If/Then/Why – How to define what you’ve *really* got to sell (and who to sell it to) in 2 easy steps.

The upside to my fancy new digs at Office Nomads is that I don’t spend nearly as much time alone in my home-office/prison with nothing but a giant goldfish to keep me company.

The downside is that it makes it a hell of a lot easier for mop-topped ski bums to sidle up to my desk and ask for free advice.

An old friend popped by today wondering how the hell he can figure out the perfect market for his product and cut to the core what the heck he’s actually selling.

I gave him some advice that made his eyes light up and his teeth to shine all bright and scary.

It’s phenomenally, almost-stupidly simple advice, and I’m going to share it with you right now.

Here’s what I told him to do:

If you’ve spent any time reading great sales letters and marketing copy, then you’ve probably noticed that one particular open tends to pop up again and again and again. In fact, this is kind of the “fall back”
opening sentence that greats like John Carlton, Gary Halbert, Brian Keith Voiles, David Garfinkel and a raft of others call on when they’re first cracking into a letter and putting their magic “moneyfingers” to work.

What is it?

The classic “If (problem or desire) then this is going to be the most important letter you ever read.”

For instance:

“If you’ve ever wanted to drive a golf ball with the explosive force of a howitzer cannon . . . ”
“If you have any interest at all in putting the real power of online video to tremendously profitable use for your business. . . ”
“If you have high blood pressure and are sick of the drugs, the pain and the fear . . ”

It’s an amazingly versatile way to get your letter going and to mark out to your prospects that what you’re selling is really for them.

But if you turn it on its head, the old “If, Then” open is a phenomenal way to help you figure out what you’re really selling and who you really should be selling it to.

Here’s what I told my ski bum buddy (and what I’m going to tell you too).

If you’re having trouble figuring out your market, your offer or what’s really unique about what you’ve got to sell, just play a little fill in the blank.

“If you’re a (BLANK) who wants to (BLANK), then this will be the most important message you ever read.”

Don’t over think it. Don’t try to get fancy. Just very calmly fill in the blanks.

Fill up a whole page with possibilities. Have fun with it.

And, as you go, be as specific as you can.

Who is this really for?

Who is this really important to?

So saying “If you want to make more money, this will be the most important message you ever read.” won’t get you anywhere. It’s too broad, weak and limp and applies to everybody.

But saying “If you’re a mom who’s sick of leaving your kids with a stranger every morning and wants to make $3,000.00 a month like clockwork while working from home and having plenty of time to give your kids the love and attention they deserve, this will be the most important message you will ever read.” is a heck of a lot better.

The key is to be specific to the point that you come up with something that calls out to your market in a way where they almost have to raise their hands.

Something so powerful that it makes them feel like you walked into a crowded room and just shouted their name.

And now here’s the fun part. Once you’ve got your If/Then statement, write down the why.

Why is this message going to be so important? What amazing result are you going to deliver to them? What does your product do that will make just learning about it so darned valuable to your prospects?

Now, this post really isn’t about writing copy. It’s about getting your product, your target and your position super clear in your mind.

And it’s a little trick that you can use right now to drastically cut down the time it takes to define your market, figure out what your product does and come up with an almost-stupidly powerful message that your target market just can’t resist.

The comment key is right there. What’s your If/Then/Why?

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