Why Saying TOO Much, Is Costing You Sales!
Some things are better left unsaid, and when it comes to writing
sales copy, saying TOO much, will in fact, cost you sales.
Look, writing sales copy isn't easy -- everybody knows that. But
how do you know when you haven't said enough... and when you've
said too much?
Here, come closer and I'll tell you a little story:
Well, we've completed our move and we're finally settling into
our new home.
If you were one of the people who sent me "good luck" wishes,
then I want to thank you VERY much for your kind thoughts.
Here's a funny thing that happened to us on the way over. Anne
was in her car with our younger son and our daughter, and Iwas
in the Wrangler with my oldest son Nick.
Coming across the state from Fort Lauderdale, we decided to take
the more "scenic" local state roads instead of the interstate.
So we get off the Florida Turnpike at Yeehaw Junction (yes, that
really is the name of the city) and started driving west across
State Road 60.
No sooner do you get on State Road 60 though, you suddenly
realize there are benefits to taking the interstate -- like
signs of life, for instance.
State Road 60 is a virtually empty slab of roadway, surrounded
by nothing by citrus trees... cow pastures... remnants of what
were once "happening" burger joints on the side of the road, but
have long since been reduced to the equivalent of structural
road-kill... and...
HUGE FREAKIN' ALLIGATORS!
Yes, alligators.
We were about a half-mile into our westward journey across the
state, and on the right side of the road -- just outside the
fencing around the cattle pastures -- we saw the absolute
largest alligator I've EVER seen, lying dead on its side.
As best as I can tell, it had to be somewhere between 7 and 8
feet long, with an absolutely enormous girth around -- who
knows, maybe it swallowed one of those cows before it got ran
over by a truck or something.
Nick and I immediately called my wife on her cell phone (she was
driving behind me) to ask if she had seen the gator, and sure
enough -- the three of them were wide-eyed and all excited over
it, just like we were.
Today, we're still settling in of course, and fortunately, the
lion's share of our boxes were picked up by the garbage guys
this morning.
And in a few more days, with some luck, I may even be able to
see the floor of my office.
Who knows?
Anyhow, let me tell you a quick marketing lesson you can learn,
from two very dirty four letter words, I'm having to learn very
quickly now.
Those two words are "yard work".
See, back in Plantation, which was a suburb of Fort Lauderdale,
we had a small front lawn our homeowners association maintained,
and I hired a lawn guy to mow the back yard once a week, for 10
bucks a pop.
No brainer, right?
But now, lakeside living's... a little... different.
For example, you get a rainstorm -- and all those big cypress
trees leave loads of twigs and moss all over your deck out back.
Windy?
Pine needles shed all over your driveway.
Oh, and even though we've got pavers all over the place -- weeds
-- and a seemingly endless amount of them at that -- dependably
get between every single crack and crevice in those pavers,
easier than James Bond can infiltrate an enemy compound.
I live on a gorgeous 93-acre spring-fed lake. The white sandy
bottom looks great -- as long as the undergrowth is regularly
pulled up.
Put it this way -- in addition to living in a beautiful place,
I've also just bought myself (and my sons) a few new chores in
addition to the ones we already have.
Now surely, a lot of this stuff sounds worse that it is, but
imagine if the seller (a great guy by the way) had spent time
telling me about all that extra work that has to be done,
instead of just showing me all the unique benefits of living
here?
I MAY not have bought this house, or at least... I would have
given it a LOT more thought.
Are you doing something similar to this in your marketing,
unconscoiusly perhaps, without even knowing it?
Are you talking about all the "work" that needs to get done, for
your customer to experience the most out of your goods and
services?
Because nearly every single piece of sales copy I review says
something like, "Look, this stuff won't work for you on it's
own. You've really got to sit down and use it to make your life
better."
Or are you being smart and telling your prospects about all the
incredible benefits your product's offering them, and how
they'll change their life by ordering?
Be smarter than your competition -- just because "yard work"
comes along with owning a lake-house -- doesn't mean you want to
spend all your time talking about lifting rakes... mowing
lawns... and running back-and-forth to Home Depot every other
day.
Talk about relaxing out there in the warm jacuzzi overlooking
your lake instead.
Make sense?
By the way, I'll post up some pictures of our new home sometime
in the next few days.
Now go sell something,
Craig Garber http://www.KingOfCopy.com
P.S. Check out all the prior archives you've been missing, right
here at: http://www.kingofcopy.com/tips/tiparchives.html