If you could get your prospective customers nodding their heads in agreement with every major point in your sales copy, that would be likely to increase your sales, wouldn't it?
If you could get people saying "yes" to almost any marketing statement of your choosing - long before they even get to the close - that would be valuable to you, right?
Did you find yourself agreeing with the last two questions? You've just experienced a sales technique called "tie-downs." One very old direct sales principle is to get people to say yes to multiple little questions. This gets them agreeing with you and also gets them used to saying yes. Psychologically, they will then be more likely to say yes when you ask for the sale. One sales technique for achieving that is the tie-down.
Why use a technique from direct sales in direct marketing? In a famous advertising and marketing story, Albert Lasker was a junior partner at the Lord and Thomas advertising agency in 1905 when he read a note from John E. Kennedy declaring that Kennedy knew the secret of what advertising is. Kennedy, a former Canadian mounted policeman, was new to copywriting and not yet known in advertising circles. But by an interesting quirk of fate, this was the question Lasker had been trying to figure out. Lasker met Kennedy, and Kennedy declared that the secret is, "Advertising is salesmanship in print." Lasker and Kennedy went on to revolutionize advertising and marketing forever with those words, and Lord and Thomas became one of the most famous advertising agencies of the day.
No matter how many people are visiting your website and reading your marketing material, you are still talking to only one person at a time. You are still selling one person. This sounds like a simple concept, but many advertising and marketing people still don't get this secret. That means that if you understand this, you have an advantage in Internet marketing. You understand that advertising is salesmanship in print. And you know that you just need to talk with this one person and get their agreement to purchase your product. And with the power of the Internet, you can do this with dozens, hundreds, even thousands per day.
Tie-downs are one of the first tools to add to your new salesmanship toolbox. A tie-down is a short phrase that can be added to a statement to turn it into a question. You use a tie-down to turn a point that you want to make into a question that your prospect will agree with. It's one way of getting your prospective customer to start saying yes long before you go for the close.
A few examples of common tie-downs include:
Isn't it?
Wouldn't it?
Wouldn't they?
Wouldn't you?
Aren't they?
Aren't you?
Wouldn't you agree?
Don't you agree?
Can't you?
Couldn't it?
Doesn't it?
Right?
If you have been marketing for very long, you have heard about the concept of "features versus benefits." Features are what your product has or does. Benefits are why your prospective customer would want those features. What will your product do for them? For example, if you have something that is metal instead of plastic, metal might be a feature. But the benefit might be that it is more durable, longer-lasting, or unbreakable.
A common practice on web pages that are written as sales letters is to use a bullet list to present features or benefits. Let's just imagine a couple bullet points for some imaginary "tie-down creator" software. Most people would write the bullets as features. A couple features might look like this:
- Creates tie-downs automatically
- Adds tie-downs to the end of every statement in a list of statements
Not very exciting bullets, are they? (Wow... there's an example of a tie-down that I want you to say "no" to!)
Now let's imagine how someone might write a couple bullets as benefits:
- Get your prospective customers nodding their heads in agreement with every major point in your sales copy!
- Get a prospect to say "yes" to almost any marketing statement of your choosing - long before you get to the close!
That's an improvement over writing the marketing bullets as features, isn't it? But although that might get their interest and even get them thinking of how they could use the product, it doesn't build agreement yet. Let's try wording them a little differently:
- If you could get your prospective customers nodding their heads in agreement with every major point in your sales copy, that would be likely to increase your sales, wouldn't it?
- If you could get people saying "yes" to almost any marketing statement of your choosing - long before they even get to the close - that would be valuable to you, right?
Would you agree those bullets do a better job of building both interest and agreement? (And did you catch that example of a tie-down at the beginning of a sentence?)
Now for your homework. It's time to go look at your website with a critical eye, while this article is still fresh in your mind. Are you selling features or benefits? Are you using tie-downs on marketing statements where they would help build agreement that will lead to sales? If not, you know what you need to do!
