Become A Salesman First. Then Become A Copywriter.

Too many copywriters think that they are “writers”. They work on their grammar. They work on their spelling. They work on the proper sentence structure. But what they completely forget about is, learning to sell — perhaps, the most important part of copywriting.

I mean, if you ask me, copywriting is just selling, a modified form of selling nonetheless, but the essence is the same. So are the fundamental techniques, common to both selling and copywriting. In this post, I am going to write mainly about those sales techniques that you can use in your copywriting piece. In short, we are going to talk about “copywriting salesman techniques”.

Sounds quirky, right?

Well, it starts by accepting the fact that you are a salesman (or a saleswoman). Whatever.

You are NOT a writer. So forget it. Your primary job is to sell, sell and sell some more.

Rule #1. Never, ever lead your prospect. No, your prospect leads you.

You ask questions. You learn about his pain points. You learn about his core complexes. You find out what disturbs him. You learn what delights him. You sell him that idea. As simple as that. Here’s what Jen Odom from Syrup Marketing writes:

FEAR
“Pass up this offer and you’ll be living in a van down by the river.”

GREED
“Get the Benjamins! The Swashbuckler’s Guide to Becoming a MultiMillionaire”

GUILT
“If you don’t help us meet our donation goal, the orphaned puppies will not survive!”

ANGER
“Don’t let the man take away our libraries! Vote Today!”

EXCLUSIVITY
“For Your Eyes Only: Rock-bottom computer prices too good to share.”

SALVATION
“We can protect you from our nation’s greatest threat–bears!”

FLATTERY
“You’ve been selected as one of Beep Bop Boy Band’s cutest fans! Join the official fan club.”

Takeaway: Find out what motivates your prospect and sell him that.

Sales Rule #2. Be Different. Be Unique. Be Special.

Oh, I can’t harp on this more. You have to have a unique angle to your copy. We, copywriters, like to call that the Big Idea. Big Idea is nothing but a bigger concept that surrounds your piece. Like in the Volkswagen ad, the big idea was to “think small”. It didn’t refer to the ad. It referred to a unique concept that was relevant in those times, to think frugal, to think small. And people ate it like crazy.

You have to find out that unique concept that sells your prospects. You have to find out that one simple idea that pushes through the benefits of your product, but more importantly, lets you connect with the reader on a LARGER level.

It’s an art, and you just can start to produce Big Ideas right away. If you start now, you can probably create a handful of Big Ideas during your entire career.

Whew! That’s depressing.

The good news is, you need only ONE idea to change the whole game. Or, in this case, only one idea to sell the product or service for the next 20 years. I am not kidding!

Takeaway: Look for the next Big Idea, always.

This leads to our next rule…

Sales Rule #3. Research, Research and Research.

You should research about your target audience.

You should research about your particular prospect (that is, gather as much data about him as you can).

You should research market trends.

You should research relevant news.

You should research social media on what’s in.

You should study mathematics. You should study economics. You should study sociology. You should study philosophy. You should study biology. You should study chemistry…

In short, you should study each and every little and big thing that you can lay your hands on.

Takeaway: A copywriter needs to be learning, and that helps him to sell.

Sales Rule #4. Speak To A 5-Year Old.

You have to be so simple as even a 5-year-old can understand what you are selling.

You can definitely use industry jargons. (I myself do that.)

But you must make it simple for your prospects to grok them.

Always remember that your prospects might not know anything about the product. Heck! They might not even know why they need your product. It might just be a subconscious need that you have to yank out on the surface. You have to make him feel the need. For that reason, he needs to understand the whole concept.

As I often work as a financial copywriter, I have to use certain financial concepts from time to time.

And mistakenly, I used the term ‘ROI’ in a landing page once. The result didn’t seem that impressive. After giving it some thought, I conjectured that it might be because of that little acronym. I quickly ran an A/B test by substituting the word “ROI” with “value for money”.

You can guess what happened.

So, there you go.

Takeaway: Make it as simple as you can, but not simpler. Listen to Einstein.

Sales Rule #5. Always Be Closing

It has been found that 85 out of 100 sales persons don’t ask for the sale.

I mean, how foolish can you be?

If you don’t ask for the sale, why would someone buy?

Let’s just imagine this for a moment.

You have gone to the car showroom. The sales rep did a great job explaining all the features and benefits of the slick red car you are standing in front of. Deep inside, you already feel somewhere that you are going for this handsome fellow.

You are looking intently at the sales rep. And he is staring back at you. Without any further words. You smile. He smiles. You gestured at him. He questions, “what?”

You walk out of the showroom. Sale rejected!

So, as Blake from Glengarry Glen Ross would probably say to you, “Always be closing, bitches! You are in the man’s game. Toughen up, or run back to your wife…bla bla.”

Takeaway: Always be asking for the sale. Persist till you get it.

I don’t really write lists, stats or such. I believe in facts. I write facts in my blog. I don’t like to make a nerd data analyst. I want you to take charge, get out there and fire out your shit as a great salesman would do.

Remember, you are not a copywriter.

You are a salesman.

Nothing else.

Read more: 6 Myths About Copywriters Debunked