Using Emotional Proof

As selling ad space becomes a little harder in this environment, your clients are demanding more and more PROOF that advertising with you will bring them the results they need.

The proof which successful ad sales people offer is NOT a LOGICAL proof.

It's an 'emotional' proof -- the kind which encourages the client to ACT -- and book an advert with you.

You 'prove' your claim to be able to rescue your client in two ways:

1. You paint 'word pictures' of the successful place your client will be AFTER their advert has appeared.

2. You show TESTIMONIALS and TELL STORIES about the success that OTHER ADVERTISERS (who are just like your client) have enjoyed .... after they advertised with you.

You DON'T try to construct a logical argument based on your 'reach and frequency' figures, number of eyeballs that will see the ad, or the cost of the ad divided by the number of viewers.

Why? Because your client can ARGUE with your figures, and demean them. How can they argue with a testimonial or true story?

You DO talk about your figures, but only as some data to back up your success stories and testimonials.

AND you NEVER promise that your client will sell $XXX of goods from their advert -- you have no control over the offer they are making or the effectiveness of THEIR ad design.

Instead, you take their brains to a 'happy' place. A place where they want to be. You tempt them by showing them a prosperous, secure future ..... after they have advertised with you.

TESTIMONIALS Testimonials are really only referrals which have been recorded. They are one of the most potent tools in your sales toolbag. You can never have too many.

How do you get a steady stream of testimonials? BY ASKING. The BEST time to ask is just after the advert has appeared (before the results are known).

The next best time is 3 weeks later -- after the results are known. [Expect to get better QUALITY testimonials from the advertisers who are happy with their results -- but expect far FEWER testimonials].

To get good testimonials you have to:

1. Make it EASY for your client to give you one.

2. CONTROL the content.

You do this by calling the client on the phone and interviewing them. You record the interview into a tape recorder, then extract THE GOOD BITS from the interview and put them in a letter. For the client to sign. The best way is to send a hard copy of the letter (on your headed notepaper) together with a floppy disk (or email) so that the client can easily reprint the letter on THEIR notepaper.

When you send them the letter to sign, ALSO send them at least FIVE names of people who are likely to want THEIR goods or services.

You give them 5 leads to help them and to make them feel (slightly) OBLIGATED to sign the letter you send them.

Once you have each testimonial you can photocopy it and use it again and again, as often as you like.

Dan Kennedy is a direct mail marketing expert and consultant. When he is chasing a large consulting job which he believes he can win, he has his secretary send out a BOX of 500 testimonial letters to the client.

Nothing else.

He allows his satisfied customers to make his pitch for him. It probably costs about $30 to copy and send this box, but it often produces a consulting contract for several thousand dollars. This is an idea well worth copying if you're chasing a client for a big contract.

You don't have 500 testimonials? Then it's time to get on the phone with a tape recorder and start interviewing your present clients ....

STORIES Everybody loves to hear a story.

You 'prove' that advertising with you works by telling your client stories about the success other clients (just like them) have had when they advertised with you. You need to tell each client between 5 and 10 stories. You overwhelm them with success stories (most people are usually overwhelmed by the tenth)

But that means you probably need about 50 different stories. Each story is about how 'So-and-so' was struggling until they advertised with you .... then Hooray! Everything became wonderful!

You need to have a set of stories to sell store owners, another set to sell professionals such as lawyers and accountants, another set to sell high tech companies, and another set to sell trades people.

Why? Because if a lawyer hears 6 stories about the wonderful things that happened to a plumber, an electrician, a builder, a landscape gardener etc. she'll say to herself: "But these people are nothing like me. So they had success. So what?"

So you need a COLLECTION of stories for each group of people you sell to. (You don't need 10 lawyer stories. You can tell a lawyer a couple of lawyer stories, a couple of accountant stories, a couple of bank stories etc.)

What happens if you are new and don't have any stories of your own?

Use other people's. Use stories from your colleagues clients, or use stories from other publications and advertising vehicles. These are not as strong as your own, but they are still better than getting into a discussion about 'cost per viewer'.

You: "When XXX advertised to this same market, using an advertising opportunity JUST LIKE THE ONE we are discussing here today, then they had an OUTSTANDING result. What happened was this ...."

The PURPOSE of both these 'proofs' is to take your client's mind and emotions to a place where they feel safe, secure, and excited by the possibilities which await them if they go through the door you are holding open for them.

Once they can 'see' their successful future .... THEN you give them the logical facts and figures to JUSTIFY the decision to book an advert. You tell them about reach and frequency, market penetration and all the other numbers they want to hear (but don't understand anyway).

First you make them WANT to book an advert with your 'proof' -- then you allow them to defend that decision with the 'facts and figures'.

Roy Preece has sold ad space, trained and managed ad space sales executives for over 20 years. The adsalespeople web site has been helping with advice, encouragement and sales tools for over eight years. It's at: www.adsalespeople.com

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