #1: You write to the wrong person

For example, if you’re selling a family car, you might assume you should be writing to “dad.” But you’re not taking into consideration a recent study that shows 82 percent of moms have the final say in which car they finally buy.

So if you’re writing just to dad, you’re making a big mistake.

The same can happen in B2B. You think you’re selling to person A, but it’s person B who has the final say. Or maybe the decision goes to committee.

You can’t write a good sales page if you’re writing it to the wrong person.

How to fix it

Do a ton of research until you feel you really know that person.

Conversion Killer #2: You ask the wrong question before you start

It’s much less important how you write your message. It’s important what you have to say.

How to fix it

Asking “What should I say?” is a much better starting point than, “How should I say it?”

An even better question is:

“What does my prospect want to hear?”

That’s really the only question you need to ask. And it circles back to Conversion Killer #1. Because you have no hope of knowing what your prospect wants to hear unless you first have a deep understanding of who they are.

Once you focus on what your prospect wants to hear, your task becomes embarrassingly simple.

Conversion Killer #3: You list too many benefits

You know (or at least you should know) it’s better to talk about a product’s benefits than its features.

• Don’t tell me your fitness tracker has three programmable buttons.
• Tell me how it can help me lose weight and feel better about myself when I look in the mirror. (That’s what I want to hear.)

But… sometimes copy has an overly long list of benefits. They’re all good benefits, but the list is just way too long.

Two things happen when the list is too long.

• It loses its punch. It becomes a bore to read. Lists are boring by nature. They just can’t help it.
• Your product begins to sound like everyone else’s.

How to fix it

Think about focusing on just one of those benefits.

Build the whole sales message around that one thing.

Now you have a page that no longer includes a boring list. And it also stands out from the competition.

One benefit. One message. A single focus.

Conversion Killer #4: You fade out before you’re done

A strong opening and middle, with a weak ending.

And there’s nothing more ridiculous than losing focus, pace, and urgency at the point where it matters most … when you’re trying to close the sale.

How to fix it

Make a note to always review the last few lines of every sales page you write.

It should feel like you’ve grabbed your prospect by the hand and are running across the finish line with them.

Conversion Killer #5: You sound like a salesperson

When we come across sales language that sounds pushy, our defenses go up. We become suspicious.

That is why a more conversational approach to copywriting is better.

Write persuasively, by all means. But being persuasive isn’t the same as being pushy.

How to fix it

While pushy sales language puts people off and makes them feel defensive, conversational language is disarming and makes them feel safe.

Conclusion

Maybe one or two of these conversion killers make you pause and think, “OMG, I do that all the time!”

If so, don’t worry about it. We all make most of these mistakes at least some of the time.

But by being aware of them, you can catch them when you review your first draft.

Don’t beat yourself up for making mistakes. Just correct them before you click the “send” or “publish” button.

How to Fix 5 Conversion-Killing Copywriting Mistakes

PS. The main benefit of reading GrowRevenue articles is… that you get more revenue. If you implement what you learn.