Selling the Truth
Selling the Truth
You may think this is a bizarre opening line to ask, you may be wondering why anyone would want anything but the truth. Fact is many people know the truth when they hear it or read it (or so they believe) but do they?
When we write copy for marketing purposes, which if you think about it is almost everything that goes into print. We are attempting to persuade someone of our point of view. Internet marketing is the new playground of prose.
Under the conscious radar of your prospect.
This offers some great opportunities for those willing to spend a little time knowing how to really get under the conscious radar of your prospect.
Let me just turn back to TRUTH for a moment. In internet marketing we all attempt the HARD SELL because we have the statistics to tell us we have a minimal amount of attention span from our prospects. Ego; we need to sell fast!
Looking at this established theory, it may be established but it is not the truth. The real truth is that if we can become instantly familiar we can hold onto the prospect for longer. A good conversation, novel, film or song, all have an air of truth about them.
HOW DO WE INSTALL TRUTH INTO OUR PROSPECTS MINDS?
There are many ways to pry open the truth for your prospects. Be under no illusion, if you can get a 70% truth factor into your copy you will sell more.
Let me show you an example of truth (in the eyes of a major drug Co). The press release below is my example. In the context of this article it is not and never has been connected with any drug company. Truth…
“Today our scientists discovered a new drug that could bring an end suffering for millions of children around the world”. The trials planned over the next five years will be funded by private investors. A spokesperson for the department of health said. “We are delighted that Conuall drugs have made this announcement, we are however a little concerned they have investment only from the private sector. This may affect the price of this new drug to the NHS if the trials go according to plan”.
The paragraph above serves to illustrate the principle as to what this marketing article is about. We read similar events all too often in the press and yet no new wonder drug is ever actually revealed?
It is a fine example of distorting truth to fit the minds of the reader for profit. This subject is too big to cover in an article such as this so I will stick to the question at hand. How do we install truth into our prospects minds long enough to take money from it.
May sound a bit harsh but that is the bottom line, we all think it but we never write it, who are we kidding?
Prospects will stay longer if they are reading the truth…THEIR TRUTH not yours. Some people have had the pleasure of reading other information on NLPology (which deals with relative truth in marketing) bottom line, if you know people well enough they will pay attention to you.
Tips for writing the truth
First, take a good objective view of the type of person you are targeting. Now write a description of your prospect and make sure it includes the following area.
Know your prospects personality type
I believe that Personality Profiling your Prospects is the greatest untapped Internet marketing resource.
Let me give you a classic paragraph on a good marketing profile, this holds true today as it did back in the 1900’s when it was coined by the great
P.T Barnum. He was a legendary showman and circus owner who was said to have coined the phrase “Something to please everyone”.
What is a Barnum statement?
It is a statement that rings true with many people your daily stars are based on general statements that seem to fit the readers. This in psychology is known collectively as a Barnum statement. Use of these to give the impression of truth in your ad copy has been for the most part ignored.
Typical Barnum statements
1. You tend to be too self critical
2. You’re an independent and creative thinker
3. You do not accept what others tell you to believe
4. Some of your goals seem to be a little unrealistic
Adaptation to the above and countless other variations can be used to create credibility to your copy. Below I have used an example from a collective list of statements that could fit many but seem specific to the individual.
One of the important points to remember here is that everyone thinks they are totally different to all others. Considering most of the English speaking world shares the same media, this is becoming increasingly less so. It is the collective influence of our own communication that is closing this gap.
A small snippet form “Get that pay rise NOW!…
“Considering all the hard work you have put into your work is it about time you got something back? With so much misleading information it is hard to know what the truth is, how to know exactly what you need to do. The main confusion is that there are so many options and each draws you towards areas you may not want to go”.
“Your site needs as many buying visitors as you can get, you will get as many visitors as you work for. Once you have a good list, newsletter/E-zine or E books to sell affiliation and automation will then earn you money in your sleep.
So how do I get there?
“Consider the possibility that for a moment you have wiped the mind slate clean. Ask yourself; what do you need to promote your business on the internet? Don’t attempt to complicate the solution with your existing knowledge. What I have discovered is that making money in your sleep is possible but you have to know how to set it up first.”
For those of you who have read my previous article on “Sell anything to anyone” will no doubt recognized the formula I used above. Many of the statements are true for countless people in this industry.
