Marketing

Why Selling Is So Hard?

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No Trespassing. No Selling Allowed

Most people won’t say this in public, but behind closed doors and in their innermost thoughts, you hear it with staggering frequency:

“Why won’t these dummies buy my product?? They know they need it! I’ve clearly shown them how much better their lives will be when they start using it.

Selling is HARD! Argg!!

Yes, selling is hard. The reason is simple: it is impossible to change someone’s mind. Literally impossible.

But you still have to get people to say yes or click a button for your business or career to survive. How do you do it? Why is there a small percentage of people who make selling look so easy? How do I become one of the ones who make it look easy?

Your prospects have “No Trespassing” signs posted at every one of the entrances to the mind. The guards are very selective about who they allow inside the gates.

If you try to punch a hole through their mental defenses, you’ll soon find out how ineffective (and exhausting) that can be. Using hype and high-pressure tactics is a foolish approach — no matter how cool the Wolf of Wall Street makes it look.

Here’s what it boils down to:

There are things that your would-be customers really want to do, but for numerous reasons they can’t bring themselves to take action.

They want to start investing so they can retire comfortably. They want six-pack abs. They want to meet their soulmate.

Your job is to give your customers the psychological, emotional and volitional strength to get out of their own way.

To empower them to grab hold of their better future.

That’s what we’re going to talk about during Monday’s Irresistible Offers teleseminar.

We’re going to tackle the topic of persuasive selling based on how the brain works…how human emotion works…how language works.

There is one psychological reality that puts all the pieces of the persuasion puzzle into a single, cohesive concept.

Instead of long lists of complicated techniques and formulas (which all talk about different things), you’ll discover a simple but incredibly enlightening illustration of the how the mind works and what makes persuasion work.

You’ll learn why people say ‘yes’ and you’ll learn what it takes to get more yeses from your sales and marketing.

Everyone who makes selling look easy leverages this reality, consciously or unconsciously.

This session is going to be a real eye-opener, with research gathered from

  • the U.S. Army
  • the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
  • the latest psychological and neuroscientific studies
  • social movements
  • millions of dollars of direct marketing testing
  • and Hollywood, possibly the greatest influencer of culture on the planet.

If you’re an entrepreneur, salesperson, marketer, copywriter or anyone who needs to be more persuasive, you don’t want to miss this call. The insights you’ll gain could change everything for you.

Understanding what makes people tick and learning to make offers they can’t resist — now that’s a good investment.

My promise to you:

The teleseminar starts from 8:00pm Eastern on Monday, August 11th. The cost is $58.

I’ve condensed the best insights I have on selling in person, print or pixel into an hour-long. I’m not holding anything back. I’ve only spoken publicly about some of this information once in the past 2 year (at my paid workshop in June). Parts of it I’ve never shared before, which is why the teleseminar is more expensive than the workshop.

At $58, it’s a freakin’ steal. I guarantee you’ll get 99 times more value than what you spend or I’ll happily give you a full refund — before I go to bed Monday night.

I can’t stand sitting in on presentations and listening to the “same old, same old.” Don’t you hate that? I’m not going to put you through that torture. If you don’t learn something brand new, I’ll give happily your money back.

Let me help you get past your customers’ “No Trespassing” signs. Sign up for the Irresistible Offers teleseminar here.

Are You Playing the Flashlight Game with Your Clients

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Blackout Attention

My 4 year-old son gets a major kick out of playing with flashlights. He loves to turn out all the lights in the house and pretend it’s a blackout. Then he runs around the house, exploring and frolicking in the dark.

His fascination must have started during a real power outage about 2 years ago (seen in the photo above).

The other night, my 11 year-old twin daughters (also seen in the photo) were putting away their laundry when the flashlight game began. The weren’t supposed to play along, but the game’s allure proved to be too strong. Before long, the girls stopped working to join the fun.

The flashlight game is far too enticing to ignore.

Are Your Clients Playing Your Game?

When you reach out to your prospects and customers, are you presenting them with ideas, words, images and offers too enticing too ignore?

Frankly, none of us have much of an option these days. The people you’re trying to connect with have a limited mental bandwidth. They can only really pay attention to one thing at a time — and there are no shortage of messages and people fighting to be that one thing.

