Copywriting is a key element in your sales and marketing processes. Yet, there are a few common “copy vampires” that suck the sales and profit generating force right out of your lead gen, websites, emails and direct mail. If you find any of these vampires in your copy, put a stake in their hearts, because they are costing you sales.

I’ll lead with the most common mistake I see come across my desk. This mistake inflicts the copy of everyone from a 1-day-old start up to $20 billion dollar monoliths. It seems no one is immune from its siren call. Here it is…

Screw-Up #1: Talking about your company and products, not the customers problems, goals dreams and frustrations

Key tip off – an opening sentence that starts with self and product references. Examples: , “At Acme InterGalatic, we…” Or… “Our new X57 software has over 14 new features. Coded from the ground up, in new 64 bit..”

It’s critical to both readership and response rates that you begin talking about the customer or prospects and concerns, challenges, objectives and goals.

Screw-Up #2. The hydra-headed communication

“Communicating with the market can be expensive, so why not try to achieve a couple of objectives with each message?”

Time and again I see these “multi-purposed” communications sneak out of companies. What seems like an efficient communications actually cripples results.

There are many ways this beast rears its head, but; It seems the one of the more common variations of this mistake I see these days is the “Let’s tack a survey onto our lead-gen or sales emails”.

Here’s the hard truth. Each additional purpose or objective that gloms on to a communications cuts its power in half or more. “Single purposed focused messages” is a mantra I try to drill into my clients thinking.

Screw-Up #3: A bridge too far

Begin to look at your mediums like a rubber band. They can be stretched – but if you stretch them too far, they snap. The same is true of all mediums and variations of mediums. There are things you can do in a letter that you can’t do in a single post card. There are things you can do in a 2 minute commercial that you can’t do in a 30 second spot. There are things you can do on a website that you can’t (or shouldn’t try) in an email.

The problem comes when we try to make a post card do the same job as a sales letter.

Instead of trying to stretch a single medium to failure, think of them as a chain. One link leads to the other. Each link strengthens the one before and after it.

I was once working with a major auto company that was experimenting with voice marketing (those 30- 60 sec. messages on your home answering machine). They started fine, using the 45 sec. message to drive people to the dealerships for a test drive and a $50 gift card. But then they took a wrong turn and started trying to actually sell the car on the home answering machine, “this off-road marvel has got front and back disc brakes and air conditioning, stereo and more storage capacity than…”

Use each of your mediums to its maximum – but not more. If you need to do more, add another step in your communications process.

Screw-Up #4. Grasshopper Copy

Grasshopper copy jumps from one unrelated idea to the next, often causing your reader to fall off the readership ride.

For example, you’re reading a sales page on a website, all of a sudden there is a testimonial box in the middle of the copy. Fine. What’s not fine is that the testimonial doesn’t support the copy it is surrounded by with proof – or isn’t set up to make a point. It’s just dropped in there with no relation to anything before or after it.

Or, you read a “Shocking – Amazing True Story Headline” and then start reading the copy – but the lead in the copy starts off on a different subject or idea not related to the headline.

It’s jarring to readers – and your profits.

Screw-Up #5: Starting too far from your subjects/objective

It’s a fact of life that some products and ideas inherently have more interest to people than others. So the copywriter begins the ad with a subject that is interesting to reader, then gradually transitions to the main idea or product. Done masterfully, this makes up some of the great “Edu-Sell” ads. Done poorly and it becomes a switch and bait trick that peeves off readers. Done somewhere in the middle of those two extremes – it just fails.

The worst example I’ve seen was a headline that screamed “SEX!”. Then the lead sentence started, “Now that I have your attention I want to tell you a way to save money on…”

And making the rounds in the internet marketing world is a subject line, “Bad news”. When the email is opened it says, “not really, everything is fine.”

And then there is this one from the Obama campaign. He built a lot of suspense surrounding his VP pick. And as CNN reported he sent out an email with the subject line, “Vice presidential …” Then the opening of the email read, “Just kidding” and went on to talk about his schedule.

Right now a “somewhere in the middle” example is running during the Olympics. The ad begins at an Olympic event in ancient Greece (tying into audience interest in Olympics). Then it has a discus thrower have his discus blown off course by bad gust of wind. The discuss hits the Parthenon causing it to crumble. Then comes the voice over saying, “Wind hasn’t always played a helpful role at the Olympic games. But today wind energy from G.E. is helping to power the Olympic games in Beijing, no matter which way the wind blows.”

