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Member You - Psychological Tricks in Selling
Quality is intentional not accidentalAll of us want to create and present great PowerPoint shows, but how do we know if we have achieved our goal? In trying to define quality in PowerPoint we are tempted to echo the famous 1964 statement of Justice Potter Stewart regarding what constitutes obscenity: "I know it when I see it." A substantial degree of subjectivity persists in any attempt to be definitive, yet we can all agree on a few essentials: your slides must be readable, clear, and memorable for PowerPoint to be effective.In keeping with these essential principles, here are four rules to follow to improve the quality of your PowerPoint.1. Remember less is moreOne of the most common mistakes people make in designing their own PowerPoints is trying to get too much information on a single slide. Here's a good rule of thumb: if your presentation consisted of a written-out script, consider each paragraph of that script to be a separate slide. Then, summarize that paragraph into three or four lines, omitting all of the articles ("a" or "the") and as many forms as possible of the verb "to be."For example, let's say the summary statement of a paragraph of your script is: "Unexpected noise is a distraction—please turn off the cell phones you brought or set them on the silent mode now." Your slide might read: "Avoid distractions. Please mute your phone now." The text on your slide serves to remind you of what you are going to say; it is not your word-for-word script. If you have ever seen and heard a presenter read word for word from a PowerPoint, you know how boring it inevitably becomes.2. Back away from the edgePowerPo
search the Internet for any references to your product or
service. Find an article that alludes to your product being
of value. For example, let's say you sell black T-shirts.
You find an article by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
that says "bees are attracted to bright colored clothing".
Your copy: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture that says my
T-shirts protect you from attack by stinging insects."
Most advertising using the authority principle is taken out
of context and exaggerated. Some advertising uses totally
fake authorities. "My dog biscuits are recommended by the
International Association of Dog Nutritionists" (an
organization I started last week). Some advertising uses a
"study" as an authority. "A recent study found that my
lemonade tastes better than any other brand" (my mother
liked it better).
I don't recommend that you use a fake organization, a fake
study, or take information out of context or exaggerate,
but if you can locate a legitimate authority or study
related in any way to your product and quote it without
exaggeration, you will have a powerful authority message.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 6: Greed
Greed involves taking advantage of many peoples belief that
there is a secret short cut to wealth. They believe that
wealthy people didn't earn their wealth, instead they know
a "secret".
Note: I am not recommending that you use the principle of
greed because it is used by unethical scammers. I'm simply
informing you of it's existence in order to make this series
of articles complete.
The simplest method of using the principle of greed is the
chain letter. You have no doubt received a chain letter at
some point. A chain letter contains a chart specifying the
massive amounts of money the recipient will get when they
follow the instructions. The first instruction is to send
money.
The multi-level or network marketing scheme works similar
to a chain letter. The prospective recruit gets a chart
showing the massive amounts of money they will receive when
they join the network. After parting with their money, the
victim is instructed to con their friends and relatives
into joining.
Another method of using the principle of greed is the
lottery or casino. The odds of winning most l
Creating and managing a business budget for any business is the key to a successful business organization. Budgeting is the one of the most effective tool for investing in your business' future. A business budget is a overall plan to:~ manage and control expenses. ~ make certain you have enough funds available for future projects and work. ~ meet objectives. ~ feel confident about financial decisions.The benefit of planning a proper business plan is the power to manage profits more responsibly and securely. A business budget will also allow the ability to monitor your company's performance. The business budget is a potent way to discover problems before they come about. Additional benefits include the increase and the motivation of your staff and improve your decision making skills.Money-saving tips & ideas for business operations:1. Keep receipts of every expense you pay out. Later that can be 'written off' at tax time making your business taxes lower and more manageable. Prepare to pay business taxes ahead of time and hire an professional accountant whenever possible. Accountants know of 'tricks and secrets' of the trade when filing taxes, that you may not be aware of, which in the end could save you thousands of dollars in taxes.2. Set aside a specific amount of money first as a float, in a separate savings account for the business, and then pay the other expenses. Doing this will help you in the future if any emergencies arise. The money will already be there to cover the extra expenses.3.If your business requires shipping of physical products, choose FedEx shipping. Obtain a business account (generally the most savings come with a business account
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----------------------------------------------------------
Psychological Tricks in Selling
By Stephen Bucaro
In this article, I'm revealing six powerful secret
psychological tricks that you can use to increase the
effectiveness of your advertising and marketing. What if
you don't sell anything? Should you ignore this information?
