Can you remember the last dozen advertising messages beamed
at you today? Can you remember even one of them? Most people
can't.
This illustrates the biggest obstacle you need to overcome
to successfully promote YOUR product or service. You must
capture your prospect's attention in the first few seconds
or your sales message will be ignored. This is especially
important on the Internet where a visitor can simply click
away from your website forever.
Here are 4 proven techniques you can use to quickly capture
a prospect's attention. They apply to all media including
the Internet.
1. MAKE A DRAMATIC STATEMENT
Did you ever write a headline for an ad, web page or other
sales message? You probably used a dramatic statement. It's
the most obvious way to get someone's attention. For
example:
"Lose 8 Pounds In The Next 2 Weeks Without Dieting"
"My Doctor Uses These Nutritional Products"
"Double Your Sales And Reduce Your Advertising Expenses
TIP: Your dramatic statement will be most effective when it
describes a major benefit for your prospect.
2. SURPRISE THEM WITH SOMETHING UNEXPECTED
Unexpected surprises always attract attention. It's often
negative attention caused by something going wrong. But you
can also use an unexpected surprise to attract positive
attention. It happened to me last week.
The office supply company I use sent me a letter announcing
an automatic $50 deduction off my total bill for this month.
I immediately placed an order for items I wasn't planning to
buy for another month or two. I even stocked up on several
items I normally buy elsewhere. Their unexpected surprise
got my attention and generated a large order during a month
I hadn't planned to order anything.
3. ASK A PROVOCATIVE QUESTION
I once saw a direct mail letter that began with the
question, "If you're such a smart executive why aren't you
making a six figure income?" Not many executives could
resist reading that letter, especially if they weren't
making a six figure income.
Provocative questions startle your prospects and compel them
to find out more. Here are 2 more examples of provocative
questions:
"Why are you paying so much for your health insurance?"
"Do you really expect to get rich working for somebody else?"
4. GET PERSONAL
Personalization also attracts immediate attention. Your
personalization can be individualized or group oriented.
Use INDIVIDUALIZED PERSONALIZATION when you're communicating
directly with one person by email, postal mail, telephone,
etc. Use your prospect's name. It's the number one attention
grabber. Merge it into the subject line and the opening line
of your email message. Do the same in your postal mail.
Include other personal information you know about them. But
be careful not to overdo it.
You can personalize with a name when you're communicating
directly with one prospect. But how can you get personal
with a prospect visiting your web site, reading your ad or
listening to your radio commercial?
Use GROUP ORIENTED PERSONALIZATION when you're NOT
communicating directly with one person. You can get personal
by referring to known characteristics of prospects in your
targeted market. For example, use phrases like:
"When you started your business..." for business owners.
"Your favorite NFL team..." for sports fans.
"Every mother knows..." for women with children.
Group Oriented Personalization isn't as effective as using a
person's name. But it still attracts attention because your
prospect can react with, "that's me".
Take some time today to plan how you can use these four
proven techniques to attract more attention to your sales
messages. The results will probably surprise you. So will
the increase in your sales and profits.
About the Author
Bob Leduc is a Sales Consultant with 30 years experience in
generating low-cost leads. He recently wrote a manual for
small business owners, "How to Build Your Small Business
Fast With Simple Postcards", and several other publications
to help small businesses grow and prosper. For more info:
Email: BobLeduc@aol.com Subject: "Postcards"
Phone: 702-658-1707 After 10 AM Pacific Time/Las Vegas, NV