Sales Slaying Assumptions — Magic Powder Not Included

May 11, 2012 Leave a Comment

Demos are a great way to add punch to a selling process, so I stopped to watch a guy pitching his magic powder at a women’s expo a few weeks ago.

He made quite a show of dropping a pH testing solution into a row of cups that held various types of water and soda. Each one quickly turned yellow to prove they were acidic.

Then, he added his magic powder that turned most of the liquids a deep purple–while gleefully pointing out that Perrier is so acidic, it takes eight times the amount of powder to neutralize it.

At one point during his spiel, he said something along the lines of, “You know that acidity in the body causes cancer, right? So this powder will keep you healthy by neutralizing the acids in your body…”

That was his first fatal mistake. And it’s the same mistake far too many business owners make in their website and sales copy…

I’m not a doctor, but if preventing cancer was that easy, it seems we’d have much less of it by now. And even if it is true, it’s not a belief I had before he started. So it instantly sent my skepticism into overdrive.

Mistake #1: Any assumptions have to ring true to your audience. If you say, “Mobile marketing will bring you a flood of sales” but brick-and-mortar guy barely uses his cell phone, you’re assuming a fact not in evidence.

Then he compounded his mistake by taking it further…

Mistake #2: You can’t build a logical argument off a questionable assumption. You probably learned the basics of logic in school, although it may have looked scarily like this:

IF x = y AND y = z, THEN x = z

I’m sure you don’t go around citing the equation, but you probably use it all the time. It’s a simple way to bridge people from something they know is true to something we want them to believe is true.

“You like tuna sandwiches, right? Well, this is a tuna roll. So you’ll like this too if you just give it a try.”  (Good luck with that one! LOL)

But if the child hates tuna sandwiches, the argument is useless.

In magic powder guy’s case, IF I agree that too much acidity causes cancer, he just has to show his product eliminates acidity from what I eat and drink, THEN I’ll believe his product prevents cancer.

Since I didn’t believe the first assumption, the rest of it didn’t matter.

Now, just to clarify, I asked him point blank, “So you’re saying this powder helps prevent cancer.”

Mistake #3: He said yes. He’s damn lucky I wasn’t with a federal agency! You cannot make health claims like that without oodles of proof. That’s why health claims are usually carefully worded, with some kind of disclosure statement nearby.

It’s the same with brick-and-mortar guy. If he doesn’t believe mobile marketing increases sales, it doesn’t matter how great your system or offer is, he’s never going to believe it will work for him.

You must either start with an assumption he agrees with or enter the facts into evidence before going any further. Otherwise, your claims will be unbelievable and the prospect won’t trust you.

What assumptions does your copy make? (Assumptions may be unspoken too–you assume they believe it, so you don’t even mention it.) And are you sure your prospective customers believe them?

 

 

 

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A 60 Second Game for Entrepreneurs

October 10, 2011 Leave a Comment
entrepreneur gameImagine you’re on a reality TV show called Last Chance. 

An Archie Bunker-like accountant comes in and says “If you don’t make TWICE as much money in the next 3 months as you’ve made in the last 3 months, I’m pulling the plug on your business–sorry Charlie, go get a job.”

But…to help you succeed, he’ll give you whatever information or help you need in ONE area of marketing…whatever you want, as long as it’s related to attracting more business…

Oh yeah, as long as you tell him what that area is in the next 60 seconds.

What would you tell him?

 
Tell ME in your answers below!
 
(Remember, you only have 60 seconds, so don’t over think it!)
 

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Copywriter’s Hit List–Excellent Customer Service in Sales Copy

October 6, 2011 1 Comment

pin down specifics in your sales copyMind you, I have no problem with excellent customer service itself–my beef is with businesses always wanting to claim that they provide excellent customer service in their sales copy.

It’s kind of like the boy who cried wolf–so many businesses say it but few truly deliver, so customers don’t believe it when they see it these days.

In fact, a study from American Express showed 60% of consumers feel businesses aren’t making customer service a high priority.  And only 29% of U.S. consumers said their recent shopping experiences exceeded their expectations. (I’m actually surprised it was that high!

Be Specific to Be Believable in Sales Copy

Whenever I’m writing copy for a client, I quiz them about what they mean by “excellent customer service” or search their marketing materials to find something specific to say. Occasionally, I do find wows we can use to really set them apart from the crowd…

For example…

Buried in a lengthy marketing presentation for a web design business was a bullet about having 24/7 support center with U.S. operators. Hello! A huge frustration for business owners these days is calling into a support center and getting someone with minimal grasp of the English language.

