Sales Copywriting Sales Talk—What a Difference a Phrase Makes on the Bottom Line
Sales Copywriting Sales Talk—What a Difference a Phrase Makes on the Bottom Line
Big companies hire experts to take care of sales copywriting for them. Some of them succeed impressively; others still don’t hit the mark. But as a small business we need to master the skills of writing sales copy and the 30 second verbal sound byte. We are constantly bombarded with marketing messages to the point where we tune out a majority of them. Knowing how to make your message stand out above the crowd is essential if you want to see significant business growth take place.
Over and over I see small business owners make the same mistakes, causing potential customers to pass them over or ignore their message, when just a few tweaks in wording could have captured that person’s attention. As competition has heated up in every industry, and as the Internet has made marketing innovation essential, staying cutting edge with your message has become enormously important. The Internet has exposed us to creative marketing minds from all over the world. We are no longer only competing with the ads in our local publications. Our message gets measured against global standards, even if our business is primarily locally based, and many small businesses are coming up short and experiencing disappointing results.
Here are a few glaring sales copywriting mistakes that can cost you plenty and some ways you can correct them:
Web content—many websites read like a 1980’s sales brochure. “We” this and “we” that, all about what we can do for you. This is boring and uninteresting and it doesn’t engage the reader by letting her know up front that you get her pain or problem clearly.
· Re-write content, particularly on your home page, using bullet points and short paragraphs that immediately capture the visitor’s attention by listing the problems you solve and the benefits you offer. Then include text links to your different service and product pages. Writing web content is an art that can strongly impact how you rank with the search engines and how many visitors you convert to prospects or clients.
Web product/services pages—Take a look at the pages on your website that introduce your products and services. Are they simply a listing of what you offer?
· Instead, most of the copy should be dedicated to defining in detail your customer’s precise problem, pain or want, then giving them a wish list of solutions, a good reason for solving their problem immediately, and finally explaining how your product or service will do just that. On the web, a guarantee of some sort is a very wise idea, since you may attract buyers who don’t know you or your company personally.
In-person networking intro—How many times have you gone to a networking event and asked someone about their business and they say something like, “I’m a financial planner”, or “I’m a personal trainer”. Boring!
· Write and rehearse a simple, sincere 2 or 3 sentence introduction that talks about the problems your customers face and what happens after they’ve worked with you.
For example, the personal trainer could say something like: “I work with stressed business owners who are having trouble finding time to exercise, but who want to be healthy and in shape. I go to their offices to give them a customized 30-minute workout and they love the convenience and how they feel afterward.” If you’re a stressed business owner who is feeling guilty because you haven’t been exercising, your ears might perk up when you hear that introduction.
To get specific ideas on how to write sales copy that works, search competitors' websites for sales copywriting you find intriguing, or look at websites you know sell lots of products or services and have tons of traffic. An example of a product page on my website can be found here: http://www.smartrack.net/global-web-tactics1.htm.
Little by little, spend some time re-writing your web copy and re-thinking your live introduction. Simple re-writing of a single key phrase can have an impact. You will definitely see better conversion rates as you begin to use more customer focused sales copywriting and sales talk.
Copyright 2006 by Janis Pettit
Sales Copywriting Sales Talk What a Difference a Phrase Makes on the Bottom Line - To learn more about this author, visit Janis Pettit's Website.
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Small business owners beware—your sales copywriting and sales talk, the written or spoken words you use to describe your products and services, can have a huge impact on your bottom line. Yet most of us never think of carefully planning precisely what words or phrases we need to use every time we introduce our business to others in print or in person. We often fail to consider what words will compel someone to take action.
Big companies hire experts to take care of sales copywriting for them. Some of them succeed impressively; others still don’t hit the mark. But as a small business we need to master the skills of writing sales copy and the 30 second verbal sound byte. We are constantly bombarded with marketing messages to the point where we tune out a majority of them. Knowing how to make your message stand out above the crowd is essential if you want to see significant business growth take place.
Over and over I see small business owners make the same mistakes, causing potential customers to pass them over or ignore their message, when just a few tweaks in wording could have captured that person’s attention. As competition has heated up in every industry, and as the Internet has made marketing innovation essential, staying cutting edge with your message has become enormously important. The Internet has exposed us to creative marketing minds from all over the world. We are no longer only competing with the ads in our local publications. Our message gets measured against global standards, even if our business is primarily locally based, and many small businesses are coming up short and experiencing disappointing results.
Here are a few glaring sales copywriting mistakes that can cost you plenty and some ways you can correct them:
Web content—many websites read like a 1980’s sales brochure. “We” this and “we” that, all about what we can do for you. This is boring and uninteresting and it doesn’t engage the reader by letting her know up front that you get her pain or problem clearly.
· Re-write content, particularly on your home page, using bullet points and short paragraphs that immediately capture the visitor’s attention by listing the problems you solve and the benefits you offer. Then include text links to your different service and product pages. Writing web content is an art that can strongly impact how you rank with the search engines and how many visitors you convert to prospects or clients.
Web product/services pages—Take a look at the pages on your website that introduce your products and services. Are they simply a listing of what you offer?
· Instead, most of the copy should be dedicated to defining in detail your customer’s precise problem, pain or want, then giving them a wish list of solutions, a good reason for solving their problem immediately, and finally explaining how your product or service will do just that. On the web, a guarantee of some sort is a very wise idea, since you may attract buyers who don’t know you or your company personally.
In-person networking intro—How many times have you gone to a networking event and asked someone about their business and they say something like, “I’m a financial planner”, or “I’m a personal trainer”. Boring!
· Write and rehearse a simple, sincere 2 or 3 sentence introduction that talks about the problems your customers face and what happens after they’ve worked with you.
For example, the personal trainer could say something like: “I work with stressed business owners who are having trouble finding time to exercise, but who want to be healthy and in shape. I go to their offices to give them a customized 30-minute workout and they love the convenience and how they feel afterward.” If you’re a stressed business owner who is feeling guilty because you haven’t been exercising, your ears might perk up when you hear that introduction.
To get specific ideas on how to write sales copy that works, search competitors' websites for sales copywriting you find intriguing, or look at websites you know sell lots of products or services and have tons of traffic. An example of a product page on my website can be found here: http://www.smartrack.net/global-web-tactics1.htm.
Little by little, spend some time re-writing your web copy and re-thinking your live introduction. Simple re-writing of a single key phrase can have an impact. You will definitely see better conversion rates as you begin to use more customer focused sales copywriting and sales talk.
Copyright 2006 by Janis Pettit
Sales Copywriting Sales Talk What a Difference a Phrase Makes on the Bottom Line - To learn more about this author, visit Janis Pettit's Website.
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
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