Do you have a sales page that covers all facts to show your prospects why your product or service is the most logical choice for them… with 20 bullet points of benefits that is impeccable from the “copywriting best practice” perspective, yet fails to generate that “hell yeah!” gut motivation that makes them hit the “buy” button?
OR…
Maybe you are great at connecting with your potential clients at the personal and emotional level… they scream YES! on the phone but hem and hew when it comes time to whip out the credit card – they have to work the numbers, talk to their spouse, wait for the paycheck, wait till after their mother-in-law’s birthday… then a few days later, POOF!
… leaving you wondering what you have done wrong…
Good news is… nothing! You just need to complete the picture…
Most of us are wired to focus on one piece of the puzzle, and pay less attention to the other piece.
Which means if you can address that missing piece, you will have a complete picture of what your potential clients need to know in order to say yes.
Most human beings (which accounts for 100% of entities that whip out the credit card and pay for your products or services… even if you are selling pet stuff) make decision from two places – the logical mind and emotions.
Most people make decisions with their emotions, and then justify with logics. This is true even for the self-proclaimed “logical” folks.
So, if your communication can take a two-prong approach, appealing to both the emotions and the logics, you would have a much greater chance of converting.
If you over-index on the “logical”…
… and you wonder why people are not buying after you have listed 25 bullets worth of facts and benefits that solve their exact problems…
You are probably not speaking to the emotional needs of your ideal clients.
Yes, we have been taught in almost every copywriting or direct response training to dig into the pain… and twist the knife.
Sure, that’s effective because urgency does sell.
But for many of my clients, doing this “add the salt and twist the knife” thing can feel inauthentic and contrived at times – particularly if they have the misconception that they have to exaggerate or even deceitful to be persuasive.
What else can be done? Is there an alternative?
First, know that mentioning and heightening your prospects’ pains and challenges IS important and a very useful sales tactic.
However, there is another layer we can add on, so we are not just motivating them with short-term solution based on pain, but also creating a long-term commitment that inspire them to keep coming back, and reduce “buyer’s remorse” after the sale.
To do so, you want to tap in to the positive emotions of your ideal clients – not just fears, frustration and anger.
What makes them tick? What are they aspired to? Who do they want to be? What makes them feel like they have “arrived”?
Speak to that place as well to…
Inspire Identity Conducive to Purchase
99% of us wear many different hats. Certain identity requires we behave certain way.
Our subconscious mind would pretty much do anything to avoid cognitive dissonance.
What identity that is in congruence to purchasing your products and services can you inspire in your potential clients through your interaction and communication?
Of course we are not talking about manipulative sales tactics. It is about getting deep into the psyche of your ideal clients and understanding who/what/how they inspire to BE so you can speak to that identity.
When they assume that identity, you can inspire them to say “yes” to step up and take the leap with you.
They have to believe that they can be that person, before they are willing to put in the time, money and effort to do so. And your job is to make them believe that they CAN.
If you do great on the “emotional” piece…
… but when it comes time to make the decision you can’t seem to get the ultimate “proof in the pudding,” aka whipping out the credit card?
Many of my clients experienced challenges in “closing the sale” when they first came to me.
They are great at making deep connections with their prospects, who are emotionally drawn to working with them and their “guts” scream “hell yeah!”
But when it comes time to whip out the credit card, they hesitated – they hem and hew, they have to ask their spouse, work the numbers, wait for the next paycheck, come back from vacation… and a few days later, they went POOF!
What went wrong?
The problem is that the “left brain” was not on board. The logical mind has doubts. They don’t know if they can justify their purchase. They are afraid of being ridiculed. They don’t know if they can do it.
Consider this question to help you create communication to get that “left brain” on board –
What would your potential client need to know so she can walk up to her spouse and tell him (boldly, unapologetically) why investing in your service is a smart move?
“Spouse” here can also mean their “logical mind” or friends and family who may question their decisions.
One way to do so is to map the “symptoms” your potential client are suffering from to your superpowers, then look at the cost of not having the problems solved or the gain of having the benefits achieved.
Pay attention to position the costs and gains to speak to what is important for your ideal clients – be it monetary, career-related, emotional, or about their relationships etc. – how are your services relevant to their lives?
Appealing to both a potential client’s emotions and logics can be very effective. But there is no one-size-fits-all solution. It requires compassion and deep-listening.
You cannot take some sales copy template, plug in a few things and hope for the best. The persuasive power of your communication stems from a complete understanding of and connection with your ideal clients.
Ling Wong
Ling is an Intuitive Brainiac. Through her unique blend of Business + Marketing coaching with a Mindset + Psychic Twist, she helps the multi-talented and multi-passionate maverick solo-entrepreneurs distill ALL their big ideas into ONE cohesive Message, nail the WORDS that sell and design a Plan to cut the busywork and do what matters, through her intuitive yet rigorous iterative process born out of her Harvard Design School training and 10 years of experience in the online marketing industry. Ling has the superpowers to help her clients optimize the space between individuality + originality vs. “tried-and-true” marketing so they can express their WHY unapologetically and profitably without reinventing the wheel. Find Ling and grab her free “How to Find YOUR Winning Formula” Training Series here.
