I actually wrote this newsletter way back on Thursday while at the Social Media Pre-Day of Yanik Silver’s Underground 5 in DC. I meant to hop online and post it but . . . uh . . .honestly, I was just too busy meeting awesome people and having a raucously good time.
I twittered like a maniac the whole time I was there, so if you want the scoop just look at my timeline at http://www.twitter.com/chrishaddad . . .or you can search for #UG5 to hear what other folks had to say.
And noooowwww. . . . for the main event.
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How To Use Risk Reversal To Double Your Sales Without Losing Your Shirt
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Hey Folks,
Welcome back to the HardWorking words newsletter.
You remember that old Gershwin brothers song?
I think it was called “Let’s call the whole thing off” and I bet you can hum it in your head.
Or heck, you can even sing it out loud. I promise nobody will look at you weird. It goes like this . . .
“You say Poh-TAY-to and I say Poh-TAH-to . . .
You say To-MAY-to and I say To-MAH-to
Poh-TAY-to, Poh-TAH-to . . .
To-MAY-to, To-MAH-to . . .
Let’s call the whole thing off.”
It’s a fun song, and to me at least, it seems to be a pretty apt metaphor for all the screaming and rambling going on in the news these days . . .
After all, I don’t care if you call it a Poh-TAY-To or a Poh-TAH-To, it still tastes great covered in butter and sour cream.
And it doesn’t matter if the chattering heads on the news rant about an “economic slowdown,” a “financial meltdown” or (GASP! EEK!) a *recession . . . it’s still a big, scary mess that’s going to hurt a whole lot of good people.
Now, I’m not saying this to get you down or to raise your anxiety . . . If the continued reign of “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” at the box office tells us anything it’s that people are looking for light escapism these days.
But personally, it drives me *nuts* when I see people dashing around, arguing semantics and rearranging the deck chairs on the titanic instead of taking the simple, proven steps they need to survive (and even grow their businesses) during the recession.
Because, hey, it’s a FACT . . .
* Unemployment is EXPLODING . . . did you know that since January 750,000 Americans have lost their jobs? (Heck, I personally know 3 people who have lost theirs just in the last 2 weeks.)
* Businesses big and small are going to die sudden, painful deaths . . . think Lehman and WaMu were bad? Wait until the credit crunch and lack of consumer confidence trickles down to the everyday small and medium businesses that make this economy run.
* Retirement as we know it is DONE . . . Hear that crazy sound coming from the stock market? That’s the sound of millions of retirees (or soon to be retirees) watching their savings go up in smoke because of the unethical (and moronic) actions of the money men they trusted.
So say it with me, Potato, Potato, Potato.
And now take a deep, deep breathe and force a smile on your face, because . . .
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It’s Time For The Good News
=====================
Even during the deepest depths of the Great Depression (and this one ain’t “great” and might never become so) . . .
* Over 75 percent of Americans were gainfully employed and had money to spend . . .
* Smart entrepreneurs *started* businesses, created jobs and absolutely thrived . . . .
* And even in the darkest of times people figured out how to mash up that nasty potato and get rich?
And you can do the same thing. But only if you take a deep breathe, think straight and act smart.
So here’s your Potato Survival Kit . . .
1. Figure out your 80/20
Most businesses get 80 percent of their business from 20 percent of their customers. Strangely enough, most customers have *no idea* what 20 percent is actually keeping them alive and waste all their time and effort going after the great unwashed masses.
Where are you really getting your business from? How can you serve them better? How can you give them better value? How can you get more of your most profitable customer?
2. Say Goodbye to Flash And Dazzle
Personally I’ve never been a big fan of flash and dazzle image advertising . . . but in an economy like what we’ve got today, relying on image to bring in sales is absolute suicide.
If you want to survive (and maybe even grow your business) during our current little problem you’ve got to focus on proven, tested marketing techniques that actually create sales and put money in your pocket.
If you aren’t currently using direct response marketing techniques to feed your business, it’s time to start. If you’re already hip (or semi hip) to the ways of direct response, it’s time to ramp up the testing and hold yourself and your marketing team to a much higher standard.
3. Give People What They Want
Gary Halbert is famous for saying “When All Else Fails, Give People What They Want.”
Not what you think they want.
Not what you want them to want.
But what they *actually* want.
I wrote a whole article on this in the past, but when times are tough it’s essential that you figure out what core desires your customers have and find a way to fulfill them.
Which might mean lowering your prices . . .
Which might mean changing the way you package and sell your products . . .
Which might mean giving away a whole bunch of value for free . . .
And which almost definitely means getting out of your comfort zone.
Later skater,
C
P.S. If you’re an employee drawing a salary week in and week out? You’ve *got* to start looking around for your own income stream. Right now even a stiff breeze is enough to cause most companies to lay you off. In a down economy, the only safe thing to do is work for yourself.
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Lot’s to cover today, so let’s just cut to it in handy-dandy numbered form:
1. “Mr. Moneyfingers’” birthday was last week. I’m now a whopping 31 years old. Strangely, due to back surgery, I now feel younger than I did when I was thirty. It’s the fountain of youth in the form of a small, angry scar.
2. Some fellow Office Nomads and I are taking part in the Seattle AIDS walk on October 4th. My goal is to raise $250 bucks for AIDS research, but to do so I need your help. Check out this website and drop a couple of bucks for a good cause.
3. Holy @#$#@!!! what the heck happened to the economy?!
Unless you’ve been playing Rock Band 2 non stop for the last couple of weeks (personally, I could play those Bon Jovi songs forever), you know that the American economy is teetering like a late-game Jenga tower.
Which is bad for everybody.
But if you listen to the advice I’m about to give you, it doesn’t have to be particularly bad for *you.*
Why?
Because I’m going to tell you . . .
