If you want to persuade someone to take a specific action in your emails... in your Facebook ads... in your sales pages... in your videos...
You must show the reader why they should take the action.
In other words, you must show them what's in it for them if they do.
This is known as Future Pacing. You show your prospect what their future life will look like with your product or your service. Or what they will be able to do once they have watched your video or read your blog post.
There are 2 ways of Future Pacing the reader. With logic and emotion.
You can use these persuasion elements on their own. Or you can mix them for greater effect.
So...
If you're trying to create a persuasion cocktail, what's the right mix of logic and emotion?
The short answer is, it depends.
It depends on the action that you want someone to take. If it's a simple action such as click here to read a blog. Then you can rely almost entirely on logic. You can tell the reader that they will learn how to do A, B and C. If they want those things, then they will click the link. If not, they won't. Simple.
What if you want someone to take a bigger action. What if you want them to buy your product or come and see you.
The bigger the action that you want someone to take. The more emotion you need to add to your persuasion cocktail. If you're looking for percentages, I would say 95% emotion and 5% logic.
There will be plenty of left brain people that are screaming at the computer screen right now. They'll be saying "Just tell me the facts and let me make up my own mind".
But that's the exact opposite of what we want to do as persuaders. We don't want the reader to make up their own mind. We want them to take a specific action. To do that you've got to appeal to their heart. The heart rules the mind. Even in the most logical, left brain people. So if you want to persuade someone to act now... appeal to their heart.
Here's why you first need to appeal to your reader's heart...
This is an often quoted sales truth. This is the sales truth that most people ignore because it's hard to create.
It's much easier to say "Here's what you'll learn."
It's harder to show someone why they need your product or service and how it will change their life.
So...
What's the simple solution to get around this problem?
In one word...
Storytelling!
If you tell your story then you show your reader the difference your product or service will make to their life. If you tell customer success stories then you show your reader the difference your product or service will make to their life.
And...
You do this without boasting or bragging. You are simply telling a true story. A personal story that inspires people to change their life.
So...
What do you need to show the reader? What will win their heart?
We love to read and watch stories of struggle to success. That's why movies like Rocky are so popular.
It's the story of getting a once in a lifetime opportunity... and what you do with it. Do you seize it? Or do you squander it?
The engine of any great story is challenges. We hate dealing with problems in our own lives. And we love seeing how other people overcome the challenges in their lives. That's why I read biographies and autobiographies. That's why movies based on true stories can be so inspiring.
The good news about journeys from struggle to success is that every step forward is a struggle. Every step forward has a little story and a lesson that the reader can learn from. Only if you have the courage to tell your story with brutal honesty.
To show the emotional rollercoaster of your journey from struggle to success you must include the following...
Let's look at each of these in turn.
What story are you going to tell? Are you going to tell your Epic Story showing when you decided to change your life? Followed by the years of struggle to bring your idea to life.
Or are you going to show one step in your Epic Journey?
Or are you going to tell a more recent story of struggle and success and the lessons you learned?
Once you know what story you want to tell. Get clear on where to story starts and where the story ends.
The story starts when you want to achieve a goal. Your story could start with a moment of inspiration. When you first saw how to make a dramatic shift in your business.
Your story could start when something outside of your control forced you to make a change. That's what happened to me when I lost my first business. Once I had burned through my life savings I was forced to make a change.
Once you have a clear picture of where your story starts. You need to decide where your story ends. What was the moment when you achieved your goal? When did you repeat that success?
Once you know where your story starts and ends. You have a story arc. The bigger the gap between the start and end. The more inspiring the story. That's why stories set over many years can be so inspiring. The gap between where the story starts and where the story ends is huge.
Once you know where your story starts and where your story ends. You should be able to see the challenges and setbacks you suffered through. If you can describe each of the challenges in words your reader can see then you've got a thrilling tale.
Now it's time to add some emotion to your story with the second step...
Without emotion, stories are quickly forgotten. When you add emotion to your stories they stay with the reader for years. When you add emotion to your stories you win the readers heart. Which is the first step in persuasion.
Stunning results are only numbers until you tell the reader how they made you feel. The first time that I ran 10k in under 60 minutes I felt like an Olympic champion. Why? Because I had suffered with chronic fatigue for 10 years.
Running 10k in under 60 minutes is nothing special. There are teenagers that can do that without breaking a sweat. None of that mattered when I saw the clock. To me it was a watershed moment because I couldn't run 10k for a decade. Let alone run it in an 'acceptable' time. So that achievement meant the world to me.
There are times when the numbers become amazing because of the timeframe. Such as making £1 million in a day. That's an amazing result. But it's not a story. It only becomes a story when you share with the reader how it made you feel.
If this result was a shock. Then share that with the reader. If this result justified years of struggle. Then share that with the reader. If this result proved the doubters wrong. Then share that with the reader.
Because even a number as big a £1 million in a day could be ordinary. If you run a business with 2 or 3 staff then making £1 million in a day is amazing. But if you run a £2 billion business and have 300 staff. Then the result is just another day in the office.
So tell the reader how each result made you feel.
So far I've only talked about good results. It's even more important to tell the reader about how the bad results made you feel.
Remember: the engine of the story is struggles. Readers love to know what happened when you got an idea, tested it and didn't get the result you wanted. How did that make you feel? Did you want to quit? Did you want to sit in the corner and cry? Or did that make you more determined to succeed?
This brings us onto the third step.
This is a question to help you share with the reader how the struggles on your journey made you feel.
