In most cases, it is a mistake to begin a sales message by talking about your product. This is because most people are not interested in you or your product. They are interested in themselves.
It is best to avoid talking about your product or service for at least the first few paragraphs and maybe even the first few pages. Talk about things that are important to your prospect first.
As Harry Browne says on page 85 of his book The Secret of Selling Anything, “Most sales are lost because the salesman presented his product before he knew what motivated his prospect.”
Your goal is to enter the conversation that’s already happening in your prospect’s mind. He’s thinking about a hundred different things, but he’s probably not thinking about your product or service.
- He may be thinking about a specific problem he wants to solve.
- He may be thinking about a specific goal he wants to achieve.
- He may even be worrying about big problems that don’t affect him directly, but that affect his city, state, or nation.
So talk about the problems he’s thinking about… or build anticipation by talking about how he can achieve his goals… or tell a story he identifies with… or challenge one of his common beliefs.
Talk about anything that will capture your prospect’s attention; anything that will interest him; anything that will draw him into the copy.
Only after you’ve gained your prospect’s attention and interest should you shift the focus to your product or service and how it will benefit him.
-Ryan M. Healy
P.S. Need an ad, sales letter, or autoresponder emails written? Contact me to discuss. Email at rhealy@gmail.com or call 720-344-7788.
About Ryan M. Healy
Ryan Healy is a direct response copywriter. Since 2002, he has worked with scores of clients, including BoostCTR, Alex Mandossian, Terry Dean, and Pulte Homes. He writes a popular blog about copywriting, advertising, and business growth, has been featured in publications like Feed Front magazine, and is a regular contributor to WordStream.com, BoostCTR.com, and MarketingForSuccess.com.
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