The brain always pays attention to the most interesting thought it can find. Not necessarily the most meaningful or most important, but the most interesting. (That doesn’t mean that you throw away the meaningful, important stuff. You just have to lead with a thought so intriguing that it can’t be ignored. Earn attention, then deliver the meat of the message.)

Turning the Lights On

A flashlight in a dark room gets everyone’s attention. In marketing, it’s not quite that simple. You have to know what kinds of things your ideal clients are interested in. Hint: every answer to this question is about the client — not you.

Everyone is interested in problems that are bugging them…pain that is plaguing them…goals they haven’t reached yet. What are your audience’s problems, pains and goals?

Speak to your clients and potential clients in an unexpected way. Predicable marketing is easily dismissed. Make big, yet believable claims. Or make promises that are so unbelievable that the listener/reader/viewer can’t help but wonder what you’re up to.

One of my favorite novelists, Ted Dekker, put it like this: “A good writer is one who can take those rather blunt instruments called words and string them together in a way that turns lights on.”

Connection Concept

Whatever you do, don’t be boring!

In many ways, your audience are walking around in the dark. It’s your job to get their attention so you can turn on the lights for them.

There’s only a few more hours to get the 50% discount on next week’s Irresistible Offers teleseminar.  Until 11:59 Central tonight (August 4th), you’ll pay $29 for the hour-long training. Find out more at https://donnie-bryant.com/irresistible-offers/.

**Update May 19, 2017**

I recently recorded a livestream video about writing copy that wins and keeps your should-be clients’ attention. In about 10 minutes, I shared 4 critical ideas that you can put into practice today. Thought you might get some value from it.

 

How to Beat Goliath – Now on Amazon Kindle

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Beat Goliath Kindle Book

You may have heard by now, but just in case you haven’t, I’m proud to announce that my book How to Beat Goliath…even if you can’t outright kill him is now available on Amazon Kindle.

If your business facing fierce competition from the big boys in your industry and the battle is beginning to take it’s toll, his book shares information and ideas you can use to turn the tide.

David went to his battle with Goliath armed with 5 smooth stones. With this book, you will arm yourself with 5 strategic marketing concepts. When put together, these 5 concepts form a powerful marketing system that puts you in control of the growth of your business.

You’ll be set up to successfully defend your territory and gain ground, even if your Goliath never dies off completely.

Beat Goliath is my 3rd book, but the first one available on Kindle.

Check it out on Amazon here.

Be on the lookout for the 2nd edition of Stealth Selling: Non-Pushy Persuasion for Professionals in the very near future.

Customers Not Engaging with You?

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Greg Ciotti called it “The Shocking Truth.”

What’s more shocking than the “truth” uncovered in the article is the sloppiness of the method used to uncover it.

“The conversation around brand loyalty has been on a steady decline since the advent of social media,” says Ciotti.

“Ever since the term “engagement” snuck into the picture, marketers have been blowing smoke about how important it is to regularly engage with customers, touting the untold benefits of regular contact.

“The problem is that this belief couldn’t be further from the truth. Most consumers do not care about how much you engage with them–and I have the data to prove it.”

That data comes from a 2012 article in the Harvard Business Review, “3 Myths about What Customers Want.” I’ll save you the trouble of having to read the article: the myths are that 1) customers want relationships with brands, 2) interactions build relationships and 3) the more interaction, the better.

According to HBR’s study, 77% of people say they don’t want relationships with brands. Of the people who had established brand relationships, 64% of them say that “shared values” are the main reason they maintain those relationships.

The shocking truth is that marketers are still trying to understand their craft based on what people say instead of what they do.

“How should you market differently?”

In light of the 3 myths, the writers of the HBR articles suggest you should change your marketing strategy in the following ways:

  • “Stop bombarding consumers who don’t want a relationship with your attempts to build one”
  • Focus more discounts, because that’s what consumers say they really want when interacting with brands, at least online
  • “To build relationships,” with the few customers who want them, “start by clearly communicating your brand’s philosophy or higher purpose.”
  • “Instead of relentlessly demanding more consumer attention, treat the attention you do win as precious… When it comes to interacting with your customers, more isn’t better.”
    This advice isn’t completely toxic, but there’s enough poison in the cup to cause some real damage.

