UPDATED MARCH 3, 2026
Want to increase sales on your website?
Of course you do.
One of the key ways to do that is to build and maintain momentum. This will keep your readers engaged right up until they’re begging you to take their money.
So how do we do that?
I take some of my tips from the masters of persuasion: market stall sellers. The ones who create a buzz, draw a crowd and keep them there, right until the end of the pitch
I visited plenty of these markets when I was a child in the 80s and they sold everything from innovative kitchen gadgets and crockery to bedding, toys and towels.
Those traders were experts in well-rehearsed, persuasive patter. They were also experts in creating and maintaining momentum.
How a market trader pitches
The pitches I remember all followed a similar pattern and it went something like this:
Introducing the product
The trader started by making some noise to create some interest and draw people closer.
They used the word ‘you’ a lot, speaking directly to their audience.
“Have I got a product for you today!”
“You won’t to want to miss out on this one!”
Then they introduced the product. We’ll use one I remember as an example: a manual potato chipper that cuts your potatoes into perfect, chunky chips.
Mmmm… chips!
Demonstrating the product
When they had some people interested, they started demonstrating the product.
“Look how easily this chips your potatoes — you can do it with one hand.”
To prove it, they would invite one of the mums to try it and agree how easy it was. Social proof, right there.
“And it’s easy to clean. Just run it under the tap. Good as new.”
The demonstration countered two, presumably common, objections:
- That it would be difficult to use; and
- That it would be difficult to clean.
Showing the end result
At this point, they produced some chips fresh from the fryer and handed them out to the crowd. Everyone who tried them raved about how good they were.
Benefits, benefits, benefits
Then came the benefits, because buying one of these potato chippers would be life-altering.
“You’ll never go back to frozen oven chips. And there’ll be no more queuing at the chippy. Because these chips are fresher, tastier, healthier and better for your family.”
By this point, the crowd had grown and people were interested in buying the chipper.
Adding a freebie
It just so happened that if you bought a potato chipper on the day, you’d also get a free potato peeler.
And not just any potato peeler, one of these new*, ambidextrous potato peelers. The peeler also made amazing home-made crisps, which they also handed around for people to try.
Mmmm… crisps!
*Yes, I know they’ve been around forever, but they were new in the 80s.
Making it irresistible
Now for the clincher: the price. How much were they selling for?
“These chippers retail for £20.”
“But I’m not going to sell them to you for £20.”
“I’m not going to sell them for £10.”
“I’m not even going to sell them for £7.50.”
“Because, ladies and gentlemen, today — and for one day only — you can buy this chipper for just £5.”
At that price, it would have been incredibly difficult to say no to. And suddenly there was a sea of hands in the air, all clutching £5 notes between their fingers. My dad was somewhere among them.
Applying this technique to increase sales on your website
The trader’s pitch was a masterclass in selling and, although it was in-person selling, it included many of the techniques we use in our sales letters, on our websites and in our marketing campaigns.
But what’s really interesting to note here is the momentum they created in the lead up to making the sale.
They were rehearsed, laser-focused and stuck rigidly to their message. This kept the pitch flowing and building to its climax. And it kept the people interested, so they didn’t get bored and walk away.
One of the main problems I see on websites that aren’t selling or bringing in business, is a break in this momentum. Like a racing car’s engine cutting out before it gets to the finish line.
There are several ways this can happen.
How momentum is broken before a sale
Here are a few examples of how companies break the momentum and lose the sale.
Ineffective landing pages
Imagine this. You see an advert that compels you to click on it. The company has succeeded in creating the buzz. You’re interested and you want to find out more.
But, instead of a customised landing page that’s designed to continue your buyer journey, you arrive on the product page of the company’s website.
There’s no continuity from the advert to the landing page, which immediately kills the momentum.
You can read more about this in my article: How to create the perfect landing page >>
Diversions and interruptions
To sustain momentum, you need to stay focused on your sales message, like the market trader did. If you deviate your audience’s attention from that message, any momentum you’ve built will be gone.
You’ll lose your momentum if you:
- Go off on tangents
- Add extraneous or irrelevant details
- Talk about things that you think are important, but which are of no interest to your audience
- Litter your landing page with distractions.
Incomplete information
If a reader reaches the end of your pitch and still has questions or objections, this could deter them from buying.
Presume that before they’ll make a purchase, your audience will need all their questions answered and all their objections quashed. Then make sure they are.
Waffle
The market trader’s pitch was perfectly rehearsed, which meant there was no room for waffle.
Waffle happens when you:
- Mindlessly repeat yourself
- Labour certain points
- Find long and meandering ways to say things that could be said quickly and succinctly
- Fill your content with meaningless rubbish that nobody cares about.
If you kill the pace with this kind of waffle, you kill the momentum for the sale.
Poor delivery
Your copy should flow smoothly into the minds of your audience. It should make them feel like they’re immersed in an experience, rather than just reading words.
But if your delivery is poor, it can be hard work for your audience. They might find themselves stumbling over badly constructed sentences, being distracted by typos or having to re-read certain parts just to make sense of them.
Anything that stalls your audience like this will destroy your momentum.
Dead ends
You’ve read all the copy and you’re ready to buy — so, naturally, you click the button that says ‘BUY NOW’.
But instead of going through to the payment screens, you end up on the contact page. Because you can’t actually buy the product online, you have to call the company. And if you’re outside hours, that may not even be possible.
Or you try to go through the payment process, but it’s broken and you get stuck in a loop, going round in circles.
A dead-end like this will drive your prospects to your competitors.
How I build and sustain momentum
Target your ideal customers
To make sure we’re targeting the people you want to sell to, I’ll research your customers in detail.
I’ll look at what they’re searching for, what questions they’re asking, what opinions they have and what matters most to them. I’ll also be looking at the language they’re using and mirroring that in your copy and SEO.
We want them to see themselves in your copy, to know you understand their pain, and to feel the relief that you’re offering them a solution.
Sell to the people who are ready to buy
To build and maintain momentum, your sales message should be as crisp and succinct as possible. We don’t want to overload it with too much information or waste words telling people what they already know.
This means selling to the people who are at the point where they’re ready to buy. Not the people who still have questions — the people who know what they want and who know that’s what you’re selling.
Focus your messaging
When I have a clear audience I’m speaking to, I can make the messaging laser-focused on them. This means I can craft a compelling sales message and stick to it without deviation or distraction.
Make your sales message watertight
I don’t want to give your visitors any reason to bail without buying, so I’ll make sure I cover all bases. This means pre-empting and answering any last-minute questions and quashing any possible objections.
Be predictable
We need to make the customer journey smooth, like Barry White — and that means predictable. In practice, it means sending your visitors where they’re expecting to go and not doing anything to surprise or confuse them.
Make it easy to buy from you
A Buy Now button should mean they can buy it now. Immediately. Even at 3am in their pyjamas.
Is your website converting enough visitors into customers?
If the answer is ‘no’, maybe I can help.
I’m Jenny Lucas, a freelance copywriter and website specialist based in Leicester, UK.
If your website isn’t performing as it should, I’ll help you figure out what the problems are — and show you how to fix them.
And if you need killer sales copy for your site that builds momentum for a sale, I can help with that too.
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