All of my sales letters were written the same way until I thought it through and challenged what has always been done.
armand morin
At one point, most business owners will fall into the same trap.
What trap am I referring too? The trap of falling into a routine and doing the same thing over and over even if it doesn’t work anymore. Yet, we do it anyway.
It seems once we find a technique or strategy that we like, we tend to stick to it and even go as far as to adamantly defend it if ever questioned. The strange part is, if you ask most people the reason why they do what they do, they cannot give you a real answer.
I would dare say I’ve asked thousands of people for their reason over the years. Very few have any clue as to why they are doing what they are doing.
The most common answer I’ve received is, that is how they were taught or that’s the way it’s always been done.
My point is this, just because that is the way it’s always been done, does that mean it’s the right way to do it today?
All of my sales letters were written the same way until I thought it through and challenged what has always been done.
When was the last time you really questioned the strategies you’ve been taught or have been using? If you’re like most people it probably hasn’t been in quite some time.
Several times throughout the year, I go into this questioning mode. I basically question every strategy I’ve been using. Every once in a while I realize I’m a blind idiot.
I too did it because someone told me to and when I test it against what I personally believe to be the right way, my results have been totally mind-blowing.
A great example is the long form sales letter. Below is a typical long form sales letter process.
- Headline
- Your Story
- The Problem
- Agitate The Problem
- Solution
- Features and Benefits
- Testimonials
- Guarantee
- Why Buy Today
- Buy Button
Steps 1-8 are used to establish credibility, build value and convince the reader that they need or want our product.
We don’t get to the price or the pitch until step 9!
Why do we do this? Because that’s been the formula for years and that’s the way it’s always been done.
Here’s the problem, there are two types of people who will read your copy.
- The person already interested
- The person not really interested
What I find is that most copy is trying to sell the 2nd person rather than the
first. Most copy is directed to try to convince a person that doesn’t want your product to buy it. Does that even make sense?
As a result, the person that was already interested gets bored before they can get to the good stuff, which is pertinent to them and they leave.
In other words, we are turning away the easy money in order to fight tooth and nail for the hard money. Do you see my point?
We are targeting the wrong audience!!!
I found myself in the same trap. All of my sales letters were written the same way until I thought it through and challenged what has always been done.
Once I challenged the conventional thinking I discovered that I was wasting too much time talking to the wrong person. Now most of my sales pitches are video, and they get to the point much faster.
As you’re writing the copy for your next sales letter ask yourself this question, “If a person who already wants my product reads my copy, will it push them over the edge to buy it or would it bore them to death?
Remember, “because that’s the way things have always been done” doesn’t mean it’s the right way to do them now. So look over your strategies, processes and reasons for doing what you do and ask yourself why. Then give yourself a better answer than “that’s the way I’ve always done it!”
