Getting Past Yes!

If you are creating a direct response ad, you probably already know that getting prospective customers to your order coupon (offline) or order page (online) is vital for sales. Mess up here and you wasted your time and money on your sales pitch.

We'd do right to model the most successful direct marketers here. So every order page/coupon should have these things:

1. Written in first person (I, Me, My). To show agreement.
2. State what the customer must do
3. Repeat the most important promise - the main benefit the customer will get
4. State the guarantee
5. Offer an additional minor benefit that might not have been mentioned in the body of the ad

Can we make this stronger with NLP language patterns? Check out these clip-out order coupons. The first one is the plain vanilla, the second one enhanced with NLP.

The first one: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[_] YES! I want to make my ads more powerful. Please send me NLP Language Patterns for Advertising. I've enclosed $XX.xx. If I'm not convinced that these amazing language patterns will help me sell more, or if I'm not satisfied for any reason, my refund request will be honored. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the coupon with NLP language patterns added:
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[_] YES! Lou, the more I think about it, the more I realize I need this. Please rush me NLP Language Patterns for Advertising TODAY for $XX.xx so I can make my ads more persuasive. I understand that once I start using these patterns in my advertising, and in the unlikely event that I don't increase the money I make, I still have the option to get a refund.
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They both do need some work, they're just off the top of my loaf. But you get the idea of how NLP Language Patterns can enhance your message.

BONUS QUIZ: Did you recognize any of the NLP Language Patterns in the second example?

Here they are:

Sentence #1: Linguistic Bind.
Sentence #2: Cause/Effect.
Sentence #3: Presupposition (Subordinate Clause of Time), an embedded command, and another presupposition (Contrary to Expectation).

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Use Scope Ambiguity to Build Rapport With Your Readers

Here's a quick and subtle way to gain rapport with your prospects. It uses an Ericksonian language pattern that suggests equality, possibly camaraderie. It's also a compliment. And at the same time, if the suggestion is accepted, gives you instant credibility.

Say I'm marketing to copywriters who want to add more flair and persuasion to their writing, and I want them to buy my NLP Language Patterns for Advertising. I could start with this:

"Writing to you as a professional copywriter. . ."

Do you see how this is ambiguous? Who's the professional copywriter? Me or them? We both are. Now we are equals. You're like me. That's perfect for rapport.

"Writing to you as a professional copywriter, I need to tell you about a product that is making some writers incredibly wealthy. . ."

Normally, being ambiguous in your ad copy isn't such a great idea, but here it works well.

Here's the pattern:

Speaking/Writing/Coming to you as a (COMPLIMENT)+(PROFESSION or TYPE OF PERSON THEY SEE THEMSELVES AS).

And a few examples:

"Speaking to you as a loving mother..."
"Writing to you as a neighbour who cares deeply about the environment..."
"Coming to you as a savvy traveler..."

This pattern is great if you're marketing to people who are just like you. . .or if you want to suggest that.

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Meta-Programs in Advertising #2: Chunk Size

One Meta-Program we've discussed here quite a bit over the years on this NLP blog is the need to include both the Moving Away and Moving Toward motivation in your ads.

This is because your prospects are motivated to move away from something they don't want (pain/problems) or towards something they do want (goals/aspirations). . . with the majority of people being inclined to move away from problems.

PRESENT STATE (Problem)=====> SOLUTION (Your offer) =====> DESIRED STATE

Another Meta-Program you should keep in mind when you're creating your ads is Chunking. This is where we Chunk Up (Abstraction or Generalities) or Chunk Down (Specifics).

We chunk up so we have our readers fill in the blanks with their own ideas, and we chunk down to show and convince our readers that what we say is true.

To chunk up we ask, "What is this an example of?" To chunk down, we ask ourselves, "What is an example of this?"

"NLP Language Patterns for Advertising are the same communication patterns influential people from politics, sales, entertainment, and industry exploit to persuade thousands to think in a certain way and to take action. One way they accomplish this is by using what are called Linguistic Binds, language patterns that appear to offer a choice but, in reality, they only offer one option. This shortcuts the thinking process, making it easier for the reader to decide. . ."

The first sentence in that paragraph is the chunk up and the second one is the chunk down.

Here's another way to chunk up and down:

To chunk up we can ask, "How will this product/service change my prospect's life?"
To chunk down, we ask, "How, specifically, will this product/service change my prospect's life?"

Be careful not to chunk up too often or too high. This leads to that fluffy advertising language that sounds silly and doesn't convince anyone: "We will surpass any and all your expectations!" If you or your clients want to chunk up to the fluffy stuff, make sure you back it up with specifics and proof (like satisfied customer testimonials).

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