Screw-Up #6: One-size-fits-all messages

More and more companies have large, unsegmented list (especially email list).

Instead of creating messages tightly targeted a one specific segment on the list, they feel they need to create messages that speak to everyone. As a result response, sales and profits are lost.

It’s okay to hone in on specific segments of your customer list and address their needs specifically in your copy. This becomes more important the more “general” your list is – for example, a company may have an email list that includes agents, brokers and managers and owners. Don’t try to create one message that appeals to all those groups. Go ahead, in your subject line and the copy that follows, talk to one group specifically and make an offer that will appeal to them alone – you’ll increase your response and your relevance. Put “Brokers Only: Recruiting Mistakes” in your subject line. Or “Referral Secrets of Millionaire Agents”.

The more specific you make your headlines and messages and offers to a specific segment (even if everyone on the list will see the message) the more results you create. Often this is counter-intuitive, but test after test has proven its impact.

Screw-Up #7. Substituting personal opinion with tested results

This is a big one…

It’s only natural, if we don’t like a style or mechanical device of writing we assume our readers won’t like it either.

Here’s the problem, often our likes and dislikes are not based on scientific studies, but on personal opinion and bias. Very often, the very things we like most, are proven to reduce response rates and the things we dislike most are the very things that would dramatically improve our results.

Here are a few (of dozens) of these biases I’ve seen damage copy..

1. “I don’t like bulleted points. Makes it look too salesy”
2. “Don’t mention problems or frustrations – it’s too negative”
3. “Those paragraphs are too short – it doesn’t look professional enough”
4. “I don’t like the word “secrets” – it doesn’t work anymore”.
5. “That’s too long – no one will read it”
6. “We shouldn’t ask for the business – it will hurt our reputation”.

In each of those cases, the personal opinion exactly wrong. Test after test have proven the opposite is actually true.

The truth is, we (me included) are all victims of biases that are hurting our results. There are two anecdotes. One, constantly test your assumptions in real world, scientifically valid, A/B split test or Multi-variate test. You will be surprised. Learn to enjoy being wrong. Second, get your hands on every scientifically validated marketing test you can. We need to steep our minds in reality and let it inform our creativity.

This piece of copy generated about 4000 leads in a few days.

In fact, so many people requested the PDF report offered that it crashed the companies servers.

When modified slightly, this headline and copy also pulled hard when modified placed in an online newsletter. It actually doubled response from previous ads placed in this newsletter.

I’m sharing it for a couple reasons…

#1. The headline breaks an oft quoted rule about not using questions.

#2. The headline touches on both pain and opportunity.

#3. This demonstrates the combined beauty of email marketing’s speed to capture a moment in time. Just 5 days earlier and this copy would not have worked. And now, after the first waves of this storm have crashed into the industry, it has lost its appeal. So, it’s a wonderful lesson in timing.

#4. It’s a great example of a lead-gen formula that has proven very effective for my clients – this email/ad generated the leads that supported about $200,000 in sales.

#6. I talk in the blog about principles – thought it would be nice to show you the principles at work.

Okay – Here it is… The $200,000 Lead-Gen Email…

MORTGAGE MELTDOWN OR $1.2 TRILLION OPPORTUNITY?

**60-plus lenders out of business since January
**2 million families predicted to lose homes to foreclosure by end of year
**100,000 jobs in industry to be lost
**Major accounting irregularities
**Stricter guidelines knocking more borrowers out of the market
**Just two days ago a major lender goes under and causes 100 point slide on Wall Street

(But for originators that know where to look, there are hidden loan and profit opportunities in the chaos that can boost your commissions to new heights in the next 3 months….)

Click Here to access the report.

Dear Concerned Originator,

The sub-prime meltdown is still sending shockwaves through our industry.

In fact, just 2 days ago a major lender toppled and sent Wall Street into a 100-point slide.

But, what you may not be aware of is that there are incredible opportunities in the market, right now, that can increase your loan production dramatically – if you know where to look.

That’s why we’ve prepared a special report for you. “Surviving the Meltdown”. In this brief, yet important report you’ll discover…

• How to get more referrals than ever from Realtors, Financial Planners and CPAs

• 5 “Action Items” that will dramatically boost your closed loans in the next 3 months

• What borrowers, past clients and referrals sources are craving right now

• How to be a HERO to your past clients and referral sources

• How to leverage the headlines and create the opportunity of a lifetime

• How to turn every loan into two loans

• And more…

In the months ahead one fact stands out: competition will be fierce!

