You’re a good online copywriter. You do good work, and your skills are growing with each passing month.
Judging from other copywriters’ websites, you’re probably way above average when it comes to your craft. Ramp up your skills a little more, and you’ll rise up the ranks even further.
Yes, flattery will get me everywhere.
Actually, it really will.
In a classic psychology test, a group of drivers were asked if they believed their driving skills were above average.
90% said yes.
Something is not quite right there, because mathematically you can’t have more than 50% of drivers having better than average skills.
This test has been repeated by many researchers, across a variety of different skills, with different test groups. And always with similar results.
It turns out that once we have a certain level of competency for any given skill, we tend to over-estimate how good we really are.
If you want to see this in action, listen to any group of people as they talk about their amazing skills after a morning on the ski slope, a match on the tennis court, or shooting hoops in the front yard.
Everyone will tell you how they absolutely rocked.
In other words, people not only like to be flattered, but also tend to flatter themselves.
As a copywriter, when writing a sales page, you can take advantage if this tendency by pairing your sales pitch with a little flattery.
In other words, agree with how they already feel about themselves.
“You are already one of the better golfers at your club. Now it’s time to up your game with a new set of drivers.”
“You have created one of the most beautiful gardens in your neighborhood. Add the final touch with a hand-crafted cedar garden bench.”
“You are one of the best public speakers in your business. Reach for the top with our unique speaker-training system.”
Regardless of how well those people golf, garden or speak, they will probably agree with your flattering statement. Just like 90% of drivers think they are above average.
Within a sales message, this means you have succeeded in getting your readers to nod in agreement. You have also made them feel good about themselves, and have given them a powerful justification to go ahead and invest some money in whatever it is you are trying to sell.
To come full circle, let me revisit what I said at the beginning.
“You’re already better than the average online copywriter. To increase your skills even further, get a copy of my Copywriting 2.0 program…”
Interesting side note: When you can see how a sales person is playing you, does that actually mean you are less likely to respond positively to his or her sales pitch?
About the author: Nick Usborne is an online writer, copywriter, author and coach. Read more…
My favourite bit of flattery was in some complicated instructions for assembling a gas barbecue: “It looks difficult, but you can do it.”
It was enough to make me persist to complete the job.