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

 

Copywriting Salesmanship in Print

WHAT SAVVY MILLIONAIRE MARKETERS KNOW THAT YOU DON’T…& HOW IT COULD BE COSTING YOU A FORTUNE!

Salesmanship in print (and sorry to all of my valued female readers, I just couldn’t write salespersonship in print…just wouldn’t sound right okay?)

That’s what we’re doing when we write an ad or sales letter. We’re taking basic salesmanship and transcribing it on to the page. And that’s what millionaire marketers know that most people don’t.

When they take their message to the market, it’s complete, vibrant, and really connects with their prospects. It’s pure salesmanship. No matter what the media … print ads, direct mail pieces, websites, it doesn’t matter. The message remains the same.

And a lot of people don’t get this.

They get all “holier than thou” when they start writing … like they are speakin’ some kind of different language. There is no connection there, no empathy or under-standing or pure, unadulterated raw emotion. It’s like they forget they are there to sell!

So get this straight…

When you’re writing sales copy (you know, a sales piece that’s supposed to sell your product), write the way your target audience speaks. Sure, you’ll have to adapt your language to the different markets you’re selling to. But… And here’s the but.

Even highly educated people would rather read simple language than wade through page after page of long-winded nonsense.

So don’t use a ten-dollar word when a simple one will do. And remember, even if you are doing business-to-business writing, you’re still writing to a person.

So you’ve got to think of your ideal reader when you write. Picture this person in your mind … feel what she is feeling, experience what it’s like to be inside her head. Then and only then will you have a chance of connecting with her and ultimately selling her on your product.

Because it’s all about connecting.

How do you do this? Well one way to connect with your reader is by using “you copy.”

That is, you address the reader as ‘you’ in your copy.

For example, have you ever received a letter that starts off like this? (TIP: Here’s one way NOT to do it!)

We Are Proud To Release The XYZ Software Program.

Dear Business Owner,

We at XYZ technologies are proud to introduce to the market our latest state-of-the-art software. XYZ software is a user-friendly, sophisticated financial software for small business accounts receivable, accounts payable and general ledger application.

We are…

ENOUGH!

This type of crap crosses my desk each week! And do you know what? It’s complete nonsense, a complete waste of money for the company producing such drivel. Wow, they’re so far up themselves, so removed in their ivory tower, that it makes me wonder how they can stay in business. It’s just plain dumb.

I mean, what did they actually say? What the hell does it mean? Take this one…

“We are proud to release”… who gives a damn about what they’re proud of?

Show me what’s in it for me!

Show me that you know me; that you know what I want, what I need, and give me a compelling reason to keep reading.

So let’s see what happens when you write this from the “you” perspective. What happens when you connect with your reader and fully understand their present mindset?

Here’s how I would write it…

(Pre-Head)
Attention Business Owners Who Are Sick & Tired Of Being Robbed Blind By Non-Paying Customers…

(Headline)
“How To Stop Non-Paying Thieves Ruining Your Business!”

(Body Copy)
Dear Frustrated Business Owner,

If you’re sick and tired of being used as a doormat by clients who pay late or not at all … if your business is hurting and cash flow is tight due to unpaid bills … and you need an easy solution to tracking down all those outstanding invoices, then this will be the most important letter you have ever read.

Here’s why…

XYZ is a new software programme that helps you balance your books quickly, easily, and without any fuss.
Not only that, it shows you who owes what, how much they owe, and provides a series of proven letters that scare the hell out of late payees, effectively getting them to cough up the cash NOW and not later.

Plus, it also…

(Bullets)
Manages your cash flow so you can see at a glance just how well your business is doing (no nasty surprises).

Gives you an up-to-the minute report on outstanding invoices so you can quickly notify non-payers.

And etc. and so on…

See how emotional this is?

See how I tap into what is already on the prospect’s mind?

See how different the copy reads when you take the “you” approach?

So the lesson here is this:

Write to one person at a time with emotionally charged language and write as simply as you can.

Forget the big words and don’t worry what your English teacher told you about grammar. Heck, she’s still teaching and tied to a job. You however, if you get good at writing copy, if you can master this craft, you can write your own pay cheque.

For those folks keeping track of my whereabouts, yes I am hitting the road shortly on one BIG road trip. If boosting business profits interests you, if you like the idea of writing compelling words that sell, and you wanna hang out with me for a full day, then this is one “trip” you don’t want to miss. Here are all the details of my Turn Words Into Money Roadtrip

 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

Copywriting's Magic Pill Syndrome

Monday, 7.38 am, Mackay, Tropical North Queensland, Australia

G’day…

Thanks for the feedback from my last post. I appreciate it and I can see why this blogging pastime could get addictive.

