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Posts Tagged ‘BIG’

When It’s Okay To SUCK At Writing!

June 18th, 2013 |

When It’s Okay To SUCK At Writing!

Sobering (and profitable) advice to sell more of your goods… even if you failed English at school

Writing picThis’ll be a relief for you…

Because I often speak from stage to complete newbies about copywriting, I have to remind myself to first teach the basics.

So this quick lesson is a reminder (to us both) about one steadfast principle to master before you dive too deep into the copywriting ocean.

And that is…

You don’t have to be a wordsmith to be a great copywriter – you just have to know the psychology of your prospect.

Takes the pressure off a bit, doesn’t it?

Let me pack this out a bit more…

Most people are “institutionalized” to use BIG words when they speak and write.

Why? Well, I guess it’s a stroke of ego to make them sound less thtupid and more smarterer.

Whatever the case, great copywriters don’t play that game.

We get paid to simplify things.

We take a concept or idea and dumb it down. We simplify it so it’s easy to read and digest for the reader.

You know it’s funny to see the journey of a new copywriter.

The more they learn at the start, the more they waffle on with unnecessary babble before they get to the meat.

You can pretty much slice 30%-40% (or more) of gibberish that was only there to entertain their own copywriting ego.

Might sound harsh, but I was the same.

Lesson for you…

Brevity is key. Well, make that, brevity with emotion is key.

Keep your words short. Too many syllables will trip up your reader. If they trip over your words, they’ll start skim reading.

You don’t want that. Remember, the more they read the more they buy.

Also…

I try to keep my sentences 7 words long. (Not including the tiny words like, “a, I, it, in, if, is, on, and so on). Easy to digest.

Same rule with paragraphs. Keep ‘em short. One or two sentences… occasionally three.

For the most part, people hate reading.

It’s been estimated that the comprehension rate of most adults is equivalent to a 13 year old.

So dumb it down and keep it simple cos the more they read the more they buy.

Look, they’re a few surface-level-tips to help you convert more sales from your copywriting.

To go deeper, grab your copy of my book “Client Rush

It’s a simple read, crammed full with hundreds of marketing breakthroughs for attracting more clients fast.

You’ll be a better marketer for reading it…

Till next time

Think big. Be different.

Bret Thomson

P.S. If you prefer, you can grab the kindle version too. There’s a small yellow link under the main buttons.

Follow this link now to grab your copy

Why You Lose Sales Behind Closed Doors

May 21st, 2013 |

Why You Lose Sales Behind Closed Doors

Two cracks to fill so your website doesn’t leak any more potential sales

tightrope shutterstock_111385010 shaded

Picture this…

Picture your ideal prospect…

…Slouching forward on the edge of their black swivel chair.

…carefully sipping their freshly brewed coffee… and checking out YOUR website.

They hover the cursor over your order button, ready to buy.

But something stops them.

A thought…

“It’s probably best I check with the “better-half” before I buy this”

They click off your page with full “intention” to go back and take action tomorrow morning.

Now comes the “Pillow-Talk”

One partner tries their best to convince the other partner why they should make the purchase and do business with you…

The other partner (with zero information about you or your business) throws up the usual objections.

–       That money can be used better elsewhere

–       We should pay more off the credit card first

–       Let’s look at buying it next month, not now

–       The last thing you bought like that was a waste of money

–       And so on…

So what happens?

Pillow talk cost you (another) sale. Gone.

Now let’s see how you could’ve saved it.

Look, there are potentially 101 possible reasons why the sale slipped through your fingers, but here are two BIG takeaways…

1.    Use an emotional story to turn your prospect into a mini-salesperson

Fact: People struggle to remember all the features and benefits of what you’re selling… But they remember a good story.

People enjoy re-telling a story.

You see, statements can be challenged – but stories are believed.

If you armed your prospect with an interesting and memorable story… and one that injects emotion… then you’ve just turned them into a powerful persuader of your cause.

Don’t have a story to tell? Come on… dig deeper… You could weave in a story about your product, a process of what you do, your own story, a customers story. Whatever the case, it’s worth exploring.