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3 Simple Ways For Your Business To Make Really Good Money In Really Bad Times
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1. Turn “Old” Customers Into “New” Customers
If you’re like most business folk, you spend a tremendous amount of time, energy and money trying to turn strangers into customers . . . and almost completely ignore your current and lapsed customers.
But I’ll tell you right now that your “dead customer” file is an absolute goldmine . . . a goldmine you can’t afford to ignore in “tough economic times.”
Why?
Because, if you follow some simple steps, it’s tremendously easy to to bring “dead” customers back to life. In direct marketing circles, a hefty list of “buyers” is seen as the holy grail. If folks have bought from you before, they’re way, way more likely to buy from you again . . . if you just ask them to and make it worth their time.
So here’s what you should do:
1. Compile a list of “dead” customers who have bought from you in the past but dropped off between 6 months and 2 years ago.
2. Draft a letter where you offer your “dead” customers a discount on a product or service they actually want, and offer them some kind of valuable bonus or bribe that will make their life better in some way.
3. Sit back in awe and wonder as those musky old “dead” customers spit and sputter back to life and buy, buy, buy.
2. Use Joint Ventures to provide your customers with extra value . . . and get paid for your time.
This is one of those “no brainer” things that almost nobody actually does, and almost everybody should.
Like I said a second ago, a list of buyers is tremendously valuable. If people have bought from you in the past, they’re likely to buy from you again . . . and they’re likely to actually listen to you when you tell them to buy from someone else.
Most internet businesses are built from the ground up on this principle. I know quite a few internet entrepreneurs who make more selling other people’s stuff to their lists than they do selling their own stuff. Heck, some of these guys don’t even have any products of their own at all.
So how do you set up a joint venture that pays off fast?
1. Find a product or service that’s complimentary to what you’ve got to sell or that your customers would be interested in.
2. Promote that product or service to your customers in exchange for a percentage of sales.
3. Get paid for your time, without having to do any real work and without having to move inventory.
Do you sell custom guitars? Find a tube-amp manufacturer who you respect and offer to promote to your customers in exchange for a percentage of the action. If they’re smart, they’ll hop all over the deal and you’ll both make money.
And if you think that your business “different” and that you can’t do JV’s, you’re wrong.
3. Give Your Best Stuff Away . . . and wait and see what you *get* in return.
I’m not a big fan of Business Networkers International (BNI), but I do really dig their tag line: Givers Gain.
If you want to do well in a tough economy, you’ve got to stand out. And the best way to stand out is to provide ridiculous, incredible value.
You can do that by giving away information (which is really what I’m doing here), by giving a sample of your product or by giving payment terms that are customer friendly. But the point is to *give* your customers value.
Why?
Well, for one thing it helps to build a nice bond with your customers.
For another, it develops a feeling of reciprocity. As human beings, we’re hard wired to *give back* to folks who give us things. I don’t have room to cover the whole concept here, but trust me, it works.
When you give your customers value, you gain trust, referrals and sales.
And there you go.
OK, it’s time for a . . .
SHAMELESS PLUG: I often run campaigns just like these for clients of my “Moneyfingers, Inc.” consulting service. I’m damnably selective about who I take on for clients, but if you’ve got a sizable list of past customers and a quality business, you may qualify. Hit me up with an email and we’ll find out.)
And that’s it, folks. I’ll be writing about my take on the Microsoft Ad debacle later this week (short version: I still think they’re first ad was pretty good . . . but where they went from there was embarrassing.)
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Hi Folks,
Welcome back to the Hard Working Words Newsletter.
Usually I try to get this little missive out as close to the 15th
of each month as possible . . . but this month a little bit of
travel (I was down in San Diego hanging with Bob Serling, Jason
Moffat and others) and a whole lot of pain (the back pain fairy
spent this whole week chewing on my spine like an over-ripe melon)
conspired to make me late, late, late.
But I’m going to make up for it . . . .=-)
But first a little “Admin” . . .
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Haddad Joins Twitter . . . World Trembles
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Alright, I hid under my luddite bus as long as possible. About two
weeks ago I poked my head into the “Twitterverse” . . . and really
liked what I saw. Now I’m a twittering maniac.
If you’re into that newfangled “Web 2.0″ stuff you can follow me at
haddadink.com, you’re going to notice
two things in rapid succession . . .
1. My shiny, glowing head, artfully arched eyebrow and Mona Lisa
smile . . .
2. A testimonial from direct marketing superstar Jeff Paul saying
that my copy “Sucks In Cash Like A Nuclear Powered Vacuum Cleaner.”
Now, why would I put a testimonial from Jeff way up at the top of
my site, even before the headline?
Well, if you think about it for a minute, it’s pretty obvious. If
*I* open up my sales letter (or website or ad) bragging about how
great I am, I just sound like a egotistical git.
But if a client says it for me (especially a well known client)
then all those big promises are suddenly a heck of a lot more
believable.
In fact, the testimonials I’ve got up near the top of my page (from
guys like Jeff Paul, David Garfinkel, Harlan Kilstein, Jason
Moffatt and Michael Cage) do more to establish my credibility as a
marketer and copywriter, and to convince prospects to get in touch
with me than all the other copy on my site combined.
Not to be hypey, but good testimonials are marketing ROCKET FUEL .
. . they cut right through the “BS meter” of your prospect, and let
you obliterate objections with lightning speed.
Or at least they should.
But unfortunately, most of the testimonials you see out there in
the marketing wild . . . err . . . kind of suck.
They’re over-long, rambling and usually have no point at all . . .
plus they’re often banished to some never-read “testimonials page”
to die.
But in today’s article I’m going to give you a step-by-step process
you can use to get great, high-impact testimonials from your
customers every time.
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Where’s the Sizzle?
