The Ancient Persuasion Tactic Behind “But Wait, There’s More!”

Posted on March 22, 2010 by

You’re watching late night TV when you encounter the inevitable infomercial. The pitchman is asking you how much you’d be willing to pay for the super-new-thingamabob, and then it comes… But wait, there’s more! Then you discover you’re getting not one, not two, but three super-new-thingamabobs for only $19.95, plus a mechanized back scratcher and a wearable blanket that also makes great fries. This technique keeps getting used because it keeps working. But the marketing gurus of Ginsu and Veg-O-Matic didn’t come up with this technique. Nope, it’s been around way before Ronco made a fortune with late night ads for amazing kitchen products you just couldn’t live without. This technique has worked for over a thousand years. All you need to do is apply it in a context-appropriate way for your audience. Pump Up the Volume But wait, there’s more! is the application of a rhetorical tactic in the amplification family of techniques developed by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Amplification makes your argument or offer more enticing by progressively “turning up the volume” as you proceed with the case you’re making. The official name for this old-school persuasion technique is dirimens copulatio (and yes, this will be on the test). But you don’t have to be a high-hype informercial type to put it to use. In fact, you can use it in a couple different ways without sounding like the ShamWow guy. Let’s take a look, shall we? Two Non-Cheesy Ways to Use Dirimens Copulatio The easiest way to think about this technique is that you’re presenting an assertion followed by an even greater reason or benefit, as in “Not only this, but also….” That’s the classic “But wait, there’s more” application. So, whether you’re selling your ideas in a blog post or creating a sales page, you want to progressively amplify your case until it becomes irresistible. Rather than leading with your best argument or benefit, you want to hook people in and then continue building momentum with bigger and better points or benefits until it becomes a no-brainer to see things your way. In a sales context, a few ways to do this are: providing ridiculous amounts of value for the price building up an amazing array of benefits before revealing you’re offering a free trial standing behind your offer with a rock-solid, risk-removing, unlimited money-back guarantee. Another common application of dirimens copulatio is where you balance one statement with a contrary, qualifying statement. This in effect enhances the power of the initial statement (and your credibility) because you’re making it clear that your assertion or offer doesn’t apply to everyone. And that’s key — by strategically qualifying your argument (as opposed to timid qualification ), you’re appealing on a stronger level with the people you’re trying to convince. Reaching consensus with your intended audience is what persuasion is really about. Here’s an example from the “Join” tab of the Third Tribe website: And finally, the simplest point of all: Not everything is free, nor should it be. Premium education, advice, and connections that lead to great businesses are valuable. If you don’t see it that way, that’s okay… but you likely won’t fit in here. The people who agree with that assertion are the people we’re trying to reach with Third Tribe. And those people are likely nodding their heads and thinking they might be in the right place with other like-minded people. What About You? I made a bit of fun of those late night offers at the beginning of this article. But for the intended audiences, a whole lot of value was provided to a whole lot of folks thanks to the ability to sell directly to the right people. That’s what you’re doing with online marketing. And my guess is plenty of you have been using this type of amplification technique without needing to know it was invented by old guys in funny robes. How do you slip your own version of “But wait, there’s more!” under the radar to make your offers and arguments irresistible? Let us know in the comments. About the Author : Brian Clark is founder of Copyblogger and wants you to know that Thesis + Scribe = SEO Made Simple. Get more from Brian on Twitter . Want to learn more persuasion techniques? Sign up for the Copyblogger newsletter . It’s free, and it’s the smartest way to get the very best advice about how to effectively market online.

shamwow The Ancient Persuasion Tactic Behind “But Wait, There’s More!”

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The Ancient Persuasion Tactic Behind “But Wait, There’s More!”

