Craig Garber – Keepin’ It Real Copywriting Workshop
How To Form Highly-Profitable Rock-Solid Relationships With Your Buyers
Stop “selling!” Instead, discover the RIGHT words to use, to make all the money you want… using a little-known system that has NEVER failed yet!
Dear Friend,
When it comes to marketing and advertising, you can only go “so far” on B.S.
The truth is, in today’s day and age, where most advertising is completely phony… people are craving authenticity.
And this craving is only growing stronger, as the world becomes more and more artificial.
If you want your marketing to be effective, then you must create genuine experiences for your buyers. And the first step in dong this, is making sure your buyers “sense” they’re working with a real person — not some phony who just wants their money.
After all…
Only Real People…
Can Provide… Real Experiences!
Right?
This was brought to my attention by a group of people who read my book, “How To Make Maximum Money With Minimum Customers.”
They wanted more guidance on how to use the marketing and copywriting strategies in the book… and on how to sell, in general… without appearing “phony.”
For me, being real — even in print — isn’t a problem. But getting to this point, wasn’t easy.
I’m certainly not a “natural” when it comes to selling. I grew up in a very stressful home atmosphere, to say the least, and had a very low self-esteem for years. In fact, I proably didn’t even feel comfortable in my own skin, until I was in my late 30’s.
Today though, one of the most common things I hear from people — and I’ve heard it… gosh, probably close to 100 times over the last 11 years — is how amazed they are I’m just as “real” in my online daily e-mails, in my offline Seductive Selling Newsletter, and in all my other products… as I am in person.
In other words, who you are “seeing” in print…
is the same exact guy you see when you meet me in person.
Like I said, though… it wasn’t always this way. As you know, putting anything in words, is difficult. And that goes double when it comes to putting your personality into words, plus trying to show your readers you’re a real person. Not to mention, on top of this… then trying to sell them something!
But over the years, I’ve developed a set of guidelines that have allowed me to do each one of these things, very successfully. Which is why people are always making those comments about how when they read my e-mails and my newsletter and my products — and even my sales letters… they feel like I am literally “speaking” directly to them.
I’m going to share a few ways you too, can do all this, in your sales copy, but first… let’s take a look at why people typically struggle when it comes to being “real” in print. There are 3 reasons, actually:
Reason #1: Some people are highly technically skilled, and quite competent from a performance standpoint, in what they do. But when it comes to selling… they simply “cringe.”
For any number of reasons, they feel so out of sorts when it comes to selling, they’ll do absolutely anything to avoid it, at all costs.
And if you’re one of these people, then you already know…
Unfortunately… this is costing you a LOT of money.
People in this category sometimes feel “phony” when it comes to selling. And because selling is so out of character for them, to some extent, they actually are being phony when they try and sell something.
When these people sit down and write a sales letter, their discomfort practically screams at you, straight off the page.
For them, selling is like trying to fit a round peg (their personality)… into a square hole (selling). It is just very unnatural.
These people will never be able to sell effectively in print, unless they do one thing: they need to get their hands on some specific marketing and writing guidelines (and strategies) that allow them to follow a “sequence…” or a formula.
This way, you can go step-by-step through a checklist and do what works… instead of having to do things that make you uncomfortable. By following a set of guidelines, this allows you to basically “remove yourself” from the selling process.
As opposed to listening to your own “gut” feelings, which simply aren’t compatible with having to sell.
It’s kind of like when you first learned how to drive. In the beginning, it seemed very unnatural, so you just sat there and listened to your dad… or your Driver’s Education teacher — and you simply “did what they told you to do. ” Even though it felt “weird.”
But eventually, of course, driving became normal and in less time than you thought, you wound up knowing how to master all the different things that are going on, while you’re sitting behind the wheel.
Selling in print and feeling comfortable with it, is no different.
Right now, you’re “driving” without ever having been taught “how” to drive. You just need to learn the rules of the road, and once you see how easy it is to use them… you’ll be as comfortable selling, as you are driving.
Reason #2: There are other people who feel comfortable selling, but they get all messed up when it comes to “closing.”
These people know exactly how important selling is. And… they may even be good at the actual relationship building, and at getting prospects started down the “Yes” path.
