Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
May 28, 2009
Issue #483
Dear Business-Builder,
The great investor Warren Buffet has a net worth of about $62 billion. That’s sixty-two thousand million dollars.
If your net worth is $10 million, Warren is 6,200 times richer than you.
If you’re worth $1 million, he has 62,000 times more money than you do.
If your net worth is $100,000, Mr. Buffet is 620,000 times richer than you are.
There are people whose businesses grow a hundred, maybe even a thousand times or more faster than yours does. For every new customer you attract, they attract 100, 1,000, maybe even 10,000 or more.
There are people who look, feel and perform ten, twenty, even thirty years younger than you do …
Who have far greater success in love and relationships (OK – maybe just in sex) than you do …
Who live better for less, have greener lawns, clearer skin, more hair, thinner waists and smaller butts, better-behaved or more successful kids, more friends or are more successful in some other area of life than you are.
Sorry – but you know it’s true. And no, I’m not trying to depress you – just trying to make a very important point.
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Posted by:
Daniel Levis
December 10, 2008
Issue #564
Dear Web Business-Builder,
Staying abreast of what’s happening in the world right now is a double-edged sword for us marketers.
On the one hand, keeping your finger on the pulse of your market is crucial to “operation money-suck.”
On the other, it can become a dangerous diversion that seeps poverty consciousness into your noggin.
You need to choose your perspective wisely …
And that means remaining a dispassionate observer, personally immune to the perverse mental masturbation that captivates the masses, in times like these.
In the foyer of the communal office space where I hatch my evil marketing plots to rule the world, hangs a huge flat screen TV tuned to the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for you foreigners).
It’s all news, all of the time … one economic doomsday scenario after another. There is another TV in the interior of the complex tuned to the same channel. And all day long the banter rages on like a bad horror movie.
On the radio, bubble-heads babble nonstop. In my in-box, Chicken Littles’ galore accost me with their inane yak. Even the water cooler gossip is filled with idiotic blather about the economy.
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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:
Daniel Levis
November 19, 2008
Issue #549
Dear Web Business-Builder,
Several years into my career in corporate, business-to-business selling, I realized there are a few key things you can find out about someone that will dramatically increase your odds of making a favorable impression and getting them involved with your product or service.
Even before this realization, I was already outselling pretty much all of the other sales people at the companies I worked for. It was because I was a ruthless qualifier …
I simply refused to spend time trying to persuade unqualified buyers … while the other salespeople often wasted their valuable time and energy trying to sell to people who couldn’t buy … or with companies who shouldn’t buy because one of our competitors was better able to serve them.
This meant I was dumbfounded when my prospects often failed to see why we were the absolute best solution to their company’s problem.
To me, their behavior was like denying two and two make four — until I discovered my failing …
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Posted by:
Daniel Levis
November 5, 2008
Issue #539
Dear Web Business-Builder,
I can tell you from direct experience that a solid guarantee can absolutely rocket your response. This is especially true in markets where guarantees are not commonplace.
But even in markets where guarantees are a copywriter’s standard stock in trade, they are still an integral part of your promotion.
So what makes a response-rocketing guarantee?
What are the tried and true word choices and phraseology that will make your guarantee a winner?
And perhaps most importantly, what is the psychology behind a guarantee that sells? These are the questions we’ll ponder in today’s issue.
Guarantees are all about eliminating risk of loss. They are a powerful tool for taking away excuses your prospect has for convincing himself he doesn’t need your product. And they are yet another way for you to demonstrate benefits and your absolute confidence and enthusiasm in the solution you are offering.
Implicit in your guarantee are the answers to two fundamental questions:
1 — How likely is the solution to perform as promised?
2 — Will it work for me?
You may have heard the term, “risk reversal.” Well this second point (will it work for me?), reveals the concept behind risk reversal. The vendor reverses the risk associated with the transaction, essentially betting money on the prospect’s ability to obtain the promised results. He guarantees it will work FOR YOU.
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