As marketers we’re always trying to get into our customers minds so we know what they’re thinking. Once you know what they’re thinking, you can begin the conversation there and then move it in the direction you want it to go.
But what if their line of thought totally bypasses any chance of purchasing your product? For example, if you sell alarm systems, it’s a sure bet that most of your prospects think a break-in or robbery will never happen to them. Therefore, it becomes imperative that you change their thinking to match your own – that YES, a robbery CAN happen to them at any time, and THEN WHAT WILL THEY DO?
A security company called BGS in Bucharest, Romania, came up with what might be the perfect solution. They covered apartment doors with life-sized posters that create the illusion that the door is open and the place has been devastated by robbers.
The posters are put on with a special glue so that they’re easy to remove. And on the doorknob another sticker is left which reads, “Make sure this never happens – BGS” and their website’s url.
Result? The posters impacted both the actual apartment dwellers and their neighbors. Some people left the poster on their door for weeks, and the advertising campaign become the talk of the neighborhood. More importantly, people who never would have considered a security system began contacting the company.
http://www.bestadsontv.com/ad/41378/BGS-Security-Fake-Robbery
Now here’s your food for thought: How can you show your prospects what they will lose if they don’t purchase your product? What visuals can you offer that will stop them in their tracks and make them totally reconsider their position?
Here is one possible answer that could work in MANY niches… let’s say you sell a gardening membership. What if you show a photo of two front yards, side by side. One yard is a real show stopper, bursting with huge, healthy flowers with a very pretty, smug looking home owner relaxing on the porch with a cool drink.
The other yard is total devastation. You can see an effort has been made, but most of the plants are either sick or dead. And of course you have that homeowner looking sad, dejected, frustrated, over wrought – take your pick. Walking by on the sidewalk is a couple of women who are pointing and snickering at the pathetic garden.
You might even have a handsome man stopping to admire the flowers in the nice garden – a possible beau for the lady on the porch?
This is a visual that will say more than a thousand page sales letter. And you can use this concept in almost any niche.
For example, your niche is weight loss and you have a set of before and after shots of two people. Maybe the before shots have a calendar on the wall of January 1st, and they’re both standing on scales looking concerned, unhappy, distressed, horrified, whatever.
Then you have a second set. Same people, same scales. The calendar now says March 15th (or some such.) The person on the left looks the same or heavier, and is even unhappier than before. The person on the right – well, you can fill in the blanks – lighter, healthier, happier, etc.
Your goal is to make your prospects experience in their minds and feel in their bodies what it is like to be without your product. And once you can do that, you’re halfway to making the sale.
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