Archive for December, 2009

03 DecWhy knowing your reader’s criteria may mean the difference between speaking your customer’s language and Talking to Yourself…

Once you know what your reader’s “hot-buttons” are, you’re one or two steps away from being able to hand your client’s what they want…images

And much more importantly “How” to move them where they want to be (or where you want them to be)—Keep your personal ethics in mind while using this! The reason for this is simply because people imagine in their minds what would get them motivated to “Buy”.

All too often I have spoken with colleagues…especially in the fields of psychotherapy and coaching who can  “sell” to ONLY one person-THEMSELVES!

Now granted, selling yourself an idea (maybe a weight-loss diet?) is an invaluable skill.

It could save your life.

But…

You’re reading this to make your writing more persuasive or at the very least to learn from a couple guys who have spent countless hours learning the craft.  If you’re really interested in knowing what is going to peak your reader’s attention and get them right where you want them…

you need to know exactly what is going to get their adrenalin pumping—meeting or even mentioning your reader’s criteria WILL DO JUST THAT.

Just to get definitions out of the way, criteria is “What’s in it for them”—it’s what is driving your customer’s behavior AND it can the GIANT lever for your influence.

And bascically…your reader or customer may NOT even be aware of what their criteria are…

Yet, it can be the most powerful thing you MUST know about your prospect.

Here’s the generic example:

I’ve had the opportunity to work with MANY client’s who have wanted to lose weight.

Often times I simply ask them, “What’s important to you about losing weight?”

They may say, “I’d be healthy!”…or…”I won’t have to worry about getting sick!”

That’s good to know, isn’t it?  If I was in the weight-loss business or selling a diet product, that would be an easy sell.

From here you might ask, “What’s important about being healthy?”…And they may say, “I would be FREE!”  or “I wouldn’t have to worry ever again!”

Oh…FREEDOM may be one of those nice levers for your influence, isn’t it?

If you’re asking these questions live and the person’s face doesn’t LIGHT-UP…that’s not it.  If it does, you’re on the right track.

For copywriting, you need to know your reader…it’s that simple.

So here goes…

Exercise:

With a partner or friend, pick some goal or something they want to have happen in the future…

Ask them…”What’s important about ( )?”

Next…Ask them…”What’s important about (answer above)?”

Try this within with 20-30 people over the next week until it is completely intuitive.  Notice how it changes the way you think about copywriting and influence.

What difference does knowing a person’s criteria make?

Cheers!

03 DecSaving Time Through Writing Powerful Copy

Archimedes said, “Give me a lever long enough and I can move the world.”‘


Archimedes-leveraging-your-timeMy number one challenge in business is lack of time. I sometimes find myself working weekends, evenings and trying to clear my inbox while stuck in traffic or while waiting in line at the store.  Many times I need to have others remind me to stop working – so, probably like you I am always looking for ways to improve my business development abilities without working even more hours each week.

Copywriting ROI - This is why I have been studying copywriting for so long – the return on your money is better than almost any other area of business.  Copywriting is involved in email marketing, pay per click advertising, affiliate marketing, website content production, sales letters, checkout processes, speech writing, and auto-responder creation tasks.  If you can leverage copy and write very powerfully than professionals will follow your advice and lead more often, register for your webinars or events more often and ask less questions via email to your support team before committing to become a client.  In short you can make more money to then either provide more value to each client you serve or hire help to improve the client experience.

The Secret of Efficient Marketing –   The real secret to doing a lot with a little whether you are running a small business or corporate team is leverage.  Leverage your time by writing one powerful piece of copy and having that sent out to thousands of professionals instead of calling individuals and selling them one-by-one.  This is a very basic concept on the surface but how seriously do you take it?  How many hours, formulas and best practices went into your last sales letter? Did you test it?  How many powerful words did you use? Did you include a story as to how the service or product came to be?  The more that you improve your copy the more leverage you gain – think of it as extending your lever…with each tactic you extend your lever further and further.

If you are stretched for time, than you can’t afford to not leverage what you do have by writing more effectively and connecting with your clients.   This is at the core to why I got into writing copy and focusing on improving my own skills within this area in the first place.