You ARE selling something. Whether you are a Real Estate
agent selling multi-million dollar homes, or a worker trying
to sell your boss on the idea that you are a valuable
employee, everybody is selling something. So it would be
wise to learn these secret tricks and use them to achieve
your own personal success.
The secret psychological tricks that I am going to reveal
are not really secret. They have been used by shrewed
salesman for millenium. Their existence was revealed back
in 1984 by Dr. Robert Cialdini in his book "Influence : The
Psychology of Persuasion".
You will recognize these tricks being used everywhere in
advertising today. Now you will be able to put them to use
to enhance your own personal success.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 1: Reciprocity
Reciprocity works like this: you give someone something of
value for free. That individual feels an obligation to
return the favor. Reciprocity is a very powerful principle.
To use reciprocity as a marketing tool, you give people
something of value for free, they reciprocate by purchasing
your product or service. But you would be surprised how
many advertisers totally blow it. Either they don't
understand the concept of "free", or they don't have total
faith in the principle of reciprocity.
For example, consider the offer "get a free camera when you
subscribe to our magazine for two years." That's not free.
Or, "free installation with a one year commitment." That's
not free. The customer is paying with an obligation. No sale.
Consider the offer,"receive the latest issue of our
magazine absolutely free. No bill will be sent." If the
prospective customer finds the magazine to be of value,
they feel an obligation to subscribe. Or, "one month of
free Internet service. No credit card required." If the
Internet service performs well, the prospective customer
feels an obligation to sign up.
The trick is to create something that has high perceived
value to a prospective customer, but costs you little or
nothing to produce. Free information is a good example.
Here again many advertisers totally blow it. The free
information turns out to be nothing more than blatant
advertising.
Free samples of your product or service is another good
example. Again, many businesses blow it. They either
produce a cheaper version of their product to use as free
samples, or they use the free sample campaign as a means
to dump reject product.
The largest Internet Service Provider is well known for
giving away hundreds of hours of service for free. No
credit card required. The largest cookie company is famous
for giving away free cookies. Reciprocity is a very powerful
marketing strategy.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 2: Scarcity
Scarcity works like this: There is a limited amount of the
item available. After those are gone, the item will not be
available. "urgency" implies Scarcity. For example, "this
offer will be honored only for a limited time".
The effectiveness of the scarcity principle is well
demonstrated by the large segment of the population involved
in pursuing antiques, collectibles, and memorabilia simply
because these items are scarce. Scarcity is often contrived,
as when a company produces a "limited edition".
For example, when Disney releases a limit edition of one of
its classic stories - yes, limited to a production of more
copies than they could ever possibly sell - then it goes in
the "vault". And how fortunate we'll be a few years from
now when they decide to do us the favor of taking it back
out of the vault.
Note: Manufactured items, especially DVDs and CD-ROMs,
cannot be "scarce". It's a simple matter to put the
manufacturing dies back into production. All scarcities of
manufactured items are contrived.
One popular incarnation of scarcity is the "going out of
business sale". Customers somehow don't pick up on the
fact that the mark-downs are not that great, or that the
store has new merchandise coming in the back door to take
advantage of the increase in traffic.
Scarcity is a very powerful marketing tool. There are many
ways to contrive scarcity. You can create a limited edition,
or for items like information products, scarcity can exist
in the form of urgency by creating a limited time offer.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 3: Commitment
Commitment involves getting a prospective customer to take
a tiny step towards a goal. For example, you might get them
to request free information, or fill out a survey. When the
prospective customer takes that first step, they have made
a commitment, however tentative, towards the goal you have
set out for them. They are likely to take another step.
One example of this process is the "two step" method used
in mail order. When a mail order marketer runs an
advertisement, they don't even try to sell the product.
Instead, the advertisement offers free information. A
prospective customer makes that first commitment towards
purchasing the product by requesting the free information.
The free information they receive is designed to entice
them to take the next step.
Another example of using commitment as a marketing tool is
a survey. By checking a few boxes and answering a few
questions, a prospective customer takes that first step
towards a commitment. The result they receive from the
survey is designed to entice them to take the next step.
Yet another example of using commitment as a marketing tool
is a lottery. For example, people enter their name and
address on a ticket for a chance to win a new car. A
salesman uses that information to contact them. By entering
their name and address on the lottery ticket, the individual
has made a commitment to own that new car.
The most common example of the principle of commitment are
those long-winded full page advertisements in magazines.
