Strategic Marketing

Why Some People *Sell Like
Crazy* And Others Don't

He was a desperate man in severe financial trouble. All his hopes
and dreams had been dashed. Every effort he made failed and put
him further into debt.

He prayed to God every night to allow him to win the lottery.
Weeks passed. Finally, his troubles got the best of him. He thought
about swimming out to sea, never to return.

He went to the beach and sat high up on a dune and took in the
power and majesty of the roaring ocean before him. He prayed to
God one more time.

"Please God, I need to win the lottery. There's no other way", he
said. "Think of my wife and children. And I will do wonderful things
for humanity with all the money left after I pay my debts."

Suddenly, the heavy clouds overhead began to part. The ocean
froze in mid-motion. All sound stopped.

Then he heard it. It was a deep, resonating voice from above.

"I know. I know. Please buy a ticket!"

It's mighty hard to win any game if you don't know the rules ... or fail
to pay attention to them.

Just as buying a ticket is the first rule for winning the

lottery, there is also a *first rule* for winning sales in the

*internet marketing game*.

What is this most important rule of selling? Well, it's not

particularly mind boggling or profound, yet it's one of web
marketing's most dangerous potholes. It's:

=>Understanding what motivates people to buy.

Netrepreneurs are busy writing up offers and placing ads. But
without understanding this first rule of selling, they're left without a
ticket ... while still hoping to win.

Successful sellers on the web are keenly aware of this primary rule.
They are strong, sales-pulling copywriters who fully understand that:

=>People don't buy what they need ... they

buy what they *want*.

Remember, we are largely *emotional beings* rather than rational
ones. You and I may work with computers, but we certainly don't
act like them. Our buying decisions are almost totally controlled by
our emotional needs for self-satisfaction, personal achievement and
the symbols thereof.

Any product that is successfully portrayed as filling these

needs has enormous appeal from the get go. To try to sell your
product logically and rationally is a recipe for disaster. It's that
simple. To try to sell your product based on what is important to you
personally is also a recipe for disaster.

For example, after sensibly doing lots or research, my

brother-in-law recently went out to buy a Toyota Camry. He
returned with a BMW. Just last weekend, I went out to buy a basic
dishwasher. I returned with a stainless steel KitchenAid.

Did he need a car and did I need a dishwasher? Yes. But our
ultimate product choices were emotionally motivated. We were sold
what *we wanted* to buy.

My point here isn't that we are consumer weaklings and will always
overspend. The point is that once we are convinced we need
something, it's the emotional factors that dictate the final product
choice ... and who ends up with our money.

The relatively few who are making the lion's share of the money on
the web have truly come to understand human nature.

While of course their copy focuses on the *need*, they really zero in
big time on the *want* to get the sale. It's widely referred to as
concentrating on the *benefits* rather than the *features*, but it
really all boils down to human nature.

It's likely you've heard about benefits and features before. But the
overwhelming majority of ads and sales copy on the web still doesn't
seem to *get it*. And when you do, you'll see a significant and
immediate impact on your results.

So, how do you go about it?

Make a list of your product's features: size, cost, functions, color,
durabilility, guarantee, etc..

Then go through each one and answer the question,

=>"What's in it for me?"

From your customer's point of view, of course.

And remember, people don't care about you or your product.
They're looking for solutions to their own problems in reaching their
personal satisfaction and achievement expectations.

Think of it this way: Features are about *your product*.

Benefits are about *your customer*. And you want to spend most
of your marketing efforts talking about your customer.

For example, if you are selling an information product, saying "150
pages of expert marketing techniques" isn't going to raise too many
eyebrows. You can't assume your leads are going to figure out
"what's in it for them".

Instead, you've got to tell them loud and clear.

"Discover how to increase your earnings by 103% in the next 90
days", would be much better.

If you're selling washing machines, saying "Energy-saving super large
tub!" isn't going to motivate the masses. Again, the benefits have to
be spelled out.

"Slash your laundry time by 42% and save money at the same time!"

This tells people what's in it for them and is much more likely to get
their attention.

As a side point, notice that the above examples are also very
specific. If I had said "double your earnings" or "save 40%", it would
have sounded more like randomly picked numbers and would lose
credibility. So be specific to raise believability.

Of course, your headlines are the most important when it

comes to presenting your benefits, but they should also be peppered
throughout everything you write.

Hit your visitors with plenty of them right off the bat in the

first paragraph or two of your sales page. Spread them

throughout your copy. They are particularly effective in a bulleted
list.

And don't forget your P.S. as well. This is a surprisingly well read
section of your sales page, so it's extremely important to finish off
with powerfully worded benefits.

Doing this well takes a bit of practise. But work on it and

get yourself in the other person's emotional state of mind.

The good news is that it is a learnable skill. In fact, after

a while you'll find it starts to become automatic.