3 Steps To Better Sales Copywriting

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 by: J.L. Reid

Whether you’re wet-behind-the-ears or a seasoned copywriter, your craft will benefit by remembering one thing:

You’re nothing more than a salesperson.

There’s an old saying in the “business” that, “a
copywriter is a salesperson sitting in front of a typewriter.” True,
few of us are using typewriters these days. The principal, however,
remains unchanged.

We’re in sales. I know this. You know this. We all know
this. Yet why does much of the copy out there, especially ads produced
by expensive agencies, seem to miss the point?

If all we’re doing is sales, albeit transmitted through a written or broadcast medium, then we’d better know what we’re doing.

Starting the process

While studying creative writing, I learned this
storytelling maxim: every character has a motive for being in a scene.
The same is true in a sales situation.

The salesperson’s motive is simple. He wants to make the
sale and get his commission. But what does the potential customer want?

First, what type of customer are they? Are they ready to
make an immediate buy? Are they information shopping, looking for a
great deal? Are they even looking for our product or service?

Ask Questions, then Shut-up and Listen

When selling to prospective customers ask questions that
get them to reveal their needs. It’s a mistake to sell the product on
the tip of your tongue. “Model X” might work, but if you listen you
might discover that the more expensive “Model Z” is what the customer
really needs.

Once you know why the prospect is there--whether they
have an unresolved need, an emotional reason for buying, or they’re
just shopping around--tailor your pitch to their specific reason.

Now when you make the pitch, tell how your product
benefits the customer, rather than rattling off product features you
think he cares about.

When You’re Finished, Close the Door

By this point your spiel should be unforced. You know the customer’s “hot-buttons” so everything should be smooth sailing.

After you’ve explained the last product benefit, you (as
the salesperson) are obligated to close the deal. The way you do that
is simply to ask, “Are you ready to make your decision?” or “Is this
the product you’d like to buy?”

Hopefully the answer is yes. If not, then you ask, “When would you be ready to make your decision? Can I contact you then?”

What Does This Have to Do with Copywriting?

Remember, you’re nothing more than a salesperson. So you, so while writing copy, you should go through similar steps.

1. Qualify the prospect. How you write your copy, and the
ratio of hard selling to information-based soft selling, will change
with the medium you’re working in. But the first thing your copy should
do is state outright what business you’re in and what you’re selling.

If your pitch is too vague, if it’s implied, or it
depends on prior knowledge for comprehension, then your prospect might
never realize he needs what you’re selling.

2. Sell Benefits, not Features. I’ve heard many sales
trainers say, “It’s not about you, it’s about them.” That’s golden
advice. The best way to apply this idea to your copy is by focusing on
your product’s benefits.

A sports car’s features might be power steering, fast
acceleration, and fuel efficiency. The benefits of that same car to a
man a mid-life crisis, however, are the social status and appearance of
youth it gives him. Which reason, the benefits or the features, would
cause him to buy?

In a face-to-face sales environment it’s easy to ask for
a specific customer’s needs. When writing sales copy you can create the
same rapport by being customer-centered. To do this, write in the
second person, or “You” voice. If your copy repeatedly says your
company does this, or your product does that, you’re being
self-centered. Your prospect won’t see himself benefiting from your
product.

3. Close the Deal. I can’t count how often I’ve read a
brochure, watched a commercial, or visited a website and had no clue
about what I was supposed to do.

Always end your copy with a Call-to-Action.

Tell the customer exactly what you want him to do. This
isn’t the time to be cute, so be exact. Do you want him to call you?
Click a “Buy This” button? Make a donation? Tell your customer, or else
he won’t do anything.

When asked what I do I usually say I’m a freelance
marketing and publicity copywriter. I’m might revise the statement to,
“I’m a freelance sales copywriter,” because that’s what it all comes
down to: sales. Whether your copy creates a direct response or creates
publicity and general awareness of your company, if you don’t sell you
might as well not be in business.

About the Author

J.L. Reid is a freelance marketing—er—freelance sales copywriter based in Raleigh NC. Visit his website, www.reidwrite.com, to learn more about his services.

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