The prospective customer invests a great deal of time
reading through the entire advertisement. That investment
of time represents a commitment. They are likely to take
the next step, responding to the advertisement.
To use the psychological power of commitment in your
advertising, don't try to sell your product or service in
your ad. Instead, use a survey, contest, or free information
to get a prospective customer to make that first step
towards a commitment to purchase your product.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 4: Consensus
Consensus involves getting prospective customers to believe
that "everybody's doing it". Everybody is just waiting in
line to purchase your product. Everybody can't be wrong, so
the product must be fantastic!
Of course you're smart enough to know that everybody CAN be
wrong. Everybody thought that SUVs were safe vehicles (they
roll over). Everybody thought Enron was a great investment
(it went bankrupt). Everybody thought Iraq had weapons of
mass destruction (well maybe not everybody). You're an
independent thinker.
Here are some examples of headlines using the consensus
principle: "It's the new sensation crossing the country",
"People are signing up in droves", "People just can't get
enough of them", "Record sales", "Unbelievable response!"
and "Join millions of smart consumers". Combine this with
a stock photograph of a large group of people, a long line
of people, or a crowd of people, and you have a powerful
consensus message.
Note: Many people don't think they're having fun unless
they're in a large, noisy crowd. Unfortunately, every
large crowd contains a few lunatics. When things go wrong,
the crowd stampedes and people get hurt, or killed. When I
see a large crowd, I head the other way.
Fortuately, most people are not independent thinkers. They
act like a herd of cattle. Use the consensus principle in
your advertising, and people, like lemmings headed for the
sea, will come in waves to buy your product.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 5: Authority
Authority involves getting prospective customers to believe
that someone who is knowledgeable or famous uses your
product or service. If a knowledgeable or famous person uses
your product, then it must be fantastic!
The bigger the authority, the more powerful the advertising
message will be. For example, doctors are authorities. "Most
doctors prescribe Tylenol for arthritis pain". Large
organizations are authorities. "The National Heart
Association says - Quaker oatmeal is good for your heart."
The Federal Government is an authority. "The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration says whole wheat bread is part of a
complete diet". If only we could think of a way to use God
as an authority!
Here's how to use the principle of authority in advertising:
search the Internet for any references to your product or
service. Find an article that alludes to your product being
of value. For example, let's say you sell black T-shirts.
You find an article by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
that says "bees are attracted to bright colored clothing".
Your copy: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture that says my
T-shirts protect you from attack by stinging insects."
Most advertising using the authority principle is taken out
of context and exaggerated. Some advertising uses totally
fake authorities. "My dog biscuits are recommended by the
International Association of Dog Nutritionists" (an
organization I started last week). Some advertising uses a
"study" as an authority. "A recent study found that my
lemonade tastes better than any other brand" (my mother
liked it better).
I don't recommend that you use a fake organization, a fake
study, or take information out of context or exaggerate,
but if you can locate a legitimate authority or study
related in any way to your product and quote it without
exaggeration, you will have a powerful authority message.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 6: Greed
Greed involves taking advantage of many peoples belief that
there is a secret short cut to wealth. They believe that
wealthy people didn't earn their wealth, instead they know
a "secret".
Note: I am not recommending that you use the principle of
greed because it is used by unethical scammers. I'm simply
informing you of it's existence in order to make this series
of articles complete.
The simplest method of using the principle of greed is the
chain letter. You have no doubt received a chain letter at
some point. A chain letter contains a chart specifying the
massive amounts of money the recipient will get when they
follow the instructions. The first instruction is to send
money.
The multi-level or network marketing scheme works similar
to a chain letter. The prospective recruit gets a chart
showing the massive amounts of money they will receive when
they join the network. After parting with their money, the
victim is instructed to con their friends and relatives
into joining.
Another method of using the principle of greed is the
lottery or casino. The odds of winning most lo
Your advertising plan should be a vital part of your marketing plan. You have an excellent service or a useful product and you need to let people know what you have to offer! People learn about your business through advertising. Because successful advertising is creative and innovative, the creative person has a distinct advantage in developing an effective strategy.Advertising can be expensive, so you must be specific in identifying the objectives of your plan. Each home-based business is unique, but the fundamental objectives for advertising should include creating a public awareness of your business, reaching new customers, increasing sales and profits and being cost effective.The first step is to define potential customers in the geographic area served by your business. Do some preliminary surveys and some interviews to determine which means of advertising will reach them. What newspapers do they read? Which radio stations do they listen to? Do they use discount coupons? Do they respond to direct mail? Tailor your advertising efforts to your market.When you know which audience you want to reach and where you want the information to appear, you must look at the various methods of advertising available to you. Advertising methods differ according to medium, complexity, target audience and cost. Some forms of advertising are more effective for a home-based business than others.1. Newspaper advertising can be effective for a small business. A relatively large number of people can be reached through a classified ad. Display ads are more costly and should be placed in the newspaper section read by your market. The cost of your ad will vary according to the circulation areas and the freque
they feel an obligation to subscribe. Or, "one month of
free Internet service. No credit card required." If the
Internet service performs well, the prospective customer
feels an obligation to sign up.
