One of the Three Most Powerful Sales Tools Brilliantly Demonstrated!

I guess I really pissed a lot of people off the other day with my sympathy email…oh well! Such is life. If you were offended this email will make up for it, promise. If you weren’t offended, good for you…you’re one of the smart folks on the list!

A couple of days ago I was reading through some back issues of newsletters I receive, highlighter in hand, and note pad by my side in order to take the important information out and put it into an implementation plan.

The boobtube was on in the background when a commercial came on that grabbed my attention.
(BTW, do you remember when TV’s actually had tubes, and yes the commercials grab my attention, the mindless dribble going on during most shows is easily ignored. I often watch for the commercials. It’s the only reason to watch the Superbowl, although I’ve been disappointed lately.)

It was a fund raising commercial for a charity called Child Fund, used to be Christian Children’s Fund. Watching it a tear came to my eye…

…not for the pitiful little urchins they showed, although I did feel for them, but a tear came to my eye because I was moved at how ruthlessly this kind and gentle charity was using guilt to sell the viewer on donating.

It was FABULOUS!! I laughed out loud at the end when….well see for yourself, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1sHd3SHLNU.

Notice the little girl wiping a tear out of her eye at just the right moment. Chin up little soldier!

Notice the script, gentle and caring but the underlying message…you should be ashamed of yourself living and raising your children in such opulence while these poor children live in filth and poverty and disease and pain!

And when the little urchin at the end asks, in a different language..translated in a child’s voice, “Will you be my sponsor?”

Notice it wasn’t translated in a man’s voice, or an adult woman’s voice. Undoubtedly an adult, whether man or woman, translated what she said, but they had a little girl do the voice over. Why? Not nearly as effective in an adult’s voice! They did it to drive MORE donations…to make more sales.

Everything in this commercial was done for one purpose and one purpose only, to maximize sales/donations…period!

Now, before you call me a heartless jerk, remember, I’m not the one who exploited these children’s hardships for money…Child Fund is. Their motivations might be noble, but their CEO still gets a salary, as does everyone in the marketing department….and their tactics are nothing less than hard core, take no prisoners, close the prospect, direct response marketing to get sales.

You gain nothing by refusing to learn from their ruthless, “unwavering from mission” approach.

If most entrepreneurs sold this hard, everyday, and didn’t piss their money away, they could retire in 5 years…period.

The problem is too many people pull their punches, maybe they they don’t believe 100% in their product or service, maybe they feel sympathy (you know where to find that…if not look at yesterday’s email) for their prospect, or maybe they have a problem with having too much.

No matter, whatever the problem, they don’t sell this hard, and they should be….you should be!!

Whatever problems with selling you have, get over them! You need to foster and develop that killer closing instinct, especially in our current marketplace. Used to be you could make money despite yourself, but those days have been gone for 6 years now.

Time to get to work, and time go after the sale with the same ruthless determination Child Fund goes after it!!

To your Success!
Everte Farnell
www.CopywriterInAKilt.com

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