Hate sales but have a business run?
Does the thought of writing ads or limited-time offers make you cringe?
Can’t stand the thought of being seen as pushy or “salesy”?
Then this tutorial is for you!
Hey Posse! What’s up? It’s Alex.
And in this week’s blog, I’m going to teach you the #1 secret to selling WITHOUT being seen “salesy”…
So that you can run your business, make more money, and help more people with your amazing products or services.
But first, if you’re new to the crew – welcome!
Here on my blog, you can learn more about ethical selling, running a business, and staying up-to-date on current digital marketing trends. If that sounds good to you, then be sure to subscribe to my newsletter for my next tutorial.
Now, when it comes to sales… the first thing I need you to know—like really, know— DEEP DOWN IN YOUR BONES…
Is that selling is simply solving problems. If the thought of selling makes you cringe, it’s likely because at some point you’ve had a negative experience with a salesperson…
Likely someone who didn’t listen to you or what you really needed at all and instead just hyped up a laundry list of bells and whistles and reasons why you should give them your money. Unfortunately, not everyone gets sales right, but please do not let those experiences hold YOU back your own business…
Because if you believe selling is scammy or sleazy, your customers are certainly going to pick up on that vibe you’re putting out.
So, instead of thinking about that one time that car salesman gave you the heeby jeebies, think about all the incredible sales experiences you’ve had that, well, didn’t feel like sales experiences at all.
The helpful real estate agent who helped you find your dream home…
Or the travel agent who helped you book your perfect vacation…
Or the stylist at your favorite shop who helped you pick out the perfect outfit.
What made THOSE times different?
Well, when it comes to selling without selling, it really all comes to one thing…
Conversations.
The best sales experiences are simple conversations…listening and responding.
And that’s why learning how to write conversational copy is key to supercharging your sales in a way that feels great for you and your customers. Which sounds simple in theory…
But you’d be surprised how many marketers, copywriters, and business owners have a hard time humanizing sales.
So today, I’m going to walk you through 3 tips for conversational copywriting…
So that you can get past your aversion to sales…
Start helping more people…
And yes, make more money doing it.
So let’s get right into it with Tip #1…
Tip #1 – Pretend You’re Talking To Your Best Friend
Selling should always be, first and foremost, about relationship building. Before you ask for a single penny, an email address, or even a “like and follow,” You want your customers to feel genuinely seen, heard, and a sense of belonging with you, your brand, or your business.
And how do you do that?
Well, there are lots of ways! But one of the simplest to implement is…
To simply talk to your customers the same way you’d talk to your bestie. Treat them like the REAL PEOPLE they are. So many people get hung up on wanting to appear “professional” and “likeable” that they completely mask their entire personality…
And as a result — their messaging and marketing are dry, boring, or worse – cold and pushy.
Remember that an audience can FEEL your authenticity. The audience can FEEL when something is scripted and forced versus when something comes from your heart. Your audience wants to feel connected to you and your brand before they commit to making a purchase.
They want to know who you are.
What are your values? Your quirks? Your sense of humor?
So if you curse sometimes – do that (it’ll be okay, I promise!)
- If you say, “y’all” instead of “you all” – do that!
- If you’re weird – be weird!
- If you’re funny – crack some jokes!
- If you’re nerdy – own it loudly & proudly!
Because at the end of the day… That’s what people really want.
They want to know that there is an actual, real HUMAN on the other side of your brand or business. And spoiler, when you treat your customers the same way you would treat a best friend, when you allow your natural personality to shine through…
You naturally avoid using all those cringey sales tactics, because you’re just being YOU!
Win-win!
Alright now let’s move on to tip #2…
Tip #2 – Read Everything Out Loud
This is SUCH an easy tip that is so often ignored and overlooked. You guys – it’s so simple. Just read everything you write out loud.
Doing this one thing can go a long way in making your copy sound friendly, casual, and super conversational.
Think about it this way: when you’re having a conversation with someone, how long can you talk without pausing to catch your breath?
