Sales Triggers

Copywriting Persuasive Ads, what's the secret?

Have general knowledge: be creative, experience the world.

Know specific knowledge about the product or service, be an expert.

Practice writing, write a lot, every moment you can, letters, etc.

Copywriting is a mental process, the successful execution of of which reflects the sum total of all your experiences, your specific knowledge and your ability to mentally process that information and eventually transfer this to a piece of paper all for the purpose of communicating an idea.

The purpose is to reach out in your pocket and buy the product.

The format
First line: lead-sentence, a few words, second sentence getting you to read the rest.

Use the next aspects as a checklist for your copy:

What's the best environment to sell the product?

Harmonize with the prospect / reader (rapport, get the prospect to say yes, make compliments, harmonize with the environment and product

Selling books; based on curiosity, suggestion, a secret in the book

Slippery slide in the copy of an ad (over the edge, pitch and tempo)

Seeds of curiosity (later I'll tell you something I never told anyone else, but there's more, wait till you read what I just discovered, getting interest)

Sell with emotion, use logic to justify the purchase (sell the concept with emotion, example: challenging the buyer)

Technical explanation; it shows and proves you're an expert

Service; raise and solve the issue if you're product needs service

Trial period; courteous refund?

Price comparison; good value

Ask for the order, close the deal

Summary

Product explanation

Sexual orientation; be careful not to be too sexist

Raising objections and resolve it

New feature; highlight them

Ease of ordering

Clear copy; write for yourself (bigger for upscale audience

Rhythm in an add (short and long sentences)

Paragraph headings / subheadings (makes the copy look less intimidating; in direct mail: making statements, attention getting)

Type face; legible language, clear Seriff style type

Physical Facts, mention all facts, size, weight, price

Name the price

Testimonials

Avoid saying too much

Conversational tone: First person: I want to..., me, we, our ... to a person individual

Tell a story in the copy

How to structure the content

Inquiry generator: first call then sales or direct sales: test!

Contest in the add: challenge the reader

Branding start up: informative

Copy should be long enough to cause the reader to take the action you request.

Every communication should be a personal one from the writer to the recipient regardless of the medium used

The ideas presented in your copy should flow in a logical fashion as if you were face to face with your prospect anticipating and raising every question and answering them as if these questions were indeed asked

In the editing process you reduce the copy to express exactly to what you want to express with the least amounts of words

Selling the cure is a lot easier than selling a preventative, unless the preventative is perceived as a cure or the cure would have aspects of the preventative or is emphasized.

Telling a story can effectively sell your product, create the environment or get your reader well into your copy as you create an emotional bonding with your prospect.

Use the slippery slide; your reader should be so compelled to read your copy that they cannot stop reading until they read all of it.

Keep the copy interesting and keep the reader interested by the power of curiosity

The incubation process is the power of your subconscious mind to use all of your knowledge and experiences to solve a specific problem the efficiency of which is dedicated or dictated by time orientation, environment and ego. (take a break)

Never sell a product or service, always sell a concept.

The mindstretch-effect; the more the mind must work to reach a conclusion, which it eventually successfully reaches, the more positive, enjoyable and stimulating the experience.

Psychological Triggers

The feeling of involvement and ownership (also visualizing using the product)

Honesty (truthful statements, tell all the good and bad things about the product)

Integrity (trustworthy

Credibility (if price is too low or high)

Prove of value for comparison purposes

Justify the purpose (compare to similar product, for business tax deductible)

Greed

Establish authority

Satisfaction conviction; I'm so convinced that you're going to like this product that I'm offering you... the consumer feels the public is going to rip you off (refund the money not used, not used in two years etc.)

Nature of the product (perceive the need of the product: burglar alarm, insurance)

Current Fads (in the beginning, at peak or slightly past nothing lasts forever) Timing

Desire to belong (to special group who own a ..., the smartest people own ...)

