Be Grateful Your Site Visitors Are Skeptical

We wish site visitors were less skeptical, but we need to celebrate their skepticism.

If site visitors weren’t skeptical, they might have bought from the first marketer who reached them. It was their skepticism that kept them searching, which led them to you.

But now that they’re on your site, let’s show them we’re the one for them.

There Are Many Types of Skepticism

The buyer could be skeptical about the following:

A: Your expertise
B: Your product’s impact
C: Your value-for-money claims
D: Your product’s quality
E: Your reputation
F: Post-purchase service

And they don’t have to be uber-skeptical; even mild skepticism is enough to stop them from buying.

It’s also worth noting that skepticism affects all sorts of purchases…

Whether the buyer is looking at something that costs $10 or $165, skepticism is on their minds. Whether they’re buying from a highly recognizable brand or one they’ve never heard of, skepticism is on their minds.

I have worked with billion-dollar brands, and when I tell them that shoppers aren’t buying because of skepticism, they respond with, “We spend millions of dollars in advertising. People love our products. We have millions of customers. People trust us.“

Well, Mr. Billion-dollar brand, then why is your conversion rate 2%?

I’m not trying to be snarky; I just think brushing aside skepticism prevents us from fixing one of the biggest blockers to conversions.

Granted, the skepticism of dealing with a billion-dollar brand is different from the skepticism toward a smaller brand.

With a billion-dollar brand, the buyer isn’t worried about whether the brand will be in business two weeks from today, but they could still be skeptical about the quality of their product.

One reason Billion-dollar brands are shy about dealing with skepticism is because they think talking about things like “Here’s why these shoes are comfortable” sounds desperate.

Their hesitation is an opening for smaller brands to get in front of buyer skepticism.

And it’s not just the big brands; even smaller brands are uncomfortable addressing skepticism. The thinking is, “Why plant ideas in the shopper’s mind?”

My response: These ideas are already on their minds.

Oh, by the way, in case you are wondering who I am.

Hi, I’m Rishi.

The Danger of Not Addressing Skepticism

If we don’t address it head-on, the shopper may draw the wrong conclusions. For example, if you aren’t currently running a promo, the shopper might want to wait for one.

But what if you only discount twice a year? If this isn’t communicated proactively, the prospect might wait on the sidelines, hoping you will offer a discount in the next few days, which you probably will not.

This is why getting in front of the skepticism is so important.

Why Buyers Are Skeptical

Skepticism is a protection mechanism. It’s how shoppers avoid mistakes. Over thousands of years, our biology has shaped this skepticism. Skepticism kept our ancestors alive. Early humans who were less skeptical made critical mistakes and died, so their genes didn’t have a chance to pass on. The ones who were more skeptical were careful and lived long enough to have kids. Over 1,000s of years, the concentration of skeptical humans continued growing, while those who lacked any skepticism thinned out.

In the modern world, we don’t face dangers like food shortages or predators, but that skeptical energy still circulates inside us. With fewer survival-related responsibilities, it today monitors our online shopping habits 🙂

The Best Way to Deal with Skepticism (Two Suggestions)

My first suggestion is to not dance around the topic and address it head-on. So, for example, if a buyer is skeptical about the quality of your product, don’t talk about quality indirectly; speak to it directly and plainly.

My second recommendation is to use video content. When trying out different skepticism-addressing messages, running copy tests is a good idea (they’re cheaper and quicker to produce). But once the right message has been found, convert it into a video for maximum impact.

Skepticism Is Only Part of the Story

Skepticism is one thing holding visitors back from buying, but it’s not the only thing. To buy, visitors need a little more. What else do they need? Well, that’s what we’ve been experimenting 🧪 for the last 15 years.

Your goal is to communicate 3 core ideas to your site visitors.