================
Legendary copywriter John Carlton has three basic rules for a good
testimonial:
1. Short
2. Specific
3. Sizzling
Here are two examples of short testimonials that John’s received
that follow his three rules:
” Who says crime doesn’t pay? John let me steal one of his
headlines for a seminar pitch… netting me a cool $251,771 in
just 3 days.”
“I study Carlton’s copy like a 14 year-old boy reads Playboy.
Completely dazzled, entranced and full of desire.”
Can you see how these testimonials POP off the page? In very few
words, they convey that John’s copy makes money (and a LOT of
money) and that the man knows a thing or two about stirring up
emotions. If you look at John’s marketingrebel.com site,
you’ll see that the whole damn page is covered in these kind of
testimonials . . .many of them from the big “gurus” of the online
marketing world.
(Actually, at a recent conference, John called this page his “wall
of testimonials.”)
And every one of those testimonials in another slat in the bridge
that makes you want to walk up to John and hand him your wallet.
Like I said, powerful stuff . . .
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“OK, Chris, But How Do *I* Get Testimonials Like That?
=====================================================
Ahh, good question.
You see, when most people go testimonial hunting, they do it the
absolute *wrong* way . . .
They send out an email to a client or a customer and say “Hi, would
you give me a testimonial?”
And then they wait.
And then they wait some more.
And then, maybe after a little bit more waiting (and a few more
emails sent) they finally get a response . . . only to find that
the testimonial they received is long, boring and vague.
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So How Do You Turn A “Lame” Testimonial Into A Winner?
==============================================
Another good question.
The best way to get “awesome” testimonials is to . . .
1. Use powerful questions to lead your customers to give you what
you want.
2. Edit like crazy.
Now, in the age of Amazon testimonials and “Web 2.0″ it might sound
a little weird to say that you should “lead” your customers.
And I’m in no way suggesting that you should put words in their
mouth.
But the fact of the matter is that writing something (even
something as simple as a testimonial) scares the heck out of most
people.
So how do you conquer their fear, get past the vagueness and get
the “Power Testimonials” you need?
With “Testimonial Generator Questions.”
Here are just a few of the questions I send out to people when I’m
collecting testimonials for my products or the products of my
clients:
1. What problem were you facing that (our product) solved?
2. How much has (our product) increased your profits or income?
3. How much time or money has (our product) saved you?
4. Has (our product) made your life easier? How?
5. What did you like about (our product?) What do you like about
the experience of working with (our company?)
6. Were you pleasantly surprised by any part of your experience
with (our product?)
7. What did you find remarkable about (our product?)
8. What is the most important thing people should know about (our
product?)
9. Would you recommend(our product) to your friends, families or
co-workers? Why?
10. What part of your experience with (our product) makes you want
to do business with us again?
11. Other thoughts or comments?
Send out specific questions like these and you’ll be *shocked* how
many more of your customers are willing to give you powerful,
sales-producing testimonials.
Of course once you get the form back, your job is just half done.
That’s when we get to step two . . . editing!
Now, again, I’m not saying that you should alter or change what
your customer is saying in any way.
In fact, you want to keep the rhythm, the cadence and the style of
what your customers say as much as possible. After all, if every
testimonial on your site sounds the same, your customers will smell
a scam.
But you also want to help your customers to be their most succinct
and specific selves.
That means going through their responses to your questions, picking
out the most powerful bits and forming them into a new, probably
shorter and more powerful testimonial.
And then you put your new and improved testimonial under your
customer’s nose to make sure it passes muster.
The result?
Short, specific and sizzling testimonials that do wonders for your
credibility . . . and for your sales.
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Chris “Mr. Moneyfingers” Haddad here with the June, 2008 edition of *your* Hard Working Words Newsletter.
I’m just back in HWW central after a long (and lovely) week out on the East Coast where I gorged on expensive Manhattan cuisine, got baked and burned while crossing the Brooklyn bridge and had the supreme (and supremely fun . . . I recommend it) honor of being the officiant at my good friend Mason Rabinowitz’s wedding to the absolutely *awesome* Cari Strand.
All of which has *nothing* to do with today’s brief (but powerful) topic. A little thing I like to call “Fuzzy Scarcity.”
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Fuzzy Scarcity
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If you’ve been studying marketing for any length of time you already know that *scarcity* is one of the most whoppingly powerful tools you can use to get your prospects to actually reach into their pockets and buy your stuff.
In fact, it’s so powerful that Robert Cialdini lists it as the 5th and final “Weapon of Influence” in his awesome book “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion” ( If you haven’t already, you really should read it) . . .
And pretty much every copywriting book or course out there *demands* that you include a level of scarcity in your sales letter or ad in order to tickle the back of your prospect’s brain, kill the “I’ll think about it” impulse, spur immediate action and justify a higher price.
Now, most of the time including a sales-popping level of scarcity in your promotion is pretty easy . . .
If you’re selling a widget, you’ve generally only got so many on hand . . .
If you’re selling a seminar, there really are only so many seats you can fit in a room . . .
And if you’re selling a service, there really *is* a limit on how many clients you can handle at any given time.
But what do you do if (as in the case when you’re selling a digital product like an ebook, an audio recording or a downloadable video) what you’ve got is essentially *unlimited?*
Well, that’s when you bring in what I like to call . . . Fuzzy Scarcity.
===========================
What The Heck Is “Fuzzy Scarcity?”
===========================
Fuzzy scarcity is where you create doubt and turbulence in your prospect’s mind by saying that while this fantastic deal at this fantastic price and with these mind-breaking bonuses *is* available right now . . . it *might* not be tomorrow.
You *might* decide to raise the price (maybe even *double* it) . . .
You *might* decide that that super-awesome “deal maker” bonus is just too damned cool . . .
