If you’re in sales—as we all are every day, in one way or another—you’ve undoubtedly dealt with skeptical buyers. And Ivan Levison, the dean of direct mail communicators, has come up with ways to address their entirely natural and normal skepticism in your email and other marketing collateral.
Here are his four great tips. (Note that the language of the tips is his; the comments are my own words.)
Explain what you are not.
You should probably assume that your prospect “harbors some doubts about your offer”—if not actually giving it the serious side eye.
So allay suspicion with directness. As in “No, this is not your father’s … This is the real deal and here’s why.”
Give them the facts.
Don’t mess around. Even the best-intentioned people these days have the attention span of a gnat, so get to the point quickly.
For those of us concerned with the flow and coherence of our message, Mr. Levison offers an excellent tip. Use bullet points for the facts you want to present, introduced by a couple of quick sentences that help tie everything together.
Tell them to “see for themselves.”
Reinforce your credibility by suggesting that prospects check out your allegations instead of just taking your word for the wonderfulness of your widget.
Suggest a visit to your website, offer a free trial, or invite them to a webinar. If you’re selling something prospects can trial, I’d certainly suggest that. It’s faster and more direct.
Make a personal promise.
As Mr. Levison says, “If you believe in your product, lay your own credibility on the line.”
Remember George Zimmer of Men’s Wearhouse? “You’re gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it” worked for a long time.
I love these tips. I think they’re eminently practical and helpful to the busy marketing professional. Interestingly, there are four of them. A Harvard Business Review article has written about using an odd number of points when you want to be persuasive. That is, use three bullet points or five, not an even number. If you subscribe to this view, which of these tips would you drop?
Leave a Comment