In short, this article tells marketers to charge less, communicate less and stare at their own navels more (that is where USPs usually hang out, you know). How does that sit with you?

Why You Shouldn’t Charge Less

Discounting is a dangerous race to the bottom of a hill where nobody wins.

Everyone likes to save money when they can, but every day people happily trade money to get results they want: food, fashion, fun, etc. If you can satisfy a deep desire or necessity, people will pay you.

The greater the desire, the more they’ll be willing to pay.

The fewer places they can get similar results, the more they’ll be willing to pay.

The faster/more convenient/more emotionally gratifying your delivery is, the more they’ll be willing to pay.

Why You Shouldn’t Communicate Less

It’s very rare that you’ll win a customer the very first time he sees your name. Especially if you’re actively trying to avoid looking like you want to start a relationship.

Potential customers are usually in the process of forgetting you. Out of sight, out of mind. Being nonchalant seems “cool,” but sitting idle while all your competitors flirt with your prospects sounds like a bad idea.

Even after a prospect becomes a paying customer, it’s dangerous to be out of sight for too long. There are plenty of other suitors who would love to swoop in and steal your customers.

Why wouldn’t you make the most out of every relationship you’re involved in?

Where Brand Loyalty Really Comes From

In the original version of Ciotti’s article, a woman named Valerie left this comment:

“I hate Mc Donalds. They are the ideal of everything I hate…Yet some how I wind up at that Drive Thru kicking myself the whole time…They always seem to know what I need, when I need it and they are always there.”

This lady says “I hate McDonald’s.” Her actions prove otherwise — consistently.

What people say is often very different from what they do.

Valerie is also describing a brand relationship. Mickey D always knows what she wants and is there to supply it. Are shared values at the root of this relationship? Yes and no.

If McDonald’s concentrated one communicating its “philosophy or higher purpose,” do you think it would have resonated with Valerie’s own stated values? Probably not. The desire for quick convenience and relatively low prices won the day. (Not to mention the physical addiction caused by the chemicals in the food!)

People reveal their true values/priorities through their actions.

People actively seek brand loyalty. Rather, they seek to satisfy their needs and wants in the best way they know how. They’re not interested in your business except insofar as it appeals to their self-interest:

  • Do you help them move closer to their short- and long-term goals?
  • Do satisfy their desire to feel powerful, intelligent, attractive, special and/or connected?
  • Do you give them hope?
  • Does buying from you enhance their self-image?
  • Do you make good things happen faster for them?
  • Do you prevent bad things from happening to them?
  • People make their decisions (who to pay attention to, who to spend money with, stay out of relationships with) based on who they perceive can best scratch those deep-seated itches in their minds.

That’s how you build value in the mind of your customer.

If you’re providing such great value, would customers ask you to communicate less? No! They want to hear from you more. Would they demand that you charge less? Not if you’re offering something they treasure more than the money you’re asking for.

THAT is how brand loyalty is earned

Workshop: How to Create Irresistible Offers

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Who is the most persuasive person in the world?

I bet it’s not who you think it is. In fact, it may be the last person you’d consider.

And I’ll be happy to tell you…if you attend Blue Top Marketing‘s workshop tomorrow (Saturday, June 7th) in South Holland, IL.

We’ll be talking about how to create irresistible offers. This will be my most in-depth treatment of this topic to date. We’ll talk about persuasive techniques as ancient as the human race, cutting-edge discoveries in neuroscience and the secrets behind blockbuster Hollywood movies.

Get the details on Blue Top Marketing’s registration page.

Here are a few of the specific topics we’ll cover in this 2-hour long session:

  • a method proven to “transform insignificant objects into significant ones,” so much so that people happily pay as much as 132.5 TIMES their original value. Your “significant” products and services can skyrocket in perceived value in exactly the same way.
  • why the truth isn’t good enough and how you can fix that — without the slightest bit of deception
  • what kind of marketing messages are magnetically repulsive
  • how one sentence changed the entire TV home shopping industry, breaking sales records left and right — and how you come up with a similar sentence to revolutionize your customers’ perception of your business
  • 3 biological reasons the human mind rejects most perceived attempts at persuasion and
  • how to flip the mind’s resistance using its own force.