In my journey to discover how to turn strangers into customers on demand. I was paying for books and courses and mentorship programs from my salary. This forced my wife and me to choose between holidays and studying. There wasn't actually a choice. I told my wife that we weren't going on holiday because I invested in myself and our future.
But...
After studying with the Chartered Institue Of Marketing for 2 years. After sacrificing evenings and weekends to studying. After sacrificing holidays to pay for the course. I still had no idea how to turn strangers into customers on demand.
I had to admit this to my wife. I had to tell her that I still believed this was possible and that it would eventually change our lives. I had to ask her if she was willing to endure future sacrifices with me.
That was a tough moment for us both. A moment that still brings a knot to my throat because I had no idea if my 'crazy idea' would work out in the end. In that moment, it looked like I was throwing good money after bad. It felt like I was throwing good money after bad. In pursuit of an idea that would change our lives.
The implications of my false starts and dead-ends are nothing in comparison with the stories I've read.
Gary Halbert had his electric and gas cut off many times because he spent his last penny on a direct mail campaign. A campaign that did not bring in the money he hoped.
His early false starts cost him his marriage.
Can you see how showing the reader the implications of your false starts builds the emotion for the happy ending?
Gary Halbert went on to write a sales letter that pulled in $12 million.
But he didn't know that when he couldn't pay his gas and electric bills. He didn't know that when his wife left.
If he knew that success was inches from his fingertips. The journey would not have been an emotional rollercoaster. What makes the journey exciting is the fact that despite the crushing defeats, you kept going. This brings us on to the fourth question.
In his book Shoe Dog, Phil Knight writes
"The cowards never started and the weak died along the way. That leaves us."
James Dyson tells us that he has never filed a patent for a unique idea. Someone else had the idea first. But failed to turn their idea into a product.
We all know that persistence pays. But knowing it and living through it are two different things.
When you are risking and losing your own money it's easy to quit. It's easy to give up on your idea and go back to a job.
So...
Why didn't you quit after repeated failures? What made you keep going?
Did you see the failures as real-world feedback on your idea?
Did you see your failures as one step closer to turning your idea into reality?
Did you reach the point of no return? The point where you have invested so much energy, emotion, and money that it's easier to see it through to the end than to turn back?
Whatever your reason you've got to share this with your reader.
Unless you are a robot set-backs hurt. They hurt your ego. They hurt your wallet. And they make you doubt yourself.
When you share these emotions with your reader, the reader knows that you are just like them. The reader sees that you had the same doubts and fears as them. The only difference is that you did not give up when times got tough.
Can you see how your inspirational story builds the need for your product and service? Do you see how a simple question sets up the sale? The only question you need to ask the reader is "Would you like to skip 7-years of frustration?"
That sets up the sale.
It's your inspirational personal story that wins the readers heart. That's how you make them fall in love with your idea.
You then ask a simple question which allows you to tell the reader about your offer. This is where you tell them what they will get. The logical reasons for taking the action.
I hope you can now see how you can win the readers heart so their feet will follow.
As I've already said, the greater the action you want the reader to take. The more you need to win their heart.
So if you want the reader to give up their time and money. Go heavy on emotion in your persuasion cocktail.
If you want them to watch a short video. A 50 - 50 balance of emotion and logic is more than enough.
If you are speaking to people for the first time (trying to win new customers). They go heavy on the emotion... even if the action is small. If you want someone's email address in exchange for a free report or video series. The action you want the reader to take is small. But they don't know you. They won't trust you unless you tell your inspirational personal story.
Once you can show the reader that you are just like them. That you suffered through the same struggles as them. That you had the same doubts as them. And the only reason why you succeeded is that you refused to quit. That's when the reader will want your book or video series. That's when you win their heart and the feet follow.
Now you know how to mix the perfect persuasion cocktail. It's time to start using your inspirational personal stories to find more people that need your help. And make them feel good about buying.
Start by making a list of the stories that you can tell. Start with the most obvious. The story of how you made your product or transformational system.
Then think about the other stories you can tell. Stories of struggle and success over a few weeks or months, rather than a few years.
Once you've got a list of stories to tell. Start writing them. Fill them with emotion with the 4 tools in this blog.
If you've found this useful then please leave a comment below.
If you know a business owner that struggles to get their name out there. Then please share this with them.
Until next time...
Carpe diem
Roland Eva
P.S. When bankruptcy stole my first business. I made a commitment to myself to discover a repeatable system to turn strangers into customers on demand. A journey that ended when I made £30,105 in 9 days… without making a single sales call.
It’s a system that I’ve used in multiple industries. To sell products and services ranging in price from £5 to £12,000.
A system that I’ve used repeatedly in campaigns that have dwarfed that initial success.
I’d like to show you how to use my simple 3 step system in your business so you can turn strangers into customers on demand. And build your dream business. A business that gives you the income and lifestyle you want.
Unfortunately, I can't show you how to use my simple 3-step system here. The post would run too long.
That's why I've written the book Consistent Profits Pyramid. The book shows you how to use my simple 3-step system in your business. So you can turn strangers into customers... on demand.
I’d like to give you a FREE copy.
To download your FREE copy now. Click the link below.
To download your FREE copy now. Click the link below.
I'm a copywriter and marketing expert that turns expertise into cash.
For the last 5 years, I've helped business owners to sell products and services in many industries. The products and services have ranged in price from £5 to £12,000.
My most successful campaign made £672,989 in 9 days.
I took that result and transformed it into a simple repeatable system. A system that I teach to ambitious entrepreneurs that want to make money on demand without a sales team.