The strategies you’ll learn in this report will allow you to quickly bring a fresh stream of quality leads and referrals into your pipelinein 30 days or less.

You can access “Surviving the Mortgage Meltdown” by clicking here now.

Sincerely,

John Smith

President,

P.S. Fact… Yes, there is going to be turbulence. Consumers are frightened. Heck, our whole industry is frightened. But you can be prepared and emerge as a hero to your clients and referral partners and grow your business by leveraging these hidden opportunities.

Access this report Now!

I hope this helps you craft breakthrough emails and lead gen letters of your own.

P.S. Doh! After a year, I’ve finally put some info in the “About” section of this blog — so, if you’ve been wondering who I am, what I’m about and how to contact me, you can view it here…http://www.copyideas.com/about

In just a minute you’ll discover…

• The 2500 secret for creating high-credibility – high-impact copy
• 2 ingredients you must have to create reader trust
• Is “this” hurting your response, sales and profits?

With the explosion of online copywriting there has also been an explosion of people screaming louder and louder to get attention and sales.

Claims and promises and headlines are exaggerated to the level of insanity.

I call it “Howler Monkey copy”.

The bad news is that the Howler Monkeys are causing today’s burned customers and prospects to develop the highest levels of cynicism and disbelief in history.

The good news is that there is an anecdote you can apply to your own copy and regain the trust and credibility.

It’s called “The Ethos Effect”.

Ethos is a Greek term used 2500 years ago by famed philosopher Aristotle. In his work on persuasion called “Rhetoric” he defined the three main weapons a persuader has at his disposal.

1. “Pathos”. This is the root word of “Passion”. It’s the benefits and emotional reasons someone should purchase your products or services. Push the passion too high and you get hype – and howler monkeys. But without pathos, copy is virtually ineffective.

2. “Logos”. This is “Logic”. Logic rarely is that persuasive on its own – but without logic, the emotion and passion of pathos become unbelievable. So, logical arguments reinforce emotional arguments. Both are essential.Emotion and logic are the two most known tools of persuasion today.

But there is a third ingredient that Aristotle emphasized that trumps both emotion and logic. And sadly, it is the least emphasized in the internet age.

3. “Ethos”. Ethos can be called Character. Aristotle noticed that the speakers with the highest Ethos were by far the most persuasive. High ethos creates high trust with an audience. Most family doctors have high ethos. And most used car salesman would have low ethos.

Two major elements make up ethos and both must be present for the speaker or writer to have ethos.

First is perceived “Expertise”. The sooner your audience or readers feel that you have tremendous expertise in a subject area, the higher your ethos rises.

The second element that creates high ethos is a belief in your readers or audience that you have their best interest at heart.

Here’s how these two elements of ethos work together…

Imagine you’ve just inherited $500,000. And it just so happens that your brother is new to the financial planning business. Does he have your best interest in mind? Yup. Do you know and trust him with your $500,000? We’ll pretend you do for this story.But…Does he have high ethos? Nope.

Why?

Because the important ingredient of expertise is missing. He’s brand-spanking-new to the business and you’re about to trust him with one of the biggest financial decisions of your life. You may work with him out of obligation, but you sure are going to have doubts.

Let’s turn it around. Let’s say you know a guy who’s a millionaire stock-broker. You see him driving his Lamborghini around town. Hear about the big parties he throws. But when you talk with him he wants big commissions every time he moves your money from one account to another. Hmmm….Does he have expertise? Yup. But does he have ethos? No.

Why?

He obviously knows the stock market. His success is evident. But does he really have your best interest in mind? Probably not.

This is why Aristotle emphasized that both expertise and the reader or audiences best interest had to be present for ethos to exist.

This is why endorsed marketing relationships are so powerful. Someone with a list of tens-of-thousands of customers who know and love him or her just mentions that your product is the bees-knees and they rush out and buy it. All it takes is a suggestion on their part.

But how do we create ethos – and hurt our ethos – in say a sales letter or sales presentation with a new prospect who doesn’t know and love us? That’s the rub.

First is the tone and voice of your writing. And unfortunately, this is the hardest to define with technique. It comes far more from the intent you have when you sit down to write.

