4 Ways to disarm your prospects through conversation.

When someone tries to sell us something, we prepare ourselves for the onslaught.

We raise our defenses. We hide behind filters. We prepare our rebuttals and get ready to say NO.

Why such an extreme response? Because we are used to the sale process being adversarial.

And we know that an experienced salesperson has a hundred tricks and schemes in his playbook. He’s been doing this for years. He has been trained to win, to demolish objections, and to close the sale.

It’s little wonder we go on the defensive.

Of course we do. We’re under attack.

At least, this is the way things used to be.

In the physical world – in a car showroom, a retail store, or at my kitchen table sitting across from an insurance salesman – this adversarial scenario plays out thousands of times a day.

Online, things are different.

The power dynamic changes.

While it can be awkward and a little embarrassing to ask a salesperson to leave your house before he has finished his sales pitch, it’s really easy to click on the back button on your browser.

Online, the customer has a lot more control. The power dynamic has shifted.

And yet… a lot of companies are still using the old ways of selling. They still use the same old sales tricks. They still try to apply pressure to close the sale.

They’ll try to push you, rush you, and make you feel bad or inadequate for not taking action immediately.

Yes, I know this approach often still works in some situations. But just because it works doesn’t necessarily mean it’s your best choice.

When you push someone into buying you’ll get a lot more buyer’s remorse and returns. You’ll also be generating negative feelings about your business. And remember, each of those unhappy customers can share those negative feelings with their friends and followers online.

Instead, take on the role of someone who actually cares about the prospective buyer. Understand their point of view. Take their side.

How can you write this kind of sales copy? How can you become more conversational and still make the sale?

Here are 4 approaches you can start on right now…

#1 – Ask questions.

Whether on a web page, in a post, through email or online chat… ask your prospects what they want, and what they don’t want.

Listening is key to any real conversation and relationship.

#2 – Share stories.

Replace those worn sales pitches with real customer stories. Show a little empathy. Show you can see things from the customer’s point of view.

Stories are a powerful way to grab attention and engage with someone in a non-adversarial way.

#3 – Be imperfect.

We’re all imperfect and we know it. But companies almost always pretend to be perfect. Which they’re not.

If you want to engage with your audience in an authentic way, own up to your imperfections as a business or organization. Ask your audience for ideas on how you could improve. Invite them in and make them part of your future.

#4 – Use their language.

When we use sales language that sounds foreign to your prospects, that’s a signal for them to raise those filters and defenses.

So dump that old-school, in-your-face sales vocabulary and playbook. Speak and write to your audience in their own language.

When your language ceases to be threatening, the defenses come down.

Summing up…

The art and craft of conversational copywriting is, at its heart, simply about being a decent, honest and open-minded communicator.

It’s a way of selling that strips away the adversarial approach, and focuses instead on engaging with your audience in a more human and authentic way.

It’s the anti-hype. It’s disarming. And it’s the better way to sell online.

NOTE: You can find out about my course on Conversational Copywriting here…