If Ever There Was A Secret To Success!

Wow, I got a lot of feedback from the last post and I appreciate it. Seems like a few readers have benefited from the advice by taking action and actually doing something with it. Well done! If ever there was a secret to success, there it is above.

Anyway, moving on…

The past couple of weeks have been one long slog. I felt like I was on a treadmill… jogging away and not getting any damn where. One job after another. Bang, bang, bang. Mainly seminar promotions. For myself and my clients. Frankly, I’ve barely had time to catch my breath.

But I made a vow recently about this blog.

I’m determined to get at least one post up per week. This way, every week you can tap into the power of Emotional Direct Response Marketing and Copywriting.

So I knew I had to get a post up today, not tomorrow.

But Monday is looming with two deadlines that have to be completed. And in the world I live in, you can’t get away with “the dog ate my lunch” kinda story, just won’t cut it.

Some deadlines are soft; meaning, they are not set in stone and you know you’ll have to make a few changes anyway.

Other deadlines are hard; meaning people are relying on you to get it done on that day and people are standing by, ready to implement. For Monday’s deadlines, my clients have got printers ready to print, web guys ready to upload my copy, and they are itching to launch their seminar promotions. The copy MUST be done!

So I compromised by reprinting a chunk from my monthly Emotional Ad Writing & Marketing Letter.

The way I see it, everyone wins. I can get back on to my deadlines and you get some great info taken from my paid subscription newsletter.

Anyway, here’s the article below. I’m gonna go grab a coffee… I’m in for a long day.

To Your Success,

Pete Godfrey
Copywriter & Sales Strategist
 

The Power of a Provocative Question

You are just one sales letter away, heck, even one ad or headline away from riches. If you crack the code with a powerful headline the world truly can be your oyster. Because it’s your headline that will make the difference between a loser and an off-the-wall WINNER. And one way to come up with a dynamite headline and instantly hook your reader is by using a provocative question.

Years ago, I came across this headline in an old Dan Kennedy newsletter…

“How Much Younger Do You Want To Look?”

It was an ad for cosmetic dentistry.  Below the headline was a before and after shot. Powerful stuff.

And I’ve adapted that headline many times over the years with great results for my clients.

“How Much Better Do You Want To Feel?”
“How Much Energy Can You Handle?”
“How Much Happier Do You Want To Be?”

If you really know your market, their thoughts, fears, wants, desires and so on, these kinds of headlines break through the clutter. Instead of promising one over-the-top benefit after another, you are focusing on your prospect’s emotions. This gets past the “Yeah sure” response you get when you have merely benefit-driven headlines.

It also gets under your prospects’ BS detectors and hones in on their feelings.

Here are three more templates you can use…

Tired of the same old….?

Isn’t it time you….?

Isn’t it time you did something for yourself for a change? (I’ve used this one many times. Usually when closing the letter after I’ve made my offer and I’m doing my call to action.)

It’s just a simple matter of taking proven headlines and adapting them to your own business. And yes, I can hear some members now.

“My business is different. I sell flowers”, or “I’m a plumber” and the list goes on.

Okay, so if you sell flowers use…

“Isn’t It Time You Showed Her How Much You Really Care?”

What about a plumber?

“Don’t You Think You Deserve a Plumber That Arrives On Time?”

The provocative headline works because it engages the reader. Try it!

About The Author

Pete Godfrey, The Wizard of Words, from rebel without a clue to one of the most in demand and highest paid copywriters and sales strategists in Australasia… all with the power of his emotionally charged words that sell…Discover the "Secret Weapon" to increasing your Sales and Profits www.emotionaladwriting.com

 

The Fear of Loss is More Powerful Than The Hope For Gain!

The headline above has been drummed into my head since I first started writing copy over a decade ago. If you study guys like Kennedy, Halbert and Carlton, as I do, you know these guys really get it.

So if you’re a student of Emotional Direct Response, you know this.

You know in reality, people would much rather save something they’ve already got, than get something they want. It’s hardwired into our heads.

So if you’re a student, you know this already.

But do you really get it?

Is this undisputed fact of human behaviour permanently imprinted into your mind? If not, then this is my objective here. To show you how to always be aware of this fact, but also to show you how to craft compelling copy that targets this primeval emotion, what we call, the fear of loss.

(I hope by now, as an astute reader of this blog, you realise the BIG POINTS I make here, the ones I want to really ram home to you, are the exact same BIG POINTS  I keep reminding myself on. By reminding you, I’m reminding me. And being astute, I bet you’ve got a notebook beside you, a BIG IDEA book you’re writing all of these lessons down in. You are, aren’t you?)

