Many moons ago in a Xerox sales training class, I learned the difference between skeptical and indifferent customers. It’s a distinction that I’ve found imperative to keep in mind at all times when writing any sort of sales copy.
A skeptical customer is one who recognizes a need for your product or service, but doubts your ability to fill it.
An indifferent customer is one who does not recognize a need for your product or service.
These two mindsets are very different. A skeptical customer is motivated to buy – just not from you. An indifferent customer is not motivated at all. In the SEO industry, skepticism is probably the most common mindset. Most companies know they need to be visible on Google, but they distrust SEO service firms for one reason or another. In my old industry, packaging, indifference was the order of the day. In the grand scheme of industrial sales, few customers get passionate about brown corrugated shipping boxes.
Before writing sales copy, you must get a handle on the probable mindset of the customer. Then, write in a way that will be persuasive to that customer type.
How to Write for Skeptics
The best way to overcome skepticism is with facts. Vague sales benefits and extravagant claims won’t cut the mustard with skeptics. In fact, that approach will drive them away by conjuring up images of the used car salesman, the snake oil salesman. For skeptics, be concrete. Offer up specific numbers, details, percentages, forecasts, diagrams, charts, graphs, case studies, and technical data. Show your work. And yes, use long copy. Not for Profits use this technique all the time in direct mail. They understand that everyone is motivated to help the poor and the sick, but only through legitimate organizations. You can’t establish legitimacy with a 3 x 5 postcard with a TRUST ME! starburst.
How to Write for the Indifferent
Obviously, writing that persuades skeptics will make indifferent customers outright hostile. The last thing they want to read is a lot of dry detail. They need motivation. They have to learn why they need your product or service. Does that mean it’s OK to make outrageous claims? No, of course not. But you need an emotional edge to your writing. You need to be brief but powerful. Testimonials are effective, especially if you can show how someone in the customer’s industry profited by your product or service. Repeating a few simple and compelling benefits works better than a laundry list. Write as if you’re being asked, what makes your product or service indispensable?
Images speak volumes. A carefully composed image can gently alert customers to a bad present and a better future. Here’s an example from the packaging world. Packing peanuts at one time were very popular. Pick and pack distributors had no interest in changing, even though packing peanuts had several drawbacks, including taking up an enormous amount of space in the warehouse. A manufacturer of an alternative product ran an ad with a photo of a warehouse full of peanuts, and then the same warehouse with a comparable amount of their product, which took up just a few square feet of floor space. That image alone made sale after sale because it allowed customers to visualize a bad current situation and a very desirable future.
Before writing sales copy, be sure to ask – am I writing for the right reader?
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Brad,
I have never heard prospects classified along these lines before.
One question – what about situations whereby a singular marketing campaign needs to reach a range of customers from both classifications?
I would imagine that one possible approach would be to try to cater for both types of customers. One possible approach, I would have thought, would be to employ some kind of mixed strategy, whereby the marketing material contained in the campaign includes a both small amount of factual information and perhaps one case in order to satisfy the ’skeptics,’ as well a couple of pictures or testimonials to arouse the attention of the ‘indifferent’ prospects.
Then again, I would also imagine that there would be a risk to this type of approach, in that the final result may be material which does not particularly appeal to either type of customer.
Personally, have you often find that yourself confronted with the situation of having to cater to both types of customer within the one campaign? What approaches have worked best for you in such circumstances?
Andrews last blog post..Employee rights and responsibilities part 8 – No one should be held in slavery
Andrew, that is a fantastic question. In many sectors, it is likely if not certain that you will encounter both types. For websites, what I call “layering” works well. Make your landing page hard hitting and brief, but provide clear links to more detailed pages for prospects who want the facts. It’s a good idea to have a clear link suitable for the indifferent from the subpage back to the landing page, because visitors – including indifferent ones – may come into the site on one of those subpages. Companies will also invite prospects to request detailed information – a PDF, an e-book, a white paper, a case study, etc. This can be effective as well as to a certain degree protect proprietary information. In my experience, leading off with information geared to the indifferent is safe. Skeptics will look past it, and the indifferent may or may not.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..To Write Persuasively, Know Your Customer’s Mind
I was going to ask Andrew’s question, but alas, too slow again this morning!
Thanks for the delineation, Brad. Never thought about it in quite this way, but it makes sense now. Need to keep this in mind with my Ignite business. Also makes me examine the home meeting format with a clearer eye to identify the elements that apply to each kind of prospect in the room.
Hat tip to ya!
Hi Robert, I can almost guarantee it will help you to think along these lines. Sometimes the best ideas are simple, and yet we overlook them or never think of them on our own. When I first heard the concept, it seemed so obvious. It’s always been key for me in sales.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..To Write Persuasively, Know Your Customer’s Mind
You must do your homework when writing. Possibly the most important thing to keep in mind is that is that you, the owner, are not your target audience. Don’t simply write for yourself. Unless of course you don’t care if anyone else reads your sales copy.
Salwas last blog post..The Mass Media Marketing Marathon
Hi Salwa, Thanks for stopping by Word Sell! You make a really important point, one that small and midsized companies tend to overlook. You’ve got to start any writing assignment by looking at the subject from the customer’s point of view.
Brad Shorrs last blog post..Influence Customers with Meaningful Terms in Meta Descriptions
This is a really interesting point.
What I have found is that when you are writing to persuade someone to buy products or services, particularly online, it is really easy to presume that everyone that is looking at your site definitely wants to buy from you. I guess there is a long process before a customer gets to that point.
Definitely going to take this into consideration next time I write an article or press release!
Danielle Ingrams last blog post..Google One-Line Sitelinks – May 9, 2009
Hi Danielle, For sure, the more you think about customer attitudes, the more precisely you can target your copy. At the other extreme, there’s the person who is ready to buy. That person is looking for a much different message than one who is barely interested.
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