Today's adventure in the Biz Opp Jungle:
'In which Charlie travels back to prehistory... explains why sales promotions are so long winded... and clears up your
queries about the latest trading opportunity'
Hi,
I got an interesting email from a reader the other day.
'These sales pitch emails are all the same,' he wrote.
'They tell you absolutely nothing, but cack on about 'secrets' and 'Aston Martins'. Oh and they're only letting 250 people in on the act. Yeah right! Can't we have it told straight for once?'
He was referring to the promotion for Don't Tell The Professionals, a brand new trading course that I reviewed last Sunday.
If you didn't read my last email (oh, the SHAME!) then take a look at the promotion and see what you think:
www.canonburypublishing.com/tradingsecret
I personally think the promotion explains clearly what you'll get when you sign up for the risk-free trial.
However, my reader is absolutely right about the promotion taking its time to get to the specifics. The copywriter leads with lots of back-story and big promises before he comes to the crunch.
I admit. This can be irritating if you read a lot of sales promotions. But the reason behind this is possibly the most important marketing secret you'll ever learn.
I'll explain...
The first ever sales pitch
It was hundreds of thousands of years ago that homo sapiens first discovered the sales pitch.
Thag the Elder was hungry. So he decided to swap an old mammoth tusk for some steak.
He called on his neighbour, Ug, and said: 'I'll give you this tusk if you give me some meat.'
Ug said, 'No ta, mate. I don't need any tusks.
Thag returned to his cave with his tusk, and had a good think. It was an early stage in the brain's evolution, so this took him a whole day. But he eventually realised he'd have to take a different tack.
The next afternoon, we called on his other neighbour, Fnurr.
'You won't believe what happened to me,' said Thag.
'What?' said Fnurr, interested enough to stop painting his cave.
'Well,' said Thag, 'I'm going mad with all the attention I'm getting from cave women these days. And it's all because of this tusk.'
'Really?' said Fnurr. 'What's so special about it?'
'I'm glad you asked,' said Thag. 'It's an interesting story. If you've got 5 minutes to spare, I'll tell you. But you've got to be prepared for some heavy attention from women at the end of all this.'
'Oh, I'm prepared alright,' said Fnurr. 'Tell me EVERYTHING.'
So Thag told the tale about the mammoth he killed, and how the tusk brought him great fortune... and how women flocked to see it... and how classy it made his cave look... and how powerful he looked when he held it .. and how he couldn't take the female attention any more... and how he was prepared to pass it on if someone could make him an offer.
'What do you want?' gasped Fnurr. 'Name your price.'
Minutes later, Thag returned to his cave with enough meat for a month, while Fnurr was the proud owner of a massive bone.
And that was the birth of the sales pitch.
(Thag would later sell Fnurr the blueprint for something called 'the wheel. Fnurr sent it back 3 weeks later for a refund. 'I just don't see any use for it,' he said.)
None of this is true. But you see
what I mean, right?
If you up to somebody and say, 'I have 10 trading CD-ROMS that teach you how to be a trader,' you're not likely to get much of a response.
'No thanks, not today,' is most likely.
If you walk into a pub and shout out: 'Who needs some trading secrets?' you won't see many hands shooting up either.
But go to someone and say, 'You'll never guess what I've discovered... a way of following the professionals in and out of the market... and making good money from it.'
People will want to know more.
Or walk into a pub and shout, 'Who wants to get rich?'
Now you might see some arms go up.
This is why sales promotions don't get straight to the point. The 'point' is just a bunch of features that nobody thinks they need.
In the case of 'Don't Tell The Professionals': ten CD ROMs... trading strategies... software... email support...
To get you to read further, the copywriter has to show you the benefits right up front.
In this case, you could make money with the help of a successful trader... exploit the trades of professional market movers... and learn a profitable skill for life.
It's basic human psychology. We want to know what's in it for us before we listen to the pitch.
The secret to a good sales pitch is to work out what a customer really craves, deep down. It could be money, success, fame, love, security, attention, pride... a whole range of desires.
Now you have to show them how your product fulfils one or more of these desires.
Then it's a done deal, right?
Only one problem...
You are a tiny fish in a large sea
Thousands of people are trying to present their products and services to the same customers. They're using the morning papers... billboard ads... the radio... TV...
emails... websites.
By the time a potential customer is eating lunch, they've seen and heard hundreds of sales pitches.
Most of them they've ignored, or filed away in their subconscious.
So why on earth should they stop and listen to YOU?
Why should they trust you? Why should they take time out of their busy day to read your promotion and then send you money?
Here is where you need a good copywriter to get creative and come up with something intriguing, original and full of promise.
This is why sales letters spend the first 5 minutes telling stories, teasing you with promises, or getting you to imagine a better life.
They're trying to grab your attention, gain your trust and show you the money.
The alternative is far worse
The alternative is a promotion that gets right to the point, like this one:
http://www.10xpay.com/
This sales page is brief, with no long back- story, lifestyle benefits, or customer testimonials.
But I wouldn't touch '10xPay' with a bargepole.
How can you trust it? Where does it explain the product or service? Who is behind it? What guarantees do you have?
This is just another pyramid scheme as a far as I can see. And I'll take a long-winded promo for a trading programme over a slippery little scam like this any day!
While on that subject.
A few points to clear up
I've had a few emails with questions about my review of Keith Cotterill's 'Don't Tell the Professionals'.
First off, regarding the publisher's claim that they can only take on 250 members right now. This is actually true. If you remember, earlier this year, The Insider Signal trading also had to close its doors to new members.
So it does happen.
In this case, the publishers have only arranged an initial print run of 250.
Another email said:
'You failed to mention the very expensive software you need to apply what [Keith] teaches. You can buy this very expensive software from none other that Keith Cotterill, surprise, surprise.'
This isn't actually true. When you sign up to Don't Tell The Professionals, you get all the software you need to trade for free.
You don't need to buy any further software.
However, if home trading turns out to be your profession in the future, there's a more advanced version of this software you can buy, with all the whistles and bells.
But this is advanced stuff. And it's entirely up to you whether you buy it or not.
If you do get to the point where you need this level of software, you'll be an experienced trader. Money will be no object.
In summary, then...
My review of Don't Tell The Professionals is unchanged. Yes there's a long-winded sales pitch, but I you need one for a pricey trading course like this. Wouldn't you like to know all the angles first?
And if you're going to try a professional trading course this year, go for this one. As part of the trial, you've got 45 days to check it out. Go here and read the report:
www.canonburypublishing.com/tradingsecret
That's it from me.
Later Alligator,
Charlie Wright
The Biz Opp Jungle