Anyway, I was going through an old Jerry Buchanan newsletter the other day (Jerry was a famous old info marketer from way back), when I came across an example of fear of loss that really struck home.

Jerry was commenting on an Advertorial by Tony Hyman for his book: “Cash for Unwanted Treasures.” (Tony’s book predates “The Antiques Road Show” shown on TV.).

This is going back to the early nineties but I’m told Tony is still going strong. Remember, human emotions do NOT change throughout time.

Anyway, if you read my previous post, you saw how every emotion is a two-sided coin.

Positive and Negative.

Good or Bad.

So Tony’s advertorial headline could easily have focused on the benefits of finding unwanted treasure. Something like:

“I couldn’t believe it when they told me my old vase was worth $2,500, but when he handed me the cheque…”

NOTE: A simple adaptation of Caples’ famous: “They laughed when I sat down at the piano… but when I started to play…”

Now this isn’t a bad headline. But Tony didn’t use this approach. Because he knew in his gut the fear of loss is more powerful than the hope for gain.

This is what his headline was…

“Have You Ever Put a $100 Bill in the Trash?”

Man that hits ya doesn’t it? It’s pure fear of loss!

Look, I don’t use this enough myself, hence this article. My mind is focused on wealth, on good things, on the positive side of life.

But as entrepreneurs we must realise many are not this way. It’s easier to motivate the masses with what they will lose, as opposed to what they will get.

MILLION DOLLAR EXERCISE: First, write out all of the things your prospects might lose by not getting your product or service. What will they miss out on? What will they lose?

Next, come up with all the Power Words that describe each one. (PAIN WORDS)

Might pay to print this post out. It’s a keeper.

Anyway, it’s a beautiful autumn’s day here in the tropics. About 17 degrees Celsius, the sun blazing from a clear blue sky with a faint whiff of salt blowing up from the beach on a gentle breeze.

That’s where I’m heading now, down the beach. And I won’t feel guilty either. I’ve done a 5 hour writing block from 5 this morning until 10. So I got a lot done. Two jobs actually completed and two more moved further along. So I’m happy and ahead of schedule.

Stay happy,

About The Author

Pete Godfrey, The Wizard of Words, from rebel without a clue to one of the most in demand and highest paid copywriters and sales strategists in Australasia… all with the power of his emotionally charged words that sell…Discover the "Secret Weapon" to increasing your Sales and Profits www.emotionaladwriting.com

 

Persuasion Power … The Two-Sided Coin

People buy on feelings. And if you’ve been with me awhile now, you know you are really in the FEELINGS business… that’s where the real money lies.

And basically, there are two kinds of feelings, positive and negative.

Now I’m a positive person, so I’m always looking at the positive feelings, the positive benefits a prospect gets from the product I’m selling. It’s only natural, that’s the way I think. But here’s what I have to constantly remind myself of: In many cases, you get better results by manipulating negative feelings than you do positive feelings.

Fight this statement as much as you want. But it’s the truth. Here’s an example to prove this point…

Guilt
Love
   
Two sides of the same feelings coin.

Now let’s pretend for a minute I’m trying to sell you something and you’re a parent. I can go down the love angle and I would do this. I would stress in story form the love you feel for your kids. But this love angle would be my secondary priority.

Guilt would be my major emotion. I would hammer home the guilt angle. About not being around for your son’s soccer game, missing out on his graduation, not taking him fishing and so on.

It’s why the subhead I wrote below for a client specialising in children’s learning and speech difficulties worked so damn well. (It’s why the Special Report I wrote for her over two years ago is still bringing in the money.)

"Do You Ever Get The Feeling That Your Child Is Slipping Behind The Rest Of The Class?"

Sure it plays on the love angle, but it also rams home the guilt. The prospect starts thinking that maybe somehow it’s his fault for not spending enough time with his son or daughter… that’s the reason the grades are slipping.

Don’t ignore this advice.

It’s why in the lead up to our Federal Election here in Australia, the ALP started using negative ads: Because They Work! (The Liberals did the same.)

Just be clear you are in the FEELINGS business. You are selling feelings. Your customers are a seething mass of emotions and how they feel will determine whether they buy or not.

So sell with emotion. Sell with the feelings your prospects will experience once they get the benefits your product offers. And don’t forget the two-sided coin. Positive and negative… and many times, negative is the angle to take.

And now, I’m outta here and on to my next deadline.

Keep smilin’,

About The Author

Pete Godfrey, The Wizard of Words, from rebel without a clue to one of the most in demand and highest paid copywriters and sales strategists in Australasia… all with the power of his emotionally charged words that sell…Discover the "Secret Weapon" to increasing your Sales and Profits www.emotionaladwriting.com