To go deeper on this (and how it can work for your business), check out this free content webinar replay right now

2.    Okay, second reason is (and like I said, there are boatloads more) you should add urgency to buy now.

Listen, you could’ve done everything right…

–       Powerful headline

–       Emotive conversational copy

–       Rich with benefits

–       Overcome objections

–       Heavy on proof and trust

–       Take away risk guarantee

In your eyes… your offer might’ve been brimming with compelling reasons to take action… but if there was no urgency to buy right at that time, then you’ve just reduced your chance of getting the sale.

With no urgency… You created “space”.

“Space” for your prospect to think.

Dangerous.

Typically, us humanoids will automatically fill up space with negative.

Don’t bother arguing with me on this… I’m holding the mic… so play along.

If you allow a void, they’ll go gathering. Gathering information to help them decide which way to go.

Friend, from that moment on – it’s out of your control – your influencing power has been stripped from you…

Powerless – you have become.

… And as every passing moment dissolves, your chances diminish.

So how can you fix this?

Can you put a time limit on your offer? Or maybe a special-bonus for the first 15 people to respond, or whatever, you get the idea…

Point is… like it or not… adding scarcity or urgency to your offer pulls on a primal-instinct chord of human behaviour… So use it when you can…

That way… if the situation were to crop us again… then the “Pillow-Talk” would go a lot differently…

They would be telling their partner why they bought… and not asking for permission.

Think big. Be different.

Bret Thomson

P.S. That’s only me scrapping the foam off the top of this thirst-quenching content webinar… For more usable insights to attract more leads, clients, customers and sales…

   Go ahead and check out the webinar replay now while I’ve still got it up

And let know your thoughts below – or even better – share it to your friends 🙂

 

 

 

Why Pro-Copywriters Get Paid The BIG BUCKS!

June 10th, 2011 |

Do you want to know the real difference between a “pro” copywriter and an average “wanna be” copywriter?

OR why some sales letters or ads cause an absolute traffic jam of sales compared to the “ho-hum” sales material that doesn’t even get read?

Sure, there may be a different skill level in the writing but I’m not talking about that.  No, I’m talking about The Reason why certain copywriters get paid the BIG BUCKS!!!

Wanna guess?

OK, let me tell you…

Researching.”

Yuck. It’s an ugly word right? But it’s in the researching stage that you come up with the big idea! The hook! Or the twist!

It’s where you come up with the “X” factor that’ll make phones ring and credit cards swipe faster than a western gunslinger!

Trust me. Breeze over this part and you’ll definitely leave a mountain of cash behind.

So put on your sleuthing hat and dust off the old magnifying glass because…

You’re about to become a sales detective!

Something you may not know is… in a lot of cases pro copywriters will spend 75% of their time researching and only 25% writing!

It’s that important!

WARNING: Beware of the dangerous trap that unsuspecting business owners and entrepreneurs fall into!

And that is…

They “ASSUME” they know what their client wants!

WRONG!

You’ve heard it before… ASSUME (or ASS-U-ME) means making an ASS out of U and ME.

Do you want to become a marketing expert overnight? Then ask your clients what they want. Duh! Pretty simple right?

Here’s a BIG distinction you need to imprint in your brain:

“You are not your client”

To help you Uncover More Copy Gold Than A Prospector During The 1800’s Gold Rush I’ve put together a list of what to look for in your detective researching time:

  1. Who is your ideal client? Can you picture a real person?
  2. What are their needs, wants, fears, frustrations and objections?
  3. What is their age, sex, hobbies, interests, income etc?
  4. What is their typical day is like?
  5. What conversations they are having in their own mind?
  6. What is the story of the product or service you are selling?
  7. Is there a story of a successful customer or client?
  8. What is your personal story?
  9. What are the feature and benefits you are offering?
  10. What are the motivating factors?
  11. What are the emotional triggers?
  12. What are your competitors offering?
  13. What has worked and what hasn’t worked in the past?

Believe me – that list could go on forever!

And lucky for you…as a valued reader…I’m going to share the exact copywriting questionnaire that I use to suck all of this important information out of the clients I write copy for.

But first, stay tuned for my next post where I’ll show you…

The TOP 4 Ways to Learn More Than An Eavesdropper At A Gossip Convention!

Think big. Be different…

Bret Thomson