Article Views:
9
Ezine ready page
Ezine ready page
Posted on July 1, 2009 by Ivan Levison | Posted under Marketing
Sell Your Offer, Not Your Product!
|
Why? Because if they're going to part with their money, they're going to want to know all the benefits, all the specs, all the nitty-gritties. When you're asking for the sale, you simply have to answer readers' questions and overwhelm them with compelling reasons to buy. Lead generation is a completely different animal. The object of your direct mail, Web page, email, ad, whatever, is not to make the sale immediately, but merely to get prospects to raise their hands and identify themselves. Once they make themselves known, they enter the sales cycle and you can convert them into paying customers down the road. What are the implications of this distinction between selling "off the page" and developing leads? There are many. For example, when you're doing lead generation, you have to pay a great deal of attention to developing a killer free offer that maximizes response. This means you must decide whether to go with an actual free product trial, an Information Kit, a White Paper, an Executive Summary, a report, you name it. What I want to focus on here is another important point -- the need to spotlight your free offer and lighten up on product details. You see, many marketers are so in love with their products' bells and whistles, that they forget they're doing lead generation. Sure, they mention the offer, but most of the space in their self-mailer, letter, Web page, or ad is spent extolling the virtues of their product. This is a serious mistake, and I urge you not to make it! Your lead generation piece should concentrate on selling the free offer, not on providing reasons for buying your product. Remember, all you want people to do is raise their hands! Let me give you an example. I recently wrote a lead generation letter for Chancery Software whose information systems help educators manage schools more effectively. The letter was mailed to School Board Presidents and encouraged them to request a free Information Kit. Here's how I rolled into it: "Allow me to ask you a simple, but extremely important question: Are the decisions you make every day based on completely accurate data you can count on? The point is, I didn't start by talking about Chancery Software or their products. I began by identifying a problem and providing a free Information Kit that could help solve the problem. Later on in the letter I certainly do discuss Chancery's products, but briefly. I don't want to scare prospects off by getting into heavy-duty product features until later in the sales cycle. At the end of the letter, I continue pumping up the offer by adding a sweetener: "Another important point. In your Information Kit, you'll also find a copy of Chancery Software's free 'Using Federal Funds To Buy A Student Information System - A Practical Guide For School Districts.' Our easy-to-understand guide strips away all the confusion and clearly explains how YOU can get the most out of federal funds. (The kit is worth requesting for this Guide alone!)" The bottom line? Sell your offer hard with just a product mention, and watch sales soar! About The Author: Ivan Levison is an award-winning, direct response freelance copywriter. Download a free copy of his new report, "101 Ways To Double Your Response Rates!" at http://www.levison.com/subscribe. Contact Ivan any time at ivan@levison.com |
Tags: DIRECT MAIL, DIRECT MARKETING, COPYWRITING