Notice how much softer the approach is because your talking about how they really feel about themselves, by extension you are familiar with their plight, their TRUTH. More importantly look how many leading statements come into play, outright suggestions I want my prospect to do. Yet in the context of this conversation it does not seem unreasonable.
Consider the hard and soft feeling attached to these two words, in your opinion which is softer. You or You’re?
I would suspect the latter will be chosen by most because it is softer in its approach; it is not as sharp as YOU. Why shout when you can covertly suggest?
I have seen many ads that ask questions and set a particular thinking process in action in the minds of the prospect. All of them fail to identify with the client’s internal truth, I say talking because most questions actually make the prospect feel stupid.
Example
DO YOU WANT TO EARN WHILE YOU SLEEP?
Stupid question and one that most prospects will click away from.
Why?
Because they are desensitized to it, they have seen it so many times they know it is an established opener, usually from idiots with no imagination, what are they going to sell the prospect?
Asking for their (prospects) opinion as you would a friend in conversation the above question could be phrased to read like this…
“In your opinion how much would you need to earn to be able to do all the things you really want to do?
Think about it for a moment, calculate the figures and come up with a monthly or yearly figure. When you do this quick calculation an important observation may take place inside of your mind. (Did he just say your mine?)
For the first time you may become aware that if you have not made your fortune yet it is because you had not actually put a figure on it. Yes we all want to earn in our sleep, who wouldn’t! But in doing so we have to give our subconscious mind a little more to go on…a target!
The goal is now how much not the ambiguous fuzzy goal of “I want to earn in my sleep”. If you’re too lazy to think of a figure, you will never earn in your sleep.
Truth is relative and so is your copywriting so think what your prospect would think like, make relative truth statements and combine those with NLPology (New Language Patterns) of leading and pacing (See my other articles).
(c) 2005 Jason Rife
Selling the Truth - To learn more about this author, visit Jason Rife's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
“In your opinion how much would you need to earn to be able to do all the things you really want to do in life, try to be realistic?
You may think this is a bizarre opening line to ask, you may be wondering why anyone would want anything but the truth. Fact is many people know the truth when they hear it or read it (or so they believe) but do they?
When we write copy for marketing purposes, which if you think about it is almost everything that goes into print. We are attempting to persuade someone of our point of view. Internet marketing is the new playground of prose.
Under the conscious radar of your prospect.
This offers some great opportunities for those willing to spend a little time knowing how to really get under the conscious radar of your prospect.
Let me just turn back to TRUTH for a moment. In internet marketing we all attempt the HARD SELL because we have the statistics to tell us we have a minimal amount of attention span from our prospects. Ego; we need to sell fast!
Looking at this established theory, it may be established but it is not the truth. The real truth is that if we can become instantly familiar we can hold onto the prospect for longer. A good conversation, novel, film or song, all have an air of truth about them.
HOW DO WE INSTALL TRUTH INTO OUR PROSPECTS MINDS?
There are many ways to pry open the truth for your prospects. Be under no illusion, if you can get a 70% truth factor into your copy you will sell more.
Let me show you an example of truth (in the eyes of a major drug Co). The press release below is my example. In the context of this article it is not and never has been connected with any drug company. Truth…
“Today our scientists discovered a new drug that could bring an end suffering for millions of children around the world”. The trials planned over the next five years will be funded by private investors. A spokesperson for the department of health said. “We are delighted that Conuall drugs have made this announcement, we are however a little concerned they have investment only from the private sector. This may affect the price of this new drug to the NHS if the trials go according to plan”.
The paragraph above serves to illustrate the principle as to what this marketing article is about. We read similar events all too often in the press and yet no new wonder drug is ever actually revealed?
It is a fine example of distorting truth to fit the minds of the reader for profit. This subject is too big to cover in an article such as this so I will stick to the question at hand. How do we install truth into our prospects minds long enough to take money from it.
May sound a bit harsh but that is the bottom line, we all think it but we never write it, who are we kidding?
Prospects will stay longer if they are reading the truth…THEIR TRUTH not yours. Some people have had the pleasure of reading other information on NLPology (which deals with relative truth in marketing) bottom line, if you know people well enough they will pay attention to you.