Or you even *might* decide to take the whole shebang off the market forever after you make a certain number of sales just because that’s what you want to do . . .
The key here, of course, is to keep the terms of your scarcity “Fuzzy” and vaguely defined . . . and to make sure that you never, ever (ever) lie. (There’s a special, and rather well populated, corner of hell reserved for marketers who lie about this sort of stuff.)
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Need an example?
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Here’s some “riffing” copy that I came up with while I was at John Carlton’s “17 Points Of Copywriting Success” workshop a couple of months back. (Tangentially, that conference is where the whole “fuzzy scarcity” concept stopped being “fuzzy” and solidified nicely in my mind.)
This is for an ebook I’m working on called “The Ultimate Best Man Speech” and this copy will appear pretty far down the sales letter . . .
“Hey, listen . . . if you’ve read this far down this letter it shows me that you’re serious about learning how to do this right. . . and about giving a really kick ass best man speech at your buddy’s wedding.
And, if this is right for you, I want to make sure you get your hands on this info and put it into action.
But here’s the deal.
My friends who have gone through the “Ultimate Best Man Speech Guide” think I’m kind of a moron. They think I’ve gotten way too excited . . .
With the audio recordings, the “plug and play” wedding speech examples, the instant email access to me and all the other awesome bonuses, they think I’ve gone overboard.
And I’m pretty sure that I’m going to either cut this package WAYYYY down, or I’m going to basically double the price.
Not sure.
But I’m thinking about it.
So if you want to get the “Sweetheart deal” you should grab it now.”
Get it?
Now, of course, for Fuzzy Scarcity to work, you first have to convince your prospect that they actually *want* what you’ve got to sell . . . but once you do even just a *hint* that you might take it away from them (or that they might get an “unfair” deal that nobody else is going to get) will have them buying like crazy.
P.S. Obviously there’s a whole lot more to say on this topic ranging from how to use bonuses to create scarcity to the fact that for a certain segment of the market scarcity is actually a feature (why the heck do you think people buy diamonds?) but that’s all way beyond the scope of this brief article.
——
And that’s that.
Before I go, just a quick tip of the hat to the late, great George Carlin. I doubt he had much love for Copywriters or marketers, but damn that man knew language.
Remember, you can always leave a comment on the blog version of this article on the HWW Blog: http://www.haddadink.com/blog
See you in the funny papers.
Chris
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Hi (NAME),
Welcome back to the Hard Working Words Newsletter . . .
No big preamble this month. Let’s just dive in and get right to the good old fashioned marketing meat . . .
In today’s issue . . .
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A Stupidly Simple Trick That Practically *Forces* People To Believe (Almost) Every Word That You Say
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I screamed like a sugar-addled pre-teen who’d clawed her way to the front row at a Hannah Montanna Concert.
Only louder.
And *slightly* manlier.
And not so much from “Oh my God it’s Miley!” excitement as from “Oh my God I’m going to die” pain.
You see, for about 12 years now (and for the last 3 years really bad) I’ve had horrible, terrible, awful, nasty, brain-addling back pain.
Not all the time.
I mean, heck, I go through long bouts where I bounce around like Tigger and do handstands for no reason at all.
But once or twice a year something *weird* happens and I go down for the miserable, Vicodin-loving count.
All the muscles in my back seize up.
My right hip crawls up under my armpit and lays down like a tired kitten.
And suddenly I don’t “walk” so much as shuffle, stumble and *rage* my way from place to place.
Now, over the years I’ve tried *everything* to get my spine to shut up and behave. Chiropractic, yoga, weird Russian electro stim therapy, whacky pills, meditation, stretches . . . you name it, I’ve signed up and paid my money.
And nothing has *really* worked long term . . .
I’ve never been able to find that “Magic” cure that I’ve so desperately been looking for (and that so many people seem downright eager to provide) . . .
============================================================================
And Then Last Week I Found Myself Flat On My Back In A Small Room Above A Dry Cleaner Screaming My Fool Head Off As An Ex Gymnastics Champion FORCED My Leg To Stretch In Ways I’m Not Quite Sure Are Natural
============================================================================
I screamed, bitched, swore, prayed and moaned my way through a full 2 hours of torture with this guy . . .
I hyperventilated, sweat my way through my T-shirt and, at several points, thought I was going to pass out . . .
I giggled like a maniac and, I’m not too manly to admit it, I cried . . .
And then the next day I went back and did it all again.
And while I’m not 100 percent back to “Tigger” mode yet, thanks to all that screaming and kvetching and pain, I am standing up straighter and happier than I have in months.
Which is pretty darned cool.
And makes my girlfriend happy (because a pain-wracked Haddad is a grumpy Haddad.)
==============================
Now, Here’s What This Is All About
==============================
In marketing, there are certain “Magic” words that you hear again and again and again.
Things like “Easy, Simple, Lazy and F.ree.”
Heck, I use these words all the time in my own work.
Because they’re extremely effective at appealing to the “Lizard brain” of most prospects.
And because, like I always say, Marketing Is The Art Of Making A Promise And *Keeping* It . . .
But there’s an advanced level component to this, which is that you’ve got to make a promise that your prospect can actually *believe.*
And the best way I’ve found to do that is to inject a tiny “damaging admission” into your pitch where you admit a small (or sometimes even *large* flaw.)
For instance, I was recently hired to write a sales letter for a hypnosis product (not creepy stage hypnosis, but cool brain-hacking stuff that really does work.)
Now, the obvious route would be to say that once you had these hypnotic “Conversational Hypnosis” powers you’d be able get those around you to do “Anything You Want.”
The problem with that kind of promise is that, to most people, it’s completely unbelievable.
It’s just too big of a pill to swallow and it sets off the “BS” meter like crazy.