The trick is to create something that has high perceived
value to a prospective customer, but costs you little or
nothing to produce. Free information is a good example.
Here again many advertisers totally blow it. The free
information turns out to be nothing more than blatant
advertising.
Free samples of your product or service is another good
example. Again, many businesses blow it. They either
produce a cheaper version of their product to use as free
samples, or they use the free sample campaign as a means
to dump reject product.
The largest Internet Service Provider is well known for
giving away hundreds of hours of service for free. No
credit card required. The largest cookie company is famous
for giving away free cookies. Reciprocity is a very powerful
marketing strategy.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 2: Scarcity
Scarcity works like this: There is a limited amount of the
item available. After those are gone, the item will not be
available. "urgency" implies Scarcity. For example, "this
offer will be honored only for a limited time".
The effectiveness of the scarcity principle is well
demonstrated by the large segment of the population involved
in pursuing antiques, collectibles, and memorabilia simply
because these items are scarce. Scarcity is often contrived,
as when a company produces a "limited edition".
For example, when Disney releases a limit edition of one of
its classic stories - yes, limited to a production of more
copies than they could ever possibly sell - then it goes in
the "vault". And how fortunate we'll be a few years from
now when they decide to do us the favor of taking it back
out of the vault.
Note: Manufactured items, especially DVDs and CD-ROMs,
cannot be "scarce". It's a simple matter to put the
manufacturing dies back into production. All scarcities of
manufactured items are contrived.
One popular incarnation of scarcity is the "going out of
business sale". Customers somehow don't pick up on the
fact that the mark-downs are not that great, or that the
store has new merchandise coming in the back door to take
advantage of the increase in traffic.
Scarcity is a very powerful marketing tool. There are many
ways to contrive scarcity. You can create a limited edition,
or for items like information products, scarcity can exist
in the form of urgency by creating a limited time offer.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 3: Commitment
Commitment involves getting a prospective customer to take
a tiny step towards a goal. For example, you might get them
to request free information, or fill out a survey. When the
prospective customer takes that first step, they have made
a commitment, however tentative, towards the goal you have
set out for them. They are likely to take another step.
One example of this process is the "two step" method used
in mail order. When a mail order marketer runs an
advertisement, they don't even try to sell the product.
Instead, the advertisement offers free information. A
prospective customer makes that first commitment towards
purchasing the product by requesting the free information.
The free information they receive is designed to entice
them to take the next step.
Another example of using commitment as a marketing tool is
a survey. By checking a few boxes and answering a few
questions, a prospective customer takes that first step
towards a commitment. The result they receive from the
survey is designed to entice them to take the next step.
Yet another example of using commitment as a marketing tool
is a lottery. For example, people enter their name and
address on a ticket for a chance to win a new car. A
salesman uses that information to contact them. By entering
their name and address on the lottery ticket, the individual
has made a commitment to own that new car.
The most common example of the principle of commitment are
those long-winded full page advertisements in magazines.
The prospective customer invests a great deal of time
reading through the entire advertisement. That investment
of time represents a commitment. They are likely to take
the next step, responding to the advertisement.
To use the psychological power of commitment in your
advertising, don't try to sell your product or service in
your ad. Instead, use a survey, contest, or free information
to get a prospective customer to make that first step
towards a commitment to purchase your product.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 4: Consensus
Consensus involves getting prospective customers to believe
that "everybody's doing it". Everybody is just waiting in
line to purchase your product. Everybody can't be wrong, so
the product must be fantastic!
Of course you're smart enough to know that everybody CAN be
wrong. Everybody thought that SUVs were safe vehicles (they
roll over). Everybody thought Enron was a great investment
(it went bankrupt). Everybody thought Iraq had weapons of
mass destruction (well maybe not everybody). You're an
independent thinker.
