We finished up our talk on the 13 top copywriting mistakes I often see when critiquing sales letters. Today, we’re going to move on to a new topic,Lead generation vs. one step selling and tie it back to 3D mail as well. We’ll start off with an explanation of each.
First, one step selling. In one step selling, the only job of your ad, whether that is a sales letter, post card, website, yellow pages ad etc, is to sell your product or service. It requires an immediate “Buy Now” reaction whether that be pick up the phone and order, visit our website and order, come in for an appointment etc.
This biggest drawback to one step selling is it only works if they want it now. We’ll talk about some of the other elements of one step selling later in the week.
With lead generation, you’re able to grad the attention of the prospect if they’re ready to buy (usually less than 20% of all who are even interested), or even if they’re luke-warm or just slightly interested in your product or service.
With lead generation, all you’re doing is getting your prospect to raise their hand, and say, “Yeah, I might bet interested in what you’re offering.” Then you’re able to put them in your marketing funnel (a whole other topic for another day)
OK, so there’s our introduction to one-step and lead generation. We’ll be moving on next time and dig in deeper to the pros and cons of each one. I’ll see you then!
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
How to sell a pencil
I had a tip for today lined up, as we just finished up our last series on copywriting mistakes (see past posts below). However, I received this tip from my friend Zach Entwistle, who got it from Mike Brooks.
I usually talk about marketing and advertising in my emails, but we often sabotage our own marketingwith piss-poor sales training. We’ll get back to our new topic on Monday, but I really wanted to share this with you this morning.Here it is:
If I gave you a pencil and asked you to sell it, how would you go about it?
This is one of the most basic of interview questions for sales reps, and the answer reveals so much about your previous training, your understanding of the sales process, and ultimately about what kind of sales rep you are.
So, what is the most effective way to sell a pencil? Well, first let’s look at how most sales reps go about doing it. When I’m interviewing sales reps I love using this technique. After letting a rep tell me how good of a closer they are, I pull out a pencil, hand it to them, and tell them to sell it to me. And off they go!
80% of sales reps start the same way – they start pitching. “This pencil is brand new, never used. It has grade “2” lead and a bright yellow color so it’s easy to find. It comes with a built in eraser,” etc.
Some reps can (and do!) talk about it for 5 minutes or more before they ask a question or ask for an order. As the sales rep rambles on, I begin to yawn, roll my eyes, etc. Amazingly, this just makes them talk even more! “What’s wrong with these people?” I think.
Now let’s look at how the top 20% go about selling a pencil. As soon as I give a top rep the pencil, they pause, and then they begin asking me questions:
“So how often do you use a pencil?”
“How many do you go through in a month?”
“What other locations does your company use pencils at, and how often do they order them?”
“What quantity do you usually order them in?”
“Besides yourself, who’s involved in the buying decision?”
Quite a difference, huh? I’ll tell you right now, I listen to hundreds of sales reps in a month and they can easily be separated into these two groups: Those who pitch, pitch, pitch, and those who take the time to understand their prospect’s buying motives, and
properly qualify to understand the entire selling process.
Now let’s see which category you fit in. When you speak with a prospect for the first time, how much of your script is focused on describing and pitching your product or service as opposed to questioning and uncovering buying motives?
If yours is like most scripts I review, then it’s filled with descriptions of what you do and how your product or service helps them. Most scripts attack the prospect with a barrage of “value statements” that turn people off and make them want to get you off the phone as quickly as possible.
Want a better way? Then take a tip from some of the best “pencil sales reps” and change your script and opening to focus more on questioning - discovering whether you’re dealing with a qualified buyer, and what it might take to actually sell them.
Without knowing this, you’ll just end up with a lot of frustration and a lot of unsold pencils at the end of the month.
I usually talk about marketing and advertising in my emails, but we often sabotage our own marketingwith piss-poor sales training. We’ll get back to our new topic on Monday, but I really wanted to share this with you this morning.Here it is:
If I gave you a pencil and asked you to sell it, how would you go about it?
This is one of the most basic of interview questions for sales reps, and the answer reveals so much about your previous training, your understanding of the sales process, and ultimately about what kind of sales rep you are.
