The first fact you should know, when you are trying to sell something, is that PEOPLE DON’T WANT TO BE SOLD! PERIOD! Unless you have a screw loose somewhere, I’m sure you feel the same way.  This is one of the reasons that everyone seems to dislike pushy salesmen.  The idea of someone trying to influence your decision to buy something, just doesn’t seem right to us.

Truly great salespeople give you the chance to “sell” yourself. They give you the information about what the product can do for you and then give you the chance to imagine how it can benefit your own needs.

There are several reasons why people buy.  You may be surprised that people do not buy things because they need to, or even because they want something.  They buy because of what they imagine or the psychological benefits the item can or will do for them.

A good example would be purchasing a car.  Sure, maybe you NEED one for transportation to your job, or maybe you just WANT one.  An economical vehicle for transportation is one thing, but if you bought an expensive vehicle, like Mercedes, BMW, etc., then it’s not necessarily because you WANT a Mercedes or BMW, it’s because you WANT what it represents…to show you are someone that has made it.  You can afford the expense and that is what you are really buying the car for.  Prestige.

Just as the guy or gal who buys a fancy sport car.  They don’t need it for transportation, they want because they think that it shows everyone that they are “sporty”, sexy, etc.  They are buying what the sports car represents.

If you are trying to sell something, then you message needs to appeal to the human psyche.  A lot of copywriters do a good job of showing the benefits of the item for sale, which, by the way, is what you want to stress in your advertising. Always stress the benefit to the customer, but to do a better job, make them “see” the deeper benefits.

The truly great copywriters can make their messages “transparent”, allowing the potential customer to “see through” their message, through the benefits, to the underlying message, how the item will help the customer feel younger, look sexier, give them better health, etc.

Services are even harder to sell than a physical product. As an example, if you are trying to sell a gym membership, you could stress the need for exercise, how it will make the customer stronger, healthier, lose weight…or you could tell them to imagine themselves on the beach in their new bikini, with all the admiring glances from the men. Which one do you think will sell more memberships?

The fact that she could be on the beach in a new bikini and getting all the attention, is the underlying emotion of what the benefits of the gym membership will provide.

If you are trying to sell services then look for the WIIFM (what’s in it for me?). Once you have the benefits, then, look for the psychological benefits to the client. Stress not only the benefits, but the psychological benefits throughout the sales letter, right up until the time you ask them for the money.

If you can see ALL the benefits of your product, it may even help you make more money. By stressing the psychological benefits over the physical aspects of a product or service, you may find that you can even charge more money for the physical item than you would have thought possible. Remember, it is about perception. The higher a value your customer perceives about your product, then the easier to sell it at a higher cost.