"What To Never Ever Say To Your Prospects... And... The Secret Weapon You Must Always Use Instead!” by “Craig Garber
“See if you can pick up on the changes and how they draw you into the copy, getting you much more involved...”
There's one thing you should never ever talk about with your prospects when you're trying to sell them something.
Why?
The answer is simple -- they're just not interested in hearing about it.
And yet, well over 99% of all the marketing out there, uses this "sales killer".
Listen, come over here and sit down -- I'm going to tell you a little story about "you".
Do you know what your prospects like to hear about most?
More than how you can save them money... or your state-of-the-art new offices... or why you're so cool to deal with?
Give up?
More than anything, your prospects
want to hear about... themselves!
And, they want to hear about all the ways your goods and services are going to make their lives better -- not how they've already made your life better.
See, in a nutshell... regardless of what you're selling... your prospects are all asking the same question -- they all want to know one thing:
Your prospects want to know, “What's in it for me?”
Make sense?
And one of the easiest ways to communicate this in your sales copy is by using the word "you", instead of the word "I" -- talk about your prospects, instead of... yourself.
Let me show you what I mean.
Last week, my wife picked up an unusual little package of snacks from the grocery store. Apparently, my daughter loves these things -- they're called "Maple French Toast French Twists", and they're made by a company called "Barry's Bakery", out of San Diego. (And no, that's not a typo... the word "French" is actually used twice in the name of the product.)
Anyway, my wife, knowing how anal I am when it comes to looking at marketing information, showed me the little bag of treats (which are quite tasty by the way).
And here's what the back of this little bag of "Maple French Toast French Twists", says:
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU
HAD SOMETHING HEALTHY
THAT TASTED GREAT?
GREAT TASTE AND HEALTHIER
At the age of 42 I suffered a major heart attack. After bypass surgery my doctors instructed me to limit my cholesterol intake, to exercise more, and to stay within the Heart Association's recommended diet.
TWISTS FIT INTO YOUR LIFESTYLE
To stay committed to a healthier lifestyle, my diet needed some excitement. As a sweet lover, I searched for a treat I could enjoy without guilt. After months of experimentation, the Original French Twist™ was born. Layer upon layer of puff pastry dough sprinkled with cinnamony sweet goodness. The only things we have left out are cholesterol, eggs, butter, and yeast.
HANDMADE AND OVEN BAKED
I can now share this exciting taste treat with you. I've found that my new lifestyle, which combines lower fat intake, lower cholesterol, and healthier ingredients in general combined with a routine exercise program has resulted in me feeling the best I have in years.
Barry Yellen
Founder and President
There are several things right with this copy, and many things wrong with it.
But what I want to show you, is how a quick re-write of the ad copy might look, changing the copy around, to put the emphasis on "you", the prospect.
I want you to think about how the sales message changes, and how the story-teller sounds, with the focus on "you" as the interested buyer, instead of on the story-teller himself.
See if you can pick up on the changes and how they draw you into the copy, getting you much more involved:
“Amazing New Tasty Snack Lets You Live
Longer (And Healthier)... Without Having
To Eat Like A Bunny Rabbit!”
"At Age 42, I Was Lying
Face-Up On A Gurney!"
3 months after my 42nd birthday, I suffered a major heart attack.
After my surgery, the doctors read me the riot act and told me to take some precautions: You know, limit your cholesterol intake... watch what you eat... and keep your diet in check.
No doubt, these things are important. But reality is, it's nearly impossible to maintain a routine like this... and still get excited about eating!
At Last, A New Tasty Snack That
Fits Right In With Your Doctor’s Plans!
You want to stay committed to your healthier lifestyle, but how can you do this, and at the same time... find foods to eat, you actually enjoy?
What usually ends up happening, is... if you're a sweet-lover (and who isn't), you end up searching high-and-low trying to find something that tastes good, but doesn't make you feel guilty whenever you eat it!
Well, after 8 months of experimenting day-in and day-out, I finally found the hidden key to the secret healthy snack vault! I've discovered the Original French Twist!
This amazing little puffy pastry is a heatlhy treat you can actually enjoy! It's coated with crunchy sweet cinnamon, and it tastes out-of-this-world.
"Right here, I might add a testimonial. It would be from either a very credible 3rd party, like a doctor... or maybe even from a celebrity who's had heart problems."
But... (and here's the crazy part, both you and your doctor are going to love), this amazing tasty treat...
Contains No Cholesterol... No
Eggs... No Butter... And No Yeast!
And this fits right in with the official guidelines of the American Heart Association's recommended diet for you!
Plus, the Original French Twist comes in 6 different flavors, and each one of them let's you enjoy this healthy new lifestyle of yours, without having to give up any of the excitement of snacking!
And eating like this leaves you feeling better than you've felt in years!. And this of course, helps you...
Avoid Any Unnecessary
Office Visits To Your Doctor!
Oh, one more thing: The Original French Twist even comes with a 90-day no-risk guarantee! Try The Original French Twist. I guarantee you'll enjoy these one-of-a-kind healthy snacks, but... if for any reason, you don't... just send them back to me, along with your receipt, and I'll gladly send you a prompt and courteous refund -- no questions asked!
Bon Appetit!
Barry Yellen
Founder, and former cardiac patient.
© 2004 Craig Garber.
Do you see the difference between these 2 sales messages?
Not only does the re-written copy flow smoother, but what I really want you to notice, is how much more the second copy gets you involved... how it draws you into the sales message... and how your concerns are weaved into the story.
And this makes your prospects a lot more excited about your product, and...
A Lot More Excited About... Buying Your Product!
You see where I'm going with all this?
Listen, getting someone to buy something from you is one of the most difficult challenges you're going to face.
But, you leverage your odds up significantly, when you constantly make the focus of your sales messages revolve around your prospect, instead of you.
How they feel... what they're thinking about... what they're going through in their daily lives... why they'll benefit from your product... how they'll feel after using it... and how their lives will be so much better after they buy your widgets.
That's what your messages should be all about!
Not your story, or your feelings -- tell your spouse those things -- or if you really want some sympathy, tell your mom.
Remember, what's most important to any prospect, is their situation and how what you're selling, can make it better.
Legendary direct-marketer Joe Sugarman (the man responsible for bringing Blu Blocker Sunglasses to market) was very fond of getting his prospects involved in his ads -- and in my opinion, it was one of the great reasons for his success.
In fact, if you want to learn more about getting your prospects involved in your selling process, a great place to start would be to read Joe's classic book, "Triggers: 30 Sales Tools You Can Use To Control The Mind Of Your Prospect To Motivate, Influence and Persuade."
I think Amazon may still carry this book, but act quickly -- last time I checked, supplies were low. You can click on the picture of the book below, and if they do still have it, you'll be taken directly to their site so you can order it.
P.S. Sometimes, if you're telling a story... your situation, or something you've experienced, will help give you credibility, and posture you as an authority in whatever you're trying to sell.
In this case, you should talk about yourself, and your experiences. But keep talking in terms of "you"... and never "me" or "I", whenever possible.
Later.
Send them to me by scooting over to the contact form on my "Here's How To Contact Craig" page, and maybe I'll publish them next time. I appreciate your feedback!
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“Craig Garber is America's Top Direct-Response Copywriter. You'll find hundreds of marketing tips to increase your sales, and his insanely popular FREE Direct-Response Marketing Tip Of The Week, on his website, www.KingOfCopy.com. Copyright © Craig Garber. All rights reserved.”