So, what is the most effective way to sell a pencil? Well, first let’s look at how most sales reps go about doing it. When I’m interviewing sales reps I love using this technique. After letting a rep tell me how good of a closer they are, I pull out a pencil, hand it to them, and tell them to sell it to me. And off they go!
80% of sales reps start the same way – they start pitching. “This pencil is brand new, never used. It has grade “2” lead and a bright yellow color so it’s easy to find. It comes with a built in eraser,” etc.
Some reps can (and do!) talk about it for 5 minutes or more before they ask a question or ask for an order. As the sales rep rambles on, I begin to yawn, roll my eyes, etc. Amazingly, this just makes them talk even more! “What’s wrong with these people?” I think.
Now let’s look at how the top 20% go about selling a pencil. As soon as I give a top rep the pencil, they pause, and then they begin asking me questions:
“So how often do you use a pencil?”
“How many do you go through in a month?”
“What other locations does your company use pencils at, and how often do they order them?”
“What quantity do you usually order them in?”
“Besides yourself, who’s involved in the buying decision?”
Quite a difference, huh? I’ll tell you right now, I listen to hundreds of sales reps in a month and they can easily be separated into these two groups: Those who pitch, pitch, pitch, and those who take the time to understand their prospect’s buying motives, and
properly qualify to understand the entire selling process.
Now let’s see which category you fit in. When you speak with a prospect for the first time, how much of your script is focused on describing and pitching your product or service as opposed to questioning and uncovering buying motives?
If yours is like most scripts I review, then it’s filled with descriptions of what you do and how your product or service helps them. Most scripts attack the prospect with a barrage of “value statements” that turn people off and make them want to get you off the phone as quickly as possible.
Want a better way? Then take a tip from some of the best “pencil sales reps” and change your script and opening to focus more on questioning - discovering whether you’re dealing with a qualified buyer, and what it might take to actually sell them.
Without knowing this, you’ll just end up with a lot of frustration and a lot of unsold pencils at the end of the month.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Don’t do too much
For the last three weeks I’ve been discussing the 13 big mistakes I often see when critiquing sales letters. Below are the final two BIG mistakes I see every day. To review the previous 11, see my blog posts here.
12. Trying to Do Too Much
You are not going to sell a house with a post card. But you may get someone to raise their hand and say I want to find out more about that house with a post card.
You should also try to do one thing and only one thing. If you want them to call you, everything should lead to them calling you. If you want them to send back a post card to get the free DVD, everything should be about getting the DVD.
Tip: Determine what you want to accomplish and be sure everything in the letter supports that one thing.
13. No Double Readership Path and Poor Cosmetics
There are two types of ‘readers’ who will read your sales letters, post cards, print ads, etc. - skimmers and readers. If your headline does its job (see rule #1), then the readers will read every word that write. Skimmers, will NOT. You want skimmers to be able to make a buying decision by just reading:
While they may not make the buying decision based on the 5 bullet points above, if you’ve told your story well enough with your headline, subheads, captions, order instructions and P.S. they will often go back and read the entire letter.
With that said, we can enhance the sections above, and our copy with cosmetics. Cosmetics can be bolds, underlines, italics, CAPITALIZATION, a different font, SIZE, Colors, etc.
Cosmetics enhancements are used to increase readership among skimmers and help readers follow along. Cosmetics are used to cover key points and they make long copy seem shorter to the reader, and thus increase readership.
Tip: After you’ve written your sales letter, go through and use cosmetics to enhance your key points. The key points being your offer, reason why, guarantee(s), testimonial(s), deadline, and call to action. Then, have someone read just your headline, subheads, captions and cosmetic enhancements. If they can repeat your entire story just reading those areas, you’ve got yourself a double readership path with great cosmetics!
12. Trying to Do Too Much
You are not going to sell a house with a post card. But you may get someone to raise their hand and say I want to find out more about that house with a post card.
You should also try to do one thing and only one thing. If you want them to call you, everything should lead to them calling you. If you want them to send back a post card to get the free DVD, everything should be about getting the DVD.
Tip: Determine what you want to accomplish and be sure everything in the letter supports that one thing.