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Dave W, talked about this in the masters. I have gone through it once, but getting into the mind of your potential buyers is something I am really working on. From writing emails to doing videos using persuasive should be a habit when doing communicating with your prospect. You have to tell them what to do in your message. It could be a simple command to like a post today or click on the link. Then later you can give them even more commands to buy.
being “ONE” with who your buyer is and “WHY” they are there… is the most efficient way to move a potential visitor into a buyer. CTA with a firm stance that encourages action does wonders.
so very true – understanding WHY they are there is very important. Even though most people talk about their products and services in terms of pricing and features, more often than not, the real factor in creating loyal customers is a shared belief. Of course, to make sure a “transaction” happens, a strong and relevant CTA is essential. And “training” the prospect to take action is asking them to make small commitment, which is a very effective way to lead to “bigger” action.
Yes, that is the tricky part for me. Always learning how to add more emotional edge to it. Thanks!
I think adding the “emotions” piece cannot be forced, or else it will feel contrived. One of the most important piece to doing it authentically is to overcome our own fears so we can be honest and transparent in our communications.
I think adding the “emotions” piece cannot be forced, or else it will feel contrived. One of the most important piece to doing it authentically is to overcome our own fears so we can be honest and transparent in our communications.
Awesome post Ling. I went from being a CPA and using mainly logic to convince clients to financial services. I was taught the whole build the fear story and hated it. It felt phony and manipulative. Finding that balance is key. Thank you.
Thanks Sue – I am glad to hear that it resonates. I think fear-based manipulation can get you “drive-by” sales, but long-term relationship needs to build on something deeper.
Getting in the head of your potential buyers is not always easy. But if you remember some of your own fears and concerns when you were in that stage you have a better insight as to what some of theirs could be.
Thanks for sharing.
That’s a great tip, thanks – often times our ideal clients are where we were at a while ago, going through the same struggle.
Great post !!
Being that “one with”and “why” is tough for lots of sellers. A good success story is always a great so called “ice braker” when needed. Some of those stories we all learn and love can be that missing piece or “whole pie”. And the more stories we learn the more flavors.
Thanks Gary. Yes, using stories is a great way to communicate, and make our content more personable and relatable.
Ling, the hard part for me is selling. I can get up close and personal with almost anyone. I always feel pitchy when I start selling. I think I harbor fears of rejection.
Thanks for sharing, Meiko! Yes, fears definitely plays a part in “selling”. One coaching question to ask is “what if [consequence of your fear] is no longer important to you? What would you do/say?”
Here is an article on overcoming fears that you may like: http://business-soulwork.com/get-f-outta/
My challenge is getting over my concern that my story isn’t very interesting! I’m sure plenty of people experience this same issue and are wildly successful/ Just gotta get out of my own way I guess! Great post!
Thanks for sharing, Cory – I used to have the same “concern” as you did! I wrote a post about this… maybe it can help: http://business-soulwork.com/speak-soul-business-hygienic-relationships-emotional-censorship/
Excellent post! I have trouble with both areas, depending on who I’m speaking with. This makes total sense, I’m missing the other half. Thanks for posting!
Thanks, glad it’s helpful!
Thank you Ling for this blog on…How to Increase the Persuasive Power of Your Communications, I will diffidently be bookmarking this blog as i am myself diving deeper into the emotional part of engagement with pure facts to solving the needs of my subscribers.
Thanks John – I think making an emotional connection is so important, and you are definitely on the right track to put effort into this.
This blog is so valuable, thank you for sharing. This is something I needed to read and learn.
Thanks Denise, I am glad it’s helpful.
Very insightful article Ling! When I first started doing sales videos for my online business, I thought the whole process was based around logic, and convincing my prospect through features and numbers. Of course I failed miserably at first 🙂 If I had anything to say to a brand new marketer, it would be that you have to master the persuasive power of your communications to actually SELL things, and utilizing emotion is one of the quickest ways to do so. Read and share this great information! Thanks Ling!
hi David, Thanks for sharing your experience. For sure, many people started out by focusing on logic, features and price then learn it the hard way. Of course, feature and numbers have their place, particularly for the prospects who are “analytical”. But we have to tap into both logic and emotions, to speak to different kinds of prospects – especially important for internet marketing because there is no 1:1 opportunity to communicate to each individual prospect.
Great post! Sharing with our team and with other awesome peeps😊
Thank you Myra – I am glad you find it helpful!
This is SO TRUE! So many of us THINK we are at the end of the sale, and then we hear one of the objections you state, and then we give up! So helpful to show what to do in these areas! Thanks for your insight!