Sales Lander Pages That Provide Clarity & Help Engage Your Prospects

Most websites are confusing. It takes energy to figure out what it is they do. I spent six minutes on a website recently trying to understand the core services they offer only to realize, “Oh, you simplify data privacy.”

Why didn’t they lead with that!

I don’t want this confusion for your website!

Below is a framework I’ve iterated on over the last fifteen years in my digital marketing endeavors. I also want to give a shout to Don Miller’s organization as they do a great job with this, too. I draw a lot from their framework. You should too.

I’ll group this post into three sections for you:

1. The goal of a sales lander
2. Core principles of a sales lander
3. A sales lander framework

PART ONE – THE GOAL OF A SALES LANDER

The goal of a sales lander is to ensure three things. Your prospect should know:

1. What you do – that is, what problem do you solve for them?
2. How does it makes their life better?
3. How do they get it (e.g., what should they do about it)?

PART TWO – CORE PRINCIPLES OF A SALES LANDER

Here are ten core principles of a great sales lander:

1. 5 Seconds – A sales lander needs to pass the 5-second test. Miller calls this the “grunt test.” Someone looking at your site should be able to know what you do and what they should do about it in 5 seconds. Take a look at my sales page here – does the content above the fold pass the 5-second grunt test?
2. People Skim – Write at a very low grade level (5th to 8th grade max). Why? People skim websites. Back in the day they used to read them – not any more. So keep your language simple. Short sentences are great. Simple words are better.
3. Revenue Links – Only put revenue links in the top menu. This one trips a lot of folks up. Old school sales landers used to strip out all menu links, but I think that’s overkill. However, be careful not to go the other way – menu-palooza! Some landers include everything (including their origins, pictures, investors, faqs…etc). All of this content, while important, is secondary. It only confuses your prospect. There’s a happy medium – keep the revenue drivers up top – everything else, e.g., About Us, FAQs…etc go at bottom of site – in the last section, or even the footer. “But don’t they want to know about us?” You may ask. Maybe – but only if you can solve their problem first.
4. Repetition – Repetition, repetition, repetition – repeating the same words is okay. You may be sick of hearing it, but it’s your prospect’s first time and they’re busy. Help them to remember by repeating your value points and their pain points. Repeating the same words is okay. Another nod to Miller for this reminder.
5. Multiple CTAs – Old school landers used to put the CTA at the bottom of long sales copy. This makes it hard to find. And, given that most people are skimming your site, they may not make it down to the bottom. To fix this, make it easy with multiple CTAs. You want to provide lots of places to check out.
6. Images Matter – Your images should support your content. If you’re selling clown services, images of sad and angry people will miss the mark. Images of happy and excited kids will support the content. Also, make sure to use tools that crunch your images down. I actually don’t even use images on my blog. One it’s extra work. Two, lots of images slow sites down. In short, optimize your site so it doesn’t slow down your page load time.
7. Video – Video is an important nice-to-have. It’s a bit of a coin toss though on effectiveness. Sometimes it can distract your prospect. If you do use video, it should reiterate your PSA – Problem – Solution – Action. That is, use it to support what you’re trying to sell with your sales lander.
8. Prospect Focus – This is so hard for so many organizations. They’re so excited about what they do, they want to talk about themselves. When they do this, their prospects have a harder time finding themselves in the narrative. Don’t talk about you – talk about your prospect. Talk about what matters to them. What problem do you solve for them? Focus your sales lander on that. You can talk about yourself in other places that are well below the fold of your site.
9. Clarity – One of my favorite quotes from writer, Donald Miller is, “Clear is better than clever.” Too often people try to make their website messaging clever or cute. If you can be both clear AND clever, great! However, most cannot. It’s much better to say, “Your Windows Cleaned Fast” than it is to say, “Cleaning Glass With Sass.” See the difference? There’s no question about the problem solved with the first one.
10. Be Bold – The first thing I learned in writing 101 was to write boldly. Say it like it is. Don’t add all kinds of filler words as it only distracts your reader. It’s the same with your website. In your calls to action, use active language – e.g., Get a Free Consult, or Book Time Today. Inviting prospects to learn more may work in some circles but prospects will do that anyway. If they do need to “learn more” make sure it’s not because your sales copy lacks clarity.

PART THREE: A SALES LANDER FRAMEWORK

The following is adapted from Don Miller’s work and the story framework he uses on sales landers. Again, I highly recommend it. Much of his approach is known in the digital space. However, they way he arranges the content in story format is profound, making it super easy to be clear and engaging.

SECTION ONE – YOUR HEADER – The header is the part of your site that many refer to as above-the-fold. It’s the section people first see when they land on your page.

The job of the header is to hook your prospect with the problem you solve – with a 5-second glance. Your lander should be able to answer these three questions:

1. What’s the problem you solve for your customer?
2. What’s in it for them – how does it make their life better?
3. What should your prospect do next?

Here’s an example of an organic cleaning product that answers these three questions.