As a writer, I feel thankful I have such an appreciative audience to write to. A writer is nothing without a reader; and I’m blessed to have responsive members who consume my Emotional Ad Writing & Marketing Letter each month with gusto. And now, with this blog, I can reach even more people. So thank you. I’ll never take your readership for granted.

And while I’ll be reading every comment I receive here, I won’t be answering individually. As you probably know, I’m a full time copywriter who always lives under the shadow of pressing deadlines. But please understand I am reading every single entry and I do appreciate your involvement.

It’s my aim to keep serving you a smorgasbord of ready to consume persuasive nuggets; so you get the skills, knowledge and confidence to sell more and sell more often.

Okay, that’s enough throat-clearing. Let’s get down to business. Here’s a powerful concept I really want you to “get.” And once again, it’s about your market. Those special people who you target; those special people who will give you money if you give them what they want.

WARNING: The follow article may offend sensitive readers. I apologise in advance if that’s you. My aim is not to offend, but to inspire. And to do that, I have to give it to you straight without the sugar coating.

Understand this…

People are in a hurry.

There’s no time to wait. Study after study proves people are now more stressed than ever. Technology, once thought to be our saviour, now consumes more of our time.

Mass marketers realise this. Nearly every week there’s a new Instant Version of an old reliable favourite. There’s Instant Oats, Instant Noodles, Instant Vegetables and the list goes on. People no longer will tolerate waiting… and we marketers better not forget this.

If they want something, they want it NOW, not later.

And for a majority of people, they want quick answers to their problems as well. They don’t want to work, they don’t wanna have to sweat; they want a magic pill to swallow that fixes all of their worries.

That’s the way it is; so don’t fight it or try to understand it… move with it and cash in on it, that’s all you’ve got to do.

We copywriters call it the Magic Pill Syndrome. And the closer your product or service is to the Magic Pill the more sales you’ll make. Understand this… nobody wants “slow and hard”… they want “quick and easy.” It’s your job to re-position your product in your copy so it aligns itself with this kind of thinking.

So how do you do this?

Well you’ve got to go deep inside the psychology of your market and find out what they really want. Then start asking yourself some questions.

What can I add to my product?

Is my product close to the magic pill or is a lot more work needed?

What bonuses can I offer to make it instant?

Does my product make it easy? If not, what can I change so it does?

These kinds of questions will help. Because now you are focused directly on what your market wants, not what your product has to offer.

Can you see the difference?

Let’s take the diet market for example. Once again, people are searching for the magic pill. And hey, I’m no doctor or nutritionist, but I do know one thing. If you wanna lose weight you’ve got to eat right and exercise.

If what you burn through exercise is more than you take in through eating and drinking, then by golly you’re gonna lose weight.

But you can’t sell this!

People don’t want to sweat and strain and exercise, no way! And people on diets want to eat what they damn well please. But, here’s the secret… they still want to lose weight.

So every diet is sold via the magic pill. There’s been a new breakthrough, a new twist on a proven formula… a new way to shed weight fast without dieting and without any exercising either. Diet promoters create an aura about their products that make them special, unique, and damn hard to resist.

In some way, shape or form you’ve got to do the same with your products.

And here’s where the problem starts.

Many of my clients just don’t get this.

They want to sell “slow and hard” and they are surprised when no one wants their products. They are simply amazed at the lack of response.

But to me, the lack of response was predictable… it was preordained as soon as the client took the moral high ground.

“But we don’t want to lie Pete… our product works but it does take a bit of time and dedication.”

Yes I understand this… and I’m not talking about lying or deceiving anyone.

Do that in a highly regulated market and you’ll end up in jail… not to mention getting chased by every news-hungry Current Affairs show in the country.

And in a marketing sense, if you push this concept too far 3 things will happen.

1. The quality of your customers will go down because you’re getting too many dreamers.
2. There’s a good chance your refund rate will go up because you’ve over-hyped what you’re selling.
3. Repeat sales will drop. That’s because many will not refund, even though they want to … but one thing’s for certain, they will not buy from you again.

So, I’m not telling you to blatantly lie. No. But get this…

To make a ton of sales you’ve got to make a BIG, bold, dramatic and emotional promise (an irresistible offer). You can’t get wimpy here and tone it down. If you tone down your promise, you’ll be toning down your sales. You’ve got to make your offer sound good… almost too-good-to-be-true. Almost. And then you back it up with every bit of PROOF you’ve got to ram home and prove your claims.

And it’s got to be simple.

Don’t get bogged down in all the deal-killing details. Make it sound good and simple and easy to do and you WILL get more sales. It’s all about making an irresistible offer… a subject I’ll cover in detail in the future.

But for now… here’s an advanced concept I want you to think about and take on board from the master himself Dan Kennedy.

Sell people what they want and then give them what they need.

This means sell them on what they want… which is quick and easy … appeal to their inherit laziness. But when you deliver, give them the quick and easy, sure do that… but also, give them what they really need to get the results they deserve.

