The # 1 Way To Rip Doubt From Your Sales Copy

The #1 Way To Rip Doubt From Your Sales Copy



A few years ago, when I started dabbling in real estate land development, something happened that provided proof of the importance of an infallible rule in copywriting. I knew all along that to sell investors on my ideas, I had to create good sales copy, as well as speak the industry language. Explaining the dreams, and presenting compelling stories, were all well and good...but what investors wanted to see was evidence that my projects would work and put massive profits in their bank accounts.



What am I talking about that provides the evidence that your sales copy will do what you say it does?



No, it's not the headline. It's not being emotional. It's not benefits. And it's certainly not split-testing your advertising.



Sure, the headline, the benefits, and all those things are important. Very important. But the one element I'm referring to, the one element that can transform flimsy copy into a sales- persuading powerhouse, is...



... Proof.



That's right. I am talking about good solid proof. Proof that will not deny the power of your sales copy.



Other than poor targeting and shoddy copy, the lack of proof in your copy is what probably (and most likely) causes it to fail. Exactly what is "proof," ? Is proof singular in nature, or are there many types of proof. In my business, Mainstreet Marketing Solutions, as a marketing consultant ...I have discovered there are at least seven types of proofs.



Let's realize this. When we are writing to prospective clients, they are absolutely almost 99% of the time skeptical about anything you say or write.



They never believe anything - at least, not at first. Today, persuasion has much less to do with selling than it has to do with building believability and trust.



But the reality is, everything readers see is absolutely suspect right from the "git-go". It gives new meaning to the word "conversion." People never believe anything the moment they read your copy, so you need to "convert" them not into buyers but into believers.



You need to prove your case - and not just tell it or, worse yet, sell it. You need to provide proof. As much proof as you can muster.

Well, it's the same with writing sales copy.



The proof is ... "in the pudding so to speak".



If there's reasonable doubt, you're going to lose the sale. Even if it's just a smidget. Or at best, you will only get a fraction of what's possible in terms of sales, if any.



When writing sales copy, in the early days of my real estate land development projects ... I thought about all the elements of proof that could and can add more credibility and believability to my copy, and your copy... to any copy, in fact.



What I discovered and came up with are at least seven different types of proofs that are essential in writing compelling sales copy.



They are listed below.



factual

optical

reversal

credential

evidential

perceptual

And social



Let's take a "bird's eye" view of each of these.



Factual Proof



Facts of any kind about either the problem (i.e., anything that makes the problem more real and urgent in the mind of the reader) or the solution are powerful proof elements.



Optical Proof



For example, if you sell moneymaking info-products, these proof elements include scans of checks and bank deposits, screenshots of website traffic logs, pictures of the author leaning against his brand-new, 2010 Porsche, his luxury yacht, etc.



Reverse Proof



Comparisons with other types of products or services is another powerful proof element. You often see this in competitive analysis, when your product is compared to other products in its class or category.



This is called "reverse proof" because the comparison doesn't have to be from product to product. It can also be from purchase to non-purchase. Anything that shows what can happen if they don't buy the product is reverse proof.



In other words, if you can provide proof of any potential downside if the prospect buys a competitor's product or, more importantly, fails to buy at all, it is just as powerful. Because in reality, their non-​​purchase is an indirect competitor as well.



Credentializing Proof



Credentializing proof is anything that helps to credentialize (i.e., demonstrate, highlight, or bring attention to the credentials of) the product, business, or person behind it.



Evidential Proof



Evidential proof is evidence or an argument that compels the mind to accept an assertion as true. In fact, in the dictionary one of the many definitions of "proof" states:



"1. The validation of a proposition by application of induction or deduction to derived conclusions; a statement or argument used in such a validation. 2. Convincing or persuasive demonstration; determination of the quality of something by testing or trial."



Perceptual Proof



Known as "persuasive proof," perceptual proof helps to increase the perceived quality of the evidence, and strengthens how someone appreciates that evidence.



Social Proof



The seventh, but not the least, social proof is proof by modeling. In other words, we tend to give more credence to an idea or behavior when we see the masses approving or doing "it".



For example, forms of social proof include testimonials, case studies, sales numbers, clientele size, number of endorsements, fan base size, and so on.



The more real you make them, the more believable they are (such as testimonials with audio, video, pictures, signatures, screenshots, graphs, etc). Even blogs, forums, and social media are widely recognized and used as effective forms of social proof.



To Recap.



Factual Proof, Optical Proof, Reverse Proof, Credentializing Proof, Evidential Proof, Perceptual Proof, and Social Proof are the necessary ingredients to rip doubt from your sales copy. These are just some ideas. The bottom line is, the more proof you provide, and the more you backup your claims with proof of any kind, whether they are hard or soft, or objective or subjective, the more believable - and profitable - your copy will be.



Until Next Time.....Good Writing



Glenn E. Toler

Mainstreet Marketing Solutions



Glenn E. Toler is the owner of Mainstreet Marketing Solutions.

http://www.webspawner/users/ge7774/index.html