It’s even worse when your website is down, you’re clueless about web stuff to start with and you know you’re losing sales. (His business does a lot of e-commerce sites.) So this was potentially a HUGE deal to his prospects and should definitely be featured in his sales copy!

But often, the client can’t come up with any good examples or they cite the typical fluff stuff (e.g. we’ll answer their calls and emails as soon as we can…as if that’s reassuring to someone about to give you their credit card!). And when I ask how that’s different from their competitors, they acknowledge it isn’t.

I then try to pin them down for some kind of specific–saying you’ll answer customer emails within 24 hours at least tells them something tangible, which is ALWAYS more believable.

Of course, the competitor is probably using the lame general “excellent customer service” line in their sales copy, so the client still comes out ahead!

Bottom line, kill the platitudes like “excellent customer service.” Instead, tell them exactly what that means and your copy will be stronger and more persuasive–without hype!

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Attract Customers With a Steady Stream of Customer Referrals…Starting Today!

September 30, 2011 Leave a Comment

More customers. Better customers? This is good, right?

Because most business owners I talk to are quite willing to offer a discount or have a sale to attract new customers.

But virtually none of them have any kind of system in place to get referrals. And some balk at the idea of offering an incentive for referrals…

None of which makes much sense when you think about it.

(Excepting professions where it’s not legal, of course.)

I mean, discounts are fine and sometimes a necessary evil, but you also risk attracting customers who are…

  • Going to balk at paying your normal rates next time around
  • Just hopping from bargain to bargain and provider to provider
  • The biggest pains to work with (bargain shoppers often are)

So discounts may provide a short-term infusion of cash, but they’re not the best strategy to get long-term customers.

On the other hand, referred customers are usually an all-round better quality customer. They tend to…

  • Spend more…now and over the long haul
  • Stay longer and become loyal customers
  • Be easier and faster to close–because they already have a degree of comfort and trust with you

In fact, a study in the Journal of Marketing earlier this year tracked the results of a bank’s incentive program for customer referrals–which gave referrers a $34 bonus–for 3 years.

And they found the referred customers were…

  • More profitable customers for up to 2 years
  • 18% more likely to stay with the bank over time AND
  • Generating lifetime customer values at least 16% higher

As a result, the bank was averaging a 60% return on their investment (the referral incentives).

I know–you’re not a bank. But the same principles still apply…investing a small amount to motivate people to send you quality customers will pay big dividends over time.

Go Beyond the Box for Customer Referrals

We tend to think of referrals as coming from customers, but in reality, the world is your referral oyster.

Everyone you meet can be a great source of prospective customers, JV partners and more. They just need to know who to refer and what to say.

Chuck Austin is long time sales pro turned consultant who’s become a referral master and has put together a product to help you do exactly that.

Ultimate Offline Referral Machine for customer referralsThe Ultimate Offline Referral Machine shows you how to network your way to a steady stream of customers without feeling like a beggar or a pest.

You’ll also discover…

  • 3 systems to tap everyone you meet for potential customers
  • What to say to more effectively ask for referrals
  • Different types of incentives and how to best use them
  • How to stay top of mind so they keep sending referrals in the months and years to come
  • Quick suggestions and wording on how to motivate current customers to refer others to you
  • And more!

Audios and worksheets are the core of the program, but there are overview guides, tips and a promotion example in PDF format as well. He’s also put together a site that will be updated with webinars and more materials over time.

After going through the copy he sent me, I think the Ultimate Offline Referral Machine is an amazing value–he’s going to be relaunching it for $47 in October. But you can get it for much less if you act fast…

So hop over to check out the 2-minute Ultimate Offline Referral Machine video he put together and get your copy now!

(Yes, affiliate links are included above. Feel free to go directly to the site if you have a problem with that.)

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Run Like Fire From These 3 Bad Client Types

September 29, 2011 1 Comment

run like fire from bad clientsNearly everyone has had at least one–the bad client you wish you’d never met.

And when you think back later, it’s funny how many warning signs you realize you skipped by in your eagerness to get them to sign on the dotted line.

In fact, I recently culled my 8 years as a copywriter and marketing consultant to identify a bunch of red flags for prospects to run from. Here are a few:

The Second Guesser

You’ll feel you’re on the witness stand when you’re talking to the Second Guesser. Because he’ll make you justify everything–from every recommendation to your prices and many things in between.

And just when you think he’s got it, he’ll come back and argue the point again.

Sure, you can tell yourself it’ll get better once he hires you but that won’t happen. This guy is a grade-A control freak who will never value your expertise–so get prepared for an ongoing battle if you sign him up!