So think about this magic pill concept… really think about it because it may just be the breakthrough you need to get maximum sales.

Okay, moving on…

Look, I may sound like a broken record but I’m going to keep saying it…

As a marketer, you’ve got to know why your customers buy.

What motivates them?

What do they want?

You see, it’s never about you – it’s never about what you’ve got to sell.

It’s all about them, your prospects and what they want, need, desire and so on.

And once you get this and really understand this concept, selling is gonna get a hell of a lot easier for you. I’ve got a big sign on my wall over the top of my monitor. It reads: Sell the Concept, Not the Product!

So what does that mean? It means, instead of trying to flog your product or service with logical reasons, try selling the feeling that your prospects gets when they own your product.

Sell the end result.

Sell the outcome that your prospect gets from using your product.

So, if you’re selling a diet book, don’t sell the techniques used in the book. Don’t sell the boring recipes. Sell quick results.

Sell her on the outcome … losing weight. But more than that; take her into the future.

Hold her hand as she walks into her favourite clothing shop. Guide her as she buys that new pair of jeans, you know, those special ones, the jeans she’s been scared of getting because her thighs were too fbig.  Sell her the feeling of trying them on, of looking in the mirror and seeing how they hug her firm behind. Let her see this, let her feel this… let her imagine the admiring glances as she walks down the street.

Can you see the difference?

Instead of selling boring old recipes you’re selling a completely new lifestyle!

Okay, just understand that people buy for many reasons and most of these reasons haven’t got anything to do with your product.

People buy for their own reasons, not yours.

And the more you know about what makes people tick, the better your business is going to be.

So I’m going to help you out here and give you eight of the many motivational triggers to get you started.

Eight reasons why people buy.

Your job is to try and incorporate some of these buying motivators and the emotions behind them into your product or service.

1: More Money. People want more of it. They may want to start their own business, get a higher paying job or invest in real estate or the stock market. Greed is a powerful motivator. Greed is what starts wars … and each and every one of us, to some degree, possesses this trait.

2: Save Money. We all want to save money right? And we all like to get a bargain.

3: Save Time. People are rushed and they want to save time. They may want to work less and spend more time enjoying life.

4: Look Better. People want to look better. We’re a vain bunch aren’t we? We want to lose weight, tone our bodies, or improve our facial features. We just want to look good.

5: Live Longer. People want to live longer. We may want to get in shape, eat better or gain extra energy. We’re all searching for the magic pill.   

6: To Be Loved. People want to be loved. We crave love. It’s a basic instinct that we all share.

7: To Be Popular. Here’s another basic instinct that drives people. Most people yearn for popularity … to be noticed. Don’t neglect this one in your pitch if it’s appropriate.

People love to be popular and to look better than everyone else. And many people never get this…never get the recognition they think they deserve.

8: To Gain Pleasure. They may want to have a holiday; they may want to satisfy their appetite for exotic food or sexual desires.     We want to be spoilt and pampered and made to feel special … to enjoy the good things in life and have some fun.

Okay, that’s eight motivational triggers you can adapt and use. Here’s how to use one of them…

Let’s say your product’s main benefit is that it saves time and your target market is working mums. Well then it’s your job to sell the benefits of all the extra time they’ll have. Not the product.

You emphasise in your copy all the things your prospect can now do with that extra time.

Lie on the beach, spend more time with the kids, or take up that correspondence course she’s been putting off.

See how your copy is now about her and not your product?

You’re not going on and on about this feature and that feature, or how long you’ve been in business. No! You’re coming out and telling her she can now spend more time with her kids if she gets your product! And that’s one hell of a difference!

You see, your prospects are selfish… deep down we all are. Now don’t get hung up on this … just accept it. I’m not here to change the world or see things how I want them to be. As a marketer, I can’t afford that luxury. And nor can you. You’ve got to see things how they are. And that means being aware that your prospects are selfish little creatures and are concerned only with things that directly affect them. This means…

They don’t care about your grand opening…

They don’t care how long you’ve been in business…

They don’t care that you’re a nice guy or gal…

Unless you can show her how this affects her and how she can benefit from your claims … then she might listen.

So, will she save money at your grand opening with all your opening day, special prices? Will she save time because of your great parking? Will she gain pleasure from your products? Yes? Then make sure you mention this in your copy. Benefit after benefit after benefit … all piled one on top of another. That’s how you get `em interested in what you’re selling. And that’s how you make the sale.

Because it’s always about them – never about you.

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

 

Do you really have to under-go a near-death experience to become a street-savvy Marketer?

Tuesday, 10.38 am, Mackay, Tropical North Queensland, Australia

G’day…

I was talking to a client on the phone a while ago and he said something that took me back a little and got me thinking. And I thought I’d share it with you here because it makes a good point and really rams home what this marketing game is all about.

