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| How to Turn More Prospects into Paying Customers--- Without Increasing Your Ad Budget At a workshop I presented last month, we were talking about ways to double the number of new leads or customers you can generate each month--- without increasing your advertising budget. For those of you who missed it, the secret isn't spending more money; it's generating a higher response from the marketing dollars you're already spending. Let me explain--- Businesspeople who write their own copy (unless they've mastered the art of copywriting) inevitably write about themselves, their companies, and what they're selling. It's only natural; it's how we were taught to write in school. Then we struggle to find just the right words to make our sales messages as persuasive as possible. But, often in that quest for the perfect ad made up of just the right words and phrases, we can miss the point and lose the sale. Sales copy that makes your phone ring is not about your words, but your message. If the message isn’t right, then the words don’t matter much. It’s like painting a car that doesn’t run--- it looks good, but it won’t get you anywhere. In other words, if the prospect does not become EMOTIONALLY INVOLVED in your message, your chances of converting them into a paying customer are slim. This is true for anything you sell from autos to zippers. Even highly paid CEOs buy on emotion and then use logic to justify it later. If you want to craft effective sales messages you'll need to supply an emotional element as well as a logical one. Most of us have no problem with the logic part. After all, we know our own product or service inside out and backwards. But how do you draw the prospect in emotionally? Prospects don't care about you, your company, or what you're selling. What they want to know is: "What will I gain or lose if I don’t act NOW?" Convince them by proving that you can help them in at least one of these three areas: Fulfilling an Intense Desire Meeting a Pressing Need Solving a Severe Problem Which of these three areas does your sales copy writing address? Think about it. These are THE basic reasons people buy. Even impulse buyers fit into one of these three scenarios. Zero in on the one that is appropriate for your offer, create a compelling case around it and you'll markedly improve the results of your promotional efforts. Skip the emotional component and your sales letters will be "flat"--- and you’ll definitely not enjoy the best possible results for your efforts. But if you can reach the prospect on an emotional level--- step back and watch your revenues skyrocket. You'll have more money to spend on advertising, but you may not need it all! --- Jim McCraigh |
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