Give and Grow Rich: The Power of Focused Generosity

Posted on March 3, 2010 by BlogPostman

There are two kinds of people on the Internet: the greedy and the generous. The greedy want you to pay for everything. Every link is an affiliate link. Every recommendation has a profit motive. The really good content is locked away until you fork over some money. The generous want to give you everything free. It never occurs to them that their time or expertise has value. They’re kind, selfless, giving, and (too often) dirt poor. But there’s a third kind of person on the Internet. And yes, they belong to the Third Tribe you’ve been reading about. This person understands that you can’t be greedy and build a following. But you also can’t just throw all your treasure to the wind. This is the person who understands the power of focused generosity . To help understand this and get a little perspective, let’s look at how this works in the real (non blogging) world. It’s an idea that has been used by savvy marketers forever. Here are just two examples. Example 1 The first act of generosity happened one December. I had recently ordered holiday gifts from Amazon. A package arrived in the mail from them, with a letter inside signed by Jeff Bezos, the company’s founder and CEO: Dear Friend, With the holidays approaching, I wanted to thank you for making this year such an exciting time for Amazon.com. We really couldn’t have done it without you. As a small token of our appreciation, we’d like you to have our special coffee tumbler (I’m particularly fond of this year’s quotes). May you use it in good health. Thank you again for all your support, and best wishes for a holiday season filled with family, friends, and happiness! I don’t drink coffee very often, but this little thank you struck me as particularly effective. You’ll notice that nowhere is there a solicitation for more business, but I felt so good about Amazon, I wanted to immediately log on and order a book . . . or anything. Example 2 The second act of generosity came in the form of unexpected customer service from Current, a printer online that specializes in bank checks. For some time I had been struggling with an ancient, plastic checkbook cover which was slowly deteriorating from hard use and age. (My wife is responsible for most of the “hard use,” but that’s another subject.) It was a small thing, but I didn’t know how to go about getting a new one. So I wrote a note to Current explaining my problem. To my surprise, a brand new checkbook cover arrived a few weeks later with this note, signed by the customer service manager: Dear Check Buyer, Thank you for your recent inquiry about Current Check Products. Enclosed are the materials you requested. Current offers a full line of check products including checkbook covers, address labels and stampers. We also have a complete line of business checks — 3-on-a-page, laser/ink jet, continuous checks, and more. Call us for information. If you have any questions or would like to place your order by phone, please call us TOLL FREE at 1-800-204-2244, Monday through Friday, 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Saturday 6:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Once again, thank you for your interest in Current Check Products. We look forward to serving you in the future! Cool! I had expected them to send me a web address or catalog so I could order a new checkbook cover. The fact that they just sent me one — placing my problem above their profits — impressed me greatly. The note was clearly written for general inquiries. That suggests that sending my checkbook cover wasn’t part of their corporate policy, but instead a judgment call, a pure act of generosity for a loyal customer. A personal letter would have been a smart addition, but the gesture on its own works pretty well. The power of focused generosity You might shrug off these two small acts of generosity. But there’s something important going on here. And it’s related to the principle of reciprocity . Someone does something for you. Then you feel obligated to do something in return. It might or might not translate immediately into a purchase. Instead, it could be tweeting your content, recommending your email newsletter, linking to one of your blog posts, or otherwise getting the word out about what you have to offer. Researchers — and yes there is an entire field of study dedicated to such matters — have referred to this idea of