?The Power Of Consumer Opinion, & How To Profit From It!?

Selling is just a whole lot easier when you know what people really want.

But unless you're psychic, or know how to do the Vulcan mind meld, "getting into their brains" is HUGE!

I can't tell you how many times I've racked my brain trying to make sense of consumer opinion, & up until this point, I have to confess. Ain't got no voodoo.

But here's what I know.

Having the right product is certainly important, but it's not nearly enough. What people really purchase are positive feelings that they associate with ownership, and they rarely express the connection between those feelings & product ownership plainly in consumer opinion polls. You must read between the lines.

People will look at the same identical product in a variety of ways. Is each one really searching for something different?

Actually, there are usually four or five common things that the majority of people in your market are looking for, and statistically speaking, those things are more or less important to them. On the surface, these things seem infinitely varied. But there's always a common theme lurking under the surface. People at the very core of their being, are driven by human nature, instinct, and emotion. Show me a marketing campaign that doesn't stir up these things at some level, and I'll show you one that probably doesn't work.

It's easy to sell people what they want. The tough part is mining & gauging consumer opinion to find out what that really is.

A couple of suggestions,

Method One - Testing

Here's a story from Elmer Wheeler's "Field Word Laboratory".

Elmer was asked by the Barbasol Company to come up with some effective sales talk to be used in selling shaving cream at retail counters. Were men at the Sears Roebuck toiletry counter looking for a clean shave, a quick shave, a cheap shave, a safe shave, a shave that didn't bother their skin, a precise shave to detail their designer mustachios?

Out of 146 sentences tested, it turned out that sales increased an astounding 102% when the clerks approached the customer with "How would you like to save 6 minutes shaving?" Sales increased still further, with "How Would You Like to Cut Your Shaving Time in Half?"

Testing is one way to find out what your customers are after, and how best to dangle it like a carrot in front of their noses. What you're really looking to determine is a hierarchy of wants. The top want should go in the headline. The second one in the opening lines. The third in further into the piece, and so on. Powerful stuff!

Of course testing is a process of elimination, so it's a painstaking process. Here's a tip. Start out with benefits that appeal to one of these three most basic & powerful of all human motives. Self Preservation, the desire for romance, & the desire for money. Can you think of ways to tie a quick shave to these? I'll leave that to your imagination.

The order of the benefits you're presenting is also extremely important. If you've got it wrong, you're loosing too many potentially interested prospects. You need to grab them by the lapel with the most statistically relevant top benefit! And then send them careening down a slippery slope to your order form, with the rest.

Method Two - Just Ask

Have you heard of Socrates, and the Socratic method? Here's a guy who figured out how to answer a question with a question with a question, until the cows came home.

Unfortunately, people no longer have time to hang out under olive trees, and they only accept interrogation from their analyst.

Pity.

So what you need is a little quid pro quo (One thing for another).

Consumer opinion is gold! What can you offer your prospects, or clients in return for it?

"Two Little Words That Never Go Out Of Style!"

Of all the conversations going on inside people's heads right now, I can tell you with certainty that "How To" is dead front & center. At the time of this writing, 68.8% of the questions received at "Selling to Human Nature", contain this phrase.

So here's my advice on collecting consumer opinion. Trade information about "How To" solve problems with your product or service, for consumer opinion from your customers. If you want to know exactly "how to" do this for maximum response, I strongly recommend you look at the work of Robert Collier.

Chapters 1 & 9 of my new ebook, which studies his technique, show you how to not only elicit the opinions & preferences of your market, but also make sales doing it. He did this time & time again with amazing result!

Daniel Levis is a top marketing consultant & direct response copywriter based in Toronto Canada. Recently, Daniel & world-renowned publicist & copywriter Joe Vitale teamed up to co author "Million Dollar Online Advertising Strategies ? From The Greatest Letter Writer Of The 20th Century!", a tribute to the late, great Robert Collier.

Let the legendary Robert Collier show you how to write words that sell...Visit the below site & get 3 FREE Chapters!

http://www.Advertising-Online -Strategies.com/ad-strategies.html

---

Selling for Beginners

Speak to almost any self employed professional and most of... Read More

Refining Your Telephone Prospecting Techniques To Be A Master Closer!

Let me create a picture for you. This is the... Read More

Five Deadly Sales Letter Mistakes

To be effective your sales letter must be opened, read,... Read More

Mindset Over Materials: The Secret Weapon of Sustainable Sales Success

Long-term sales success has less to do with skills or... Read More

What Are Car Boot Sales?

If you live in England then you will already be... Read More

Selling To Women - Selling To Men - It Isnt the Same

Selling To Women - Selling To Men - It Isn't... Read More

Quotations Tell... Proposals Sell!

The traditional "Quotation" was originally devised during the Industrial Revolution... Read More

Sorry, But Im Not Buying From You!

Former General Electric CEO and legendary manager, Jack Welch, nailed... Read More

How To Bully Your Prospects Into Buying Your Product or Service

Selling is a tough job, and sometimes you may need... Read More

Before They buy What You Say - 10 Steps To Selling Yourself

You are the productWe're all in the selling business whether... Read More

Building an Action Plan

Going into your workday and waiting for things to happen,... Read More

People Buy People So Sell On Relationships

(Objection handling tips excerpted from Objections! Objections! Objections!)People buy people.... Read More

Dress as Though You Mean Business

Could casual Friday be undermining your leadership ability?One of the... Read More

Customer Service Revival

Value is in the Eye of the BeholderSales today is... Read More

How to Really Benefit from Associations (Part 1 of 3-Part Series)

Looking for new leads, new contacts, new business opportunities? Do... Read More

Give Up the Need to Sell

Most business people will tell you that selling is not... Read More

Selling For Keeps

When you are in sales and you come across a... Read More

Do You Have Enough Prospects To Make Your Numbers?

Several years ago I worked with a CPA who wanted... Read More

Expert Qualities in Sales

If you went to see your doctor, and he mentioned... Read More

Can Barter Help Increase Cash Sales and Visability for Your Small Business?

Barter is becoming an increasingly popular method of commerce. The... Read More

Selling Your Business ? Step by Step Process

So it's finally come time to sell the business. After... Read More

Value-added Selling?

"Value-added." That word is used so much it has become... Read More

Im A Second-Story Man

Can you say who you are and what you do... Read More

Going Global: Communication Across Mental Boundaries

A completed communication consists of a sender and a receiver.... Read More

Understanding The Corporate Buyer

Selling your services to corporations is an attractive proposition. The... Read More

Two Mistakes That Will Cost You Money

You've met a new prospect, accurately assessed their needs and... Read More

Save Your Breath: How To Sell In Trade Shows Without Pitching

You stand there, in front of your great presentation material,... Read More

What Successful Sellers Know - Others Dont ... The Subtle Art of Closing

Ask any salesperson, "At what point in the selling process... Read More

Great Telephone Skills

Having good telephone skills is crucial as the call may... Read More

Selling To Your Difficult Person

We all have people whom we find difficult. We don't... Read More

Too Much Empathy Will Cost You Money

Ever have a prospect start out your sales call by... Read More

Your Ad -- Who Cares?

Junk mail. We all get it. And it goes straight... Read More

Recommending Products Vs. Selling Them

Some of the best sales people I have ever met,... Read More