Here are some examples of headlines using the consensus
principle: "It's the new sensation crossing the country",
"People are signing up in droves", "People just can't get
enough of them", "Record sales", "Unbelievable response!"
and "Join millions of smart consumers". Combine this with
a stock photograph of a large group of people, a long line
of people, or a crowd of people, and you have a powerful
consensus message.
Note: Many people don't think they're having fun unless
they're in a large, noisy crowd. Unfortunately, every
large crowd contains a few lunatics. When things go wrong,
the crowd stampedes and people get hurt, or killed. When I
see a large crowd, I head the other way.
Fortuately, most people are not independent thinkers. They
act like a herd of cattle. Use the consensus principle in
your advertising, and people, like lemmings headed for the
sea, will come in waves to buy your product.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 5: Authority
Authority involves getting prospective customers to believe
that someone who is knowledgeable or famous uses your
product or service. If a knowledgeable or famous person uses
your product, then it must be fantastic!
The bigger the authority, the more powerful the advertising
message will be. For example, doctors are authorities. "Most
doctors prescribe Tylenol for arthritis pain". Large
organizations are authorities. "The National Heart
Association says - Quaker oatmeal is good for your heart."
The Federal Government is an authority. "The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration says whole wheat bread is part of a
complete diet". If only we could think of a way to use God
as an authority!
Here's how to use the principle of authority in advertising:
search the Internet for any references to your product or
service. Find an article that alludes to your product being
of value. For example, let's say you sell black T-shirts.
You find an article by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
that says "bees are attracted to bright colored clothing".
Your copy: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture that says my
T-shirts protect you from attack by stinging insects."
Most advertising using the authority principle is taken out
of context and exaggerated. Some advertising uses totally
fake authorities. "My dog biscuits are recommended by the
International Association of Dog Nutritionists" (an
organization I started last week). Some advertising uses a
"study" as an authority. "A recent study found that my
lemonade tastes better than any other brand" (my mother
liked it better).
I don't recommend that you use a fake organization, a fake
study, or take information out of context or exaggerate,
but if you can locate a legitimate authority or study
related in any way to your product and quote it without
exaggeration, you will have a powerful authority message.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 6: Greed
Greed involves taking advantage of many peoples belief that
there is a secret short cut to wealth. They believe that
wealthy people didn't earn their wealth, instead they know
a "secret".
Note: I am not recommending that you use the principle of
greed because it is used by unethical scammers. I'm simply
informing you of it's existence in order to make this series
of articles complete.
The simplest method of using the principle of greed is the
chain letter. You have no doubt received a chain letter at
some point. A chain letter contains a chart specifying the
massive amounts of money the recipient will get when they
follow the instructions. The first instruction is to send
money.
The multi-level or network marketing scheme works similar
to a chain letter. The prospective recruit gets a chart
showing the massive amounts of money they will receive when
they join the network. After parting with their money, the
victim is instructed to con their friends and relatives
into joining.
Another method of using the principle of greed is the
lottery or casino. The odds of winning most l
Relationships are based on trust—not just romantic relationships, or doctor/patient relationships, but practically any relationship, even the one with your auto mechanic.That's why the absolute worst thing a financial planner can do in their relationship with a reporter—especially a new relationship—is to give them false information.Remember, they think of you as a subject matter expert. Someone they can turn to again and again for concise, intelligent and accurate explanations for financial planning matters that they don't understand. If you mislead them, even if it's unintentional, you lose all credibility--and all chances for publicity.It is an especially egregious mistake to make with a reporter, because they have a relationship with their readers. If they print the false information that you gave them, it gets into the hands of thousands of people.When the mistake is caught (and it will be) the reporter has to print an embarrassing correction or retraction. Believe me, your number will be gone from their Rolodex in an instant.If you are not sure of the answer to a reporter’s question, say these words: "I'm not sure, let me check." This sentence is the only acceptable response. Winging it will invariably get you in trouble. Tell the reporter you’ll look into it, and call back soon.
advantage of the increase in traffic.
Scarcity is a very powerful marketing tool. There are many
ways to contrive scarcity. You can create a limited edition,
or for items like information products, scarcity can exist
in the form of urgency by creating a limited time offer.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 3: Commitment
Commitment involves getting a prospective customer to take
a tiny step towards a goal. For example, you might get them
to request free information, or fill out a survey. When the
prospective customer takes that first step, they have made
a commitment, however tentative, towards the goal you have
set out for them. They are likely to take another step.
One example of this process is the "two step" method used
in mail order. When a mail order marketer runs an
advertisement, they don't even try to sell the product.