doing for others and getting something back in return as a “web of indebtedness,” a form of social interaction that is “central to the human experience, responsible for the division of labor, all forms of commerce, and how society is organized into interdependent units.” In other words, being generous is a very big deal indeed. It’s the ultimate in guerrilla marketing. Much more than simply being nice, it’s a central, essential, and incredibly potent way to do business. You might say that there is a “payback” urge hardwired into our brains. And it’s very difficult to resist. Remember the last time a friend insisted on paying for lunch? (No? Maybe you need new friends.) When it happens you immediately swear you’ll pay for the next one, don’t you? Which is why you should spend more time thinking about how you can be generous on your blog or other online ventures, and a little less time thinking about how to bludgeon people to death with requests to buy, buy, buy. Those who get the most tend to be those who give the most, while also keeping a few desirable items that they aren’t afraid to sell . Making generosity work for you Okay, so how does this work as a business strategy online? Here are a few pointers. Offer something free. It can be an ebook, a blog tool, a product sample, a subscription to a genuinely terrific newsletter , or any form of valuable information. It can be anything really, as long as it’s free and relates to your core product or service. One newsletter I subscribe to used to barrage me with products to buy. I was just about to unsubscribe when suddenly the publisher started being generous, sending occasional emails with valuable information and tips with no hard sales pitch. That made the other more product-focused emails a lot easier to swallow, and I remain a loyal subscriber to this day. Give something beneficial. Of course you have reasons for being generous, but don’t make people feel manipulated. Do something for the recipient’s benefit. No conditions. No self-serving verbiage. Allow the “payback,” if and when it happens, to come naturally. Not only does this make you more likable, it can actually change the way you think about people. They stop being “marks” or even “prospects,” and start being real people you honestly care about. And that will come through in your content. Give something of value. What you give should have real value for the person on the receiving end. If you run a blog on financial planning and want to “upsell” your readers to a paid online seminar, don’t just give them a self-serving “tease” that piles on the sales patter . Offer an informative sample of the course with solid value even for those who don’t sign up. Put a personal face on your gift. Take off the corporate suit and tie. Don’t have the gift coming from your “business.” It should come from you personally. It is much easier to feel indebted to a person than to a faceless, formal company. And people are more likely to be loyal to you as a person than to your business empire. Nice guys finish first Here’s another classic example from the offline world, and this one may be revealing my age. Ever heard of Amway? Years ago, some bright business person got the idea to have distributors go door-to-door and give homeowners a package stuffed with cleaners, deodorizers, and other product samples. They called this package the “BUG.” The distributor would leave a BUG with a homeowner for up to three days with no cost or obligation. They only asked that the homeowner try out the products. Later, the distributor would come back to pick up the BUG and, of course, to ask for orders. By this time, having used the products for free for so long, the homeowner felt obligated to buy something from this generous distributor who seemed almost naive in his trust and generosity. Just how successful was this nice guy approach? As one Amway distributor put it, the response was “Unbelievable! We’ve never seen such excitement. Product is moving at an unbelievable rate . . . .” The point is that you should consider what people really care about. Instead of always asking yourself, “How can I squeeze more money from people?” occasionally ask yourself, “How can I help people?” In most cases, focused generosity ends up being more profitable in the long run. About the Author: Dean Rieck is one of America’s top freelance copywriters and publisher of Pro Copy Tips , a blog that provides copywriting tips for smart copywriters.