Ask yourself the next time you sit down to write – do you know your subject cold? Do you truly have your readers best interest in mind – whether they buy or not?

You may not be aware of it when you sit down to write – but your intent will saturate your letter.

Next, watch the adjectives. Often I’ll go through a piece of copy and strip out the adjectives. Then go back and strengthen the nouns and verbs. You’ll discover it not only reduces the Howler-Monkey effect, but simultaneously increases the power of your copy.

Another common technique is to admit a small flaw in the product or service. This causes the reader trust to rocket.

Related is to admit that the product or service may not actually be right for the prospect. This takes guts and a lot of clients and copywriters recoil at the idea of actually suggesting the product may not be right for the prospect. Yet, it gives the ethos a strong boost.

There are two ways to use this technique. The most common use is near the end of the letter…

“Is this product right for you? Maybe, maybe not. If you will have to borrow the money and not make rent next month, you probably shouldn’t take advantage of this offer. I’d feel bad. And there are more critical steps you need to take first. On the other hand, if you looking to grow your business against tough competition…If you are frustrated because sales aren’t increasing even though you are pumping more and more money into advertising…Then…”

One of my favorite ways to use this technique is at the beginning of a letter or a sales call. It disarms prospects like nothing I’ve ever used. I used this technique to put together a multi-million joint venture between the leading publisher of self development programs and a famous marketeer. It sounds like this…

“Hello Jim … This may or may not make sense for your situation, but we’ve recently helped a few companies in your industry increase their sales by a million dollars in 6 months time. Again, I don’t know your business and this may make no sense – so I thought I could run the idea by you, let you kick the tires and then you tell me if it makes any sense to keep talking…”

Notice how the “maybe, maybe not” actually allows you to make a Big Fat Claim, yet have it come off very believable. Notice also how this opening gambit gives the prospect the feeling that he or she is 100% in control of the situation.

Here’s more ways to ramp up the ethos in your copy…

Remember that a key component of ethos is having the prospect’s best interest in mind. But the prospect when reading your sales letter is suspicious that you really have your own interest in mind. The best way to disarm this trust issue is the give them your motives, your reason why.

Read the sales copy of copywriting courses and you’ll find it full of “I’m doing this to give back to the profession that has given me so much” arguments. Offering a big discount – say why. Are them bumps and scratches that can barely be seen on the product? Did the dweeb in inventory control over-order on stock? Is your company faced with impending disaster? Put those elements in your copy and boost your ethos.

Another point…

Don’t stifle your personality. Cold impersonal corporate speak does not engender the feelings that I’m reading something written by someone who knows my problems and has my best interest in mind. Think about the power of the advertising that Dave Thomas created for Wendy’s. It was so effective that they’ve brought back his ads years after he passed away. Same with the Orville Redenbacher’s popcorn ads.

So, let your personality shine through.

Another great method to enhance your ethos is to educate and enlighten your prospects before moving into the hard sell. It proves your expertise dramatically right in front of the prospect.

Jay Abraham’s famous letter for his $5000 marketing courses were an education in themselves to the prospect.

Eugene Schwartz used this extensively as well. He often educated his prospects about the hidden cause of problems before moving into his sales presentation.

In one ad for speed reading, he gave a great primer in how to spend 5 minutes with the Sunday paper to enhance your child’s memory and comprehension – before he went on to sell the speed reading course.The advice he gave could be used instantly and required no purchase.

The more you can saturate your copy with “self evident” truths, the higher your ethos will climb. By starting your copy with what the reader already knows to be true, you can lead them to purchase your product: Politicians have their own interest in mind…Mortgage Lender’s are greedy…Stock brokers are interested only in their own commissions first…The very rich are lucky or ruthless…Etc.. You get the idea.

Finally, a fast track to ethos is to hate what the prospect hates. Nothing taps into a prospects values faster than hating what they hate. We can see this clearly in politics.

If your a Democrat – the mention of George Bush’s stammering ways is enough to raise millions. On the Republican side, the threat of Hillary-Care is enough to send millions of donor-dollars on their way though the mail.

And if you are pro Green, then the mention of Arnold’s Humvee set’s your heart to beating. On the other hand, if you think the “green thing” is a scam, well, the sight of someone crossing the street with a Green Peace poster may just cause you to press the accelerator on your Humvee down a little too fast…

Ethos is your ticket to higher trust, higher response and higher sales. Sprinkle a little into your next letter or presentation and enjoy the extra profits on me.

