- Glaring Issues
You're selling a high-end product. The carousel at the top of the page has a video of a man hand forging a blade with a "Learn More" button. When I click that button I get... A page full of knives. WTF?
I am immediately left with the impression that the person who built this page was not connected to the message being conveyed. The result does not match my expectation. That is a deadly sin to commit on a component of the website that is front and center.
- General Sales Feel/Pitch
Buttermilk has to decide how it is going to sell. Are hand forged knives technically better than precision automated manufacturing? If so, I need a clear explanation of these advantages in language that equates to objective data.
Currently, when I click on the links to learn more (knives 101, why carbon, etc), I'm given a mix of information-overload and a message that seems set on convincing me that the decision I'm about to make is going to be really complicated. Maybe it is, but as the seller, it's your goal to make me feel confident in my purchase as quickly as possible; not bury me in knowledge.
It doesn't help that you start out with a pitch that is very likely to put off many prospective buyers. For example, our household has used a set of Wusthof knives for the last five years or so. We "upgraded" from a set of (crappy) Oneida knives that were horrible. My wife adores the Wusthof knives.
It is very difficult for me to trust information from a source that tells me how horrible these knives really are. This directly contradicts my experience, and degrades my confidence in the speaker. It tells me that the person speaking has a perspective that is incompatible with mine. Maybe I would drop $300-$500 on a kitchen knife, but I wouldn't take this speaker's word for it.
# Selling High-End Stuff
Maybe it's not about specification or vague technical superiority at all though. There are parts of the copy that give me this sense, but it's not consistent. IMO, if someone is going to spend $300 on a knife, they're going to do so because of an attachment to aspects of the product other than objectively quantifiable specification. As the seller of a high-end product, you need to identify these subjective, qualitative strong-points of your product and lean heavily on them. If the knives are hand made by Japanese craftsmen, then you're sitting on one of the most compelling "authenticity" plays in the product world. Leverage that shit!
Here are some examples of videos that aren't necessarily selling something, but they create a strong sense of desire by illustrating the product's authenticity.
The Birth Of A Tool. Part III. Damascus steel knife making - https://vimeo.com/56287630
I don't just want one of those knives; I feel compelled to own one. It wouldn't matter what the product is. When I watch that video, I feel like I'm part of the process. The quality of the product takes a back seat to the authenticity of the product. I'm not saying Buttermilk should ignore the objective advantages of carbon steel versus stainless, but I am saying that I think it's a smaller part of the story.
Hattori Hanzō Katana (Kill Bill) - MAN AT ARMS: REFORGED - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNuEDtnVdeM
This video has a lot more of a "NatGeo" feel, but if you listen to the language used by the smiths, it's very compelling. Especially the guy talking about the Japanese philosophy as it relates to forging and toolmaking. Very compelling stuff. Fare more so than a list of steel types.
Sometimes an object is more than the physical thing. Its story contributes to its desirability. Given the product you're selling, you should be taking advantage of that fact.
How to Knock Off a Bag - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a11wlngpuSY
Last, but not least, if you're going to say bad things about your competitors, you have to get creative. This classic from Saddleback Leather is a master course in making your competitor's products look like garbage without diminishing your own credibility.