But when it comes to closing the deal, things start falling apart, pretty quickly. They typically stammer their way through a close, and if they’re very lucky… things might work out. Sadly though, and I’m sure you’ll agree with this…
“Luck”… is NOT… a very good business strategy!
Because of this problem, people who find themselves in this predicament rarely make the kind of money they deserve. They are usually able to earn a decent living though, if they have a large source of referrals, or… if they’re in the kind of business where it’s fairly easy to attract qualified leads or if their lead costs are unusually low.
They’ll typically make money as long as they’re able to meet with their prospects in person, or talk to them over the phone.
But because they have no “leverage” — meaning, because they’re unable to translate these same skills into selling in print — they are usually forced to trade time for money.
And if you are one of these people, then you already know…
Your inability to “close” in print… is not only incredibly frustrating…
it’s also costing you THOUSANDS Of Dollars!
Usually, what messes these people up is the money aspect of closing. For any number of reasons, they feel very “awkward” when it comes to asking for money, and this creates an “emotional log jam” for them, when it comes time to close.
So instead of being able to take that genuine enthusiasm and knack for relationship building they have, and turn it into gold… their printed sales material can never work on it’s own, and this is what forces them to forever have to trade time for money.
There are loads of realtors, insurance agents, financial planners, trainers, consultants, and other service providers who find themselves in this uncomfortable situation.
On top of that, the same psychological money issues that hamstring their closing skills… typically make people in this situation almost always undercharge.
They are the ones who usually work the hardest and charge the least. Ultimately, they are treating themselves very unfairly.
The Good News Is…
Once these people learn a few simple and very practical do’s and don’ts about selling in print… this typically eliminates any awkwardness they have about closing.
Eliminating this one problem makes a dramatic difference in the quality of your life… in the amount of time you’ll get to spend with your family instead of working… and, in the amount of money you’re making! For instance, if you struggle with this:
One big mistake you’re probably making, especially when you’re selling in print, is talking about too many different things at one time.
For example, it’s O.K. to tell people about all the wonderful benefits you’re giving them. But you can’t get so excited and anxious about things, you wind up running on aimlessly to the point where, your words get all overlapped and blended together like paint colors mixed in a can.
Instead, just let your buyers know one thing at a time, one sentence at a time. Nice… and slowly.
And it’s even O.K. that you’re asking people to spend a lot of money with you. Simply explain the value of what you’re giving them, one sentence at a time. Break down your packages or your service offerings into little bite-sized components, and just tell your story – no need to feel anxious, at all.
Instead, what typically happens is… people who feel awkward about asking for money tend to just “lump” everything together.
What’s really going on, is they are “projecting” their own discomfort with money, onto their buyers. They assume, because they’re uncomfortable with money… their buyer must also be uncomfortable with money.
So instead of walking their buyers through the entire sales story, nice and easy… they rush through their presentation because they’re uncomfortable making it in the first place.
But in reality, this is totally unnecessary.
You see, in order for your buyer to make any kind of halfway decent buying decision… they HAVE to know ALL the details about what you’re offering. Especially when you’re selling in print, and they don’t have the ability to go back and forth asking you questions.
They don’t consider this offensive — they consider it a natural and quite necessary part of the buying process!
After all, how can they make a buying decision… unless they actually know what they’re buying?
Make sense?
Of course it does.
Now besides slowing down and telling your story, another thing you can do if you’re in this position, that’ll make things much easier for you, is this: When you’re putting your promotion together, and you’re creating your offer or your “close,”…
Instead of thinking about what you’re getting…
and how much money you’re asking for…
think about what you’re giving, instead.
Focusing on value ALWAYS gives you much better results, especially when you’re sitting down and translating your thoughts into actual words on paper that are going to do all your selling for you.
Plus, when you’re focusing on the value you’re giving, instead of the money you’re getting.. this comes through in your printed sales messages. Which makes your buyers even more comfortable with you. And, you’ll be that much more of a real person, as a result.
And the nice thing is, this is about as simple a fix as you can get, isn’t it?
You bet it is.
O.K., so now let’s move on to…
Reason #3: The third kind of sales person that struggles with creating chemistry and being “real” when it comes to selling in print, is much different than the first two.
