?The Power Of Consumer Opinion, & How To Profit From It!?

Selling is just a whole lot easier when you know what people really want.

But unless you're psychic, or know how to do the Vulcan mind meld, "getting into their brains" is HUGE!

I can't tell you how many times I've racked my brain trying to make sense of consumer opinion, & up until this point, I have to confess. Ain't got no voodoo.

But here's what I know.

Having the right product is certainly important, but it's not nearly enough. What people really purchase are positive feelings that they associate with ownership, and they rarely express the connection between those feelings & product ownership plainly in consumer opinion polls. You must read between the lines.

People will look at the same identical product in a variety of ways. Is each one really searching for something different?

Actually, there are usually four or five common things that the majority of people in your market are looking for, and statistically speaking, those things are more or less important to them. On the surface, these things seem infinitely varied. But there's always a common theme lurking under the surface. People at the very core of their being, are driven by human nature, instinct, and emotion. Show me a marketing campaign that doesn't stir up these things at some level, and I'll show you one that probably doesn't work.

It's easy to sell people what they want. The tough part is mining & gauging consumer opinion to find out what that really is.

A couple of suggestions,

Method One - Testing

Here's a story from Elmer Wheeler's "Field Word Laboratory".

Elmer was asked by the Barbasol Company to come up with some effective sales talk to be used in selling shaving cream at retail counters. Were men at the Sears Roebuck toiletry counter looking for a clean shave, a quick shave, a cheap shave, a safe shave, a shave that didn't bother their skin, a precise shave to detail their designer mustachios?

Out of 146 sentences tested, it turned out that sales increased an astounding 102% when the clerks approached the customer with "How would you like to save 6 minutes shaving?" Sales increased still further, with "How Would You Like to Cut Your Shaving Time in Half?"

Testing is one way to find out what your customers are after, and how best to dangle it like a carrot in front of their noses. What you're really looking to determine is a hierarchy of wants. The top want should go in the headline. The second one in the opening lines. The third in further into the piece, and so on. Powerful stuff!

Of course testing is a process of elimination, so it's a painstaking process. Here's a tip. Start out with benefits that appeal to one of these three most basic & powerful of all human motives. Self Preservation, the desire for romance, & the desire for money. Can you think of ways to tie a quick shave to these? I'll leave that to your imagination.

The order of the benefits you're presenting is also extremely important. If you've got it wrong, you're loosing too many potentially interested prospects. You need to grab them by the lapel with the most statistically relevant top benefit! And then send them careening down a slippery slope to your order form, with the rest.

Method Two - Just Ask

Have you heard of Socrates, and the Socratic method? Here's a guy who figured out how to answer a question with a question with a question, until the cows came home.

Unfortunately, people no longer have time to hang out under olive trees, and they only accept interrogation from their analyst.

Pity.

So what you need is a little quid pro quo (One thing for another).

Consumer opinion is gold! What can you offer your prospects, or clients in return for it?

"Two Little Words That Never Go Out Of Style!"

Of all the conversations going on inside people's heads right now, I can tell you with certainty that "How To" is dead front & center. At the time of this writing, 68.8% of the questions received at "Selling to Human Nature", contain this phrase.

So here's my advice on collecting consumer opinion. Trade information about "How To" solve problems with your product or service, for consumer opinion from your customers. If you want to know exactly "how to" do this for maximum response, I strongly recommend you look at the work of Robert Collier.

Chapters 1 & 9 of my new ebook, which studies his technique, show you how to not only elicit the opinions & preferences of your market, but also make sales doing it. He did this time & time again with amazing result!

Daniel Levis is a top marketing consultant & direct response copywriter based in Toronto Canada. Recently, Daniel & world-renowned publicist & copywriter Joe Vitale teamed up to co author "Million Dollar Online Advertising Strategies ? From The Greatest Letter Writer Of The 20th Century!", a tribute to the late, great Robert Collier.

Let the legendary Robert Collier show you how to write words that sell...Visit the below site & get 3 FREE Chapters!

http://www.Advertising-Online -Strategies.com/ad-strategies.html

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


Value Based Pricing, Not Price Cutting

Special Requirements for Reprint: we ask only that you include... Read More

Selling Against Goliath

Selling Against Goliath?How to Take on the Big Guys and... Read More

17 Tips for Bringing Your Event to Life

Your job as an event planner doesn't stop with the... Read More

How to Set Appointments

The Importance of setting appointments is crucial to running a... Read More

The Doors Of Opportunity

Alexander Graham Bell once said, "When one door closes another... Read More

UK Sales and Marketing Terminology

Terminology / AcronymsABC figures: This is the independently audited sales... Read More

Everything Follows the Pitch

If you asked me to point to the heart and... Read More

Know What You Are Selling As If You Were Buying It

Recently I wanted a new lawn mower as we have... Read More

Health Insurance Lead and Health Insurance Leads

Health insurance lead generation systems provide a stead stream of... Read More

Is Sales Profession an Oxymoron?

If you are in Sales, you have probably heard these... Read More

The Answers (1 - 5) Are Here !!! - Challenge Yourself - Evaluate Your Selling Skills

"THE ANSWERS (1 - 5) ARE HERE!!!"Question 1) List the... Read More

Dead Silence From Your Prospect: The Worst Sound Of All

Could this be the worst moment in your selling cycle?You've... Read More

In Sales Service Means Business

Some businesses flourish while others slowly fade away. There's usually... Read More

Money Does Talk!

When buying something, you can buy in one of two... Read More

Selling To Women - Selling To Men - It Isnt the Same

Selling To Women - Selling To Men - It Isn't... Read More

Save Your Breath: How To Sell In Trade Shows Without Pitching

You stand there, in front of your great presentation material,... Read More

How to ASK for Business -- WITHOUT appearing Pushy --

GIVING Vs "SELLING"Never lose sight of the importance of providing... Read More

Can Barter Help Increase Cash Sales and Visability for Your Small Business?

Barter is becoming an increasingly popular method of commerce. The... Read More

?The Power Of Consumer Opinion, & How To Profit From It!?

Selling is just a whole lot easier when you know... Read More

Recommending Products Vs. Selling Them

Some of the best sales people I have ever met,... Read More

The Trusted Advisor Relationship: What Is It, and What Should It Be?

For the past months, maybe a year, I've been hearing... Read More

9 Packaging Problems That Lose Sales

You have a great product, but it's not flying off... Read More

A Quick and Simple Tip For Gaining Customers

In the course of my career, I've had to deal... Read More

Selling: an art of a skill?

Selling is as much an art as it is a... Read More

Tapping The Potential Of Your Customers

Business owners of long standing know the cardinal rule "take... Read More

7 Strategies for Writing Fundraising Letters

Writing fundraising letters can be an effective way to request... Read More

Selling -abilities : Part 2

In the last article... Read More

Everything in Life is Selling

Robert Louis Stevenson said 'Everything in Life is Selling' and... Read More

The Email Blow-Off

This week's article is my response to a question by... Read More

Stop Telemarketers, Do Not Call List or Not

American consumers have spoken and have done so loudly registering... Read More

EXHIBITORS - Check Your URL

How many of you have a corporate web site? Everybody... Read More

How to Sell High Tech Solutions

Many companies are looking to improve upon the speed, security,... Read More

Lock, Stock, and Barrel!

The other night I was watching a classic western from... Read More