You want to know the BIGGEST secret to selling anything?
YOUR PRODUCT DOESN’T MATTER
Hey guys, It’s Alex, and in this post I’m going to tell you the #1 biggest mistake that so many entrepreneurs make in their marketing. And I’ll share my 3 powerful copywriting methods for authentic persuasion.
So, no matter your niche, whether it be real-estate, or beauty, or financial services, or personal development, or household items… You can write more MESSAGES that make an impact. And heads up guys, I’m going to get a little philosophical on you for just a hot second…
So I’m currently reading Joseph Cambells’ book “Pathways to Bliss” and in it, he references the work of German psychiatrist Karl Durckheim who says that within all of us is this infinite wisdom that makes anything possible.
And we’re all physical manifestations of this… Literally, we were grown from little seeds in our mother’s wombs. How crazy is that?
But, then after we’re born, this transcendent life energy, becomes bound within us and over time because of mundane concepts, societal programming and local temporary tasks this life force energy becomes confined within us… And we completely forget what we’re truly capable of.
And this is why people tend to think in very concrete terms about what is actually possible for them.
We put ourselves in these little self-made boxes of possibility… And we can not see through the walls. This leads me to the #1 mistake so many entrepreneurs make in their marketing and messaging…
You assume your audience believes they can achieve the results you’re promising…
So you focus solely on SELLING your product.
But here’s the thing… you can bash your prospects over the head a million times with all the amazing features, and bells and whistles and reasons why your product is better than anyone else’s…
But, if the benefits lie outside your audience’s little mental box of possibility then none of it matters They’ve already decided that whatever you’re selling is just not for them.
And this is the #1 secret to selling anything…
Your products are WHAT your customers buy, not WHY they buy them…
And because I know you’re all here to use the persuasion powers I’m about to share with you for good and not evil, I’m just going to assume what you’re selling is truly amazing and WILL help people…
So let’s just make that commitment right here, right now, to be the authentic Avengers of the marketing world.
I’ll be Agent Romanov – which Avenger are you!? Comment below and let me know and please no spoiler alerts about End Game… I haven’t seen it yet!
For reals though, I truly believe that as copywriters, our FIRST job is to help remove the invisible walls that people have built around themselves… To get them into that dreamer state, the comic book Universe where they believe that anything is possible. Where they TRANSCEND their limiting beliefs and open up to a whole new world of possibility.
Not only so they’re able to better receive our sales message but so they can be inspired to transcend in many areas of their life.
This is when your marketing becomes valuable in and of itself… And it feels so, so good.
This is why it’s important to first know WHO your ideal prospect is and what their highest values are, so you can be a stepping stone to help them reach their most self-actualized state.
And if you can do this, you can sell them anything.
So, think about it, what VALUE you are helping your ideal prospect meet. Is it freedom, security, love, comfort, confidence… This will become the foundation of the HOOK in your sales message, and it is EVERYTHING.
You could have the 8 other components of an effective offer nailed, but if you don’t have THIS one…
A persuasive hook…
You are SOOL.
Of course, there is a A LOT more that goes into writing compelling copy. So if you’re a freelance writer or entrepreneur looking to scale your business with crazy good copy, be sure to hit subscribe over on my YouTube Channel so you don’t miss a single marketing tutorial from me!
Here are 3 methods for writing a more persuasive hook and opening your prospects mind to possibility.
Method #1: STORY-TELLING
As I’ve said before, we all have blind spots. Nobody has perfect self-awareness. Nobody can fully see through the walls they’ve built around themselves. This is why it’s often easier for us to believe in our friends more than ourselves… Or why may feel that your friends believe in us more than we believe in ourselves. Studies have actually shown that we know other people – their patterns, their personalities and their potential – better than ourselves. That’s crazy right?
So – what’s the best way to make your reader BELIEVE in what you’re selling. Tell them a story about someone else, or about you and your quest for a solution to a problem you’ve been experiencing… And one that they’re likely experiencing for themselves right now.
The story can be real or it can be fictional, it doesn’t really matter, a story is a story. What matters is that this story allows the reader to step out of their own doubts and criticisms.
Your story needs to be believable and relatable – enough so that your reader subconsciously thinks… “Wait, this could be me.”
The persuasive message in a story-based hook is: you are not alone.
Ok, moving on to…
Method #2: SCIENCE
Of the best ways to expand your audience’s beliefs is through trusted real-life evidence.
You can use science, or statistics or case studies that build trust and authority around the concept of your hook…
Now I’m not talking about social proof – that is something entirely different and is another very important part of your sales message later on.
The proof I’m talking about has to do with expanding beliefs.
For example, if you’re selling a meditation product, and your audience just doesn’t believe that meditation can help them, it doesn’t matter how much you try to sell your product, they are not buying it.
But when you can share trusted real-life evidence, you’re immediately more persuasive– like when TIME magazine back on Aug 4, 2003 published a powerful study on the science of meditation. And this was back in a time when meditation was seen as nothing but new age woowoo mumbo jumbo.
A science-based hook is about proving the possibility.
And now that brings me to the 3rd method of writing a persuasive hook:
Method #3: SUPPOSITION
A powerful way to expand your audience’s belief is to remove one of the biggest mental constructs of them all – TIME.
So take your reader out of the present, out of their current reality, by speaking to them AS IF they are already experiencing the results you’re promising.
With this type of hook, you are inviting your audience to imagine… To suppose they are already where they want to be.
You are speaking to their highest most-self-actualized self. The THEM that is already taken that leap of faith…
So it’s been said before that people often overestimate what they can do in 1 year and under-estimate what they can do in 10… So you want to remove any remove any preconceived notion of time by speaking to your audience in the present tense.
As if the results you’re promising are neither in the future or the past. They are happening right now…
So, a hook based on supposition is about assuming your prospect’s victory.
Watch This Instead
Ok – there you have it – my 3 methods for writing a persuasive hook. Now can you can see why I call it an “S” hook?
Story, Science and Supposition are the trifecta of persuasion…
You’ll know you’ve hit the mark when your message is able to transcend your product, and create a new, expansive belief in your prospect’s mind… And then you’ll no longer need to TRY to sell. You just will.
Ok guys, that’s all I’ve got for you today, please leave me a comment below if you found this post helpful.
And make sure to subscribe to my YouTube Channel to catch my video next week!
Till then, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!!
2 Comments. Leave new
Very helpful. Thanks,
Julie
So glad to hear it!