My late father was a very successful manufacturer’s sales rep. I learned a lot from him about how to connect with a prospective buyer and initiate conversations. Often, he would repeat one of his favorite lessons: Never confuse the buyer.

People are overwhelmed with information and too often, a business will throw everything plus the kitchen sink into their offers.

Only give them a few choices. And whatever you’re selling, make your preferred choice clear.

Invest In Understanding Your Prospective Buyer

How well do you know your prospects and their problems? I mean really understanding their frustrations and challenges.

Here’s where most businesses miss the mark with their sales copy. They so badly want to marry a prospective buyer to their solution that they rush through the “getting to know you” phase.

Let’s face it. No one wants to be rushed through the “getting to know you” phase. It often makes a person feel used or treated as just a number.

The “getting to know you phase” should be a nice mixture of you explaining how you understand their challenges because you also were in the same spot. Go into detail regarding how other vendors fall short of a buyer’s expectations. Dig deep into those irritations. Let your prospective buyer you know how they feel.

This is critical. A prospect needs to resonate with your message. But without empathy for their pain, there’s little chance that will occur. So, you need to invest your time in researching your target market’s challenges, frustrations, and pain in order to set up your solution in your copy.

First, you need to describe the pain.

Then you pour salt into the wound. I know… I know… it sounds awful but your prospect needs to realize they’re listening to someone who’s been around the block a few times when it comes to their problem.

They need to be reminded of the annoyances and inconveniences they endure when it comes to tolerating the problem.

Do they want to continue being frustrated with their current status? Or switch to a better solution?

It’s been said that most people will make a change to avoid pain rather than gain pleasure. This is why you need to pour salt in the wound. You need to remind your prospect of how much their losing—and what they’re losing—by not deciding to fix the problem.

For instance, let’s take plumbing. Say a prospective customer has an ongoing leak that he’s been able to fix with little more than chewing gum and duct tape. It’s not a long-term fix, and worse, it could damage his home.

So instead of bragging about how many years you’ve been in the plumbing industry, start your copy by focusing on the leak—and what it could be costing him:

• The time involved to always address the problem
• Not finding a way to permanently fix the problem
• The potential of long-term… and expensive-to-repair damage down to his home (floors, foundation, etc.)

It’s a hassle to deal with plumbing problems. Good sales copy will first identify such problems and then detail how those problems turn out to be big headaches for the homeowner.

Only after emphasizing the problem and painting a clear picture of how that problem negatively impacts the buyer, are you now ready to present your solution.

The Prospective Buyer Checklist: Good, Better, Best

The number three is extremely attractive when it comes to offering a selection of choices. If you have too many choices, your prospect becomes confused. And as the sales adage goes… a confused mind never buys.

If you only have two choices, it also can leave your prospect wanting something either a little more or a little less than the two options. Like Goldilocks, they’re searching for that “just right” fit.

The reigning formula is the 3-part choice. Usually, the lower cost choice is placed on the left, where most people start reading. Then the middle choice is often positioned as the “best value.” Finally, the last choice is the “Cadillac Version.” It has all the bells and whistles for those who want everything.

If you’re a professional service provider such as a lawyer, CPA, or financial planner, consider adding more access to you as a benefit for your “best” choice. You’re likely not going to be available for everyone who signs up for the other two choices, but for those willing to pay more, they get more of your attention. It’s a very fair exchange since your time is limited.

Paint a Picture for the Buyer: The Consequences of Inaction

Make sure to emphasize that the consequence of making NO choice is to remain stuck and unsatisfied. Your solution is the best and for growth/profit/peace of mind. The clear choice is to choose you.

For those who are on the fence about their decision, it’s a good approach to explain in detail the consequences of inaction. Just as the beginning of any sales copy works hard to connect with the reader, the section where you’re challenging them to make a choice should also connect emotions to their decision to either address their problem or sweep it under the rug.

Focusing on the painful results of indecision can be helpful. People’s thoughts are often scattered and it’s easy to forget their inconveniences when dealing with the rather mundane molehills of life.

Until those issues become a mountain, that is. Suddenly, they’re frantically searching for a fix just like the homeowner looking for a plumber as their basement floor is flooded with water.

You can then hammer home the benefits of your service or product at this point. For instance, a plumber could say that their team is on call 24/7. Or they haven’t met a plumbing emergency they can’t fix. Or list all the main services to fix a problem and then secondary and tertiary services the prospective buyer hasn’t thought about but suddenly can see it’s a great idea to have those options.

Remember, when you write your copy, you’re in the driver’s seat. Where do you want to take your reader? What is your destination? Make the journey easy with clear directions. Lead your prospective buyer to the choices and tell them why you’re the one they want. It will make choosing your business a no-brainer.