by Raydal
10 replies
Early in my online copywriting career I would always find
myself on the defensive when on the phone with clients. It
seemed that I always had to prove my worth to get the job ..
always on the defensive.

I never thought about it that way really, just that I knew
95% of my telephone contacts resulted in me not getting the
job.

Later I noticed that the potential clients I spoke to on the
phone had a different attitude. I notice that they were now
on the defensive and wanting to know if I WOULD TAKE THEM ON
AS CLIENTS!

So what made the big difference ... INTIMIDATION.

You see, when you are trying to get the sale then you end up
pushing away the client. When you are willing to walk away
from the sale then it puts you in a position of power.

And here is how I use the strategy of intimidation on my
website:
(*Note: If I think that your product or service sucks, then
I'll not take on your project. Excellent copy can improve
your sales but not the quality of what you are selling. I
only write for clients with high quality products with a
hungry target market. If I think that you are trying to sell
sand in the desert, I'll decline to work with you.)

Also keep in mind that you may be the expert in your
business, BUT I'm the expert on SELLING your products and
services. If you can't live with that relationship then
better not use my services.

.....I just don't have time to waste with clients who
question my every judgment and know all the answers to the
questions they are asking me. I'm highly selective of who I
choose to work with. If you know that you are hard to get
along with, then please find another copywriter to work with
and don't waste my time. (Sorry to be so blunt, but that's
the plain truth!)
Can you see why when a prospect actually calls me after
reading my site they are already qualified because they now
have to PROVE why I should work with them.

Before I had this type of language on my site I will get all
kinds of 'losers' and scammers calling me. Those who
wanted to get my services for nothing. Now I get more
qualified clients--the 5 figure kind!

ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS OF MAKING THE SALE IS TO TELL
THE PROSPECT THAT YOU DON'T NEED THE SALE!!

You can do this by ...

1. Limiting the number who can get your product.
2. Raising the price.
3. Reminding them that you are already making money. (People
hate to give money to the 'poor' but love to give their
money to people who already rich! Beats me, but it's human
nature--don't try to work against it, instead let it work
for you.)
4. Using a deadline.
5. Make it exclusive--only a few would buy. "This may NOT
be for you"

Try it.

-Ray
#i dont need you
  • Profile picture of the author Rezbi
    That's similar to the article I posted on my blog. You can check it out in my sig. file.

    Only recently I turned someone away who actually begged me to write for him.

    He sent me several emails. The last one even said he'd pay me £1500GBP just to write a simple letter.

    I turned him down because I didn't like the way he works.

    So, you're right. If you show desperation, people actually look down on you.

    But the opposite is true if they see you're not desperate for their business. Then they chase you.
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  • Profile picture of the author Baadier Sydow
    I agree with you completely and I used the same approach in my business. I increased the price in comparison with my competitors and because that, many businesses looking for something "simple" cant afford my rates. I do have customers walk away because of price and getting a "better deal" but did they really get a better deal.

    I make my mark in the sand and stick with it too. I don't compromise on my business decisions.
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    • Profile picture of the author Mark Andrews
      Banned
      Simple strategy - brilliantly genius.

      Thank you Raydal.

      Much appreciated.

      Kindest regards,


      Mark Andrews
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  • Profile picture of the author Alex Cohen
    Originally Posted by Raydal View Post

    ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS OF MAKING THE SALE IS TO TELL
    THE PROSPECT THAT YOU DON'T NEED THE SALE!!

    You can do this by ...

    1. Limiting the number who can get your product.
    2. Raising the price.
    3. Reminding them that you are already making money. (People
    hate to give money to the 'poor' but love to give their
    money to people who already rich! Beats me, but it's human
    nature--don't try to work against it, instead let it work
    for you.)
    4. Using a deadline.
    5. Make it exclusive--only a few would buy. "This may NOT
    be for you"

    Try it.

    -Ray
    Good example of take-away selling Ray. Thanks for sharing it.

    For those eager to try it, however, please realize that this tactic does not work in a vacuum.

    A potential client has to be already convinced that you can help them achieve the results they're looking for. If they're not, the tactic will not work.

    Alex
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  • Profile picture of the author markpocock
    People want what they can't have.

    Mark
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  • Profile picture of the author Raydal
    Now let me share another version of this same basic
    feature of human nature.

    For one of my products I first used the normal download
    page with a funny extension that you couldn't guess
    as the "thank you" page. I decided later to place the download
    page behind a membership script so the customer would
    have to log in to get the product. I noticed after doing
    this that refunds practically disappeared.

    My theory is that the product seemed "less available"
    within a membership site than a simple download page.

    There could be other factors but since the product
    did not change I assumed that the customer attached
    more value to it because it was now more secure
    behind a membership script.

    Try this and see what happens.

    -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author Steve Hill
    This tactic works very well in almost any negotiation.

    As a seller, it puts you in charge of the transaction, since the buyer must obtain your approval.

    As a buyer, it works equally well. The buyer that is willing to walk away often gets the best deal.
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    • Profile picture of the author Shadowflux
      I don't even think it's intimidation as much as it is confidence. People like other people who are confident, it's just a simple rule about human nature. Confidence also helps support an image of professionalism. The more confident you are, the more professional you will seem.

      I remember when I first started working for myself. I didn't have a lot of confidence and that showed through when I explained my work to other people. I would get weird looks and people would tell me I should look for "a real job". Later on, when I became more confident, I realized that people were really interested in listening to me and they were more impressed by the things I said.
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      • Profile picture of the author Raydal
        Originally Posted by Shadowflux View Post

        I don't even think it's intimidation as much as it is confidence. People like other people who are confident, it's just a simple rule about human nature. Confidence also helps support an image of professionalism. The more confident you are, the more professional you will seem.
        "Intimidation" as used there is more of a technical word as
        applied to sales letter writing, not the usual meaning of the
        word.

        It's more in the line of Robert Ringer's use of the word in
        his popular book "Winning Through Intimidation"

        And some people can find confidence intimidating.

        -Ray Edwards
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  • Profile picture of the author eugenedm
    Excellent tip. I should use that in my business, too. It only goes to show you're a topnotch copywriter who would only work for people who have the best products/services.
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