1. “Clean Your Home Safely” (This is the problem they solve)
2. “Avoid Toxins and Keep Your Family Safe with [product name]” (This is how it makes their prospect’s lives better)
3. “Buy Now” (This is what the prospect should do)

If you do not identify the problem you solve, how it makes your prospect’s life better, and what they should do about it, you risk confusing your prospect. You become hard to do business with.

SECTION TWO – HIGHLIGHT THE PROBLEM – Highlighting (or agitating) the problem emphasizes why solving the problem matters.

Some folks are uncomfortable with this one. They think it’s too over-the-top. It’s not. This second section of your sales lander should hammer home the problems you address and why it matters. If you do not tell your prospects why it matters. They won’t know.

Let’s use the organic cleaning product again. Why does using organic cleaners matter?

1. Example problem – Toxic cleaners are harmful to people
2. Example problem – Toxic cleaners create more waste
3. Example problem – Toxic cleaners harm the planet

This helps your prospect to understand what’s important. Miller calls these, “the stakes.” Instead of the all-too-common “About Us” content in section two, list out the problems you address to highlight why this matters to your prospect.

SECTION THREE – YOUR VALUE PROPOSITIONS

In this section, you can talk about what they get – how they’ll benefit. It can be tempting to want to talk about you and your stuff. It’s better to talk about what value you provider them.

1. Example value proposition – Get everything you need in one simple and safe cleaner
2. Example value proposition – Save money and the environment
3. Example value proposition – Keep your home clean and your family safe (including your pets!)

SECTION FOUR – BE THE GUIDE – It’s so tempting to talk about how great you are and all the awards and logos you can add to your site. Don’t. Don’t be the hero in your messaging, talking about how great you and your company is. Instead, talk about how you can help. Joseph Campbell is the number one source on this, but I love Miller’s framework from his book, The Making of a StoryBrand. He talks about using empathy and authority.

It might sound like this if we continue with the organic cleaning products example.

1. Empathy example – We have kids, too. We want safe cleaners for you.
2. Authority example – We’ve done the research. Our products work AND keep your family safe.
3. Video – If you insert a video – this is a decent spot to do it. Repeat the PSA – Problem, Solution, Action. Don’t introduce something new – help your prospect stay focused.
4. Solving all the problems – the following techniques have been around forever, but I have to give another shout to Miller because he breaks problems into three groups. There are external problems, internal problems, and philosophical problems.
   • External problem example – Toxic cleaners are bad for the environment.
   • Internal problem example – I’m worried toxic cleaners will hurt my family.
   • Philosophical problem example – We shouldn’t have to use toxic cleaners that hurt people and the environment.

When you solve for all three of these problems, you are a true guide.

SECTION FIVE – THE PLAN – A guide should have a clear plan for the prospect to follow. Most website don’t make it very clear what to do and/or what to do next. Sometimes you’ll see links to learn more or to watch a video, or to schedule time, or to get a demo – or all of the above. It may be clear to you. It’s not to your prospect. A busy prospect who is skimming your site needs it spelled out.

The classic 3-step path is ideal. It makes it simple and easy. Here’s an example with the organic cleaners:

Enjoy safe cleaners for your home in three simple steps:

1. Choose your cleaner
2. Click the “Buy Now” button
3. Feel good knowing your cleaning products are safe

The simplicity in this three-step plan leaves no room for confusion.

SECTION SIX – TESTIMONIALS – People want to trust you. Testimonials show others that you’ve done this before. Testimonials, certifications, awards, and recognitions provide social proof. I like to call these the “feel goods.” People want to know they’re buying from a trusted source. Testimonials build trust and credibility. Just a few can do the trick. Here’s a few for the organic cleaners.

What others are saying about our organic cleaners:

I love these organic cleaners! They work great, and I feel safe using them in my home!

~ Besty

I’m so glad I don’t have to use those harsh and toxic cleaners anymore. These organic cleaners work really well, and I’m glad to be part of this organic cleaning movement.

~ Arthur

Additional awards and certifications can go in this section of your site as well.

Example: Voted #1 Organic Cleaner by XYZ Janitorial Cleaning Association

SECTION SEVEN – REMIND STAKES – It’s helpful to remind your prospects what’s at stake – both positive and negative. That is, what will happen that’s great. And what will happen if you do nothing. Here’s a couple example with the organic cleaners example.

• Bad stakes example – Toxic cleaners will only continue to hurt you and the planet. It’s time for a change.
• Good stakes example – Lead the movement with Organic Cleaners. Keep your family safe and help change the world

You can have more than seven sections. You can adapt to your context. However, notice the narrative flow through these sections:

1. Problem solved – there’s no need to use toxic cleaners.
2. They’re really, really bad.
3. Here’s what could be – safe and clean value propositions.
4. We get it. We can help.
5. Here’s a simple 3-step path.
6. Lots of others like the results they’re getting.
7. Don’t go with status quo. Be better.

To be clear, none of this is meant to be manipulative. It’s meant to be clear. The clearer we are, the better our prospects can get value from our services.

For an example of this framework, checkout my sales lander here

I hope this was helpful.

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