See, this person’s TOTALLY comfortable with selling… and with closing… and with asking for the money. In fact, this guy (this is typically a guy issue) is basically a selling machine. But he has one HUGE problem:
He’s so focused on the sale, and he’s so thrilled and gets so juiced up from closing deals…
He Forgets… About Everything Else!
See, this guy’s problem is, he has no patience. He’s all about “the bottom line” — he’s a “results” guy. Unfortunately, building real relationships in sales requires a lot more than this. You see, sales is like seduction.
To make maximum money, you have to share your story… and you have to romance your prospect on many different levels. They have to see you as a real person before they’ll buy — NOT a “selling machine.”
They have to perceive you as someone who’s just as interested in making their hopes and dreams come true… or in eliminating their pain and solving their problems… as they are.
Unfortunately, when this guy sits down and writes a sales letter, he comes out looking W-A-A-Y too “slick” for his own good. Even if he does care about his clients and customers — and most people do care, they just don’t know how to show their buyers they care — the only message that comes out is “BUY MY STUFF, NOW!”
And so what happens is, this super-closer routinely loses THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS in sales, because he’s “stuck” when it comes to selling in print. And losing money is especially frustrating and unfair for this guy, because he’s a GREAT sales person!
But I don’t need to tell you… there’s a difference between being a great sales person, and being looked at as a caring, valued advisor by your customers.
After all, do you think you’ll be making more money if your customers perceive you as a “selling machine”… or when you’re perceived as a caring and trusted advisor?
You got it – when your customers or clients perceive you as a REAL person, who’s a genuine, caring, trusted advisor… you’ll start making much more money, and you’ll make it much more consistently.
And in fact, for the most part, when people see you ONLY as a sales person instead of as an advisor… they will constantly be negotiating prices with you… and treat you like…
Well… they’ll treat you like a sales person.
Because people LOVE working with valued advisors…
but NO ONE likes dealing… with a sales person!
People respect and listen to advisors, which is precisely why no one ever questions their doctor about why they’re sending you all over town, to meet with umpteen specialists and get all those diagnostic tests. And that’s because…
Doctors are perceived as advisors, not sales people.
On the other hand, if a sales person sends you to three of his buddies and you have to pay each one of them some money… you’re going to be on “high alert” right away!
Right?
Of course you are.
So if you are one of these “super-closers,” one of the first things you have to do is:
Start positioning yourself as an authority figure, first and foremost. Almost like a consumer advocate.
If you’re already a good sales person and you start doing this… boy-oh-boy will you start making boatloads of cash!
And here’s another thing you can do if you’re in this situation – and this is actually really easy to do in print:
Slow down and let your buyer “talk to you,” instead of you talking to them so much.
As I said, this is actually a lot easier to do than you think:
For starters, understand that “talking” to your prospects in print, is different from talking to them “in person.”
In person, obviously you get to go back and forth with one another, to answer questions.
Right?
But in print, you can’t go back and forth.
So you have to create the illusion that you’re going back and forth.
And there are a number of different ways you can do this, but let’s talk about a couple of easy things you can do, starting right now:
The most important thing you can do, that’ll make you more money than anything else… is to immediately start showing much more empathy towards your buyers.
They need to know you understand exactly what they’re going through. Because ultimately… no matter what you’re selling, you’re selling a solution to a problem your prospects have.
And the smartest thing you can do to make your buyers see you as a “real” person who’s empathetic and understanding… is by letting them know you understand the basic human frustrations they are going through, only too well. And, you also need to let them know why you understand them.
And be specific, because this is the key to your success.
Here, let me give you an example of what I mean. Pay very close attention to what this person is saying:
“Listen, our industry, and our professional associations, teach us absolutely nothing about how to be successful. In fact, our business is very cannibalistic. We take our young and toss them out on their own, only to be eaten alive out there in the jungle.
And in spite of that, what do all our trade journals talk about?
New ant traps… custom software… equipment… chemicals… and new sticky goop. And you know what? This stuff is useless when it comes to making you any money and consistently driving a steady stream of customers to you!
Heck, how’s a new ant trap going to drive even one new customer to you?”
See, this isn’t very complicated writing at all. It’s just very specific, and empathetic. It addresses the basic frustrations members of this marketplace (people who own pest control businesses) are dealing with, on a regular basis.