Instead, the advertisement offers free information. A
prospective customer makes that first commitment towards
purchasing the product by requesting the free information.
The free information they receive is designed to entice
them to take the next step.
Another example of using commitment as a marketing tool is
a survey. By checking a few boxes and answering a few
questions, a prospective customer takes that first step
towards a commitment. The result they receive from the
survey is designed to entice them to take the next step.
Yet another example of using commitment as a marketing tool
is a lottery. For example, people enter their name and
address on a ticket for a chance to win a new car. A
salesman uses that information to contact them. By entering
their name and address on the lottery ticket, the individual
has made a commitment to own that new car.
The most common example of the principle of commitment are
those long-winded full page advertisements in magazines.
The prospective customer invests a great deal of time
reading through the entire advertisement. That investment
of time represents a commitment. They are likely to take
the next step, responding to the advertisement.
To use the psychological power of commitment in your
advertising, don't try to sell your product or service in
your ad. Instead, use a survey, contest, or free information
to get a prospective customer to make that first step
towards a commitment to purchase your product.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 4: Consensus
Consensus involves getting prospective customers to believe
that "everybody's doing it". Everybody is just waiting in
line to purchase your product. Everybody can't be wrong, so
the product must be fantastic!
Of course you're smart enough to know that everybody CAN be
wrong. Everybody thought that SUVs were safe vehicles (they
roll over). Everybody thought Enron was a great investment
(it went bankrupt). Everybody thought Iraq had weapons of
mass destruction (well maybe not everybody). You're an
independent thinker.
Here are some examples of headlines using the consensus
principle: "It's the new sensation crossing the country",
"People are signing up in droves", "People just can't get
enough of them", "Record sales", "Unbelievable response!"
and "Join millions of smart consumers". Combine this with
a stock photograph of a large group of people, a long line
of people, or a crowd of people, and you have a powerful
consensus message.
Note: Many people don't think they're having fun unless
they're in a large, noisy crowd. Unfortunately, every
large crowd contains a few lunatics. When things go wrong,
the crowd stampedes and people get hurt, or killed. When I
see a large crowd, I head the other way.
Fortuately, most people are not independent thinkers. They
act like a herd of cattle. Use the consensus principle in
your advertising, and people, like lemmings headed for the
sea, will come in waves to buy your product.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 5: Authority
Authority involves getting prospective customers to believe
that someone who is knowledgeable or famous uses your
product or service. If a knowledgeable or famous person uses
your product, then it must be fantastic!
The bigger the authority, the more powerful the advertising
message will be. For example, doctors are authorities. "Most
doctors prescribe Tylenol for arthritis pain". Large
organizations are authorities. "The National Heart
Association says - Quaker oatmeal is good for your heart."
The Federal Government is an authority. "The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration says whole wheat bread is part of a
complete diet". If only we could think of a way to use God
as an authority!
Here's how to use the principle of authority in advertising:
search the Internet for any references to your product or
service. Find an article that alludes to your product being
of value. For example, let's say you sell black T-shirts.
You find an article by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
that says "bees are attracted to bright colored clothing".
Your copy: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture that says my
T-shirts protect you from attack by stinging insects."
Most advertising using the authority principle is taken out
of context and exaggerated. Some advertising uses totally
fake authorities. "My dog biscuits are recommended by the
International Association of Dog Nutritionists" (an
organization I started last week). Some advertising uses a
"study" as an authority. "A recent study found that my
lemonade tastes better than any other brand" (my mother
liked it better).
I don't recommend that you use a fake organization, a fake
study, or take information out of context or exaggerate,
but if you can locate a legitimate authority or study
related in any way to your product and quote it without
exaggeration, you will have a powerful authority message.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 6: Greed
Greed involves taking advantage of many peoples belief that
there is a secret short cut to wealth. They believe that
wealthy people didn't earn their wealth, instead they know
a "secret".
Note: I am not recommending that you use the principle of
greed because it is used by unethical scammers. I'm simply
informing you of it's existence in order to make this series
of articles complete.
The simplest method of using the principle of greed is the
chain letter. You have no doubt received a chain letter at
some point. A chain letter contains a chart specifying the
massive amounts of money the recipient will get when they
follow the instructions. The first instruction is to send
money.
The multi-level or network marketing scheme works similar
to a chain letter. The prospective recruit gets a chart
showing the massive amounts of money they will receive when
they join the network. After parting with their money, the
victim is instructed to con their friends and relatives
into joining.