13. No Double Readership Path and Poor Cosmetics
There are two types of ‘readers’ who will read your sales letters, post cards, print ads, etc. - skimmers and readers. If your headline does its job (see rule #1), then the readers will read every word that write. Skimmers, will NOT. You want skimmers to be able to make a buying decision by just reading:
- The Headline
- Subheads
- Captions
- Order instructions
- P.S.
While they may not make the buying decision based on the 5 bullet points above, if you’ve told your story well enough with your headline, subheads, captions, order instructions and P.S. they will often go back and read the entire letter.
With that said, we can enhance the sections above, and our copy with cosmetics. Cosmetics can be bolds, underlines, italics, CAPITALIZATION, a different font, SIZE, Colors, etc.
Cosmetics enhancements are used to increase readership among skimmers and help readers follow along. Cosmetics are used to cover key points and they make long copy seem shorter to the reader, and thus increase readership.
Tip: After you’ve written your sales letter, go through and use cosmetics to enhance your key points. The key points being your offer, reason why, guarantee(s), testimonial(s), deadline, and call to action. Then, have someone read just your headline, subheads, captions and cosmetic enhancements. If they can repeat your entire story just reading those areas, you’ve got yourself a double readership path with great cosmetics!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Don’t forget the P.S.
Testimonials – Don’t forget the P.S.
For the last two weeks I’ve been discussing the 13 big mistakes I often see when critiquing sales letters. To review where we left off, see the blog posts below from earlier this week. Below are the next two mistakes copywriters often make.
10. No P.S.
The P.S. is the second most read part of any sales letter. Many people read the headline and then turn to the end of the letter to see who it's from when they read the P.S.
My strong recommendation is to never send out a letter of any kind without including a P.S. This includes personal letters. Make it a habit from which you never vary. So when
you are writing to your mother, father or friend, end the letter with a P.S.
Tip: When preparing a P.S. for a sales letter, a good formula to follow is to simply restate the biggest benefit of the product, the guarantee and the offer. How about a second P.S.? So that’s P.P.S. – Or even a third – P.P.P.S.
11. Write Like You Were Taught To Write in High School Composition.
High School Composition has Absolutely-Nothing-TO-DO with effective sales letter writing. Oh no! I can’t capitalize Absolutely Nothing in the middle of a sentence – and there’s no rule about bolding whats-ever – and TO-DO certainly is not all caps! And my GOD what are all these dashes! Hey, only the G is capitalized in God. And what am I doing starting sentences and ending sentences with prepositions – Ohhhhhhhh – I got an F.
Get it? Most people’s writing is boring and stuffy at best! Most people are not boring and stuffy. Write like you speak! Punctuate for effect not to follow rules!
Tip: Want to write a great sales letter! Sit down with a good friend and a tape recorder and tell him why you and your product are so great. Transcribe the tape – add the #1 benefit at the top in a headline - and restate the biggest benefit, guarantee, and
offer in the P.S. – You’re done.
www.3dmailresults.com
For the last two weeks I’ve been discussing the 13 big mistakes I often see when critiquing sales letters. To review where we left off, see the blog posts below from earlier this week. Below are the next two mistakes copywriters often make.
10. No P.S.
The P.S. is the second most read part of any sales letter. Many people read the headline and then turn to the end of the letter to see who it's from when they read the P.S.
My strong recommendation is to never send out a letter of any kind without including a P.S. This includes personal letters. Make it a habit from which you never vary. So when
you are writing to your mother, father or friend, end the letter with a P.S.
Tip: When preparing a P.S. for a sales letter, a good formula to follow is to simply restate the biggest benefit of the product, the guarantee and the offer. How about a second P.S.? So that’s P.P.S. – Or even a third – P.P.P.S.
11. Write Like You Were Taught To Write in High School Composition.
High School Composition has Absolutely-Nothing-TO-DO with effective sales letter writing. Oh no! I can’t capitalize Absolutely Nothing in the middle of a sentence – and there’s no rule about bolding whats-ever – and TO-DO certainly is not all caps! And my GOD what are all these dashes! Hey, only the G is capitalized in God. And what am I doing starting sentences and ending sentences with prepositions – Ohhhhhhhh – I got an F.