THIS is how you show empathy, NOT by saying things like:
“It’s not your fault.”
“I’m just like you.” And…
“We have a lot in common.”
Don’t get me wrong — it’s OK to say these things as long as you back them up with specifics like we just discussed.
But saying things like, “it’s not your fault” — which is what most supposed “experts” tell you to do — without explaining, in detail, the specific emotional frustrations you’re actually referring to… is absolutely uselesss.
See for yourself. Go back and read those four paragraphs we just went over… and then ask yourself, how this compares to saying “It’s not your fault.”
Which one shows your buyers you’re more empathetic?
The truth is…
“It’s not your fault” isn’t even in the same ballpark!
It’s like asking someone if they want a snack… versus asking them if they want a giant slab of fresh, thick, moist and creamy melts-in-your-mouth genuine New York Cheesecake!
Listen, when people truly believe you know what it’s like to sit on their side of the desk… they’ll be open to you because you’re a real person and NOT just another “sales guy.”
They’ll want to buy all the solutions to their problems, from you.
Want to know another thing you can do if you want to seriously increase your sales, and if you want your buyers to perceive you as a real person?
You do?
O.K., here goes… Once your customers know you understand what they’re going through and what makes them “tick”… the next thing you need to do is let them know you care about them beyond just selling them something. And you do that by:
Being sympathetic to them.
See, where empathy shows your buyers you can feel their pain and frustration… being sympathetic shows you’re concerned about them as people, in general.
And here’s where understanding a little human psychology comes in handy. See, people tend to apply one trait or one aspect of someone’s personality… to all aspects of their personality.
So if you’re a realtor, for example, and your buyer feels you understand how frustrating it is to be looking for a new home… and then they “sense” you also genuinely care about them moving into the right home… they will basically do whatever you suggest, for the remainder of your selling process.
See, once they know you understand their situation… and you care about them beyond their credit card or your commission check, this enhances your position as a trusted advisor who’s coming from a position of respected authority.
At this point, your customer will never look at you as merely a sales person, ever again. And…
They will buy from you and
refer business to you… over and over again!
Once your prospects see you in this light… the amount of business they’re willing to do with you is infinite! You see, top sales people know selling isn’t about themselves, it’s about helping their customers.
The problem is, it doesn’t matter how sincere you are. What matters is, how sincere your customers believe you are.
Read this last sentence over again and say it out loud. It’s THAT important. Do this now, I’ll wait.
Did you say it out loud?
You did?
O.K., great.
So now you need to know the easiest way of showing your buyers you really do care about them, and that is, by…
Addressing as many of their objections as possible.
You see, letting your customers know you’re aware of their potential objections to buying, and then dealing with each one of them on an individual basis, really and truly puts them even more at ease.
And just so you know, there are only four reasons why people don’t buy. Which means your prospect’s objections are all going to revolve around one of these four reasons, so keep them in mind when you’re writing your sales and marketing materials:
4 Reasons Why Your Prospects Won’t Buy:
They don’t believe your claims.
They don’t trust you as a person.
How you attracted them in the first place isn’t congruent with what you’re ultimately trying to sell them. Or…
They don’t believe in themselves and their ability to do what you’re telling them you can help them do.
And see, when you address your prospect’s objections… when you help them deal with all the obstacles in their life that typically prevent them from doing whatever it is you’re offering… you’re basically taking them by the hand and walking them through your entire buying process, step-by-step.
You’ve then removed all their perceived barriers to success.
And how much more confidence do you think they’re going to have in you, and in your ability to deliver, after you do this?
LOADS!
They’ll believe in you maybe even more than they believe in themselves at this point. But that’s O.K., because guess what?
This means… they’ll buy from you!
And that’s what selling, and being in business is all about, isn’t it?
Of course.
Oh, and by the way, there are two a very unique, very specific tests I’ve developed that you can perform on any piece of copy or marketing you write, that lets you instantly know whether or not you’re doing a good job “speaking” with your prospects, or whether you’re just “rambling on” aimlessly.
I’ve never seen them discussed before, and I’ve been writing sales copy… and studying writing copy and direct-marketing religiously, since March of 2000. And I’ll tell you how you can get the scoop on both of these tests in just one minute.