Ms. Bad Luck

Ms. Bad Luck can’t wait to complain to you about how awful all her previous service providers were–although she’ll do it under the guise of just letting you know what she doesn’t want you to do.

Now, I do like knowing if someone has worked with another copywriter or consultant before and how it went.

But I almost always have to ask the question and prospects are usually reluctant to say anything negative.  If they do, it’s very matter of fact, then they quickly move on.

Ms. Bad Luck though is quite the opposite. You might also notice mentions of a new assistant (or others around her) because she tends goes through people like dogs go through an open box of treats.

Seriously, there’s no way anyone could be THAT unlucky when it comes to hiring help. And there’s only one common thread to all the tales of hiring woe…her.

Bottom line–no matter how happy she seems with you right now, it’s only a matter of time before the honeymoon ends and you’re hiding in the dog house with everyone else.

Mr. Gray Area

This is the prospective client who trips your “hinky” meter. It could be because…

  • He’s evasive when you ask questions
  • What he sells sounds too good to be true
  • Or maybe you can’t explain it, but you just get a bad vibe

Do yourself a favor and follow Nancy Reagan’s advice to “just say no.”

If you’re struggling with the idea of turning down work, turn to the Internet and see what you can find.  But honestly, if you have to check whether he’s scamming people, you’re probably not a good fit–even if he isn’t.

Believe me, I’ve been there. I researched a prospect once and found out his too-good-to-be-true-sounding financial offering was indeed technically legal (though I still wasn’t convinced it would work as well as he said).

But I needed the money and he was a referral…and I ignored my uneasy feeling.

So I shouldn’t have been surprised when he tried to skip out on making the final payment.

But I learned two important lessons:

  • People who are comfortable playing fast and loose with their customers will have no qualms about reneging on your contract.
  • Even if you can’t put your finger on what’s wrong, we subconsciously pick up cues from people. So always listen to your gut about people.

In short, save yourself a lot of time, money and frustration by learning to suss out the bad clients before they become clients–and then run for the hills.

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A-List Email Copy for Your Business

September 23, 2011 Leave a Comment

email copy for autorespondersRecently, I had the chance to write email copy for an A-list copywriter– a series of 3 autoresponders to convert one-time buyers into monthly subscribers for a new membership site.

Well, he loved the copy so much, he decided to replace his own emails with my series.

So, I thought it would be fun to share some insights from the email copy I came up with.

The Autoresponder Series

Here are the emails in a nutshell :

Email 1: Hybrid Email to combine a stick email, which makes the reader feel good about completing their monthly payments for product #1 (the membership), with a pitch email urging them to sign-up for product #2 (the monthly training) right away.

Email 2: Story Email to entertain readers (with a purpose) before leading into a pitch focusing on one part of the training.

Email 3: Song Lyric Email to get attention, inspire urgency and build rapport with readers–any generation X or baby boomer should recognize this phrase from a popular ’70s break up song.

Of all the email copy, the second was by far the hardest because I had to find a good story. And what I did find, about a 19th century cookbook author, was not a simple intro-struggle-conclusion type of story–it needed quite a bit of finessing.

Personally, the third email was my favorite. The idea was pretty much instantaneous–the song lyric  popped into my head every time I thought about the project. It also gave me the theme of a break-up to play off of.

Email Copy Insights for Your Own Autoresponders

There are a number of great ways to put an autoresponder series to work for you. So, here are a few tips for writing your own killer email copy . . .

  • Highlighting how the second purchase will enhance the value of the first without devaluing it is important in a hybrid stick/pitch email . For example, you definitely don’t want to imply they need the second product to use the first, or you could lose a customer for good.
  • Conversational style is key. He liked that my emails were “chattier”–writing like you’re talking to the reader over a cup of coffee builds the all-important know, like and trust. (This does not mean long-winded though!)
  • Hunt down a good story by starting with the end and working backward. What benefits do you want to emphasize? What else might involve a struggle similar to your prospects’? Brainstorm and Google to see what you can find.
  • Pare unwieldy stories down to the essentials without losing any of the compelling details for maximum oomph. I literally spent days reworking this one, but I also had historical accuracy and the faint mustiness of a Victorian heroine to contend with.
  • Shift smoothly from story or song lyric to pitch by finding a common thread that ties the story and product together–a threat that will matter to your audience. Because if it feels like you’ve suddenly slapped an ad onto the end, the reader will bail.
  • “Pay off” the subject line. You can’t use a catchy subject line and leave readers hanging in the email. Somehow,you must justify the subject line in the email copy, preferably early on, or they could feel confused and/or deceived.
  • Continue weaving a theme through until the end, instead of dropping it when you get to the pitch, to maintain flow and reader interest.
  • Whatever creative elements you add (story, song) must be a good fit for your audience. The cookbook author’s story was also quite entrepreneurial (like these readers) and I knew the song matched the demographics.