Get it? Most people’s writing is boring and stuffy at best! Most people are not boring and stuffy. Write like you speak! Punctuate for effect not to follow rules!
Tip: Want to write a great sales letter! Sit down with a good friend and a tape recorder and tell him why you and your product are so great. Transcribe the tape – add the #1 benefit at the top in a headline - and restate the biggest benefit, guarantee, and
offer in the P.S. – You’re done.
www.3dmailresults.com
Monday, July 13, 2009
Testimonials – You Can Never Have Too Many
For the last week I’ve been discussing the 13 big mistakes I often see when critiquing sales letters. To review where we left off, blog post below from last week. Below are the next two mistakes copywriters often make.
8. No testimonials.
Customers who rave about your product or service are extremely effective and should be included in every sales letter. The words from the mind and heart of customers build your credibility.
However, most marketers waste the potential impact of testimonials. Common mistakes include using initials rather than the full name, as well as omitting city and state or country.
Tip: When getting written permission to use a testimonial in advertising, also request a photo. Most will happily agree. Photos help to add power.
9. No money-back guarantee.
Your response to any sales letter will be significantly higher if you include a money-back guarantee.
Tip: The longer the guarantee, the more sales and less returns or refunds requested. For example, 30 days works better than 10 days, 60 days works better than 30 days, etc. A full year "no quibble" guarantee works very well.
8. No testimonials.
Customers who rave about your product or service are extremely effective and should be included in every sales letter. The words from the mind and heart of customers build your credibility.
However, most marketers waste the potential impact of testimonials. Common mistakes include using initials rather than the full name, as well as omitting city and state or country.
Tip: When getting written permission to use a testimonial in advertising, also request a photo. Most will happily agree. Photos help to add power.
9. No money-back guarantee.
Your response to any sales letter will be significantly higher if you include a money-back guarantee.
Tip: The longer the guarantee, the more sales and less returns or refunds requested. For example, 30 days works better than 10 days, 60 days works better than 30 days, etc. A full year "no quibble" guarantee works very well.
Friday, July 10, 2009
The more you tell, the more you sell
For the last week I’ve been discussing the 13 big mistakes I often see when critiquing sales letters. To review where we left off, blog post from last week. Below are the next two mistakes copywriters often make.
6. Your copy is too short.
As the old saying goes, “The more you tell, the more you sell.” Tell the complete story of your product. Include every benefit you can. Copy can never be too long. Some of my sales letters are as long as 56 pages.
But you can be too boring. The biggest sin of any copywriter, even in a two-paragraph letter, is to bore the prospect. The secret is to tell a complete story, but in the fewest words possible. Eliminate every single unnecessary word.
Tip: Write only to those who are interested in what you are selling. Do not be concerned whatsoever with those who are not interested. Those who are interested need enough information to take the next step. Give it to them!
7. Large blocks of copy and few subheads.
Lengthy paragraphs without frequent subheads make copy intimidating to read. This discourages reading and response. Place at least two or three subheads on each page. Plus, keep paragraphs and sentences short. Paragraph length of no more than five sentences or less should be your goal. Some paragraphs can be one to three words.
Tip: When you write subheads, strive to make them short and benefit driven. If the subheads are well done, readers with short attention spans can simply read the headlines and subheads and make their buying decision on those alone.
6. Your copy is too short.
As the old saying goes, “The more you tell, the more you sell.” Tell the complete story of your product. Include every benefit you can. Copy can never be too long. Some of my sales letters are as long as 56 pages.
But you can be too boring. The biggest sin of any copywriter, even in a two-paragraph letter, is to bore the prospect. The secret is to tell a complete story, but in the fewest words possible. Eliminate every single unnecessary word.
Tip: Write only to those who are interested in what you are selling. Do not be concerned whatsoever with those who are not interested. Those who are interested need enough information to take the next step. Give it to them!
7. Large blocks of copy and few subheads.
Lengthy paragraphs without frequent subheads make copy intimidating to read. This discourages reading and response. Place at least two or three subheads on each page. Plus, keep paragraphs and sentences short. Paragraph length of no more than five sentences or less should be your goal. Some paragraphs can be one to three words.
