Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
December 4, 2008
Originally Posted On: March 6, 2006
OK – so you've written the best headline and lead copy ever.
Now how do you get from here to the sale without royally screwing things up?
In this issue:
- The 3 unforgivable sins writers commit in body copy …
- And 7 "Golden Rules" to help you avoid them
Dear Business-Builder,
Good, nitty-gritty stuff in this issue …
We’ve spent a lot of time thinking about grabbing your prospects’ attention with powerful headline and opening copy in past issues of THE TOTAL PACKAGE – and for good reason: In today’s hyper-competitive world, making that initial "attention" sale is absolutely imperative.
If you fail to get your prospects’ attention, you’ll fail to deliver your benefits and offer. And if you don’t deliver your offer and ask for the sale, it’s pretty much a slam dunk that you won’t get the sale.
And so, we copywriters work our fingers to the bone, beating the bushes for the theme that’s likely to resonate best with our prospects … crafting headlines that stand the best chance of grabbing them by the eyeballs … and slaving over opening copy that is most likely to convert that hard-won attention to readership.
We know that if we do these things well, we’re probably about 70 percent of the way to a promotion that will blow the doors off the competition.
But, alas, in long copy promotions – especially in the 24-page magalogs and tabloids that are my stock and trade – the headline and lead represent only about four percent of the total volume of sales copy required.
There’s a ton more stuff that needs doing after you’ve seized your prospect’s attention. Important stuff – like juicing up your product’s benefits … proving your case … presenting your offer … relieving risk … selling the heck out of your premiums … asking for the sale … closing the sale … and more.
The trick is doing all that without allowing your prospects’ mind to wander even for a second. Or worse: Making a mistake that turns him off entirely – and gets your sales message instantly tossed into the nearest virtual or literal trash can.
In a very real sense, your body copy is a minefield that must be navigated with the greatest of care: Every word, sentence and paragraph of body copy represents the chance to either intensify your prospect’s focus … or to completely lose him.
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Posted by:
Daniel Levis
December 3, 2008
Issue #559
“If you can channel the tremendous force of belief behind only one claim, no matter how small, then that one fully-believed claim will sell more goods than all the half-questioned promises your competitors can write for the rest of their days.” – Gene Schwartz
Dear Web Business-Builder,
When planning a promotion, there are always things you need your prospects to believe before they will buy.
The idea that not buying your product or service right now would be the epitome of dumbness is just one of them.
On the way to that end goal, there are always supporting conclusions that must be hurdled …
- You may need to convince your prospect that a certain process or method is superior to all others when it comes to solving his particular problem.
- You may need to prove to him that even though your company is small, you can meet his needs.
- You may need to lead him to the conclusion that despite what he perceives as his own limitations, he can succeed with your help … and so on.
Every selling situation has its own unique supporting conclusions.
I think we’re all familiar with the idea of substantiating claims with proof, in the form of testimonials, customer success stories, expert endorsements, the credentials of the seller, and so forth … but these are just a few of the factors that impact belief.
Indeed as I sat down to write this article I counted 20 different mechanisms for getting your prospects to believe what you need them to believe … on the road to buying your product.
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Posted by:
Derek Gehl
December 2, 2008
Issue #558
"If you are not moving closer to what you want in sales (or in life), you probably aren’t doing enough asking."
- Jack Canfield
Dear Business-Builder,
Imagine: After months of hard work, your website is finally live. You’ve officially been open for business an entire week. And yet you haven’t made any sales.
Not. One. Single. Sale.
Argh!
Don’t despair. We’ve all been there. In fact, this is one of the most common problems new Internet entrepreneurs ask me to solve for them.
Here’s something that’ll help ease the pain of turning a "dud" site into one that rakes in the profits: Derek Gehl’s surefire "My Website Ain’t Making Money!" troubleshooting checklist.
If you recently launched a website and aren’t getting the results you expected, you need to ask yourself every single question on the list below, starting with number one. Once you can answer "yes" to all 10 questions, I guarantee the sales will come rolling in.
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
December 1, 2008
Issue #557
Dear Business-Builder,
My dad was old-school all the way. As a male chauvinist of epic proportions, he firmly believed that men were created to give orders and that women and children were created to take them.
And because Mom was an old-fashioned gal, she was pretty much OK with that.
And by “pretty much,” I really mean, “NOT AT ALL.”
Sure — she’d follow Dad’s lead so long as she agreed with him. When she didn’t agree, Mom used what she called “psychology” on him, exercising copious amounts of persuasion and a fair share of stealth tactics to get her way.
And every once-in-a-while, when all else failed, she’d get “that look” in her eye. There would be a certain inflection in her voice and a set to her jaw that made it clear to everyone — Dad included — who was really in charge. (What can I say? She was a redhead!)
I called that look “The Eye of The Tiger” — and whenever I saw it, I knew I was just one false move away from seeing a mild-mannered, middle-aged minister’s wife go ninja on my ass.
And I will be forever grateful that I inherited that look — or at least the attitude that goes along with it — from dear old Mom.
Because that mind-set has made me a ton of money over the years — especially after I’ve been punked in a heads-up test against another writer.
While others may sulk or question their talent after being told their sales copy has been beaten, I just get that set to my jaw, that tone in my voice and that look in my eye that says, “No way am I going to let this stand!”
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Posted by:
Troy White
November 28, 2008
Issue #556
Fellow Business-Builders,
You are going to love the rest of this success story!
If you haven’t read the first half, make sure you go back to last week’s article and go through the details.
Brendan Ready shared with me his brilliant strategy for selling a commodity type product for huge margins over his competitors.
Some of the things he covered in our last week’s article …
- Do what your competitors aren’t willing to do to open up new territories.
- Go where the real money is … and charge appropriately.
- Find areas that are not being served properly.
- Be creative in how you pay your team members – get them excited about how much they can make … and how much of a mini-celebrity you are making them.
- Charge very high premiums for a unique service and product that creates an unforgettable experience … one they can’t wait to share with their friends.
- Plus a lot more was covered … make sure you read it!
back to the interview …
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