I’ll take a look at your marketing materials and make suggestions on how to make your offers irresistible. You’ll leave the presentation with specific advice you can put into practice the same day.

Not sold yet? Let’s sweeten the deal a little bit.

All attendees will get

  • a DVD of all 3 of the Marketing Strategy Implementation sessions courtesy of Boss Lady at Blue Top, Stephanie Walters,
  • a free copy of my book Stealth Selling: Non-Pushy Persuasion for Professionals
  • a second round of sales copy critiques any time in the next 90 days. I normally charge $200 for critiques, but attendees will get a freebie.

When an offer is strong, saying “yes” is easier than walking away. During this workshop, we’ll help make that a reality in your business. Register now

P.S. Sorry for the last minute reminder.

Is Something Missing from the AIDA Formula?

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AIDA

Almost every marketer and salesperson in the English-speaking world knows about AIDA. It’s often one of the first lessons in many of our training programs. As a framework for persuasion, it has stood the test of time in every industry you can think of for over 100 years.

A – Attention
I  – Interest
D – Desire
A – Action

It is my contention that there is something crucial missing from this basic sales and marketing formula. I talked about this in a recent newsletter (if you’re not subscribed, you should fix that expeditiously). If you missed it, you can find out what’s wrong with AIDA as it currently stands in my newest guest posts on the Rhino Daily blog:

Is AIDA Outdated As a Marketing Process? Part 1 and Part 2

P.S. The article wasn’t written in two parts, and to be frank, I’m not crazy about the split. It reads better as a single piece. But I submitted to the Rhino Daily editorial process. The good stuff is in Part 2, but you Part 1 forms the foundation for my ultimate conclusion.

Worst of Signs, Pt. 3

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Same Day Appointment Sign - Calumet City

I took a picture of the sign above at a dentist’s office in my Calumet City neighborhood. (That’s in Chicago’s south suburbs, if you’re curious.) What’s wrong with this sign? On the surface, nothing. But think about the wording “Same Day Appointments” for a moment. Is this dentist so efficient that he can guarantee to look at your teeth the same day that you call? Or is business so slow that there are always open slots in the schedule?

(To be fair, I’ve never visited this office, so I can only speculate about any specifics about the business and it’s success.)
Speaking of slots, The next sign is a doozy.
Slots Sign - Calumet City
This photo is from a bar, also in my neighborhood.

The bar changed the sign after about a week. Must not have worked as well as they thought…

Either that or the slots really do pay out too much and they started losing more money than they made in drinks…

In which case the lead generation method really was brilliant. The lifetime customer value was just too low or the owners were too short-sighted.

Like the dentist’s office, I’ve never been inside this bar, so I’m speculating again.

A few people told me I took the whole thing too seriously; the sign is probably just a joke. And maybe they’re right. (I could just walk down to the bar and ask the owner.)

But even so, marketers have to be careful; if customers feel misled, they’re not going to be happy.

That’s one of the reasons humor is risky in marketing.

What do you think?

Don’t miss these related posts (with pictures from my neighborhood!):

It Was the Best of Signs, It Was the Worst of Signs

Worst of Signs, Pt.2

Small Restaurant, Big Lesson

Pork Chops and Big Promises

When Business Gets Bloody

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“There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

Writing was Hemingway’s profession. All he had to do to reach legendary status as a writer was bleed.

I don’t know what success looks like for you. I assume (which is usually a dumb thing to do) that you want to build a solid, profitable business, provide for your loved ones, gain the respect of your peers and attain some level of freedom. Maybe you hope to reach legendary status in your profession.

Take heed to Hemingway’s advice. All you have to do is approach your business or career with a willingness to bleed.

Pouring Out You

As a small business owner or solo professional, you probably know exactly what Hemingway means in the quote above. Your business is an extension of yourself. Day after day, you pour yourself into it. You’re committed to its protection and growth.

In many ways, identifying yourself so closely with your business makes you vulnerable. At the same time, that vulnerability also makes your business appealing:

Your values shine forth. The things that are important to you are the driving force behind the decisions you make. You’re willing to take a courageous stand for what you believe in, even when it doesn’t conform to the industry standards. This can have a polarizing effect; some people will love you and some will hate you. People who share your values and beliefs are more likely to become loyal customers and enthusiastic supporters than they would be if you “played it safe.”

