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THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS COPY THAT'S TOO LONG.
PRICE ELASTICITY WORKS.
profession revolves around educating, find a way to make it entertaining, too.
Price is often far less of an issue than we think. Our customers, clients, and patients are often willing to pay more than we may expect.
LIMIT THE LENGTH OF GUARANTEE ON YOUR PRODUCT OR SERVICE.
... only copy that's too boring. People inexperienced in marketing look at the length of a long-form sales letter and ask, "Who would read something that long?!" Dan's answer? A buyer.
The longer the guarantee period, the less likely the customer, client, or patient is to return the product or ask for a refund. It's a paradox. The shorter your guarantee period, the more likely it's on the customer's mind (“I only have 30 days, and I haven't even opened the box ... I'd better return this now”). If my ad contained only this headline and a response phone number, would anyone buy? Dan offers two headline tests. Take the headline from your advertisement and add only a phone number. Would the headline and response phone number be enough to get some folks to buy? The other was the "Who Cares?!" test. Read your headline and ask yourself if your target market would really care ... YOU SHOULD TEST YOUR HEADLINES. The order form must be able to stand alone as its own sales letter if separated from the rest of the mailing. Assume the recipient of a direct mail piece will open the envelope and scatter the contents. If they lose the sales letter and everything else, the order form must repeat enough of the crucial sales information to persuade the recipient to take action and make the purchase. Show up at your sales call with a "shoebox overflowing with testimonials.” This speaks to Dan's concept that we must arrive with "an abundance of proof." "Most bullets (and marketing) fail to motivate the prospective buyer due to lists of 'features' leaving it up to the prospect to figure out the 'benefits'..." THE ORDER FORM IS A SALES LETTER. TESTIMONIALS PROVIDE PROOF.
INCLUDE ‘BENEFITS’ WITH FEATURE BULLETS.
NOTHING HAPPENS WITHOUT A DEADLINE.
Bullets with features are fine, but the power of bullets (and copy in general) comes from highlighting the benefits. Most bullets (and marketing) fail to motivate the prospective buyer due to lists of "features" leaving it up to the prospect to figure out the "benefits" he/she would enjoy as a result of those features. Speak to the benefits!
The "Irresistible Offer" is a cornerstone of marketing ... but without a motivation to act now (deadline), response will be limited.
"The likelihood of a sale is far more dependent upon the attitude of the seller than the attitude of the buyer."
YOU SHOULD GET THEIR ATTENTION.
Robert Colliers’ "enter the conversation in their mind" is good advice. Everyone is having a conversation in their mind at all times. If you can enter the conversation where they are, you'll have their attention.
WE ARE NOT OUR TARGET MARKET.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SALAD AND GARBAGE IS TIMING.
The fact that you or I may not use coupons or respond to x or y offer is IRRELEVANT. Don't preview your marketing by showing it to your team, friends, or relatives. The ONLY opinions that count are purchases by your customers, clients, and/or patients. PEOPLE ARE FAR MORE MOTIVATED BY FEAR OF LOSS THAN OPPORTUNITY FOR GAIN. We all know that everything is first sold based upon emotion and only secondarily based upon logic or reason. When considering which emotions to target in your marketing, Dan recommends we keep in mind people are far more motivated by fear of loss than opportunity for gain. (Cialdini proved that when he made a single change to the Bose Wave campaign which doubled their sales ... and was based upon the Wave helping you hear what you've been MISSING).
"Uninvited pest becomes welcomed guest." Just because a prospect didn't respond to your offer when you sent it doesn't mean they're not interested. It's often the timing of the offer. In his classic, "Hey idiot, your house is on fire" story, Dan talks about the number of times he tried to chase this pest away ... the guy kept knocking, finally climbed an 8-foot wall with shards of glass on the top, and came up to his back deck banging on the glass. "Al the plumber." "Your house is on fire!" It's the stories that engage people and embed into their memories. Stories are an essential piece of the sales puzzle. We hope and pray for a full recovery but realize that our friend and mentor may not be with us much longer. Elizabeth and I are grateful beyond what words can express for his friendship and guidance. “DK” will always live on in our hearts. STORIES SELL!
PEOPLE WANT TO BE ENTERTAINED.
Entertainers are paid far more than educators. Even if your business or
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