So what we have to do is add a little bit of “damaging admission” sugar to this hypno medicine to disarm that raging BS meter.
How do we do that?
One of my favorite ways (and there are others) is with the word “Almost.”
Compare these two headlines . . .
1. “How To Use The Power Of Simple Conversations To Get Anyone To Do Anything You Want.”
Or
2. “How To Use The Power Of Simple Conversations To Get Anyone To Do (Almost) Anything You Want.”
Which one is more compelling?
Which one is more *believable?*
Which one disarms the BS meter?
Just using that one little word makes the big promise much, much more believable.
And *drags* the reader in to the letter to learn more. (As an aside, very early in the sales letter I talk about what hypnosis *can’t* do . . . and turn that into an advantage and a benefit. By pacing the skepticism of the reader, I’m able get them to swallow the big promise of the letter a lot more effectively.)
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Now, What Does This Have To Do With My Screaming Back Pain Adventure?
============================================================
Just this:
When it comes to back pain relief, I’m a pretty darned jaded prospect.
I’ve heard it all, done it all, tried it all and gotten nowhere near the results I wanted.
So I’m really hard to sell.
If my friend Kerry had said “Go see this Johnny guy and he’ll fix you up no problem, no pain and you’ll feel like you were eating ice cream the entire time” I wouldn’t have believed him and wouldn’t have called the number . . . and would probably still be doped up on Vicodin and spending my days playing GTA 4 instead of working.
But instead, Kerry said “Go see Johnny. “It’ll hurt like hell, but you *will* get results. ”
And I ate that fish hook, line and sinker.
OK, so here’s your homework:
What small “damaging admission” can you add to your messaging to make your big promise more believable? I don’t recommend you use something like “It’ll hurt like hell” unless you’re going after body builders or folks like me who are already in pain. But what “skepticism killer” can you add into your copy?
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It’s been a nasty typhoon of a week here at HWW central, and I’d be
lying if I didn’t think about letting this month’s newsletter slide
a bit. But I feel like we’ve got a contract here, you and I. And I
haven’t missed an issue in over 3 years, so why start now?
In today’s big (big . . . maybe too big) issue:
* Where and When . . . *You* can meet the Moneyfingers!
* Why You’re Website *Sucks*
* Remembering Ross Yockey
===============================================
Where and When . . . *You* Can Meet the Moneyfingers
===============================================
I’m traveling like crazy the next few months, partly for business,
partly for pleasure and partly out of sheer obligation. Here’s the
stuff you might want to know about:
* This very weekend I’ll be flying down to San Diego for Frank
Kern’s “Mass Control” event. Should be a heck of a party. Look me
up if you’re there.
* May 2 – 4th I’ll be in San Francisco for John Carlton’s “17
Points of Copywriting” Workshop. I’m almost desperately looking
forward to this and I’ve got it on authority that David Deutsch,
David Garfinkel, Mike Morgan and some other “heavy hitters” will be
in attendance.
* May 30th to June 1st I’ll be in Chicago for The System Seminar.
And that’s not to mention a trip to the Grand Canyon in mid May and
a week in NYC in June (where I’ll be officiating my friend Mason’s
wedding.)
======================
Why You’re Website *Sucks*
======================
(I fully expect this article to draw flames, angry comments and
hate mail. I also figure that it’ll hit a lot of folks right
between the eyes and lead them down the path to better marketing
and a more profitable business. So I figure that’s a pretty fair
trade off.)
As a freelance marketing wonk and direct response word mercenary I
get asked (and sometimes begged) to look at a *lot* of websites.
Sometimes these are client sites where I’m being paid to dig in and
ramp up conversion . . .
Sometimes they’re sites that friends of mine have put together . . .
And sometimes they’re the sites of random smelly strangers who
shove their iPhones in my face at parties, ply me with alcohol and
ask for free advice. (And then get *really* mad when I tell them
the truth.)
But the one thing that almost all of these websites have in common
(whether they’re for scrappy little service providers, monolithic
mega corps or cool little products) is that the overwhelming
majority of the absolutely *SUCK.*
They *SUCK* at engaging a target audience.
They *SUCK* at making a compelling offer.
And they *SUCK* at helping their owner build their company and make
MONEY.
===============
Why Do They Suck?
===============
It’s not because of the design (though most of the time the design
*is* pretty darned bad . . . either incompetently put together or
too damned pretty for its own good.)
And it’s not because of the copy (though the copy is usually limp
and lifeless and doing you no favors at all.)
No, what makes most websites *suck* is the attitude and the mindset
behind them.
=================================
What Makes Most Websites *Suck* Is EGO
=================================
If you look at a bunch of the websites out there on the wide and
wacky interweb, you’ll see that most of them are all about
“ME.”(Not me personally–though that would be pretty cool–but
about the company or the person behind them.)
They say things like “Welcome to Incredible corp. We specialize in
creating incredible solutions! We have an incredible background
story! Check out our incredible about us page! We’re really
incredible! Like us!”
And they basically *scare* customers away in droves by acting like
that one guy at the party with the bad toupee and the noxious
breathe who won’t stop telling you how cool his car is.
In other words . . .
====================================
Most Websites Are Egotistical And Obnoxious
====================================
And *nobody* likes (or buys from) egotistical and obnoxious people.
So what’s the cure to this dangerous and profit-killing affliction?
It’s to stop talking about *you* (or *me.* I’m confused. But I bet
you can figure it out) and to start talking about your customers.
In other words . . .
=======================================
Your Website Shouldn’t Talk About How Incredible *You* Are, It
Should Talk About The Incredible *Results* You Can Get For Your
Customers
========================================
For instance, if you were running a massage studio (I just got a
massage today and it’s deep on brain) you don’t open your website
talking about your training and your love of massage.