P.S. Doh! After a year, I’ve finally put some info in the “About” section of this blog — so, if you’ve been wondering who I am, what I’m about and how to contact me, you can view it here…

http://www.copyideas.com/about

One of the work horses in the copywriters stable is the Problem > Solution structure for organizing a sales argument.

So, I just finished studying several hundred ads on a search for standard problem > solution lead formulas.

Here are eight common problem > solution patterns I discovered in these ads.

I’ve categorized and arranged them from the most simple to the most complex. They also tend to follow a shortest to longest copy order. Though, I found many long copy letters and ads that lead with the shorter variations. You’re the artist. These are your paint colors. Use them as you will.

Note: In each case, I only take the format up to the mention of the solution. I figure you can bring the sale home from there with proper structure of proof, offers, bullets etc.

Simply State the Problem…

This lead opens with just one problem word – then immediately moves into selling the solution. You’ll see this format used extensively in small space ads.Examples:

Overweight? New doctor led discovery deep within Amazon Jungle may free you from unwanted pounds effortlessly! It began when Dr. Jackson was running from an attacking jaguar and became lost…

Weak in math? Master short cut math secrets in just weeks – only 10 minutes a day with this math wizards secret weapon…

Snoring? End snoring tonight with this new, dentist-invented device that doesn’t require painful, expensive surgery and cost just pennies a day…

Add Emotion to the Problem Statement

Depressed about your back taxes? Your just days away from relief when you discover the secrets this former IRS agent reveals that can set you free – for a small fraction of what you owe….

Frustrated by your gout? Now there’s a simple secret that will have you pain free in as little as 24 hours…

The Problem Flurry

If one problem is good – 3 or more may be better. It was very common to find ads and sales letters that led with a flurry of problems and symptoms. Often this device is used on a less targeted market – or a more complex problem that may have different symptoms for different people. Hey, and what could be more challenging than teenagers?

Are you becoming concerned with your teenager? Defiance …. Isolation… Temper-tantrums … Mood swings… They are all clues… Something is wrong and now you have to admit it. You’re losing your child to problems you are not able to deal with. The fact is your teenager may need more help than you able to give. Well, there’s hope. I say that because for 30 my practice has specialized in the unique challenges of teenagers…

Conditional Lead (Are you…Then… If…Then)

Are you tired of repainting ever couple years? Then you’ll love how our new ACME Plasti-Coat system can guarantee against fading, peeling or chipping for 30 years – the life of your mortgage. Here’s how this miracle of science works to keep your home looking beautiful year after year….

And here’s the famous Halbert lead…

If you are struggling with arthritis pain then this may be one of the most important letters you read in your life. Here’s why…

Identify the Customer Before Problem

For any copywriter who’s ever struggled with writers block…Here’s a simple system this million dollar a year, top gun, A-List copywriter uses to cheat his way to multi-million-dollar control killers.

The PAS Formula (Problem – Agitate –Solution)

Now we are going to start adding some complexity to the openings. One of the key elements master persuaders often add is to amplify and agitate the pain before getting to the solution. Here’s a few examples…

Do you have too much to read? In this age of information overload lead you’re not alone. Yet, not keeping up with the latest books and white papers could be serious and expensive mistake – often the ideas these books contain are available no where else. One idea can create a million-dollar-breakthrough. But how can you know which are worth reading–let alone find the time to read and analyze all of them?Fortunately, there’s a solution. It’s called Executive Summary. Here’s how it works…

The PCAS Formula (Problem >Cause> Amplify > Solution)

Now, let’s kick our lead up another notch by adding in the “hidden cause” behind the problem. Let’s let copy master, Eugene Schwartz show us how its done.Note: Not only does he grind the pain in, he piles problem on problem so as not to miss any possible problem related to the eyes… And he uses the same conditional opening favored by Halbert.

If you suffer from a single one of these torturous symptoms of weak eyes…bad eyes… failing eyes… Then these facts below may be the most important you have ever read in your life!

Because they reveal, for perhaps the first time in your life, how the muscles surrounding your eyes may have tricked you into following the agonizing symptoms: near sightedness…far-sightedness…a astigmatism…the inability to read without glasses…crossed eyes…

Easily fatigued eyes, and the headaches, tension, anxiety, insomnia, and bone weariness they so often cause…

And any other condition of the eye that causes you to be prisoner of glasses, where you are forced to watch your eyes weaken year after year, and go back to the doctor, year after year, for new glasses that are always thicker and thicker, stronger and stronger, uglier and uglier than the year before!

