This is a “from the trenches” report on a phenomenon that occurred last week in the internet marketing world. And a tip you can start using in all your sales copy starting today.
John Benson, father of the Video Sales Letter, responsible for over $10 Billion in sales over the past few years, released – I could use the term “unleashed” here – his 3x VSL Generator on the world. If you haven’t seen the promotion, it’s worth watching for the education, if not entertainment value.
On a side note, I’ve invested in the package and – shameless plug here – can now write a cash-generating Video Sales Letter (VSL) for you quickly, affordably, and best of all, effectively. Click here to schedule a free 30 minute diagnostic call to see if this might help you sell more of your product or service on the internet.
Copywriting legend Gary Halbert made a statement that “Pretty much any problem in life can be solved with a really good sales letter.”
Unfortunately, the internet has spawned an era of “swipe and paste” web copywriting where the art of persuasion in print has been lost. The guys who had to write a sales letter that would cause the reader to get up out of his easy chair, fill out a form by hand, write a check, put it all in an envelope, lick it, seal it, stick a stamp on it and schlep it out to the mailbox really had to know their craft.
All of a sudden, this becomes easier to do, when it comes to selling on the internet.
It’s not just about tricky wordsmithing, although that helps.
It’s about the psychology that takes place, literally the chemistry that happens when somebody watches your video online.
One of the tools you can use for this – or any sales communication for that matter – Benson calls “The Four Learning Modalities”. I’ll be reframing it for you as the “3 + 1 Formula” to help you make use of it immediately.
You may have heard of sensory modalities – sight, sound, sense (feeling), taste and smell – and using them to your advantage to sell. But Benson also talks about four learning modalities. And here they are:
- Avoid
- Enjoy
- How to, and…
- What if?
More about these in a moment, but first, here’s how I know VSL’s can be phenomenally effective.
The year was 2011, at the GKIC Info-Summit. Joe Polish got up on stage in t-shirt and jeans, had a casual conversation with the audience about marketing. Then the most amazing happened.
About half the attendees of the whole conference, the majority of the people in the room at the time got up out of their seats, walked to the back of the room and paid about $1,000 each for a few recordings of conversations with Gary Halbert that Joe had recorded.
Biggest percentage of audience, one of the highest yielding presenters GKIC ever had. And they attract some of the world’s smartest direct response marketers to their stage.
The secret?
Joe played a video – a sales letter – he and Benson had created.
Benson used the four “learning modalities” – along with quite a few other clever devices from his bag of tricks – to create a killer VSL. And I’m not making this up – I’ve been to a lot of events, but have never seen an audience respond so strongly to a live platform presentation.
So what can you take away today?
Here’s a high level view of how each of the four learning modalities can work for you, for example in headlines, subject lines, report names, etc:
Avoid – Triggers the most primitive part of the brain that is constantly scanning for danger in the environment. Example: “3 foods you must never eat on an airplane”
Enjoy – We are also driven by pleasure and you absolutely need this in your copy. Example: “They all laughed when I sat down at the piano. But when I started to play!~” (Revenge is sweet, right?)
How to – Who can resist being drawn to learning something of practical value to improve some aspect of your life? “How to…” is one of those old reliable headlines almost guaranteed to get response. Example: “Personal Survival In A Collapsing Society – The `Guerilla’ Video That Can Save Your Life” (Note, “how to” isn’t even stated, but the psychology still works – did it catch your interest at least a little?)
What if? – You don’t always need to use this one. According to Benson, it’s for the more creative, high level thinkers, always jumping ahead to the next step. Example: “What if You Could Learn Everything?” is actually the headline of a recent Newsweek article. If it works for Newsweek…
Here’s how you might employ this in, let’s say a special report you offer as lead capture device. Let’s suppose you have a bike shop:
Special Report: 3 Tips to Keeping Your Bike in Top Shape
- You want to avoid gunking up the air valve on your tires – I would stay away from the “slime” filled tires – Sure they make it so you don’t have to worry about getting a flat, but a sticky valve is a pain – For the money, I’d just as soon avoid that problem.
- Enjoy smoother gear changes by lubricating you chain after riding in wet conditions. A well lubed chain means quicker, smoother gear changes for carefree riding
- Here’s a fast and easy way to change a flat when you’re out on the road: Etc., etc.
What if you could enjoy carefree riding without having to take spend ours maintaining your bike? Check out our monthly concierge service plan and you’ll have more time for the road – less time in the toolbox!
Just the tip of the proverbial iceberg here – obviously there’s lots more to writing high conversion web pages, reports and email campaigns. But how could you put this one to work in your business?
Remember…
Help is just a few clicks away – Schedule a free 30 minute diagnostic consultation with Mike Connolly here and let’s see if we can’t get you rockin’ faster toward your goals.