Have tips of your own? Share them below!

I expect to be pretty busy after word gets out about the emails I did for this A-list copywriter. But right now, you can get a series of 7 business-boosting emails at my current rate of just $500 or a shorter option of only 3 emails (which I don’t usually offer) for only $250.

(I guarantee these rates will be available through the end of the week. But after that, they’re subject to change at any time.)

To get your sales-boosting email copy, sign-up through one of the secure shopping cart links below:

>>> Sign-up for a Series of 3 emails

>>> Sign-up for a Series of 7 emails

If you prefer to receive an invoice with a payment link, or have any questions, you can email me instead at appt at compellingcomm.com.

Either way, I’ll email you after you sign-up to schedule a phone appointment so we can discuss the details of your new email copy!

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The Lifespan of a Link in Social Media

September 16, 2011 Leave a Comment

Unless you’re a public company trying to bury bad financial news on a Friday afternoon, you want as many people as possible to see, click and forward the links to your blog post, press release, sales page or other online content you’re trying to drive traffic to.

So, you may be interested in a recent study about how long a link published via social media and other online marketing is clicked and shared.

Borrowing the concept of a “half-life” from science, bit.ly URL shortening service recently measured how long it takes a link to get half of the clicks it will ever receive after the clicks have peaked.

Lifespan of social media links

Tracking the Social Media Buzz

No surprise, links had the shortest half-lives on Twitter. Although the average of 2.8 hours was longer than I expected.

Links shared on Facebook fared a bit better, getting clicks for a half-life of 3.2 hours–which makes sense since your newstream on Facebook tends to update slower than your Twitter stream.

Links sent via email and Instant Messaging (IM) programs were next with 3.4 hours. Again, you hopefully get few emails than you do Facebook updates, so an email stays on the “front page” longer.

The difference between email and Facebook should have been even bigger. But for some odd reason, bit.ly decided to include links shared via instant message programs like Skype in this number.  Not sure what they were thinking there…

The Social Media King of Link Longevity

The surprising winner–links shared from YouTube got clicks for twice as long as links shared in other social media–at 7.4 hours.

The study also found that sharing and forwarding links followed the same time spans as clicks.

Bottom line, if you want your link distributed with maximum speed–for example, if you have breaking news–Twitter is your best bet. But YouTube takes the cake for longevity.

Of course, the smartest strategy is usually to use ALL of these online marketing methods to get your link out.  And if you stagger the posting times so your link stays in circulation longer, you’ll multiply the amount of time it’s driving traffic to your website.

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Get Them to Act NOW, Not Later! (Last Chance to Save 37%)

August 23, 2011 Leave a Comment

urgency in sales copy with The Sales SuperchargerMore than 97% of visitors who are interested in buying from or hiring you decide to “come back later” but never do!

Discover quick and easy strategies to save those lost sales and get more prospects to buy now in my brand new program… The Sales Supercharger – Tweak Your Offers to Turn Procrastinators into Buyers in Less Than 15 Minutes!!

It come with The Sales Supercharger Report, Workbook and Samples–and all are available at the low introductory price of only $17 through 12 midnight EST tomorrow night (Wednesday, August 24th).

There’s also a special Fast Action bonus for the first 50 customers too…

So hop on over to find out how to easily and believably boost the urgency in your sales copy to get more sales and more customers NOW–while it’s still 37% off!

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How Can a Productivity Website Be Non-Productive?

August 23, 2011 1 Comment

A lot of people seem to think that when I do a sales page or website review, I only look on the actual words on the page. But nothing could be further from the truth

In fact, my Sales Copy Investigation page talks about how copy is just one of four key areas I look at–the other three being marketing strategy, offer and formatting–because ALL of these are critical to maximizing your sales.

So, yesterday I went to check out the a website for productivity products I read about in the Levenger catalog. (Love that store!) and I was a bit shocked–it definitely wasn’t their website that got the store’s attention.

Now, when you first land on the Action Method site, it doesn’t seem too bad. “Capture tasks, collaborate and get organized with Action Method” isn’t the most attention-getting headline in the world, but you do get the gist of what the site’s about.

website review action method productivity application

The “A suite of products, always in sync” subhead along with a big graphic image showing the app on a variety of devices tells you how they think they stand out from the crowd.

But is that much of a differentiator these days?

What’s the Strategy, Kenneth?

