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Marketing Resource Center |
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Words that Sell
We all know the English language contains hundreds of thousands of words. But did you know that only 21 of them can easily sell your clients? Yes! It's true. When you know what these proven words are and how to use them to your company's benefit, you'll save both time and money when selling to prospects. In fact, once you master the use of these 21 words, your business will quickly get the results it deserves. (Hint: this paragraph contains 10 of the 21 words. Did you spot them all?) What's in a Word? The exact words you use in your company's marketing materials can make the difference between success and failure. Choose the right words and your prospects will find you and your company irresistible. Choose the wrong words and you'll spend most of your time convincing prospects to do business with you. Why waste your time selling prospects on your products or services when you can let strategically written marketing pieces do the work for you? When it comes to writing marketing pieces, your word choices do matter.Following are the top 10 of the 21 words that sell. Use them wisely and watch your marketing response rates soar. The Top 10 Words that Sell 1. You/your - "You" is the most powerful word in the English language. It's more powerful than the word "money;" it's more powerful than the word "sex." Prospects want to feel as if you're talking to them directly, and the word "you" accomplishes just that. So instead of writing, "Our clients report increased productivity as a result of using the Widget 2100," write, "You will experience increased productivity as a result of using the Widget 2100." Keep every sentence in your prospect's perspective. 2. Money - Ask people what they wish they had more of, and chances are they'll say "money." People love to save money just as much as the love to earn it. So if a benefit of your product or service is that it saves people money or helps them earn more money, state it along with a monetary figure people can grasp. For example: "Using the Widget 2100 saves you money - over $5000 per year!" 3. Health/healthy - The second thing people wish they had more of is good health. People want products and services that are going to either improve their health or not negatively impact it. For example: "Vitamin X improves your health and well being by?" or "Pesticide Y has no known health implications," or "Product Z is part of a healthy diet." 4. Guarantee/guaranteed - By nature, most people are not risk takers. They want assurance that they're not wasting their money and that your product or service can live up to its claims. By giving some sort of guarantee, you put prospects at ease and make them trust you. For example: "We're so confident the Widget 2100 will work for you that we offer a full money-back guarantee." 5. Easy/easily - Between 40+ hour workweeks and increasing demands at home, people want things that are easy. They don't want products or services that are going to make their life more difficult. So always state how easy your company makes things. For example: "The Widget 2100 makes it easy for you to?" Or, "With the Widget 2100, you can easily remove spots from your carpet once and for all." 6. Free - Everyone loves getting something for nothing. That's why the word "free" continues to be one of the top selling words of all time. Realize that the free offer doesn't have to have a high monetary value, just a high perceived value. Some freebies that work include: "Free consultation," "Free estimate," "Free report," "Free shipping," and "Buy one get one free." 7. Yes - Face it, you love being told "yes," don't you? "Yes" means you have permission, you were right, or you can get what you want. "Yes" is one of the most pleasing words to the human ear. So tell your prospects "yes" often. For example, in your marketing materials, you can ask a series of positive yes/no questions, and then write, "If you answered 'yes' to any of these questions, then the Widget 2100 is what you've been searching for." 8. Quick/quickly - In today's microwave age society, people want things quickly. They don't want to wait weeks or even days for the results you promote. They want to know they'll see a quick return for their investment now. So while the perception of quick results may vary from person to person, as long as you know that your product or service is quicker than something else, state it. For example: "Lose weight quickly," "Make money quickly," and "Quick and tasty meals from your own kitchen." 9. Benefit - Most written marketing pieces do state the benefit of the product or service; however, they neglect to actually use the word "benefit." When people read the word "benefit," they subconsciously perk up. They know they're about to learn something that will impact their life, so they want to know more. For example, "As an added benefit to this product, you get (state the benefit)." 10. Person's name - People love to hear the sound of their own name and they love to read their name in print. That's why so many souvenir shops sell personalized items-from magnets to coffee mugs. Including the prospect's name in a marketing piece, especially in the middle of the sentence, boosts attention levels. For example, "As you can see, Steve, the Widget 2100 makes perfect sense for your needs." The Remaining 11 The other eleven words that sell are: 1) Love, 2) Results, 3) Safe/safely, 4) Proven, 5) Fun, 6) New, 7) Save, 8) Now, 9) How-to, 10) Solution, and 11) More. While synonyms to these 21 words are acceptable, synonyms are not as powerful as the actual word itself. So in order to not appear redundant in your marketing piece, use the appropriate word wisely, and don't overdo it. As your marketing writing prowess increases, consider combining words that sell in the same sentence. For example, maybe your product works "quickly, safely, and easily." Or, perhaps your service makes cooking "easy and fun." Or, are your "proven results guaranteed"? You get the idea. Since short marketing pieces are more powerful than long one, make sure every sentence packs a punch. When you use these 21 words in every marketing piece, you quickly increase your prospect's interest in what you write, which ultimately leads to more money for you. So master the use of these proven words now. Doing so, dear reader, gives you the easy solution to achieve high marketing response rates you've been waiting for. Can you do it? Yes! And you're going to love the results. Guaranteed! Dawn Josephson, the Master Writing Coach?, is President and founder of Cameo Publications, LLC, an editorial and publishing services firm located in Hilton Head Island, SC. Dawn empowers leaders to master the printed word for enhanced credibility, positioning, and profits. She is also the author of the book Putting It On Paper: The Ground Rules for Creating Promotional Pieces that Sell Books and the co-author(with Lauren Hidden) of the new book Write It Right: The Ground Rules for Self-Editing Like the Pros... Contact her at dawn@cameopublications.com or at 1-866-372-2636.
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