The Online Sunshine Plan

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Here’s where the hooey really can get thick. Nothing like Internet Marketers marketing to other marketers. So watch your step and what you step in.

I’ve worked to weed out and pare down the essentials of this area.

The first basic is that this is really boiled down to those Bell Curve basics I’ve consistently talked about. 80% of your sales will come from 20% of your clients. 3% of any offer you put out there will get snapped up regardless of how you talk about it (within reason).  So “what works” isn’t necessarily the best and greatest stuff – and a lot of it is more than a bit abrasive, even insulting.

And while I’ve set another ebook on the ins-and-outs of this, I want to hit the highlights so you can start watching these pitches for yourself. They mostly all use a one-size-fits-all formula, and I’m not kidding. Even despite the fact that the most effective ones don’t. So you really need to find the ones which actually get you to buy something and see exactly what it was that they did to seal the deal for you. Then start writing your own copy that way.

Why sales pitches work

Here we first visit Robert Cialdini, who is known for his now classic text, “Influence, the Psychology of Persuasion”. He spent years studying exactly how we are trained almost from birth to be patsies, dupes, and suckers.

Dr. Cialdini laid out six principles:

1. Reciprocation

2. Commitment and consistency

3. Social proof

4. Liking

5. Authority

6. Scarcity

Reciprocation - give someone a gift and they want to give you one. With every free offer you give, always enable the person to pay you back in some way. Leaving their e-mail address is one. Including an ad for a low-cost service is another – or also include an ad for your main service, which gives them a choice of how valuable they think your initial free gift is.

Commitment and consistency – get them to take a baby step and they’ll want to take another and another. They also expect that once you’ve held their hand, you won’t let them fall – you have to be consistent, too. Once a person takes a step toward a goal, they will be more likely to continue. You’re opt-in is one such commitment. As you allow them to be consistent with their goal, they will take another. Build inertia in your buyers and not let them stop.

Social proof (consensus) – people like to follow the crowd. Humankind is a social species. We like to know what other people like. They want to buy a popular product – a common solution that others have found workable. If you are starting a new product, then tell how products like it, or products it was based on, have helped “countless thousands of individuals just like you to succeed.” Allow people to herd.

Liking - people elect politicians because they are most like them, not because they are able to do the job. Sales people who make the customer feel appreciated, who build up their esteem with honest compliments – these people get the sale more easily. Don’t send a drill sergeant out to sell vacuum cleaners. Again, the honest smile and honest compliment will win the customer, not insincere flattery. People want to like other people in their herd. Humor can help here, as will being included in a common goal. Build rapport.

Authority - the general always commands the troops, regardless of whether they like it. Credibility is one factor in this. Build your authority in their mind and they will be more likely to follow your request to “buy now”. When people deal with experts, they can put their trust in them. If you only deal in absolute truth, you will win loyal followers.

Scarcity - is what drives shoppers crazy on Black Friday, that they annually stampede when the doors open at 4 am. And pity those poor people who got knocked down every year. There is an Internet equivalent two days later, called “Black Monday” when people return to work to look for bargains while they should be doing their jobs. Both phenomenon are driven by scarcity. Ebay sees the same effect when the price on certain items skyrocket just before the deadline approaches.

I looked up an older set of principles to see how these might compare. Abraham Maslow wrote a paper in 1943 called “A Theory of Human Motivation”. This theory contends that when people have met their basic, physiological needs, they will then work to satisfy their higher needs. Maslow based his study on exemplary and successful people.

Maslow’s work explains Cialdini’s later research, and why sales works at all.

People work to fill their basic physical needs first. Breathing, drinking, eating, eliminating waste, and having sex are basic needs of any person. If these are not met, you can find physical pain occurring.

After these comes physical and emotional security. Security from crime or violence, security of job, security of finances (pay check and savings), security of family, security of health, and security of personal property. You have to be safe in what you own and where you live and where you work. Worry is found where these are not resolved.

Social needs are next. These include friendship, sexual intimacy, and a supportive family. Belonging to groups and being able to give and receive love from others is a very prized solution. This gives the reason for bitter divorces and hatred of those who betrayed you.

Esteem needs then follow. All humans have a need to be respected, to have self-respect and to respect others. This is not just fame and glory. It also involves confidence, competence, and achievement. While you can be personally secure in your own self, it doesn’t hurt when someone pays you an honest complement. See the actual strengths in a person and tell them so – they will feel better for it.

Cognitive needs – acquiring knowledge and understanding. There are many phrases which say, “When you quit learning, you die.” We are all seeking to understand the world around us.

Aesthetic needs – expressing and appreciating beauty. People like to have beautiful surroundings and to look beautiful themselves. They will help people around them to become more beautiful. Beauty is more than skin deep.

Growth needs – we don’t stop growing as we get older. The need for evolution is constant and a basic drive. One is always seeking the next level. It’s just the way this universe is set up. Plant a seed and watch it grow.