After all, a ton of task managers come in online and mobile versions. What IS different is they have paper products too–you’d be surprised how many people are sticking with or going back to good old pen and paper these days. But those aren’t included in the image.

There’s also nothing about how the purpose of the Action Method is to make everything a task and focus exclusively on tasks.

While it’s not good to get philosophical on your home page, right now, there’s nothing that explains what sets Action Method apart or why it might work for someone who’s failed at keeping up with other solutions before–which is very  likely with this type of application. (And yes, I speak from experience here. LOL)

The Method Behind the Madness

Scrolling down the home page, there’s an interactive graphic that shows you features of each format. But you still don’t get any sense of what the Action Method IS–how it works and how you can use it to simplify your task management.

website review screenshot 2 for action methodUnfortunately, that doesn’t improve as you go through the site.

I searched for a FAQ, which is buried in teeny type at the bottom under a lot of other gunk. Yes, gunk, because 95% of it has to do with the company’s other products and services and clicking the links takes you away from the Action Method site.

And what IS there about this product doesn’t inspire confidence. I perked up to see the fourth item about a 48-hour August sale in the News and Blog listing on the lift there. Too bad it’s from 2009.

website review screenshot 3 action method productivity application

Also, the FAQ takes you to a support area where two of the top three Tips & Tricks listed on the front page are “DOA?” and “Anyone still around?” Nice.

If you dig around for awhile, you’ll find a couple of pages on the company’s blog (not the product blog listed in the top navigation, another blog the company has) that talk about it. But again, they don’t really explain how it’s supposed to work in simple 1, 2, 3 terms–it’s more of a theoretical overview.

Make ‘Em an Offer They Can’t Find

The blue “Sign Up” button near the top of the home page takes you to a page that kind of asks you for your email and password.

I say “kind of” because there’s no call to action in text–just a couple of boxes with the words “email” and “password” inside of them. Which wouldn’t be so bad if the boxes weren’t black-on-black, blending right into the black page. If you just hit the big blue “Continue” button, then red bubbles pop up telling you those fields are required.

There’s also no mention of price. Is it free? That’s fine–just say that here.

But if you…

  • Go back to home page
  • Click on “Learn More” under the Online option
  • Click the “Get Started” button on the Online page
  • THEN you get a page that discusses pricing

Now, I have no problem with applications that charge a fee, but burying your pricing is NOT a smart thing to do. You’re going to get some unhappy folks who sign-up first and then find out they don’t get full access for free.

Last I checked, annoyed is never a good way to start a long-term relationship.

Your offer should be crystal clear with a strong call to action that not only tells them exactly what to do, but gives them a believable reason to act now–before they leave the page and never return.

In this case, just flat out telling them to give the free version a try would be a big improvement because then you could follow-up by email–reminding them to actually use it and upselling them to a paid account.

Wrapping Up…

In short, the Action Method site needs to work on all four key areas…

  • The strategy–especially regarding differentiation
  • The formatting–like clearing away all the gunk at the bottom and creating a sensible navigation
  • The offer–actually making a clear offer and giving them a reason to buy now
  • The copy–communicating all those things plus what the system actually IS in a more appealing, persuasive way to their audience

play buttonWant your own (much more in-depth!) website review? Sign up for a Sales Copy Investigation! Or find out how to make killer offers with the last day of introductory pricing on The Sales Supercharger!

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What NOT to Add to an Email Subject Line

July 27, 2011 Leave a Comment

Landing page research firm Marketing Sherpa is known for their terrific stats on what works best in sales copy, email marketing and more. They offer a pretty pricey subscription to access everything on the website, but non-subscribers can get free access to articles for a limited time.

Since a recent survey of non-subscribers had shown 68% didn’t know how long the free access lasted, they decided to test if adding the article’s expiration date in the email subject line would improve response…

Seems like a no-brainer, right?

Because in general, adding some form of believable urgency to an offer boosts response–often quite a lot. (In this case, the subject line is offering great info inside.)

But not this time. After 10 weeks, they reviewed the data and found that adding the expiration date to the email subject line had the OPPOSITE effect…

Slightly decreasing open rates and clicks versus the same exact email subject line without the expiration date.

As I’ve said before, people aren’t always rational and what works doesn’t always make sense. It could be the recipients thought they had less time than they really had, so seeing the real date made them more likely to procrastinate. Who knows.

Of course, just because it didn’t work for Marketing Sherpa doesn’t mean adding a deadline to your subject lines wouldn’t work…

Bottom line–with email subject lines (or anything!), it’s good to start with rules of thumb, but always test, test, test because nothing works 100% of the time.

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