What's Your Compelling Offer?
© 2006 - 2009 Kendall SummerHawk
Oops! There it was again. A well-written ad with an eye-catching headline, nice photo, even a decent bullet list of benefits...and a big, fat hole where the compelling offer should have been.
Instead of telling the reader exactly what action to take, the business blandly listed their phone number and website address.
What a waste!
But print ads aren't the only place where I see business owners chickening out of doing the obvious—giving the reader or listener a compelling reason to respond, now, not tomorrow.
Women entrepreneurs in particular are guilty of this mistake. Why? Because women mistakenly think they're being a "nice person" by not telling someone what to do.
Come on ladies! We know we're capable of being in charge, directive, even downright bossy. We have to do it all the time in running our households so let's not pretend we don't know how to step up powerfully in the same way when it comes to telling our prospective clients to get their butt in gear and hire us.
Here are 4 simple tips for creating your compelling offer:
Tip #1 Make it appealing
Most offers are bland. A strong offer includes a compelling reason for your listener or reader to act now. For example, in an email promoting your program or product swap out the plain vanilla "Click here to learn more" for "Why wait when you can get started right now? Get your free report instantly when you click here right now!"
Tip #2 Inject enthusiasm
Don't let your fear of sounding cheesy get in the way of creating excitement. The trick is to stay ultra-focused on benefits, what happens for your reader when they DO take action and what pitfall awaits them if they hesitate.
Tip #3 Create urgency
Don't groan at the thought that this is a coy trick. It's not. Urgency works because people are crazy-busy and it's only the fact that they're about to lose out that gets their attention. People also put off making decisions so by giving them a cut-off date you're helping them get clear about what they want, which I believe is providing a valuable service.
Tip #4 Give yourself permission to nag
People love a sense of drama so my favorite strategy is the "countdown to cut-off." You're using your cut-off date as the dramatic ending. Work backwards from your cut-off date (or cut-off quantity) and use a daily sequence of emails, reminder calls and good old fashioned nagging to let folks know there are only 5 days left, 4 days left, 48 hours, 24 hours, last chance and expires at midnight.
Is this too hard sell? Not at all, IF you're authentic in how you write your campaign, use a sense of humor or personal warmth, and stay focused on WHY your product or service is going to really help them solve their problem.
Remember, you're in business to help people and you can only help them when you get their attention.
About the author:
Kendall SummerHawk, Million Dollar Marketing Coach, delivers smart, savvy ways entrepreneurs can turn their hectic business into a smooth-running, fun, 6-figure money-making dream. To learn more about her book, Brilliance Unbridled, and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at http://www.kendallsummerhawk.com
NOTE: You are welcome to “reprint” this article online as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end). I would also appreciate a copy of your reprint sent to kendall@kendallsummerhawk.com