Tip: When you write subheads, strive to make them short and benefit driven. If the subheads are well done, readers with short attention spans can simply read the headlines and subheads and make their buying decision on those alone.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Don’t Exaggerate
For the last week I’ve been discussing the 13 big mistakes I often see when critiquing sales letters. To review where we left off see my blog posts below from last week. Below are the next two mistakes copywriters often make.
4. Exaggerated Claims.
Many copywriters and marketers think the more astonishing your claims are the more persuasive. This is a fallacy. If a claim is exaggerated, it seems and feels untrue. You thus lose that all-important credibility.
Tip: First you should dramatize your advertising claims with the help of short emotional words. Then prove each claim. Expert comments and testimonials can be a big help. Give a reason why.
In the headline from last week, the roofer is giving away a big screen TV because his crew usually doesn’t do anything in January and February and his suppliers are slow also. He explains that in the letter.
5. Confusing offer.
So many sales letters do not make a clear, easily understandable offer. The result is few or no orders. Reason? When consumers are confused, they don't act--they do nothing. Confusion always breeds inaction.
Tip: Think through your offer very carefully and write it down before you prepare a single word of your sales letter.
4. Exaggerated Claims.
Many copywriters and marketers think the more astonishing your claims are the more persuasive. This is a fallacy. If a claim is exaggerated, it seems and feels untrue. You thus lose that all-important credibility.
Tip: First you should dramatize your advertising claims with the help of short emotional words. Then prove each claim. Expert comments and testimonials can be a big help. Give a reason why.
In the headline from last week, the roofer is giving away a big screen TV because his crew usually doesn’t do anything in January and February and his suppliers are slow also. He explains that in the letter.
5. Confusing offer.
So many sales letters do not make a clear, easily understandable offer. The result is few or no orders. Reason? When consumers are confused, they don't act--they do nothing. Confusion always breeds inaction.
Tip: Think through your offer very carefully and write it down before you prepare a single word of your sales letter.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
3D Mail Success in Real Estate
It seems a real estate agent out there, who's also a coach in the niche, found out about our products and used them with some great success. See a video by Jay Kinder right here. I guess I'll need to get him on the phone and work out something with his members!
Monday, July 6, 2009
Don’t be Full of Yourself
On Tuesday I started out with the first big mistake people make with their sales letters. To review, see my blog post below. Now are the next two mistakes copywriters often make.
2. Copy is full of "Me" messages.Some examples: My products are terrific. My company is wonderful. We've been in business for 15 years. We have a long tradition of quality, blah, blah, blah.
So much advertising is full of this drivel. This is all about you. No one in the world cares besides you. Your prospects want to know exactly what benefits they will get from your products. In other words, if you sell grass seed, don't dwell on what it's composed of. Instead describe how beautiful their lawn will be.
TIP: Here is the fastest way to improve your copy. Review the first draft of your copy. Eliminate all these words--I, our, we, my. Substitute you and your. I promise you'll be amazed and truly gratified with the result. It's sure to blow your mind!
3. Copy fails to answer the question "What's in it for me?" The process, of course, starts with the headline. An excellent copywriting technique is to prepare bullet points. These should consist of all the benefits a buyer of your product will get.
Tip: Your benefits should be stated in headline format. The secret of making benefits even more powerful is to describe the benefit of the benefit.
2. Copy is full of "Me" messages.Some examples: My products are terrific. My company is wonderful. We've been in business for 15 years. We have a long tradition of quality, blah, blah, blah.
So much advertising is full of this drivel. This is all about you. No one in the world cares besides you. Your prospects want to know exactly what benefits they will get from your products. In other words, if you sell grass seed, don't dwell on what it's composed of. Instead describe how beautiful their lawn will be.
TIP: Here is the fastest way to improve your copy. Review the first draft of your copy. Eliminate all these words--I, our, we, my. Substitute you and your. I promise you'll be amazed and truly gratified with the result. It's sure to blow your mind!
3. Copy fails to answer the question "What's in it for me?" The process, of course, starts with the headline. An excellent copywriting technique is to prepare bullet points. These should consist of all the benefits a buyer of your product will get.
Tip: Your benefits should be stated in headline format. The secret of making benefits even more powerful is to describe the benefit of the benefit.
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