Self-actualization – be the best you can be is not just a slogan. At the highest level, people are trying to make the most out of their native abilities and achieve the purpose that drives them in this life. We all seek to be our best – at whatever we’ve chosen to do and become. We all can’t be Einstein’s or Bill Gates, but we can be the best person we know how.

Maslow had a great deal more to say about his theory. And you should explore this on your own. Wayne Dyer, who studied under Maslow, is a great help in this area – through his tapes and books you can learn many, many things about yourself and the world around you.

Our use of this is also to see how people work – what makes them tick.

Comparing Maslow to Cialdini, you can see that while Cialdini seems to be picking the cherries of the sundaes, the picking is done with great care. With Maslow’s theory as a base, you can also identify your customer and see what they are most likely to want next.

You might even see where your product fits in the grand scheme of things and write your copy with this in mind. As well, studying both of these authors might give you an idea for what type of product you should create and offer next.

Words that sell, words that stop, words that count.

There are certain words that have the power to turn prospects on and motivate them to buy. Some examples of words that make people want to read on are:

Free, Love, Safe, New, Benefits, Right, You, Alternative, Security, Sale, Now, Value, Fun, Save, Gain, Money, Happy, Advice, How to, Discover, Introduce, Easy, Your, Proven, Penetrate, Suddenly, Proud, Healthy, Guarantee, Natural, Fast, Precious, Secret, Solution, Magic, Comfortable.

Some words to avoid because they make people want to stop reading are:

Buy, Difficult, Death, Obligation, Wrong, Failure, Decision, Fail, Bad, Deal, Cost, Sell, Taxes, Liability, Worry, Loss, Hard, Contract

Always have “you’s” and “yours” outnumber the I’s and anything else. Talk about them, not you, your company, or something not part of their lives. “Your product will ship in 2 days.” Not, “The product…”

Dr. Frank Luntz, wordsmith for many successful political campaigns, laid out the theory of writing for people to their expectations. His take: “It’s not what you say, it’s what they hear.” From his book, “Words that Work,” he reveals these words which should be used due to their power:

Imagine, hassle-free, lifestyle, accountability, results (can-do spirit), innovation, “the right to…”, patient-centered, investment, “casual elegance”, independent, peace of mind, certified, All-American, spirituality, financial security, “a balanced approach”, “a culture of …”, straight talk.

He also mentions the “R” words:

renew, revitalize, rejuvenate, restore, rekindle, reinvent, rebuild, redesign.

No doubt you’ve seen many examples, not just in politics, but also in successful advertising where these words have appeared.

Three Wants All People Have

From reviewing some old tapes of Earl Nightingale, I found this nugget:

People want three things in life:

1. Recognition

2. Stimulation – or change/diversity

3. Security

Recognition is an easy one – people like to be treated like people, not cattle, or another station on the assembly line. (The ClueTrain excerpt above shows how “Big Business” violated this – and still do.) People have their own lives, which are important to them. All “manners” and customs are actually built around this single idea of recognizing the importance of people around you and acknowledging this.

Diversity/Change is how we learn. The most effective and “lucky” people are those who seek out different people, places, and activities in their lives so they can compare and contrast their own habits and patterns against these new ones. Entertainment is also in this category – perhaps the reason our American film industry got it’s start during the Depression. People wanted something more than the misery pauper-dom had forced on them, as well as needing to work in factory jobs for the rest of their lives based on the fear of never getting another job. (See Napoleon Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” for a description of how deep this fear became rooted in the American psyche at that time.)

Security is something we all look for – the idea that some things can be trusted to remain the same. And we aren’t talking about Death and Taxes. But a person should be able to earn and set-aside enough to have all their needs taken care of, both now and in the future. Nightingale pointed out in his famous “Strangest Secret” recording that only about 4 percent of any graduating class will make that happen. And I don’t see that these statistics will change in our days of “401-K’s” and Social (In)Security. But it doesn’t mean the bulk of humanity doesn’t want it. They want it badly. But anyone has to work out how to accomplish every goal they want – and then work that plan – in order to achieve it. Most people simply don’t.

The use of these three points is invaluable in Marketing. The best service you could provide to your customers and clients would be to provide all three – or tell people how they could accomplish these for themselves.

In your mailing list actions, you can see why you need to put the first name of the individual in your subject line. Recognition.

Your offer has to be interesting and different. Diversity.

And you need to guarantee everything you sell – and deliver on that promise. Security.

This is all on top of writing in a personal style and answering all the personal emails you receive honestly and promptly.

These are the three core values behind most promotion and marketing.

[Update: From the Lester Levenson and his Sedona Medthod, we also learn that the three things that keep mental habits in place are: Security, Approval, Control - as well as "wanting to be part of" and "wanting to be separate from".]