{"id":219,"date":"2021-12-10T20:51:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T03:51:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fishingforcustomers.com\/zen-and-the-art-of-persuasion-part-3-of-3\/"},"modified":"2022-01-03T21:06:18","modified_gmt":"2022-01-04T04:06:18","slug":"zen-and-the-art-of-persuasion-part-3-of-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop-my-site.com\/fishing2\/zen-and-the-art-of-persuasion-part-3-of-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Zen and the Art of Persuasion. Part 3 of 3"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Risk\"<\/a>

Dice Spelling R-I-S-K<\/p><\/div>\n

There\u2019s a gas station at one of the Interstate 20 off ramps in Columbia, South Carolina that is rumored to have the lowest prices in town. If they don\u2019t have the lowest prices, they certainly have convinced a large group of drivers that they do. Most hours of the day they have a constant line of cars at each of the eight pumps.<\/p>\n

A casual observer will notice a young man drifting from car to car, speaking with each driver in sequence. The young man you notice on Monday will not be there on Thursday. Another young man will have taken his place.<\/p>\n

And should the observer become an eavesdropper, he\u2019ll hear the young man explain that he works for a glass company \u201cup in Greenville,\u201d has his materials with him, and can repair the dings and chips in the driver\u2019s windshield for between forty and sixty-five dollars. He opines that the motorists insurance will cover it, reimbursing the driver so there will be no \u201cout of pocket\u201d expense.<\/p>\n

Apparently, enough people accept his offer that it\u2019s profitable for the young man, or one very much like him. They keep coming back.<\/p>\n

Occasionally one of the motorists, wanting to \u201cthink it over,\u201d will ask the young man du jour<\/em> for a business card. He never seems to have one on him. Although he can name the company he works for, he can\u2019t remember it\u2019s phone number. No, he doesn\u2019t carry a cell, so he can\u2019t provide that number either.<\/p>\n

In any buyer \/ prospective seller relationship, there are two basic reasons that people choose not to buy, and the young man carrying the battery-powered drill and pocket epoxy illustrates them vividly.<\/p>\n

People don\u2019t buy when they don\u2019t feel the need for what you\u2019re selling.<\/p>\n

They don\u2019t buy when don\u2019t trust you.<\/p>\n

People avoid risk on three levels.<\/h3>\n
    \n
  1. The biggest risk is that they\u2019ll purchase the wrong solution \u2013 that they\u2019ll have spent the money and still have the problem.<\/li>\n
  2. But, there\u2019s also the risk that the solution they purchase won\u2019t last, and their problem will be back. (The variant on this is buying from a company who won\u2019t warrant the purchase, or even be in business if the purchaser ever needs their support).<\/li>\n
  3. And finally, if all of the solutions seem roughly equal, there\u2019s the risk of over paying.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Put yourself in the mindset of someone who\u2019s just become aware of a problem, which could be anything from \u201cring around the collar\u201d to \u201cmy back hurts every morning when I wake up.\u201d Whatever the problem she\u2019s identified, she\u2019s now looking for a solution.<\/p>\n

    Ring around the collar? One of the oldest formulas in advertising was perfected by major packaged goods companies like Lever Brothers and Proctor and Gamble. The familiar presentation is called slice-of-life, and is presented as if we, the viewers \/ listeners \/ readers are peeking in on a conversation between real people.<\/p>\n

    The formula is basic:<\/h3>\n

    State problem. Agitate problem. Announce solution.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  4. First, our slice of life dialog establishes that \u201cring around the collar\u201d is an easily noticed condition which will reduce social standing.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  5. The off-camera announcer states the problem<\/strong>: \u201cYou\u2019ve got ring around the collar<\/em>.\u201d<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  6. He now agitates the problem<\/strong>: \u201cThose dirty rings. You\u2019ve tried scrubbing. You\u2019ve tried soaking. You\u2019ve tried powders. And nothing works.<\/em>\u201d<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  7. We\u2019re treated to a close-up demonstration of Wisk liquid laundry detergent being poured on the offensive sweat stain. The camera cuts to a close up of the same collar without the stains.<\/li>\n

    <\/p>\n

  8. The off-camera announcer proudly announces the solution<\/strong>: \u201cWisk around the collar gets ring around the collar every time<\/em>.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    This is a good example of a single-step ad. Its also known as an order generation ad. Its purpose is to get the prospect to recognize her problem, accept the solution, and purchase it. Now.<\/p>\n

    Does order generation advertising work? Most assuredly, it does. You\u2019ve seen examples of it every day of your life.<\/p>\n

    The catalog from Sears or Terry\u2019s Village. Every Yellow Pages ad. The \u201ccash for gold\u201d ads on television. The long-running television or magazine ads for Miracle Grow. A significant percentage of the letters in your mailbox from companies you\u2019ve never heard of.<\/p>\n

    Let\u2019s review those three risks.<\/h3>\n

    Our slice-of-life laundry lady is highly likely to purchase Wisk, now that she\u2019s seen, and accepted, the premise of the ad: \u201cWisk around the collar gets ring around the collar.\u201d<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Is she risking the wrong solution (no pun intended)? She recognizes ring around the collar as her problem, because she sees the sweat stains every time she does laundry. This appears to be an exact solution. Minimal risk.<\/li>\n
    2. Is she risking that her solution will be temporary? No. It\u2019s a disposable product. If it doesn\u2019t work as well as she expected, she can simply not replace it when she runs out. Again, no real risk.<\/li>\n
    3. Is she risking paying too much?* Probably not. If our shopper purchases the economy size \u201c32 load\u201d bottle of Wisk, she can expect to pay roughly $7.50. If she pays $7.83 will that price increase damage her cleaning budget? Hardly<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Without the perception of risk it shouldn\u2019t surprise us that this customer will quickly decide to buy the product.<\/p>\n

      Single-step ads tend to work best for simple, non-technical, and inexpensive products. The simpler the proposal, the easier it is to explain in a small ad. This is the principle which makes classified advertising work.<\/p>\n

      But what if the product or service needs more explanation than will fit into a small space ad, or half a minute on TV or radio? In general, the more complex the product, the more technical the nature of the product, the higher the price, the less likely a single-step ad will convert people from prospects to customers.<\/p>\n

      Back to the lady with the backache.<\/h3>\n

      She wakes up, and groans while getting out of bed. By her second cup of coffee she\u2019s moving freely and has forgotten about the stiffness.<\/p>\n

      But one day she realizes that this \u201cback hurts first thing in the morning\u201d business has gone on for weeks. In her mind (which is where it counts), that realization moves her backache to the status of a problem. Problems need resolution.<\/p>\n

      She begins to pay attention to what web marketers call \u201ckeywords.\u201d Keywords aren\u2019t limited to the Internet. Regardless of medium, they are one or two word phrases that trigger her reticular activation system and reach her conscious brain. In her case, the words will be \u201cbackache,\u201d and \u201cmorning backache.\u201d<\/p>\n

      Now that her subconscious is aware that they are important she begins to notice the advertising messages which surround her. As her eye skims the newspaper the keywords seem to leap off the page. She\u2019ll be riveted to certain radio ads. She\u2019ll stop talking during television advertising in which the keywords resonate in her conscious mind.<\/p>\n