“How’s your 401(k) doing?” my neighbor bellowed from across the street.
He just assumes I have a 401(k).
And he assumes the stock market is putting the hurt on me and I’m freaking out like he is.
He’s wrong on all counts… but I understood where he was coming from.
“Don’t get too worked up, Dave” I responded as I walked over to shake his hand.
“My client just told me his research shows the downturn is almost over. He expects the market bounce back any day.”
Dave seemed relieved. More importantly, I avoided talking about my lack of appropriate retirement planning.
That conversation reminded me about something I want to tell you.
It’s the ultimate copywriting secret if you do it right.
Incredibly simple… not always easy to pull off… but always worth using as a launch pad for persuasion.
In fact, it’s so simple, you may be tempted to dismiss it (or dismiss ME as a simpleton).
Don’t.
Let this sentence soak into your bones:
“Tell people what they want to hear.”
People want to hear the stock market is going to go up.
They want to hear they can finally have six-pack abs.
They want to hear they can finally get off Tinder and build a future with the person of their dreams.
(Or maybe they can consistently get quality dates on Tinder. I don’t really know how that works.)
Selling to people starts with understanding what they want and making sure they KNOW you can help them get it.
Leadership starts with understanding where your people want to go and making them believe you can help them get there.
Giving them hope this time can be different.
Especially when times are rough.
That doesn’t mean lying. It’s sparking emotional excitement and intellectual certainty that leads to action.
This is how we get things done, for real.
There are obviously more layers, but this is where you start.
What does your audience want you to tell them today?