And everyone of these symptoms may actually be controlled…and then diminished…and then eliminated often by as little as this one simple insight into their hidden cause!

And that insight is this: If you suffer from any of the symptoms listed above, then you must understand at once that your eyes are not ill…they have not deteriorated…they have not lost their true power to see in any way!

What has happened to them instead is simply this: What has gone wrong with your eyes isn’t their lenses themselves, but the muscles surrounding them, that focus those eyes by lengthening or flattening them!

If these muscles are used properly, then your eyes are focused and corrected…

The Hero’s Quest

This variation pops up a lot in “story copy”. But works just as well in other forms as well. Notice how it combines many of the elements of the previous formulas… pain and amplification, the discovery the hidden cause of the problem, etc.. But then ads in another element – the “hail mary” and the “quest” – how much pain, trouble and trial it took to discover the solution.Here’s a few variations I ran across. First, one selling socks for runners…

I like everything about running – except when my feet sweat. It really bothers me. I’m embarrassed to take shoes off – my feet are sloshing around while I’m running — the smell.

I’ve tried different shoes, I’ve tried powders, I’ve tried vitamins. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on possible solutions but nothing ever made a bit of difference.

So I decided to solve the problem myself. Over the course of 3 years I conducted 500 different test and experiments. I spent thousands of hours researching, talking with doctors, with shoe designers, with research centers. All told I spent over $1 million dollars and had my home equity line maxed.

Finally, on my 501′st experiment, I discovered a secret that ended my sweating, sloshing feet forever… I put “windows” in the socks… Here’s how this amazing invention will end your sweat and embarrassment forever…

Here’s another variation…

Despite the paradise-promises of many “get rich with copy” peddlers, the truth is that only 3% of copywriters actually earn over $100,000 a year.

That’s right, just 3%!

But get this…

The very top of those 3% just don’t earn $100,000 a year – but a half million and more.

They work with dream clients that respect them – and hand them the plumb, high-probability assignments. They get the speaking requests and recognition… they have the life style of working from home while raking in multi-million dollar royalties. And they have the time (and money) to travel in style around the world with their families and friends.

Here’s the truth: There are 3 skills that set these top producers apart (and above) the rest of their peers. So, what’s the real difference between a $100,000 a year copywriter and a $1 Million a year copywriter?

1) They aren’t better copywriters…They are better negotiators.

2) They aren’t better copywriters…They are better marketers.

3) They aren’t better copywriters…They are better “cherry pickers”.

Look, these skills aren’t rocket science. You can master them.. and I’m going to introduce you to a resource that will help you…

But here’s a warning: If you don’t master these skills, you will be replaced by rising competition and be relegated to struggling to get by while watching the lucky few live the life of your dreams…

Fortunately, you can quickly and easily pick up these three critical skills from a series of exclusive, behind-closed-doors interviews I conducted with 7 Million-Dollar-A-Year copywriters.

These interviews will turn upside down everything you think you new about writing copy. For example, in the first interview you’ll hear how…

And here’s one more Hero’s quest for better eyesight…

Bob was desperate about his eyesight. For years his vision had been getting worse. He went to specialist after specialist. They were no help. Glasses didn’t help. In fact, he discovered they actually made his eyesight worse.

It got so bad his eyes were under constant strain – causing headaches, irritability with coworkers and his family.

Then a friend told him about a Chinese doctor who specialized in vision problems using an ancient healing technique. Bob scoffed at the idea. But after a few days broke down and decided to give the doctor a visit because nothing else had worked.

Amazingly, in just 3 months the strain was gone. The headaches were gone. And Bob could see a sparrow blink at 200 yards!

What was the Chinese Doctor’s secret?

There you have them…8 formulas for quickly creating a problem > solution lead that captures your readers attention and moving them into the sales copy. Next time your stuck for an opening–I invite you to use these formulas.

If you are looking for more ideas like those in this article…. May I suggest you take a look at this “Paul Revere” secret for boosting response and this Secret for taking out your competitors products and services in 30 seconds.