Instead, you talk about how *relaxed* your customer is going to be,
how much less pain they’ll be in and how *wonderful* of an
experience they’ll have when they book an appointment with you.
If you’re running a tech support company, you don’t talk about all
your *weird* certifications and your mastery of tech speak.
Instead, you tell your reader how they’ll be able to *relax* and be
more productive and get all their work done without having to stare
at the blue screen of death.
Now, I’m not saying that talking about yourself is *all* bad.
People *do* want to know about your background, your success
stories, your years of schooling and all those lovely credibility
builders.
But they only want to know that stuff in relation to how it effects
*them.*
And they only want to know it *after* you’ve told them about the
incredible *benefits* that you can get for them.
=====================
So Here’s Your Assignment
=====================
Right after you finish reading this article, pop open your web
browser and take a look at your copy. Read through it slowly and
put yourself in the shoes of a prospect who’s considering hiring
you or buying your stuff.
Now, as you read the copy, *who* is it really talking about? Is it
talking about the prospect, all the wonderful things you can do for
them and the *benefits* they’ll get when they pick up the phone?
Or is it talking about *you* and all the stuff that you *think* is
important but that your customers don’t care about and that’s
really just killing your sales?
Take this seriously and really answer that question and you’ll be
well on your way to making your website *suck* a heck of a lot less.
Comments? Questions? Harsh invectives? Hit me up on the blog at http://www.haddadink.com/blog
======================
Remembering Ross Yockey
======================
My friend Ross Yockey passed away on Sunday.
Ross was the father of my good friend and business partner Beth
Yockey Jones. He was also an Emmy winning documentarian, a heck of
a writer and a sincerely nice guy who, nonetheless, could get
downright vicious when something he cared about was on the line.
I learned that first hand a few years ago when Ross and I got into
fight over this very newsletter.
You see, Ross thought that writers had a responsibility to “elevate
the language” and improve the world with their writing. Whereas I
just wanted to make people laugh and sell stuff. And if you’ve been
on my list for a while you know that I don’t “elevate” much of
anything.
Ross got mad and disappointed every time that I sent out an email
riddled with typos or packed with grammatical atrocities. And he
wrote me long, lovingly-scathing emails pointing out where I went
wrong and pleading with me to shape up.
At one point he even threatened to unsubscribe from HWW if I didn’t
get my act together.
That was a few years ago now. He never did unsubscribe . . . and
most of the emails he sent me over the last year or so were more
complimentary than anything else. Though secretly I kept hoping for
another scathing review.
Anyway, the man was a friend and a mentor and he got me started in
this business back when I was young and lost. I’m going to miss
his emails, his goofy humor and his incredible passion and
curiosity. He lived his life well and left a lot of love behind.
Goodbye, Ross. You made this world better.
-c
P.S. I’m pretty sure that if he were alive, Ross would shoot me a
terse email saying that I shouldn’t have used the word “Sucks” in
this article at all. And he’s probably right.
About This Newsletter and Your Subscription
=======================================
©2008 Moneyfingers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you like this article
=======================
Feel fre*e to share it with your own list, post it on
your site, post it on your blog, or add it to your
autoresponder. As long as you leave it intact and
don’t alter it in anyway. All links must remain
in the article.
And give me a shout out asking folks to subscribe by emailing
hwwords@aweber.com
Please notify me when my article is used online and off line.
===================================================
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Hey Folks,
Chris “Mr. Moneyfingers” Haddad here welcoming you back to the Hardworking Words Newsletter.
In today’s issue:
-Selling To The Lizard Brain – Hot, Profitable Emotions
-A quick shout out to my dear old Dad.
-A very special offer for readers of this newsletter.
———————————————————
SELLING TO THE LIZARD BRAIN – Hot, Profitable Emotions
——————————————————–
Quick quiz . . . why do people *really* buy things?
Do they buy for logical, consistent *boring* reasons?
Or do they buy for hot, passionate *emotional* reasons?
Well, if you’ve been banging around the marketing world for any length of time (or have ever actually *sold* anything) you know that . . .
—————————————————
People *Buy* Based On Emotion . . . .
—————————————————
People buy your stuff because of *feelings* . . . .
But they *Justify* With Facts . . .
Why does the out of shape 45 year old ex-football player buy a monstrous humvee?
Because he wants to *feel* big and powerful and virile and tough and unstoppable . . . (though he’ll *tell you* that he bought it because it keeps him and his family safe. Very logical. Really.)
Why does the snarky copywriter and marketing consultant spend his hard-earned money on a swanky new iPhone?
Because it makes him *feel* hip and cool and special . . . (though he’ll tell you that he *needs* it to stay on top of his email and to do important work while out of the office. Good one.)
Why does the yuppie new mom splurge on a *designer* baby stroller when the old fashioned *push* cart will do just fine?
Because she likes the way it *feels* when she’s walking down the street pushing her bundle of joy ahead of her and drawing envious gazes from baby-crazed women everywhere (though she’ll *tell you* that she just wanted the highest *quality* cart . .. and after all, it was 20 percent off!)
—————————————————————–
“But What Emotions Actually Make People Buy?”
——————————————————————
If you ask any old-school sales guys, they’ll tell you that there are really only 2 reasons that people buy:
Greed . . .
And Fear.
And to a degree, they’ve got a point.
*Fear* of losing something, of having your house broken into, of having your wife seduced away from you is a *powerful* motivator . . .and if you can allay a powerful fear you can sell what you’ve got like hot cakes.
And playing on the “Greed Gland” is a tactic that goes way back to caveman times. I mean, heck, the whole reason I call myself “Mr. Moneyfingers” is to tickle that little greedy place in the back of a client’s brain.