But right now, let’s take a little “breather” here, and recap everything we just discussed, because we’ve actually covered quite a lot, in a short period of time. We learned that:
Different people have different challenges or even “hang ups,” when it comes to selling. And…
These challenges typically make selling — especially selling in print – extremely frustrating, and in some cases… almost futile.
We also discovered, if you want to dramatically increase your sales, you need to do certain things in your marketing and in your sales copy, so your buyers will start looking at you like a real person who cares about them — NOT like a greedy sales person who wants to take the money and run. Here’s a list of these things:
When you’re selling in print, you only want to ask your buyers to do ONE thing at a time.
Focus on the VALUE of what you’re giving, instead of the money you’re asking for… ALWAYS gives you much better results. Especially when you’re sitting down and translating these thoughts into actual words on paper that are going to do your selling for you.
Your customers don’t like dealing with sales people. They strongly prefer dealing with consumer advocates and knowledgeable, trusted advisors over sales people, any day.
To become a trusted advisor instead of merely another sales person, you must position yourself as a knowledgeable authority figure.
“Talking” back and forth with your buyers – especially in print – is always the most effective way of communicating with your buyers. And by “most effective,” I mean, “makes you the most amount of money.”
Simply telling your customer “It’s not your fault,” will NOT make you more money.
The most important thing you can do, that’ll make you more money than anything else… is to immediately start showing more empathy towards your buyers.
Being sympathetic to your customer’s objections, turns into more sales for you, because it shows them you care about them as people – which is all anyone really wants to know before they buy from you. And lastly…
There are four reasons why prospects don’t buy from you.
There are actually 32 of these very simple “Guidelines” you need to follow when you’re selling. (Not including the two copywriting “tests” I mentioned earlier.)
Each one of these guidelines gives you two or three subtleties that make your marketing messages work incredibly effectively. And once you know these guidelines… you’ll have absolutely NO problem gaining your buyers trust and being perceived as a real person.
Four Experiences You MUST Give Your Prospects
To Covert Them Into Long-Term Buyers
Now before I wrap up, I just want to cover one more thing. The truth is, before anyone will buy something from you — there are four deep seeded, secret emotional “triggers” your prospects have to experience.
If your prospects don’t experience, quite literally — all four of these things… you will not make a sale. These four things are:
They have to believe you. Prospects simply won’t buy, unless they believe the promises and claims you’ve made, are real.
They have to trust you. Meaning, they have to trust you as a person before they will ever buy anything from you.
Make sure you understand this because it is incredibly important… and powerful. What I’m saying here is that even if they believe your claims are true… if you haven’t done enough to gain their trust, as one human being to another… you WILL NOT MAKE a sale. Before anyone will ever give you even one thin dime…
You must FIRST be perceived as “a real person.”
They must like you. Customers will NOT give you money unless they like you.
This has more to do with who you are… how you say things, and how “at ease” you are when you’re saying them… and how much you’re interested in delivering value, versus selling them something.
There are specific steps you must take, to GUARANTEE your customers will like you. Unfortunately, I can also guarantee there are specific things you’re unknowingly doing right now, which guarantee your prospects will NEVER like you, and therefore never BUY from you, either.
They must be interested in you. For the most part, this has to do with your sales copy and how compelling it is.
However, there are also another four things people do in their sales copy… and if you do any one of these four things, it guarantees you, with 100% certainty, your buyers will NOT be interested in you, and therefore, they will not buy, either. (I’ll tell you how you can get your hands on these four things in just a second.)
Now here’s what’s most important out of all of this:
NO ONE will believe you, trust you, like you, or be interested in you… unless they believe you are “for real” in the first place. And at this point, if you are thinking…
“Craig, I Want To Get My Hands On MORE Of This Information, Because This Stuff Is CLEARLY Going To Increase My Conversions… Multiply My Sales… And Make Me A LOT More Money Overall!”
… Then you’re in luck. Because I recently put on a special, one-time only audio Copywriting Workshop called “Keepin’ It Real.” The material I covered on this call, is designed to make you so real… the next time you’re selling in print, your prospects will practically be able to “feel” your presence, right there beside them.
> Please contact our team if you have questions, or broken links via our email [email protected]