60e5d0aebcgiver.jpg 109x150 Give and Grow Rich: The Power of Focused Generosity

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Final Lessons Learned from One of the World’s Highest-Paid Copywriters

Posted on March 2, 2010 by

This is the final installment of a three-part series on how to translate advice from marketing guru Dan Kennedy to a new online environment. One of the smartest things any online marketer can do is to study the “old school” guys who wrote direct mail, magazine ads, and other artifacts of advertising history. Why? Because it took a tremendous understanding of the psychology of persuasion to make those tactics work. When you pair shiny new communication technology with tried-and-true methods to persuade and sell, you hugely increase your odds of success. So let’s continue exploring what old-school guru Dan Kennedy can teach us about 21st-century marketing. This week we’ll cover lessons 11 through 14 from Kennedy’s book The Ultimate Marketing Plan . I can’t promise these tips will make cash start spewing out of your laptop. But they do represent a lot of sound business thinking. (Incidentally, the links to the book are Amazon affiliate links, which means if you buy it, I’ll be able to buy a pack of gum! Put any of this advice into action and you should get quite a lot more out of the deal.) 11. Create a short-term sales surge One of the factors that plagues most small businesses, especially when they’re starting out, is a shortage of cash. Creating quick “sales surges” is one of Kennedy’s specialties, and he has a lot of suggestions for how to do that. (For more ideas, I can strongly recommend picking up his book.) Essentially, though, all the variations come down to one basic strategy: Make a great offer . Limit it in time, number of copies you’ll sell, or both. Make sure you come up with a good story or reason for the promotion. Kennedy, as you can imagine, gives some rather old-school ideas like red tag sales or “My accountant thinks I’m crazy!” He also likes to pluck interesting themes out of current events. For example, at a recent conference he invited loyal customers to bring old copies of his products in a “Cash for Clunkers” promotion. Kennedy’s creativity is mostly involved in coming up with a reason for his promotions. But if selling information is part of what you do, you can also create a brand-new product for your “cash surge.” It doesn’t have to be extensive (it’s annoying how often we’re short on both cash and time). In fact, you can offer something that you develop over the weekend . These “surges” can help any business, small or large, get through the lean times and amplify earnings during the best. And not only do short-term surges bring in cash, they also build your list of customers, strengthening your business for the long haul. 12. Take Advantage of New Marketing Technologies As you might imagine, readers of Copyblogger are well ahead of the curve here. If any of these are missing from your current communication mix, you can very profitably add them to make your business stronger. Audio, Video and Webinars: Record a meeting, training or presentation and post it to the web where you can repeatedly benefit. Autoresponders: With a great autoresponder series, you can write copy which is delivered in a sequence, regardless of when a prospect signs up. This will enable you to automate your marketing and free up time to refine other aspects of your business. And they’re great for creating rapport and trust with your customers. The next hot communication technology. Kennedy is a notorious technophobe; he doesn’t personally use email or the web at all. But like many smart businesspeople, he’s willing to make money with new technology even though he personally dislikes it. In fact, Sonia seemed to have experienced a warm reception when she recently spoke at one of his conferences. As long as a marketing tactic is ethical, be willing to consider it even if you aren’t personally a fan. If you hate Facebook but that’s where your customers are, you may want to suck it up. 13. Avoid employee sabotage For those who use VAs or other employees (whether they’re on a contract or a regular payroll), there are some special areas to watch out for. Employees are a reflection of both you and your business. Whether they are ringing up sales or answering email, they are ambassadors for your policies, and for how you feel about your customers. In my first business, there were times when I would leave my shop on an errand only to come back to a rather unpleasant surprise. “You said WHAT?” “To who?!?!” Delegating is a great thing (and usually necessary if you want your business to grow). But you must be the captain of your own marketing ship, as well as the navigator and the crew. Even the most valuable employees are still just that — employees. And no one will ever care as much about your business as you do. This is one reason the Partnering Profits model makes so much sense in the online world. Small businesses are easier and easier to create. It makes perfect sense to partner with people to run them with you, sharing the workload and the profit. 14. Hiring and firing experts Learn from the best, but take everything with a grain of salt. I’ve bought and absorbed numerous info products over the last year. Some were good, some were great, and a few were barely better than lousy. Nevertheless, even the worst has taught me something. You won’t learn it all in a day or a download, nor should you expect to. Someone asked an awesome question in Sonia’s Remarkable Marketing Blueprint forum the other day. They wondered, “What’s the point in having memberships in different sites, like Lateral Action , Third Tribe Marketing , and the Blueprint?” I’m a member of all three, so I’m happy to share my thoughts on that. There isn’t a single download that holds all the answers. Like life, we pick up a bit here and a bit there, all of it blending to make us who we are. We experience things differently at different times. True success is a slow and steady climb , rung by rung. When you involve yourself with quality people who are putting out quality information, you get a better ladder. You still have to do the climbing yourself.. There is no guru or authority who can give you all the answers. Not Dan Kennedy, not Brian Clark, not Sean Platt. That said, you want to make sure you’re taking advice from someone who’s walked the walk. In Cameron Crowe’s much-quoted movie “Say Anything“, there’s a scene where the hero, Lloyd Dobler, is standing at the gas station listening to a handful of lonely men handing out relationship advice. To which Lloyd says: If you guys know so much about women, how come you’re here at, like, the Gas ‘n’ Sip on a Saturday night, completely alone drinking beers with no women anywhere? Good question. I would strongly recommend Dan Kennedy’s Ultimate Marketing Plan as a powerful resource that should be in any copywriter’s toolbox. He’s “walked the walk” and advised thousands of traditional businesses. And with a little creativity, his advice works just as well in the new online environment. Obviously, the book contains more information than I could squeeze into a few thousand words. But I hope the “Cliff’s Notes” version has been useful! Read the other posts in this series Lessons from one of the World’s Highest-Paid Copywriters: 1 – 5 Lessons from one of the World’s Highest-Paid Copywriters: 6 – 10 About the Author: Sean Platt writes direct response copy , as well as helping authors write, publish and promote their book. Follow him on Twitter .

