There is a specific problem that occurs in a great majority of sales. Whether you’re a salesman, marketer or copywriter it is not the largest problem you’ll have to overcome but it is big enough that if you don’t spot it for what it is, your sales conversions could stink. And stinky conversions equate directly to a dry bank account, which also stinks.
To carry the mystery on a bit further, this one thing alone can stop a good, about-to-happen sale right in its tracks. It can make an infinitely interested customer suddenly walk away. It is the one thing that makes salesmen scratch their heads and wonder, “Uh, what the hell just happened?” And it’s the one thing that makes marketers and copywriters crumble up version after version of ineffective sales copy.
We are, of course, talking about the dreaded four-letter word:
DOUBT
I know, I know. You astute readers surely know that “doubt” is not really a four-letter word. I’d remind you the “b” is silent, so it might as well be.
Salesmen have a tough job. They spend countless hours perfecting their sales pitches and copy, tweaking each word for effectiveness, interest and even rhythm. In a perfect world each tweak would put them one step closer to making their customers salivate, but the moment they begin to introduce their product they’re instead hit with suspicion.
They use words in their headlines like Greatest and Best, Clearer Skin and Happiness, Fame, Fortune and Rock Hard Abs. In return their potential customers reward them with a smooth blend of disbelief and skepticism, lightly shaken.
Why this is is beyond the purposes of this article, but the next installment will be about how this doubt can work in your favor and very easily.
Charles Pabst is a freelance author, marketer and public speaker. His work can be found at Work From Home Business Source and his personal blog, Blargy.
