Jul

Sold! The ONE Question That Guarantees a Sale

By Sid

It’s a simple question, really. As a B2B copywriter, or any kind of copywriter, you shouldn’t ignore it.

It’s something at which pitchmen like the recently departed and beloved Billy Mays was an absolute pro in answering.

And yet… few businesses even bother to look at the question, let alone put forth any effort in answering the question. Those who do answer the question only do so half-heartedly, as if it’s a stupid question.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s also the toughest questions to answer, particularly for a new company or business. I’ve struggled with it myself. But answer this question well, and you’ve handled at least 50% of the sales conversion process.

Case in point:

I was invited to review a demo of some new SEO software. The software looked fantastic – easy to use, comprehensive analytics, and helpful advice. All the features were there… everything, except the answer to this one lingering question…

“Will it really do what you say it does?”

Watch some of Billy Mays’ ads. You’ll see that he does two things within the first 30 seconds:

1. He clearly identifies the problem.

2. He demonstrates that his product solves the problem.

Back to the SEO software for a second…

When I did a search for “SEO software”, the new software I reviewed was nowhere to be found. Granted, they’re new. But haven’t they been in development for the past year (or more)? You’d think they would have been using their software and expertise to get into the top 10 for their primary keyword phrase.

Yes, it’s one of the more competitive keyword phrases, but NOT seeing them anywhere near the top 10 raises some doubts at an unconscious level, even if my conscious mind can rationalize the fact that they’re new.

Your prospects buy – or not – based on these unconscious signals… a fact that Billy Mays new well. He knew that he had to quickly dispell any doubt that the product would handle the toughest stain, hold an elephant by a thread, or do any other kind of miraculous thing.

Even if consciously the prospect is saying, “that’s bogus,” on an unconscious level, he’s saying “that’s really cool.”

This is what I found in the number one position in Google for “SEO software”:

Note their claim. Do I believe them? In the immortal words of a retiring governor, “You betcha!”

Don’t underestimate the power of demonstration, and I don’t mean a “demo” of your product or software that shows how it works. I’m talking about a real, live demonstration (ala Billy Mays) that proves your product DOES work. It does what you say it does.

And that gives me an idea…

Starting next week, I’ll be reviewing the top SEO Software tools, using their Google ranking as part of the equation of whether or not they do what they say. I’ll separate out the tools that “tell you what’s wrong” from those that help you to improve your search engine ranking.

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