Anyway, my client simply said: “I like the way you can nail my problems… you’re always thinking outside of the box.”

That’s it, that’s all he said.

So it wasn’t as if it was anything earth shattering. But to me it hit home.

Anyway I started thinking: “Well that’s because I’ve never been inside any box. I’ve always been standing on the outside looking in.” (And for all those Cold Chisel fans out there, what a song that was hey?) Instead, I replied to my client: “Well thanks… but that’s what you’re paying me for.” Or something like that anyway.

My point is; I bring a lot more to the table than just my copywriting skills. (And stay with me…this about YOU not me.) I packed a whole lot of living in my first 35-odd years. (Some would say too much… but hey, I can’t change history.)

I’ve tasted the extremes of emotions from despair to sheer and utter bliss. I tasted the adrenalin rush of fast bikes and have been just a fraction-of-a-second away from certain death on more than one occasion. Crazy but true.

From my wild out of control nomadic years on one side, to the tougher-to-do years when my son was born and I was trying desperately to get it together and stay in one place long enough to get some answers.

I’ve lived through them all. Many of my friends didn’t.

So I can call on many different memories… I can think back and taste many different and conflicting emotions. And all are used as tools in my copy… so I can relate to whomever I’m targeting… so I can empathise and understand their situation, bond with them… and then get in there and stir those emotions up into a fevered pitch of anticipation.

And I don’t think I could bring all that to the table if I was stuck as a teller at your local bank for 20-odd years.

Nah, just wouldn’t be the same. I wouldn’t be the guy I am now… in fact, I wouldn’t be here… it would have killed me… I would have died from boredom no doubt about it.

But here’s the good news.

You don’t have to undergo a few near-death experiences to be a top marketer… so stop panicking will ya?

You do have to be awake though. As marketers, we can’t live our lives in a haze.

You’ve got to see what your market is really about… not how you wished they were, but how they are.

If you target the affluent over 50’s, then you’ve got to know their language, their style and what concerns them on a daily basis.

If your market is the average Joe suburbia, then get out of your comfort zone and take a drive out into the suburbs of any town or city. If you haven’t been out there in a while, I guarantee you’re going to get a wake up call.

While you’re out there, open your eyes. Really see how they live and feel their frustrations.

Because a lot of them ARE frustrated. Real damn frustrated! A lot of them “are living lives of quiet desperation” as Thoreau once said so eloquently.

Because a good proportion of this market have “settled.”

They’ve settled for a lack lustre marriage, a job they hate, and a house that has shackled them to a lifelong mortgage.

They’re walking around in a TV-induced stupor watching life as it happens to them.

And you’ve got to know all this and feel all this to have any hope of selling something to `em.

But get this…

Don’t go feeling all superior here. If they feel you’re talking down to them, if they feel you just don’t understand, they’re not going to give you their money!

So when I’ve got a sales copy problem to solve, I get inside the heads of the market my client is targeting.

I wanna know what they are feeling. Heck I want to feel what they are feeling. I want to experience it for myself, as if it were real, exactly what they are going through.

This is what I do on any copy project I undertake.

And sure it takes a bit out of you… and yes I can write copy cold as if by rote… but the best pieces I’ve written are the ones when I’m so pumped full of emotions that I’m jumping out of my skin.

I pace my desk, scribble a few notes, mutter and moan and pull my hair until I finally sit down and nail the damn thing.

But as my mate and Aussie millionaire-maker Mal Emery says: “Copywriters are a strange mob.”

That maybe true… but one reason for this is that we, as John Carlton says, go deep.  We don’t sit around by the side of the pool, wondering if it’s cold, poking a foot in to test the water. Nah… we just dive in at the deep end and pray like hell there’s water in the pool.

Mal said this in one of his recent Weekly Nudges…

“COPYWRITERS AGREE TO THINK ABOUT THAT WHICH THEY WOULD NEVER THINK ABOUT UNLESS YOU WERE PAYING THEM MONEY”

Ah Mal, you’ve got a way with words my friend. But it sums it up totally.

What I’m getting at here is if you want more money and make more sales you’ve got to empathise with and truly understand your market.

Easier said than done…

I see it so many times.

A good product getting pitched in the wrong way. Appealing to every single benefit a person would want except…

The one damn thing that’s on their mind all the time! The one damn thing that they crave!

You see, these marketers missed it; they didn’t know the one thing to lead with… didn’t know the right angle to take. They were guessing, which is a guaranteed way to lose your money.

So writing sales copy or being a great marketer isn’t rocket-science and you don’t need academic qualifications.

Heck, I was on the road when I was fifteen so it doesn’t take education.

But you do have to get educated on your market and this takes a bit of discipline.

Discipline to do your research and find out what your market craves… what they are thinking about… that special thing they want that’s buried beneath a thin veil of sophistication.

Get in there, go deep, stir that emotion and make more money.

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