Another method of using the principle of greed is the
lottery or casino. The odds of winning most l
Marketing is essentially project management. A marketing plan consists of several projects designed to promote your small business using various methods. There are five basic steps to follow when putting together your marketing plan that will ensure you get the most marketing bang for your buck.Step One: Marketing Goals The first step is to write down the marketing goals you have for your small business. Whether it be increasing sales by 10%, releasing a new product, or improving online sales, you should write down all of your goals.Once you've got everything written downs, go over each goal and make sure it is realistic (do you have the staff to service 10 new clients?), if not, revise.Step Two: Set Your Marketing Budget Before you can plan how to achieve your goals, you've got to know who much you can invest in the methods you'll use. Be realistic about your budget and don't spend more than you'll make back; there are plenty of low cost ways to market. But, DO invest in marketing, it will pay-off. If you're not willing to spend money on your small business' success, you devalue your products or services. Plus, if customers forget about you, they don't buy from you.Step Three: Evaluate Marketing Methods There are many ways to market your small business. In his book, The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Business, Jay Lipe shares a list of what he calls marketing "vehicles." His list includes (Taken from The Marketing Toolkit for Growing Businesses, by Jay Lipe, 2002): Newspaper Ads Magazine Ads Yellow Pages Television Ads Cable TV Ads
towards a commitment to purchase your product.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 4: Consensus
Consensus involves getting prospective customers to believe
that "everybody's doing it". Everybody is just waiting in
line to purchase your product. Everybody can't be wrong, so
the product must be fantastic!
Of course you're smart enough to know that everybody CAN be
wrong. Everybody thought that SUVs were safe vehicles (they
roll over). Everybody thought Enron was a great investment
(it went bankrupt). Everybody thought Iraq had weapons of
mass destruction (well maybe not everybody). You're an
independent thinker.
Here are some examples of headlines using the consensus
principle: "It's the new sensation crossing the country",
"People are signing up in droves", "People just can't get
enough of them", "Record sales", "Unbelievable response!"
and "Join millions of smart consumers". Combine this with
a stock photograph of a large group of people, a long line
of people, or a crowd of people, and you have a powerful
consensus message.
Note: Many people don't think they're having fun unless
they're in a large, noisy crowd. Unfortunately, every
large crowd contains a few lunatics. When things go wrong,
the crowd stampedes and people get hurt, or killed. When I
see a large crowd, I head the other way.
Fortuately, most people are not independent thinkers. They
act like a herd of cattle. Use the consensus principle in
your advertising, and people, like lemmings headed for the
sea, will come in waves to buy your product.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 5: Authority
Authority involves getting prospective customers to believe
that someone who is knowledgeable or famous uses your
product or service. If a knowledgeable or famous person uses
your product, then it must be fantastic!
The bigger the authority, the more powerful the advertising
message will be. For example, doctors are authorities. "Most
doctors prescribe Tylenol for arthritis pain". Large
organizations are authorities. "The National Heart
Association says - Quaker oatmeal is good for your heart."
The Federal Government is an authority. "The U.S. Food and
Drug Administration says whole wheat bread is part of a
complete diet". If only we could think of a way to use God
as an authority!
Here's how to use the principle of authority in advertising:
search the Internet for any references to your product or
service. Find an article that alludes to your product being
of value. For example, let's say you sell black T-shirts.
You find an article by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
that says "bees are attracted to bright colored clothing".
Your copy: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture that says my
T-shirts protect you from attack by stinging insects."
Most advertising using the authority principle is taken out
of context and exaggerated. Some advertising uses totally
fake authorities. "My dog biscuits are recommended by the
International Association of Dog Nutritionists" (an
organization I started last week). Some advertising uses a
"study" as an authority. "A recent study found that my
lemonade tastes better than any other brand" (my mother
liked it better).
I don't recommend that you use a fake organization, a fake
study, or take information out of context or exaggerate,
but if you can locate a legitimate authority or study
related in any way to your product and quote it without
exaggeration, you will have a powerful authority message.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 6: Greed
Greed involves taking advantage of many peoples belief that
there is a secret short cut to wealth. They believe that
wealthy people didn't earn their wealth, instead they know
a "secret".
Note: I am not recommending that you use the principle of
greed because it is used by unethical scammers. I'm simply
informing you of it's existence in order to make this series
of articles complete.
The simplest method of using the principle of greed is the
chain letter. You have no doubt received a chain letter at
some point. A chain letter contains a chart specifying the
massive amounts of money the recipient will get when they
follow the instructions. The first instruction is to send
money.
