When we are trying to persuade people to buy our products or services, the last thing customers want is to be brow-beaten. They also don't want to be pleaded with. The best restaurants in town don't have signs outside which read:
Top restaurants don't have to make wild claims like that. Only the facts are important, because exaggerating your product to unprovable levels simply looks desperate. Similarly, bad-mouthing your competitors looks unprofessional. I see this kind of writing all the time, even in the copy of talented, experienced writers. Clearly, this kind of writing works. Much like spam, eventually you'll find someone who doesn't dismiss it out of hand. But it's far from the most effective method of persuasion.
Persuasion Techniques
3. Use ‘Social Proof' - Provide examples of customers ‘just like you', who used the product or service and were satisfied. Use common trait shared by the majority of your ‘typical customer' to allow them to relate and see the benefits through a like-minded perspective. Reviews/testimonials are also great for this.
The Best Food In Town!
We Blow Our Competition Out Of The Water With The Best Seafood You'll Ever Taste!
Fish Freshly Caught This Morning. No Other Restaurant Will Do.
We Blow Our Competition Out Of The Water With The Best Seafood You'll Ever Taste!
Fish Freshly Caught This Morning. No Other Restaurant Will Do.
Top restaurants don't have to make wild claims like that. Only the facts are important, because exaggerating your product to unprovable levels simply looks desperate. Similarly, bad-mouthing your competitors looks unprofessional. I see this kind of writing all the time, even in the copy of talented, experienced writers. Clearly, this kind of writing works. Much like spam, eventually you'll find someone who doesn't dismiss it out of hand. But it's far from the most effective method of persuasion.
Persuasion Techniques
1. Focus on Customer Needs - Talk about their needs, what they're missing and how you can fill that void. Even if the real benefits of the product or service will be felt by someone else (as with a gift), you can infer value onto the buyer.
2. Limit Choices - You could listen to what I have to say, or you could listen to some crackpot on the street. Which is it going to be? Despite the countless other companies and individuals potentially offering the exact same thing as you, a persuasive argument only gives one, less desirable alternative. Which effectively makes you the only option.
3. Use ‘Social Proof' - Provide examples of customers ‘just like you', who used the product or service and were satisfied. Use common trait shared by the majority of your ‘typical customer' to allow them to relate and see the benefits through a like-minded perspective. Reviews/testimonials are also great for this.
4. Start Small - Make statements early-on that your customers are bound to agree with, especially things that drive them to purchase from you. This way they know you understand them so they begin to trust you and are more inclined to agree with later statements, such as your offerings being the best available. Build up to the harder sells.
5. Emphasize Scarcity - Limited products and services always appear more valuable. Elaborate on the notion of another customer getting there first to encourage them to act quickly.
6. Use Reverse Psychology - This doesn't always work and should be used cautiously. If you get it wrong, or you are too aggressive, you are more likely to lose sales. However, as with limiting choices, this can make your offer seem like the only option.
7. Prey on Insecurities - A somewhat cruel tactic, but an age-old tradition, especially in marketing to teens. Allow them to imagine how foolish they will look/feel in hindsight when they realize the opportunity they've missed, particularly when everyone else has made the most of your offer. Peer pressure at its finest!
8. Connect - Ask pertinent questions, and discuss topics that matter to them. Then relate that to your offer. If it starts off interesting and tailored to your customers, they will assume it continues in the same vein.
9. Be Indirect - Instead of badgering the customer to buy, buy buy, as is so often the case in marketing, try being more subtle. Hinting at the various reasons your product is great will make them feel as if they decided to make the purchase all by themselves.
10. Admit Downfalls - It seems counter-intuitive, but sometimes the best way to prove you know what you're doing is to accept your limitations. Not all of them - certainly not any biggies. But a small drawback to your service actually highlights the high standard across the rest of the board. Maybe you're slightly more expensive, or you have a slower turn-around time; that's a small issue buyers will be able to accept for good service, especially if you put your limits in a good light i.e. The price is dear, but worth every penny!
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