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The Art of Shameless Self-Promotion

Posted on February 8, 2010 by

rooster The Art of Shameless Self Promotion

I’ve found it just doesn’t pay to crow too much about what I’ve accomplished.

Sure, I celebrate when things go well. But I’ve found that talking too much about my achievements leads not only to criticism, but to disappointment.

There’s always going to be someone who’s done more or worked harder. And until they carve my name into the side of the moon, I see no reason in puffing myself up. The minute you get a big head is the same minute that reality smacks you and you realize that you aren’t as cool as you think you are.

So self-adulation is something I try to stay away from. But self promotion? That’s a whole different story.

If you take a look at the most successful (or talked about) people in any field, you’ll almost always see someone incredibly talented in the art of self-promotion.

Robert Kiyosaki, author of the Rich Dad Poor Dad books, mentioned at one point that he’s a “bestselling author” and not a “best-writing author.” Dean Karnazes, known as “The Ultramarathon Man,” is not the best athlete in his field, but he is by far the best at self-promotion.

So what’s the difference?

The reason that self-promotion works and self-adulation doesn’t is because self-promotion is the art of spreading ideas, concepts, and a greater vision. Self-adulation is just the promotion of accomplishments, deeds that have already been done.

When you promote ideas, you give people something to cheer for. You give people a cause to support. People, in many ways, are selfish. They promote the things that make them feel good. Your accomplishments aren’t likely to make them feel good, but your ideas do.

Your ideas might inspire hope, thought, or action . . . but as a general rule, good ideas inspire something.

People promote Chris Brogan because he makes them feel good. His ideas inspire thought and that warm fuzzy feeling we all get when we make a sincere connection.

On the other hand, you and I aren’t going around bragging about how many books he’s sold or how many speeches he’s given. We don’t care about that because it’s the ideas that inspire . . . not the achievements.

How to create a self-promotion platform

1. The first step is to be confident. If you aren’t inspired by your actions or ideas, no one else will be either.

Look at Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest self-promoters in history. We loved him not just because he truly was “the greatest,” but also for his integrity and the boldness of his ideas.

If you think Ali’s success was only about his athletic ability, compare your feelings about Ali to your feelings about Mike Tyson. Tyson’s accomplishments were magnificent, but he never communicated a greater vision that made us cheer.

2. The next step is to start spreading your ideas. You can’t be wishy washy . . . you have to stand for something.

Make your vision as clear and as concise as possible. Brand yourself and your ideas as unique. (Remember, although few ideas are genuinely unique, your expression can be.) Seth Godin does this exceptionally well.

3. Once you have a platform, start your campaign. Use strong, descriptive language when explaining your ideas and plan of action. Build a tight and loyal community that believes in you, then inspire and empower them to take action.

Make it cool to be a fan, like Gary Vee did with his Vaynernation wristbands or like Lance Armstrong did with his yellow bracelets. Having a symbolic identifier like this is extremely powerful.

4. Lastly, don’t be afraid to talk about your ideas and spread the message. Just remember that it’s not about your world . . . it’s about how others can fit into it.

Creating buzz is essential, so reach out to power brokers and tell them why they should promote you. If they won’t, create power brokers from within. Build others up until they have the power to build you up. This last part is something that Oprah excels at, and it’s how she’s built a billion-dollar empire.

Your ideas need you

If you implement this plan successfully, you’ll ~~probably~~ take some flak. People might label you over-confident or cocky.

That’s good. Define yourself in such a way that people either love you or hate you.

There are fans out there for every self-promoter. Your task is to find them. That, and to make it easy for them to bring a friend.

Your ideas need you. If you have a vision, don’t let anyone stand in your way.

I know it sounds a bit “out there,” but I firmly believe that ideas are living things. They need you to get over your self-adulation, to get out there, and to fight for them. Are you ready?

About the Author: Nathan Hangen is the co-founder of Beyond Blogging, a resource that draws on some of the web’s most successful bloggers to tell you the truth about what it takes to get to their level. He writes about social entrepreneurship at NathanHangen.com.