———————————————————————
But Greed And Fear Aren’t The Be All And End All Of Emotional Selling
———————————————————————
In fact there are a whole *slew* of emotions that you can use to crawl your way into a prospect’s head and appeal to that most primal, emotional “lizard brain.”
What are they? Well here are just a few of my favorites . . . .
* Pride – Can you position your product as something that will give your prospect pride? Or will *not* buying what you’ve got suck away their feeling of self worth?
* Envy (this is one of my favorites) – Can you make your prospect *envy* you or someone who’s used your stuff for the results they got . . . . or can you paint a picture of how they’ll be envied by others once they make the smart choice and buy today?
* Shame – Can your product or service help your prospect defeat a feeling of shame? Or will they *feel* ashamed if they *don’t* buy and something goes wrong?
*Anger – Are your prospects *mad* about something? Are they sick of being *ripped off* by some of your competitors? Position your product as a way to get *revenge.*
* Pain – (physical or emotional.) If your prospect is hurting, show that your product can relieve that pain and they’ll buy without even bothering to justify with logic (as a back pain sufferer for years, I can’t even tell you how much I spent on whacky devices and “wonder cures.”)
* Gratitude/Guilt – Give your prospects value for *free* and a lot of times they’ll buy from you to say “thank you” . . . or because they feel like they should.
* Lust – Just turn on the TV . . . you’ll see Lust selling in full effect.
And on and on and on.
—————————————————————-
“Powerful Stuff, Chris. But It Feels A Little . . . Um . .. Sleazy”
—————————————————————
Now, if you’re not a jaded marketing weasel, all this talk of “emotional selling” can sound downright manipulative.
I mean, after all, shouldn’t the *quality* of what you’ve got to sell be all that matters?
Sure it should..
Then again, we *should* all look like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, we *should* all be rich, we *should* have perfect health and on and on down the line.
Unfortunately, the world doesn’t work that way.
But if you can *imagine* making more sales, making more money, building your business, actually *helping* people with your products and services, becoming the envy of all your friends and making your old boss go positively *green* . . . well, then you need to stop focusing on “shoulds” and start selling to the heart.
—————————————————
SHOUT OUT TO MY DEAR OLD DAD
—————————————————
April 1 is the birthday of my dear, departed marketing *genius* of a father. Kenneth George Haddad died just over a 11 years ago, but before he went he taught me *ton* about how to deal with people and how to sell to (and from) the gut. Thanks, Dad.
—————————————————
A SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY FOR SOLO PROS WHO WANT TO LEARN HOW TO MAKE *MONEY*
—————————————————
If you’re already pulling down 6 figures (or more) in your solo business, this isn’t for you.
But if you’ve been struggling in your business and want to make it to 6 figure land, pay attention.
Beth Yockey Jones and I are hard at work in our secret lab developing a program to help solo pros (folks who are self employed but don’t have or want employees) make some really good money.
And we need your help.
If you’re interested in cracking the 6 figure code, shoot me back an email and tell me what your *biggest* challenge is in your business and what topic you feel like you need the most help with.
And down the line I’ll send you something nice in return.
More
Hey folks,
Chris “Mr. Moneyfingers” Haddad here.
And I’m *buzzing.*
Why?
Because as I write this I’m curled up in a really (really) uncomfortable chair at LAX waiting for my flight back to Seattle.
And because I just spent three *mind-blowing* days at Larry Benet’s “Connection Mastery” seminar.
Now, I’ve known Larry for a while now.
And he’s easily the most connected (and most giving) person I’ve met in this crazy selling industry.
In fact, just being friends with Larry has done wonders for my business, has funneled a tremendous amount of cash into my pocket and has created quite a few amazing new relationships in my life.
So when Larry called me up and asked if I’d jet down to LA and share some ideas on using hot copywriting techniques to connect over email, I jumped at the chance.
You can learn more about Larry at LarryBenet.com
Just one tip that I learned this weekend completely changed the way I look at networking and made connecting with bigwigs and high performers a heck of a lot more fun. Check it out.
============================================
HOW TO USE STORIES TO SELL YOUR STUFF LIKE CRAZY
============================================
Ok, hold on a second. I’m going to do something to your brain.
Woah, woah, don’t, run away. No scalpels or weird voodoo are involved.
And I promise, it won’t hurt.
But with just a few simple words I’m going to *short circuit* your conscious mind and *instantly* throw your brain back in time to the way it felt when you were six years old and safe and warm and happy and your Mom or Dad was tucking you in for bed.
It’ll be fun.
I promise.
Ready?
OK.
Here we go.
(Waves magic wand.)
*Let me tell you a story.*
First off, let me apologize. I feel guilty now.
Because I’m not actually going to tell you a story.
But if you’re like most people, just hearing those words “let me tell you a story” made your brain open up like thirsty flower and sent a little excited tingle down your spine to your toes.
Why?
Because as human beings we’re all *hard-wired* to respond to stories and because stories are the oldest, most powerful way of transferring knowledge and ideas that we’ve got.
I mean, think about it.
How do we learn important stuff and keep kids from playing in traffic? Stories. (“Once upon a time there was a little boy who played with his ball in traffic and he never got to eat ice cream again.”)
How do religions big and small spread their beliefs like wildfire? Stories. (The bible is chock full of ‘em and as a kid I spent most of my time in church ignoring the sermon and just reading cool stuff about fishes.)
Why is the Enquirer the most successful newspaper in history? Stories. (Did you hear what’s going on with Britney? That poor girl.)
How did J.K. Rowling become the richest woman in England? Stories.
And how do smart marketers and business owners create groundswells of interest in their products and grow like crazy? Stories.
Why?
Because . . .
============
STORIES SELL
============
And if you *really* want to make an emotional connection with your audience and increase your sales, you’ve *got* to start telling stories.
What kind of stories?
