061 These 4 Sales Principles Can Improve Anyone’s Writing
In spite of being a literary snob, one who turned up his nose at anything that smacked of business … when I was first introduced to the world of direct-response copywriting … I fell in love.
I fell in love with the thought of using my writing to influence and persuade people. I also fell in love with the idea of getting rich. (I wanted to be a wealthy snob).
But the road between loving it and actually writing with great skill (and making obscene amounts of money) is a long one.
And I had one particular painful road block that made my journey way longer than it really should have been: I was the poet, but certainly not “the killer” …
The killer is what David Ogilvy called the creative who could sell. And it begins by understanding four principles of selling.
In this 8-minute episode you’ll discover:
- Ogilvy’s famous three line phrase about selling
- The only purpose of advertising
- Who you should pretend your copy is like
- What you have to do before you sell a product or idea online
- Whether jokes can help you sell or not
The Show Notes
These 4 Sales Principles Can Improve Anyone’s Writing
Voiceover: This is Rainmaker.FM, the digital marketing podcast network. It’s built on the Rainmaker Platform, which empowers you to build your own digital marketing and sales platform. Start your free 14-day trial at RainmakerPlatform.com.
Demian Farnworth: Howdy dear podcast listener. This is Rough Draft, your daily dose of essential web writing advice. I am Demian Farnworth, your host, your muse, your digital recluse, and the Chief Content Writer for Copyblogger Media.
And thank you for sharing the next few minutes of your life with me.
In spite of being a literary snob, one who turned up his nose to anything that smacked of business … when I was first introduced to the world of direct-response copywriting … I fell in love.
I fell in love with the thought of using my writing to influence and persuade people. I also fell in love with the idea of getting rich. (I wanted to be a wealthy snob).
I’ve since outgrown that crush.
But the road between loving it and actually writing with great skill (and making obscene amounts of money) is a long one.
And I had one particular painful road block that made my journey way longer than it really should have been: I was the poet, but certainly not the killer …
Ogilvy’s Famous Three Line Phrase About Selling
The killer is what David Ogilvy called the creative who could sell. I always thought selling would be beneath me. But as Dan Pink explains in his 260 page book, “To Sell Is Human.”
I quote: “And nearly 70 percent reported that they spent at least some of their time persuading or convincing others. What’s more, non sales selling turned out be far more prevalent than selling in the traditional sense.”
In other words, to quote Ogilvy again, “Sell or else.”
But as a new copywriter I wanted what I wrote to sound so good that people would cock their heads, grin, and say, “Boy, you are clever!”
In other words, I wanted my ego to get stroked because of my creativity.
But I didn’t write effective copy until I humbled myself and became that killer. At least pretended to be that killer.
And I didn’t become that killer until I understood a few key principles of selling … principles that translate well to just about any kind of writing.
So that’s what we are going to do today. Let’s explore those together.
Principle One – The Only Purpose of Advertising Is to Sell
Advertising is nothing more than a planned and purposeful neglect of everything except making the sale.
This means you need to include things in sales copy that support that plan — exalting benefits, building trust, overcoming objections.
Discard anything that doesn’t achieve those purposes. If you walk away from this episode with only one lesson, let it be this: Good advertising is defined by actual money earned.
Principle 2 – Treat Sales Copy Like a Salesman
Since your single goal is to make the sale, treat your copy like a salesperson and evaluate it on performance.
Does it sell or doesn’t it? If it sells, keep it and attempt to squeeze even more out of it. If it isn’t selling, fire it.
Here’s the thing. A salesman can only sell to one person at a time. Sales copy can sell to thousands at a time.
The corollary to that truth is that a bad salesman can only harm your company a little. But bad advertising can harm your company a lot. Reeves thing about bad advertising …
Principle 3 – Sell in Person First
When I was 14, I was offered a job as a canvasser for a home-improvement company. The guy who offered me the job was very friendly. I was going to work with a close friend, too. But I never showed up for my first day.
When I was 18, I took a job selling newspaper subscriptions. It was a trial run. I was supposed to call 100 people. I called two people. I was supposed to work eight hours. I took the offer to leave — without pay — after four.
It wasn’t until I was in my third or fourth year as a professional that I sold anything. Over the phone. And I spent two weeks as the customer service manager. It was difficult — but very rewarding. It’s being in the hot seat … thinking on your feet … that cuts a potent copywriter.
Before you try to sell your product online with sales copy … try to sell it in person first.
Principle 4 – Use Copy that Would Help a Salesman
Now that you have had experience at selling … use what you learned to help you sell in print.
Would telling a joke help a salesman? Possibly. Would sharing the benefits of a product help? Absolutely. Would identifying with the customer’s pain point help a salesman? Yes. Would showing empathy help? Definitely. Would an example of social proof help? Yup. What about trotting out an authority? Indeed.
Closing Note
Let me close with this: Don’t think of your audience — think of her.
When it comes to selling online, you are not in a conference room (with a chandelier) working a crowd of one hundred … or a crowd of ten thousand. When you sit down to write, picture yourself selling to one person.
You need to woo her and her alone.
A salesman does the same thing. He works on one customer at a time. Sure, he may be juggling a handful of prospects. But he never addresses these prospects as a group. He focuses on each prospect individually.
The best salesman and the best copywriter are both unapologetic students of the customer and product.
A good copywriter digs into the customer’s history, her likes, and dislikes. He studies her friends, her habits. He drills her with questions, bounces ideas off of her. He spends a great deal of time listening and a good deal time of shutting his mouth. He never objects to what she says, but finds everything fascinating.
And then he studies the product. He looks for the angle — the hook — that will attract the attention of his customer, stir her desire, and build her interest in the product or the content as if she feels that the product was made for her — and her alone, so not purchasing or reading or listening seems rather silly.
Great sales copy isn’t going to impress your writing professor. It probably isn’t going to win any awards.
What it will do, however, is persuade people to buy your products, hire you, and listen to your ideas. And make you an obscene amount of money — if you are into that kind of thing, of course.