Thanks for a GREAT article!

I just posted the AIDA bullets in our sales office. They are good reminders whether online or face to face.

The comment at the end is a terrific wake up call. When we first started selling online I saw our stats & questioned our shopping cart vendor. They told me that it's VERY normal to have drop-off rates in the 85% to 90% range. As a brick & mortar guy that seemed outrageous, but online it made better sense. Imagine 90% of a store's customers just suddenly walking out just before they ring out!

Over the years as we've added USEFUL CONTENT, our drop-off rate (thank GOD!) has dropped also so now we're averaging about 60% ( www.parpools.com ). I know that 0% will never happen, but we'll keep working at it. Our secondary site ( www.cheaphottubchemicals.com ) which is just starting with a lot more to add is at just under 80%. We know that as we add pertinent content, that number will keep falling too.