Probably not very long. A sentence or two – MAX – am I right? And even if you’re a 3x swimming champ and can hold your breath for 5 minutes underwater…
Chances are pretty good that you still pause between sentences so that the other person can process what you said.
That’s just good conversation mannerisms.
So why then, would you type out huge, grandiose paragraphs of text?
Long, run-on sentences and paragraphs that take up half the page are extremely overwhelming to your readers. So remember to keep your sentences & paragraphs SHORT.
Don’t use fancy words you can’t personally pronounce or words that you’d never use in real-life.
And loosen the reins on your grammar – just a little bit, okay?
I laugh when the grammar police come after me about my grammar and punctuation. Guess what? Copywriters are not meant to be literary perfectionists. We are conversationalists…
We are storytellers.
And sometimes things need to be written in a certain way to be approachable and relatable. It’s okay to emphasize a word or statement with well-placed bolding. It’s okay to use “…” to help make a smoother transition. It’s okay to use the occasional uppercase text and misplaced dash…
And guess what?
I make typos sometimes – GASP! And guess what — so do you. So see, we’ve already found some things in common (which btw, is another secret to conversational selling). Remember, being conversational is all about engaging with your reader, building trust, and writing in the way that you actually communicate.
And that is just NOT going to happen if you’re stressed out about having the perfect grammar, structure and format.
You’ll end up coming across as rude, stiff and overly formal.
And unless THAT’S your branding ( )… this is definitely NOT the vibe you should be aiming for.
Now of course…
You don’t want to throw ALL grammar rules out the window.
No matter how formal (or informal) your brand is – you want to try to avoid making spelling errors, misusing words, or writing sentences that don’t make any damn sense. Knowing how to communicate effectively is still important.
BUT REMEMBER…
You’re not submitting your copy to be judged by a college lit professor…
So relax a little bit. Be less formal. It’ll be okay. I promise.
To help you out, I created a FREE formatting cheat sheet here with my easy method for writing conversationally — without overthinking or overcomplicating it and so many more tips to help you edit your copy! So check that out after this.
Tip #3 – Storytelling
And finally…
My forever favorite conversational copywriting technique…
Storytelling!!!
The oldest form of communication on the planet.
Hundreds of years before the printing press, iMessage, voice memos, YouTube, or “going viral”—we had stories.
They were our primary way of passing down information and knowledge about our culture and traditions. But we also used stories to connect and relate with one another.
And today, that element of storytelling is just as important as ever before. When you utilize storytelling in your marketing, you not only capture (and keep) your audience’s attention more effectively…
But you’re also able to connect more intimately with them and relate more powerfully.
Listening to a story about the one time you saved your neighbor’s life, learned an interesting lesson, or solved a weird mystery is so much more powerful than reading a laundry list of facts and features and why they should buy your stuff.
Stories create curiosity.
And more importantly… they create relatability, authority, and trust with your prospect.
Which in turn…
Helps you sell more of your products and services – naturally.
Now I have a whole tutorial where I break down 4 of my favorite storytelling methods…
So if you want to learn more about this magical form of marketing, check it out next..
And if you want to learn more about how to write copy the right way, then make sure to check out my 8-week copywriting program, The Copy Posse Launch Files!
- In it, you’ll discover the modern copywriting techniques that are working TODAY, so you know exactly how to write persuasive, authentic and high-converting copy.
- Get an insider look at key psychological triggers you need to include in your copy to get inside the mind of your customers (plus, the common messaging mistakes you must avoid in order to stand out).
- Gain exclusive access to the proven copywriting guides and formulas that I’ve used to create multi-million dollar campaigns for my high-paying clients (I’ll walk you through how to write an entire sales funnel from scratch).
- And I’ll guide you every step of the way as you write your own high-converting portfolio pieces — with high-quality video training, recorded Q&A sessions and weekly exercises.
Check out the Copy Posse Launch Files right now.
And until next time, I’m Alex. Ciao for now!