The multi-level or network marketing scheme works similar
to a chain letter. The prospective recruit gets a chart
showing the massive amounts of money they will receive when
they join the network. After parting with their money, the
victim is instructed to con their friends and relatives
into joining.
Another method of using the principle of greed is the
lottery or casino. The odds of winning most l
If you've been on the internet for any length of time, you've probably seen thousands of ebooks, courses, and other types of tutorials on just about any topic that you can imagine.The problem with a lot of these courses and ebooks businesses are giving away are junk. They don't contain any real information. Many are nothing more than blatant sales pitches.Although it may seem like a waste of time to create a course when this technique seems to be so overused, have you ever considered that this could be a way to sell more of your products and services?Although the market seems to be flooded with courses, ebooks, and tutorials, there's alway room for this material provided it's high quality.What is key is creating a course or ebook, or some other type of tutorial is to offer some real choice information nuggets your readers don't know.Although you can create a course, ebook, or tutorial out of others' articles, this isn't really a good idea unless you can find really valuable, and useful, content.If you decide to go this route, you'll need to do some research. There are plenty of top notch article directories where you can find articles to create your course:Ezine Articles - http://www.ezinearticles.com Go Articles - http://www.goarticles.comBoth of these article directories are general article directories and contain plenty of articles on just about any topic.If you can't find enough quality articles to create your course, then you may want to consider more specialized article directories.You can find find article directories here:Directory of Article Directories - http://www.directoryofarticledirectories.com/ - Although this is a
search the Internet for any references to your product or
service. Find an article that alludes to your product being
of value. For example, let's say you sell black T-shirts.
You find an article by the U.S. Department of Agriculture
that says "bees are attracted to bright colored clothing".
Your copy: "The U.S. Department of Agriculture that says my
T-shirts protect you from attack by stinging insects."
Most advertising using the authority principle is taken out
of context and exaggerated. Some advertising uses totally
fake authorities. "My dog biscuits are recommended by the
International Association of Dog Nutritionists" (an
organization I started last week). Some advertising uses a
"study" as an authority. "A recent study found that my
lemonade tastes better than any other brand" (my mother
liked it better).
I don't recommend that you use a fake organization, a fake
study, or take information out of context or exaggerate,
but if you can locate a legitimate authority or study
related in any way to your product and quote it without
exaggeration, you will have a powerful authority message.
Psychological Selling Trick Number 6: Greed
Greed involves taking advantage of many peoples belief that
there is a secret short cut to wealth. They believe that
wealthy people didn't earn their wealth, instead they know
a "secret".
Note: I am not recommending that you use the principle of
greed because it is used by unethical scammers. I'm simply
informing you of it's existence in order to make this series
of articles complete.
The simplest method of using the principle of greed is the
chain letter. You have no doubt received a chain letter at
some point. A chain letter contains a chart specifying the
massive amounts of money the recipient will get when they
follow the instructions. The first instruction is to send
money.
The multi-level or network marketing scheme works similar
to a chain letter. The prospective recruit gets a chart
showing the massive amounts of money they will receive when
they join the network. After parting with their money, the
victim is instructed to con their friends and relatives
into joining.
Another method of using the principle of greed is the
lottery or casino. The odds of winning most lotteries are
about the same whether you buy a ticket or not. A casino
allocates only a tiny portion of it's customers money to
winnings in order to create the illusion that the odds of
winning are good. Many people don't understand statistics.
In their mind, the phrase "win a million dollars" translates
into "get a million dollars".
Another example of the principle of greed is the business
opportunity scam. We know it works because successful
scammers invest millions to run business opportunity
infomercials, and they make hundreds of millions in profits.
They prey on people who believe there is a secret short cut
to wealth. The scammers think people who fall for their
scam are stupid, lazy, and greedy, so they deserve to get
ripped off.
The way to use the principle of greed is to contrive a
"secret plan". Run an ad describing how the plan requires
absolutely no work to make massive amounts of money. Include
a few bogus testimonials and a legitimate looking chart
that shows the massive amount of money the plan will bring.
Some scammers include pictures of fake checks or fake bank
statements.
Never divulge any details of the plan in the ad. The
prospective customer is required to send money to get the
plan. The typical plan instructs the purchaser to run the
same scam.
The principle of greed is very powerful. People who have
been ripped of by this scam a thousand times before will,
like hypnotized zombies, send you their money. They think
THIS TIME they will receive the REAL secret plan.
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