by procopywriter » Sun Jan 25, 2009 8:04 pm
I second the nod to Ben.
Ben, I've been reading your blog for some time now. Great work! You were one of the key inspirations for upgrading my static site to a WordPress platform recently so I can blog on a daily basis.
Now... To add a contribution to the excellent replies to jsawvel's question...
Selling in print is LIKE selling in person, but it's not the same thing. Selling in print is far less effective at closing the deal for the very reason you pointed out.
As you mentioned, when you sell in person you have the opportunity to get feedback from the prospect and find out first-hand what motivates him and what benefits he cares about, etc.
That's why sales professionals can get 25-50% or more closing ratios. Those kind of closing ratios in print are virtually unheard of.
Most marketers measure response in terms of 1-2% if they've done a really good job of targeting the right offer to the right market in the right way.
The best you can hope for is to gauge what the MAJORITY of your customers find important... to deal with the MAJOR objections... etc.
Think of it as averaging out to the least common denominator. That's why your sales letter should be as focused as possible toward the tightest possible niche or target market.
That way, you have certain known variables you can work with.
All that said...
Once you've selected a target you're going after, speaking with them one-on-one is one of the best ways to "get inside their head" and find out what's important to them.
Just as you alluded to in your original post, you can craft a more focused sales message if you've actually had a chance to speak to and get to know members of your target audience.