Details Can Make or Break the Sale

The human brain is very attuned to detail. We are aware of vast amounts of small detail in most situations. This allows us to differentiate between similar objects and people and see them as separate entities. We don't always consciously use or even store this information to prevent overload but it is still a vital part of our decision making process.

I have been accused of "nitpicking" in some of my public website reviews. I admit I do look at details that many others think unimportant but it is these details that help build or destroy trust. Let me give you an illustrative example:

My parents live in the country and have a lot of kangaroos on their property. The kangaroos are infested with a special kind of fly that has a very nasty bite. For this example we will call these flies "nits".

The nits crawl through the kangaroo's fur which causes the roos to scratch. The nits then inflict their specialty bite. Being bitten causes the kangaroo to take off like a shot for several meters. The roo is trying to escape its tormentor.

What we have here is a clear example of the "nits" actually driving the behavior of the larger animal. If the pests were removed the kangaroos would no longer scratch and hop off every few minutes. In other words the kangaroos would behave differently. The "nits" are creating behaviors so ignoring them can be very unwise.

Sales Flow puts an emphasis on looking at the small details simply because they have a great effect affect on users. We are attracted by anything that stands out. If all the frogs in your garden are green and there is suddenly a black and white one on the rock in your pond you will notice this pretty sharply. This is a defense mechanism. Whatever stands out may well be a threat. Upon noticing the black and white frog you may well rush to Google the fellow to see if he is poisonous. If you can't resolve the odd frog you may kill it, chase it away or at least keep an eye on that frog and other events in your garden to see if problems develop.

Having elements in a sales process that strike a funny chord make us just as nervous as the unexplained B&W frog. In a face to face situation if a customer encounters a fear trigger then the salesman will notice and work to resolve the situation. Because websites can't talk back, if you put (or leave) a few too many fear triggers in then you have no way of helping the person resolve them. The user may not even be sure why they aren't comfortable but their emotions are clearly saying that this situation is not safe. They will just leave.

If your website has fear triggers users may not tell you. They may not be able to verbalize, may be afraid to upset you (a fear trigger all on it's own) or they may simply be gone with an impression that you would rather they didn't carry of you. This is opportunity cost - how much business do you lose because people are leaving before you can engage them? If removing a few "nits" would make your customers less likely to run away then surely a "nitpicking" session or two is a good investment.

Signs you may have fear triggers on your site

High Bounce Rate - people leave your site very quickly, without visiting any other pages can be caused by poor use of colors and space
Dumped Shopping Carts - shopping cart dump rates are often really high because there is something that frightens people - freight fees is one
Low On-Page Times - can indicate a lack of detail to engage readers - missing detail causes fear - remember to add lots of lovely words to fire the soul
Good Reader Statistics but still No Sales - people like your content but either you aren't asking for the business or your are asking in the wrong way

Positive uses of detail

Passion - offering detail shows passion. Passionate people remember and use vast amounts of information on their loved subject/s. Offering plenty of detail (in the appropriate place) shows that you are passionate about your products and customers
Control Detail For Effect - lots of detail makes something seem complex or heavy but less detail gives the impression of ease. Truly stylish items are often very well detail-balanced for a very 'clean' look
Show a Close-Up - the overview is important but showing one beautiful detail in focus beside the main image can simulate the human eye's ability to zoom in and out between overview and detail - photos stop this eye/brain trick to a great extent
Adjectives - a few well applied descriptive words can add detail and spark the reader's imagination - too much and you'll just sound flowery which is a cause for fear

Seth Godin's latest Blog What sort of accent do you have is effectively saying the same thing only he calls it "accent" instead.