* Origin stories about how you *stumbled* onto an incredible idea that changed your life and helped you create a great product (I usually call this the “superhero” story and use it in just about every sales letter I do.)
* Success stories about all the great stuff that happened to your client when they put your product or your advice into action (testimonials and case studies are both fantastic ways to show off your success stories.)
* Bonding stories that show that you’re a real life human being with regular Joe problems just like your customers.
* Insider stories that give your customers a peek behind the curtain into your world.
* And even metaphors that sneakily crawl into your customers brain and explain why what you’ve got to sell is so darned great.
So here’s your action item because I want to make this easy.
Right after you finish reading this newsletter open up a fresh document and write out the *story* behind what you’ve got to sell.
Don’t edit. Don’t leave anything out. And be as honest and *human* as you can.
And just test out what happens when you start using that story to *sell.*
And that’s it, folks.
More on the blog next week.
More
Hi folks,
Chris “Mr. Moneyfingers” Haddad here with a very, very late edition of HWW.
I’ve been down in LA the last couple days at Eben Pagan’s “Altitude” program.
If you don’t know who Eben Pagan is, you should. He built a $20 Million dollar a year “Dating Advice” empire in 6 short years and is easily one of the smartest and savviest marketing minds I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.
Most of the seminars I’ve been to in my marketing career have been pricy and badly disguised pitch-athons, but my two days at Altitude were nothing but great networking and pure content.
You can sign up for Eben’s list at http://www.getaltitude.com.
With that out of the way, let’s get to the main event:
==========================================
How Far Is “Far?” – Why Jargon is *Killing* Your Sales
==========================================
A bit over a year ago, my good friends Scott and Mason flew out to Seattle for a couple days of intense male bonding.
And we had a *great* time.
We trekked out to Snoqualmie Falls, marveled at the Sci-Fi Museum, rocked it at the Experience Music Project , basked in the Seattle sunshine (I swear, it really doesn’t rain that much. Really.) and generally acted like giddy and goofy tourists just getting a taste for life on the coast.
Like I said, it was a great visit and a lot of fun . . .
*Until I Made The Big Mistake Of Suggesting We Go Out For Pizza.*
This was on day four of a four day visit. We were all tired and punchy and sick of being in the same room. And we were *hungry.* After 10 minutes of trying to figure out what to eat, we had this conversation:
Me: “Let’s just go out and grab some pizza. There’s a place right down the street.”
Them: “Is it far?”
Me: “Far?”
Them: “We’re tired and punchy and weak with hunger. We don’t want to walk far.”
Me: “No, it’s not far at all. It’s just down the street. I go there for lunch all the time.”
And to me it really *wasn’t* far. I’ve been a car-free American for about 3 years now, walk *everywhere* and, more importantly, am used to the staggering and brutal hills that make up the Seattle landscape.
Mason and Scott? Well, not so much.
It took a bit, but . . .
*After About Ten Minutes Of Marching I Figured Out That *My* Definition Of “Far” And *Their* Definition Of Far Were About As Similar As Apples And Nuclear Warheads.*
Them: “Dear God, are we there yet? I thought you said it wasn’t far?”
Me: “It’s not. We’re almost there.”
Them: “You said it was down the street!”
Me: “It is down the street!”
Them: “Which street?”
Me: “That street!”
Them: “That street is far!”
And it kind of went on from there. I think at one point we devolved into a Laurel and Hardy routine. Scott was so hungry that he decided to take his chances with some wild berries we saw on the way (that was a mistake.) And Mason did something that I don’t want to talk about here but that still makes we wake in the night covered in sweat and wishing for chocolate.
===================
“Alright, Haddad, But What The Heck Does This Have To Do With Marketing?”
===================
Good question, and one that I even have an answer to.
You see, the problem I had with Scott and Mason is pretty darned similar to a problem a lot of businesses have when they try to talk to their customers.
A lot of businesses (especially tech companies, medical pros and folks who sell supposedly complicated products and services) fill their marketing with words that mean one thing to them, and something completely different to the people they’re trying to sell to . . . .
Or worse yet, they pack their ads, websites and brochures with all sorts of fancy proprietary jargon that means a lot to them (“Our solution solutionator uses the latest in solutionization schemes to solutionize!”) but that leaves their prospects confused, annoyed and feeling abused . . . . and are confused when the money *doesn’t* come rolling in.
==============================
So How Can You Conquer The Jargon Plague And Make Sure You’re Actually Speaking Your Customers Language?
=============================
Well, I’ve got two *really* simple ways to obliterate jargon and figure out what words actually mean to your customers.
1. Visit forums and message boards that your customers use and pay really close attention to how the average folks on the board (not the super technical folks who go to message boards to feel good about themselves) talk.
And (this next one is shocking.)
2. Ask them.
You see, if I had just asked Scott and Mason what they meant by “Far” before heading off on our deadly zombie march to the pizza place, I would saved us all a lot of horror and heartache.
And if you just ask your own customers (over email, through a survey or even one on one) what the language around your product or service means to them, you’ll earn more customers, make more sales and pocket more money.
And that’s it, folks.
I’ll be posting something new to the blog (http://www.haddadink.com/blog) next week. If you have any questions or comments, you can hit me up at chris@haddadink.com
And you can learn more about me at http://www.haddadink.com.
About This Newsletter and Your Subscription
=======================================
©2008 Moneyfingers, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
If you like this article
=======================
Feel fre*e to share it with your own list, post it on
your site, post it on your blog, or add it to your
autoresponder. As long as you leave it intact and
don’t alter it in anyway. All links must remain
in the article.
And give me a shout out asking folks to subscribe by emailing
hwwords@aweber.com
Please notify me when my article is used online and off line.
===================================================
Haddad Ink., 1463 E. Republican St. #28A, Seattle, WA 98112
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