P.S. Doh! After a year, I’ve finally put some info in the “About” section of this blog — so, if you’ve been wondering who I am, what I’m about and how to contact me, you can view it here…

http://www.copyideas.com/about

Announcing: The Secret Formula You Can Use To Position Yourself as “The Expert” and Knock Your Competitors Out Of The Game in 30 Seconds (without sounding like an arrogant bastard)

I’ve never made this strategy public before, but have taught it to private clients over the years.

This formula can be used on everything from cars to fur coats to plumbing to high-dollar consulting, even copywriting.

And it’s an easy way for you to create a USP and differentiation for yourself or a client. It forces your mind to think of the unique advantages that you alone bring to your clients.

So, here it goes, public…

Meet the “Exclusivity Funnel”.

The Secret Power Of The “Exclusivity Funnel”

Before revealing the Exclusivity Funnel, let me first cover two critical aspects of influence psychology that give this secret formula its power. Then I’ll give a broad overview of the Exclusivity Funnel and how it works.

Here we go…

Influence Fact One: All people go through an almost unconscious series of steps before making a purchase of any consequence.. We search for a solution to a problem, create a set of options for comparison, and narrow the options down to a single choice and then take action. We all do it. It can happen in seconds or take weeks. But we all move through that mental sequence when making a purchase decision.

The power of the Exclusivity Funnel is it uses the natural “narrowing down” phase to your advantage, as you’ll see in a moment.

Influence Fact Two: Consumers are skeptical. More than ever today. When a product or person makes bold claims of superiority over all others, you and I put up our mental guard. Our first instinct is to dis-believe. “Yea right”. “Prove it”. “You and everyone else”. Those are the thoughts that instinctively come to mind when we hear a product or person bragging.

The Exclusivity Funnel paces this instinct in your prospects. It admits the truth – there are other great providers of this product or service out there. And gives them what they want – a reason to choose you or your products.

The Exclusivity Funnel Formula

It works like this…

1.First you state the facts about the market in the most general terms.

2. Then you narrow the field down a bit using whatever criteria you select.

3. Then you narrow it down to only you or your product based on whatever your unique advantage or USP is.

Let’s use a local loan originator as an example. They sell a commodity product and there are lots of them – so they have trouble making themselves stand apart. Watch how easy it is to separate themselves from the pack, professionally, using the Exclusivity Funnel…

(Step one) “Right now, there are about 200 originators here in Sunnyville.”

(Step two) “Out of those, 7 really do a great job for their clients and I would be comfortable recommending them.”

(Step three) “But to my knowledge, I’m the only lender who spends a minimum of two-hours doing an in-depth analysis of your long range financial objectives, tax issues, investing strategies and more in order to give you a loan that fits like a glove with your goals for retirement.”

Remember, what you “funnel” down to can be anything that you feel is a real benefit to the client and a unique strength of yours.

Let’s say you are a copywriter your funnel may look like this…

“There are probably thousands of copywriters out there today. But, there are 3 who specialize in web copy that are really very good. But to my knowledge I’m the only one that has brought his clients over $10 Million in sales this year.”

Okay, so maybe you haven’t made your clients 10 Million this year – you can use any criteria you want to narrow the funnel – maybe your local “I’m the only web copywriter who is local so you can meet face to face with the person who will be projecting your online image to the world.” Or you offer a unique guarantee. “Or you specialize in a niche.” Or you have a unique process by which you craft your killer copy.

Let’s look at how an automobile company used it so you can see how versatile this formula is. The criteria you select for your Exclusivity Funnel is only limited by your imagination. As you’ll see in this car example – you can rig the criteria anyway you want.

As you read this example taken from a TV commercial, imagine hearing it in the voice of a pompous British guy (Set up: The scene opened with about 7 luxury brands all driving down the highway. As he talked through the funnel, the cars faded from the road).

If you take all the luxury cars off the road who don’t have side impact air bags… Then take away all those who don’t have ample trunk space… And finally, eliminate those fine automobiles that don’ have on-board navigation systems… There is only one luxury car left on the road… It’s the 1999 X14 RoadStar.

It should be clear to you that what the advertisers are doing is setting the funnel up in their favor. They “rig” it to highlight their unique differences. You should do the same thing.

All of us have something unique about how we do business. These are important reasons clients would truly want to do business with you – if they only knew that you offered a unique option.

But hiding your exclusive uniqueness or coming right out and bragging are not going to give you the upper hand on competitors. However, you can professionally, and smoothly, knock a competitor out of the game in about 30 seconds using the Exclusivity Funnel.

Copyright 2007 Robert Stover