Tips for writing the truth
First, take a good objective view of the type of person you are targeting. Now write a description of your prospect and make sure it includes the following area.
Know your prospects personality type
I believe that Personality Profiling your Prospects is the greatest untapped Internet marketing resource.
Let me give you a classic paragraph on a good marketing profile, this holds true today as it did back in the 1900’s when it was coined by the great
P.T Barnum. He was a legendary showman and circus owner who was said to have coined the phrase “Something to please everyone”.
What is a Barnum statement?
It is a statement that rings true with many people your daily stars are based on general statements that seem to fit the readers. This in psychology is known collectively as a Barnum statement. Use of these to give the impression of truth in your ad copy has been for the most part ignored.
Typical Barnum statements
1. You tend to be too self critical
2. You’re an independent and creative thinker
3. You do not accept what others tell you to believe
4. Some of your goals seem to be a little unrealistic
Adaptation to the above and countless other variations can be used to create credibility to your copy. Below I have used an example from a collective list of statements that could fit many but seem specific to the individual.
One of the important points to remember here is that everyone thinks they are totally different to all others. Considering most of the English speaking world shares the same media, this is becoming increasingly less so. It is the collective influence of our own communication that is closing this gap.
A small snippet form “Get that pay rise NOW!…
“Considering all the hard work you have put into your work is it about time you got something back? With so much misleading information it is hard to know what the truth is, how to know exactly what you need to do. The main confusion is that there are so many options and each draws you towards areas you may not want to go”.
“Your site needs as many buying visitors as you can get, you will get as many visitors as you work for. Once you have a good list, newsletter/E-zine or E books to sell affiliation and automation will then earn you money in your sleep.
So how do I get there?
“Consider the possibility that for a moment you have wiped the mind slate clean. Ask yourself; what do you need to promote your business on the internet? Don’t attempt to complicate the solution with your existing knowledge. What I have discovered is that making money in your sleep is possible but you have to know how to set it up first.”
For those of you who have read my previous article on “Sell anything to anyone” will no doubt recognized the formula I used above. Many of the statements are true for countless people in this industry.
Notice how much softer the approach is because your talking about how they really feel about themselves, by extension you are familiar with their plight, their TRUTH. More importantly look how many leading statements come into play, outright suggestions I want my prospect to do. Yet in the context of this conversation it does not seem unreasonable.
Consider the hard and soft feeling attached to these two words, in your opinion which is softer. You or You’re?
I would suspect the latter will be chosen by most because it is softer in its approach; it is not as sharp as YOU. Why shout when you can covertly suggest?
I have seen many ads that ask questions and set a particular thinking process in action in the minds of the prospect. All of them fail to identify with the client’s internal truth, I say talking because most questions actually make the prospect feel stupid.
Example
DO YOU WANT TO EARN WHILE YOU SLEEP?
Stupid question and one that most prospects will click away from.
Why?
Because they are desensitized to it, they have seen it so many times they know it is an established opener, usually from idiots with no imagination, what are they going to sell the prospect?
Asking for their (prospects) opinion as you would a friend in conversation the above question could be phrased to read like this…
“In your opinion how much would you need to earn to be able to do all the things you really want to do?
Think about it for a moment, calculate the figures and come up with a monthly or yearly figure. When you do this quick calculation an important observation may take place inside of your mind. (Did he just say your mine?)
For the first time you may become aware that if you have not made your fortune yet it is because you had not actually put a figure on it. Yes we all want to earn in our sleep, who wouldn’t! But in doing so we have to give our subconscious mind a little more to go on…a target!
The goal is now how much not the ambiguous fuzzy goal of “I want to earn in my sleep”. If you’re too lazy to think of a figure, you will never earn in your sleep.
Truth is relative and so is your copywriting so think what your prospect would think like, make relative truth statements and combine those with NLPology (New Language Patterns) of leading and pacing (See my other articles).
(c) 2005 Jason Rife
Selling the Truth - To learn more about this author, visit Jason Rife's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
|||
Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
|||
Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Jason's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
|
||
|
||
|
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Speed Business Networking Networking Road Warrior Telemarketing Success Selling Shovels JV Considerations |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Productivity Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2009 | |
 |
Top 50 Franchising Blogs
Top 50 Franchising Blogs | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
