I have about as much patience as a five year old waiting in line to go to the bathroom. If you can’t get to the point fairly quickly with me… then it’s going to be an uphill battle, all the way.
And whether you know it or not, when you’re trying to sell something, you’d better be able to get to the point quickly, as well. Even if you’re dealing with someone who’s got the patience of a saint, you’re still a stranger to them. A stranger who wants their money, in fact, which means you’ve got an uphill battle, anyway. So you’d better be quick about giving them a reason why they should stick around. Or else… they definitely won’t.
Let’s talk about two different ways you can do this. It really depends on how good you are at talking… the kind of mood you’re able to create… and what you’re trying to do, that determines which of these methods work best.
1. Let people know what’s going on, right away.
However, let me warn you: if you are trying to sell something this way, then you’d better be making your up front offer pretty compelling.
I’ll show you a few different examples how you can do this. This first couple are examples of what you can do if you’re trying to generate leads and you’re not asking for any money:
“A new free report has just been released which turns everything you thought you ever knew about high cholesterol and living longer, completely upside down.”
Here’s another one you can use if you’re trying to get people to opt-in to your website:
“Free 7 Step Course For Alsatian Lovers Reveals Inside Secrets Known By Top German Breeders ONLY! Inside, you’ll discover…”
You’ll notice, both of these are pretty heavy on the curiosity side, which should come as no surprise. But you’ll also see how they get to the point almost immediately.
No long strung-out ordeal wasting your buyer’s time. No mumbo-jumbo hypey crap that’s screams of deception and phony baloney. Just plain talk about something your buyer’s really interested in.
Got it?
Good, now let’s look at the next one.
This one is when you’re selling something. And I’ll use an example of the opening from the sales letter that promotes my book, “How To Make Maximum Money With Minimum Customers:”
“I hope you are not reading this unless you want to make a lot of money, and here’s why: My name is Craig Garber and I have just written and published a ground-breaking new book one entrepreneur is calling, ‘The most important money-making business book published in the last 75 years.’
And I am so convinced this book will create a dramatic and almost immediate surge of cash-flow for you… I would like you to examine it absolutely risk-free, for life.”
See, in a case like this, if you’re going to let people know this is about buying something, then you’d also better let them know there’s no down side, either. In other words, if you’re talking about your product or service right away… your offer had better be pretty damn sweet.
2. Tell people a very compelling story… or give them information that’s helpful.
Most of the time when you’re selling something, this is the way you want to handle it.
This goes back to the name of my offline newsletter, “Seductive Selling,” which has been published for nearly five years now. You see, sales is like seduction – you do it gradually and gently, by pushing emotional buy-buttons.
NOT by slamming someone upside the head with a virtual brick that says “HEY, BUY SOMETHING FROM ME!” That’s NOT seduction, in case you were confused. That’s more like “wham bam thank-you, ma’am,” which doesn’t feel nearly as good as seduction. I’m pretty sure you’re aware of this, yet… few people seem to keep this in mind when they sit down and try to sell something.
Here’s an example of this, I used to open up an ad for a client of mine:
“Apparently, mother doesn’t always know best.
And when it comes to protecting your children, the results of this are often… DEVASTATING!”
This was for an ad selling a legal workshop on protecting your children through your testamentary documents (wills and trusts).
See how it’s important you get to the point quickly?
You gotta give people a reason to stick around.
Look, the most valuable asset your buyers have, is their time. I don’t care what you’re selling, nothing is worth more than time. Time is like waterfront property – no one’s making any more of it, so it’s REALLY valuable.
Remember, if you’re not giving your readers a fast and compelling reason to stick around… they won’t. So get to the point, quickly and with pinpoint accuracy.
Now go sell something, Craig Garber
P.S. I’m in this for the freedom. The money’s great — don’t get me wrong. But money buys you FREEDOM… and that means more to me, than anything. (Click here to see the rest of the story.)
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