6:30 p.m., June 6, 2012
That’s when the hail started coming down.
It didn’t stop completely until 9:30 — 3 hours later.
Most of the hail was about the size of a dime in diameter.
Some pieces were as large as quarters.
But it wasn’t the size of the hail that was so unusual… it was the intensity and duration of the storm.
It basically sat directly over us, spinning in a slow clockwise rotation, for 3 hours.
And while it sat there, it dropped buckets of rain and — in some areas — so much hail that they had to shovel to get out.
In our neighborhood, the hail covered everything… yards, streets, driveways.
It piled up 3+ inches deep at my garage door.
When all was said and done:
- The vegetation was destroyed — bushes and flowers stripped down to sticks.
- I filled an entire trash bag with the leaves of a single tree.
- Bits of asphalt shingles were all over the ground.
- The paint had been stripped off hand-rails and any painted wood surface.
- Landscaping bark had been swept out of yards and down the street.
The next day was fairly quiet as people assessed the damage to their homes and property.
But the day after that, the roofers started making the rounds, knocking on doors, trying to profit from the insurance settlements which were sure to start flowing like a freshly tapped keg.
Roofers are kind of like “ambulance chasers.” They just chase hail storms instead of car accidents.
Only four roofers came by our house. Not too many.
I recently wrote some copy for a guy who runs a fire restoration company.
Basically, he’s in the business of repairing and restoring people’s homes after they’ve suffered loss in a house fire.
In his case, sometimes 8-12 different salespeople will show up at the homeowner’s house… while it’s still burning!
Each of them will wait patiently until they have an opportunity to speak with the homeowner and potentially earn that person’s future business.
Anyway, there’s a lesson here.
Think about your business… is there some event that happens to your prospect right BEFORE they call you?
Is there some sort of “inciting force” that propels them to take action and seek you out for help?
Of course, there is.
Ask yourself: What is the “hail storm” that happens in my prospec’s life right before he calls me?
Once you know that, selling to him will be a heck of a lot easier.
-Ryan M. Healy
P.S. Want to give your copywriting the persuasive intensity of a hail storm?
Click here (and take cover):
http://clickora.com/CopywritingCode
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.
I bought AWAI's Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting back when I still had a job. It remains one of the best purchases I've ever made. I became a freelance copywriter in 2005 and never looked back. Discover How to Make Money Writing Copy! » |
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Hi Ryan,
I agree that positioning ourselves to intercept at the point of the storm is a good business tactic. I’d wager that it would give a very high return on time and effort invested.
However, there’s a sense of opportunism that is hard to shake when thinking about applying this idea.
Ideally, I’d prefer to go two steps back instead of just one. Step back to the point where we establish our position and relationships based on genuine care and concern for our target market.
Then when we rush to assist in their storm, they relate to us from a position of eager trust, rather than edgy suspicion. If we stand on that higher ground, we not only get the business regularly, we ultimately get raving fans.
Hi Sabrina,
I hear ya… always good to be top of mind for when your prospect needs you.
And it’s always a fine line with opportunism.
If I’m sick, I want to see a doctor. But if doctors start banging on my door because I had a fever in the night, then that’s taking it too far.
So how and when we approach potential clients is key.
Either way, knowing our potential client’s frame of mind prior to contacting us will help to serve them better and generate more business.
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