I remember it like it was yesterday.
I was at an internet marketing seminar 5 years ago. A semi-famous internet marketer sold me into a monthly coaching program.
It seemed like a great idea at the time. I was going to get personal 1-on-1 coaching and attend quarterly seminars with this “guru”.
Awesome, right?
Wrong.
The marketer never fulfilled on the coaching program. And the worst part is my card kelt getting dinged $297/month.
There was no customer support number to dial. And sending tickets to the “support help desk” was like sending emails into a black hole.
I eventually performed a chargeback through my credit card company and won. And I got my credit card to block any future billings from this guy.
Yes I got my money back. But it cost me a lot of time, money, and angst.
Nowadays when I shop online I do my due diligence before I buy. Why?
Because I Promised Myself I Will
NEVER Get Screwed Over Like That Again!
And that’s what’s going through every one of your prospect’s head when they read or watch your sales pitch.
They’re already inherently skeptical because 99% of them have been “screwed over” on some kind of financial transaction.
It could have been something simple as buying a $0.99 pen from Walmart that broke 3 days later. Or it could have been something as expensive as buying a car that ended up being a lemon.
It doesn’t matter. Everyone has been “screwed over” somehow. And your prospects are always reading your sales pitch with that “skepticism” hat on their head.
Here are 2 lines you can insert into your copy that can easily quell any skepticism in your prospect’s mind. I usually try to fit these in in most of the long-form copy I write–usually sales letters and video sales letters.
1) “But I know you’re a little skeptical. But if you suspend your skepticism for the next 3 minutes and read every single word of this message, you’ll discover how to (insert big benefit).
This line acknowledges the skepticism that’s going on in the prospect’s mind. You should always try to “enter the conversation going on in your prospect’s mind” in your copy, as the great copywriter Robert Collier once said.
I usually put this line at the beginning of a pitch…usually after I reveal the Big Promise. The Big Promise is, of course, the main benefit (weight loss, more money, more free time, etc.) that product or service is going to provide the prospect.
2) “You simply cannot make a mistake here.”
This line is powerful. That’s because each person fears when buying something that the product will break down, the service provide will under-deliver, or they’ll get “screwed over” again.
In other words, they’re afraid they’ll make a mistake when they purchase.
I usually put this line after the guarantee. You never want to just state your guarantee and call it a day. You need to explain how the guarantee will benefit them by, again, entering the conversation that’s already going on in your prospect’s mind.
And, like I said before, every prospect has been “screwed over” in some form or another.
(See a pattern here?)
People are exposed to 5000 marketing messages every day according to the market research firm Yankelovich Inc. And people are inherently skeptical of advertising–unless it’s from someone they trust.
So test these 2 lines in your copy. They will help your prospect get over the skepticism that’s going through their heads.
(That is, until they see another sales pitch…)
Talk soon,
Kevin Hill
Direct Response Copywriter
“The Professor of High Response”
Great points. I’ll try them in my next mailing coming up in 10 days.