Copyright 2005 Mike Adams
Mike Adams has been building web sites and playing with Internet marketing since 1996. Visit his site for Internet marketing tips, tools, news, articles, and resources: http://www.timberway.com/
In my earlier article, "Online Network Marketing 101A", I wrote... Read More
There is an interesting phenomenon on the Internet and that... Read More
Cold calling doesn't work, it's no fun and often you... Read More
If you get an email with a title like 'Don't... Read More
Remember those Super Bowl and World Cup commercials where you... Read More
I've just spent 3 hours surfing the web and found... Read More
To make a living online is the dream of many... Read More
For large corporations, a marketing plan is a huge document... Read More
It's a difficult task creating a website that brings you... Read More
Have you noticed the explosion of Websites related to love,... Read More
1. Product or Service That Sells WellYou want to find... Read More
If you haven't heard the word 'niche' being batted around... Read More
The advertising co-op is an Internet marketing strategy that should... Read More
Weblogs and Podcasting in the Marketing MixIt is rare that... Read More
Choosing your words will be the ultimate make or break... Read More
Have your product sales slowed down? Do you want to... Read More
What is Internet Marketing?Internet Marketing is application of Internet and... Read More
Instant Messaging is rapidly becoming accepted in the business community... Read More
I have been working on the Internet since 1998 and... Read More
You can magnify and expand your business if you have... Read More
How low can one get? The number of encounters I... Read More
Volume-based filtering may be pre-sorting your marketing messages to the... Read More
When you run an online home-based business, your web site... Read More
Viral marketing is probably the number one method for generating... Read More
Competition is fierce on the Internet. There are a multitude... Read More
Copyright 2005 Tinu AbayomiPaulIn my last article on site promotion,... Read More
Are you looking for something unique or unusual that you... Read More
I've had numerous conversations with web entrepreneurs about this topic... Read More
There are some smart and sneaky techniques that can help... Read More
If you have ever studied search engine optimization, then you'll... Read More
In the last year I have met people that have... Read More
If you think that all money to be made online... Read More
The Shopping Search Engines are a new breed on the... Read More
Public relations is popular because it is very cost-effective and... Read More
The advertising co-op is an Internet marketing strategy that should... Read More
It's always a good time to review what's been working... Read More
Dear Cathy:I just found an interesting article on someone else's... Read More
Read any Internet marketing article, forum or tutorial these days... Read More
Where do I start if I want to be an... Read More
Cold calling doesn't work, it's no fun and often you... Read More
With the exception of myself and a small handful of... Read More
Do you post to message boards, e-mail discussion lists, classified... Read More
I've been "seriously" working the Web since late 2000. I... Read More
In my previous article How To Be 100% Sure That... Read More
While we are well into the 21st century too many... Read More
Actually I love the techniques I will explain below. These... Read More
Do you have marketing objectives for your Web site? With... Read More
If you want an email campaign to succeed, you don`t... Read More
If you don't find a niche market for the product... Read More
An Internet marketing strategy is important if you plan on... Read More
Online sales is like a fine art and you have... Read More
Your headline is the gateway to your advertisement. It will... Read More
Try to run a search for the name Edward Gilbert.... Read More
With the years competition online, has become fierce. Studies shows... Read More
There is no internet marketing chore that I enjoy more... Read More
Over my years of experience in doing business on the... Read More
Starting an internet based business when you have zero marketing... Read More
There's a great interest among the Internet entrepreneurs about how... Read More
How to Succeed and Stay on Task with Your Internet... Read More
What does the internet owe me for all my hard... Read More
The internet marketer is really a perfect profession. This profession... Read More
Despite any failures or slow starts you may be experiencing... Read More
There is a particular web site where I regularly place... Read More
A synopsis of Philippa Gamse's Presentation to the National Speakers... Read More
One of my favorite net marketing tasks is creating a... Read More
If you have zero budget then this is the article... Read More
Internet Marketing |