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Connect more, sell more series
Part 4: Talk the Talk (and
Boost Your Sales)
By Michele Pariza Wacek
Psychology Today once reported a study about the habits of successful
salespeople. It said the best salespeople empathized with their customers.
They mirrored the gestures, speech habits and other mannerisms of their
customers. By doing this, they created a sense of trust and rapport —
subconsciously telling their customers "you can trust me."
As someone who writes marketing and newsletter copy, you too are a
salesperson. You create literature and advertisements that sell your
company's products and services. Unlike a salesperson, however, you only
have words at your disposal — no gestures or facial expressions. Luckily
for you, words are extremely powerful.
So, how can you use words to create empathy? First, you need to understand
your customers. And one powerful way to accomplish this is by using culture
references.
The title characters of the television sitcom "Will and Grace" are
my age.
How do I know this? No, it isn't how they look (although I do admit that's
a
big giveaway). I know because of what they say.
In many of the shows I've seen, one of the characters will make some sort
of
cultural reference — books, movies, other television shows, commercials,
music or whatever — to something in the 80s. For those of us in our
thirties, the 80s is the time that defined us (otherwise known as the time
we were in high school suffering our teen-age angst).
Studies have shown that people strongly respond to culture references they
experienced during their teenage years. In fact, many professional speakers
use this technique when speaking to groups who are all approximately the
same age. By tapping into that sense of nostalgia, they can more quickly
build a sense of rapport with their audience. (A side note: People also
respond powerfully to their childhood culture references.)
But age isn't the only consideration. As humans, our brains are wired to
group things together. We classify people by gender, profession,
relationships, hobbies, political beliefs and so forth. And each of those
groups comes with its own vocabulary and word phrases. This helps us not
only create a sense of belonging within a group, but it also helps us
quickly recognize others who belong (or, conversely, those who don't
belong).
So, how do you that? Here are some tips.
- Go back to that composite character you created. Read
it again. And read all the supporting information you have.
- Immerse yourself in your character's world. As a writer,
I would suggest focusing especially on materials you can read, especially
magazines — it
will be easier for you to pinpoint words, phrases, writing patterns, etc.
- Once you know the culture references, tone, words and
language your character feels comfortable with, you can incorporate those
details into
your own writing.
A warning: If a cultural reference doesn't flow naturally
into a marketing piece, DON'T force it in. It won't sound appropriate. Your
customers will
know it immediately and resent you for it.
Also, don't "copy" what
you read; plagiarism is illegal and besides, it
won't be effective. Instead, try to capture the essence of the language
and presentation style of the magazine articles and use this information
as a
tool to shape your own topics and ideas. Remember, the magazine is just
a sample of what your audience likes to read. So, use the words and phrases
your customer is comfortable with; weave the language into your copy in
a
manner that fits with your individual writing style. Hit enough of the
same notes, and chances are that audience will like to read what you write,
too.
Let's say you're trying to reach teenagers. Start a file of a variety
of the latest and most popular teen magazines. Read them for the language:
word
choices (particularly verbs and adjectives), repeated phrases and slang.
Pay
attention to what's out of date ... what's passe. As you build your file
from year to year (or look at old issues of current magazines), you'll
see how elements of language move in and out of favor. Stay away from "old" slang;
nothing will date you faster than language that's not cool. Read and compare
articles in competing magazines that target the teen demographic;
pay attention to how the articles are paced and structured. Notice tempo
and attitude.
Remember, these magazines aren't written BY teens ... they're written
FOR
teens. So concentrate on publications with the largest readership — the
popular ones. Take notes. Soak it all up. Then start writing.
- Test your writing. After it's written, find a few kind
souls in your target market who will read what you wrote and give you honest
feedback. Do
this even if you plan to do a test run of your advertising campaign. You
need to know if what you wrote hits the right notes or falls flat. Use
that feedback to pin down exact sentences and paragraphs that need work.
Copyright 2004 Michele Pariza Wacek.
 About
the Author | More
by Michele Pariza Wacek
Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting,
a writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free e-newsletters
that help subscribers
combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles
to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and
services and boosting business. She can be reached at www.writingusa.com.
09/19/04
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