The desire to collect (scarcity, several models

Curiosity (most powerful element in campaign) in retail: immediate gratification go

Sense of urgency; limited supplies (needs prove) (also: example extra offer if the response is within few hours)

Instant gratification

Exclusivity, rarity or uniqueness

Simplicity; is the key to sell any product; test out your ads (dotted line around the coupon)

Human relationships (relate to the human using it, good looking people)

Reciprocity; if you do a favor, they will want to do a favor back (guilt)

This overview is based on Joe Sugarman’s E-book Psychological Triggers

[Reposted from MetaMagazine 2002]

Secrets of Sales

1. A tightly scheduled 12-hour day.
2. Have contacting goals.
3. Systematic communication.
4. Know your subject.
5. Learn from questions you are asked: Don't get caught twice.
6. Always have an active prospect list that you contact regularly.
7. Respond fast.
8. Keep your name in front of the customer.
9. Develop innovative strategies for yourself and your customers.
10. Impressive preparation.
11. Finding a niche.
12. Weekly targets.
13. Show people their strengths.
14. Use 80/20 rule.
15. Each day write down 2 things on the job you did that you enjoyed or found satisfying.
16. React to problems promptly.
17. Honesty.
18. It's all or nothing for the customer.
19. Thorough planning.
20. Verify key points after meetings in writing.
21. Start meetings with a review.
22. Bring, show or discuss one positive they are not expecting.
23. Tried and true case studies.
24. Develop a system that allows you to find info in 15 seconds.
25. Respect deadlines on promises made.
26. Use flexibility to break into new markets.
27. Perfect your communication.
28. Mentally walk with them.
29. Put features and benefits into layers of pyramid and focus on best layer.
30. Mind-emptying exercises.
31. Structured follow-up
32. See how success works and copy, copy, copy.
33. Don't get tired of service.
34. Flair
35. Anticipate questions and know the answers.
36. Believe in your product.
37. Know exactly where you're going to start the next day.
38. Have high daily targets and when you achieve them--quit.
39. Set up definite rules to get over each hurdle and on to the next.
40. Know competitors products.
41. Create pride of ownership.
42. Have a structured selling answer to "What do you do? & a handout.
43. State your price as a benefit.
44. Answer, "What do you do?"
45. Spend 90% of your time either prospecting or on appointments.
46. Develop solid closing questions.
47. Know your product--shoot the answer.
48. List the benefits of your product.
49. Look as if you've operated the product all your life.
50 Full-scale mock-up. Prototype.
51. Be there when you're needed.
52. Never, ever forget one single thing you've promised to do,
no matter how trivial it seems.
53. Respect the client for what he is and for what he has accomplished in life.
54. Verbalize respect.
55. Reliability, responsiveness, tangibles, assurance, empathy.
56. Know your case and their case.
57. Put enormous thought and energy into reconfiguring your world so that when emergencies happen you have exactly what you need to do the job.
58. Know their history when you arrive.
59. Always know and communicate the next step.
60. 3 Steps: Previous, Current, Next.
61. Way of the gull: Work like hell and go after every scrap.
62. Leverage time and effort.
63. Analyze, measure, identify my selling, marketing, advertising and operations.
64. In a minute, describe what it is about your business that gives
greater advantage, greater benefit, and greater result to your client.
65. How can I test one way against another?
66. What is my clear, accurate distinct vision of my business?
67. How many better, other additional ways could I be doing?
68. How can I get the highest and best use of my time and opportunity.
69. Who could recommend me?
70. What do my clients pre-do and post-do that I can leverage.
71. Do one good thing consistently well.
72. If something works, experiment with a copy.
73. Never create the same routine twice.
74. Trial and error but debrief.
75. Rise before dawn.
76. Be willing to be consumed by a task as long as it takes.
77. Practice the basics endlessly.
78. Your core investment must be in understanding your customers.
79. Stress high quality relationships
80. Be a perpetual prospecting machine.
81. Lose the no's.
82. Have a strategic plan and a relentless application of the plan.
83. Document everything. Always know what happened.

The above list was taken from Dale Kirby's Meta-Web. Mostly compiled from the book "The Secrets of the World's Top Sales Performers by Christine Harvey" and other sources.

[Reposted from MetaMagazine website 2002]