Your “brand” is authentic. What the public sees is what it gets. And what they see is the real you — in the form of a product- or service-providing business. More than ever, consumers are looking for transparent brands to buy from. More than ever, inauthentic brands are shown for what they really are: hucksters more concerned with turning a profit than serving their customers.

It’s hard to connect emotionally (remember: emotion is critical to every purchasing decision) with brands that don’t seem authentic.

Your message has personality. Generic marketing stinks. Personality and uniqueness of voice will make it easier for your business to stand out from the robotic sounds of the boring majority. Your distinct voice will be more attractive to the customers you want to do business with most; your personality demonstrates that you’re one of them! You “get” them! The bond you form can be deeper, i.e., more personal, than anything that can be achieved with pricing or even product specs. I always refer to Apple because they’re a great example of this principle.

Your hard work pays off. If success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration, how can you win without a willingness to bleed?

Not everyone who bleeds succeeds. But blood-letting usually precedes success.

Disclaimer: Pouring yourself into your business is no guarantee that you’ll succeed financially. It doesn’t even mean you’ll be fulfilled emotionally. All it guarantees is that you’re more likely to connect with the people you want to serve, partner with those closely aligned with where you are, and that if you do succeed, it will be on your terms, not someone else’s.

Good stuff from around the Web
Brand Your Business with Genesis Storytelling: Great 6-minute video from Tom Wanek on telling the “genesis story” behind your business

What Your Client Really Means by Price Objecting: “Your client just told you that they’re not interested in dealing with you, at least not on this subject. That’s not a price problem, that’s a relationship problem. And that’s a big deal.” Charlie Green tells us what’s really going on when a customer says “It costs too much.”

The Truth About Recycled Ads and Pickup Lines: What happens when you try to pour someone else’s blood into your marketing. Or dating. Great illustration from Chuck McKay.

Leadership: Burden or Blessing?

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People generally don’t like feel like they’re being bossed around. But people need to be led. They crave it.

When we’re overwhelmed by options and inundated with information, we seek someone to clear away the clutter and noise for us. Or, where there’s not enough information, we search for people we can trust to guide us where we’re unable to find our way.

Leaders create a vision for the future. They inspire others and give them courage to move forward. They know (or at least seem to know) a little more than the rest of us and provide lantern-light so we can follow their path.

You should start thinking about your business in terms of leadership. Your customers and prospects are looking for someone to help them do something. The person or business which can eliminate the risk they’re facing, help them make tough decisions with confidence and show them the best path to take will gain unconquerable loyalty from those whom they serve.

The kind of leadership I’m talking about is based on just that: serving people. You’re leading them because you care. Leading because you can honestly help. Believe it or not, making their best interests your priority will pay off for you. As the late Zig Ziglar said,

“You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

The concept of leadership has constantly pressed its weight on my thinking for the past 2 years.

I believe more than ever that your commitment to leadership is critical to reaching the greatest level of success your business is capable of attaining. It doesn’t matter what business you’re in. It doesn’t even matter if you don’t have any employees. If you have customers, or if you want customers, you have to start thinking like a leader.

You have to have courage…
…to make tough choices for yourself and your following
…to tell the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable.

You have to take responsibility…
…to generate results and help clients get them, too
…to find and share the best information, systems, tools, etc.
…to help those you lead convert that information into action

You have to provide clarity
…create vision
…connect the dots
…instill confidence
…inspire action
…lead the way.

Who are you leading? Who do you want to lead? How are you going to get there ? If you don’t have a plan, it’s time to get started on one.

Hanging Out With Jeff Zelaya

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Jeff Zelaya's Google Hangout with Copywriter Donnie Bryant

It’s not often that you’ll catch me on camera; I have an irrational fear of leaving photographic evidence of my whereabouts and activities… (I’m just kidding)

But for my buddy Jeff Zelaya, I made an exception. We spent about half an hour on a Google Hangout talking about copywriting,  marketing and being self-employed. Fun times for everyone. Now I’d like to share the fun with you.

You can check out the video below, where he says some very nice things about me (check’s in the mail, Jeff).