Yes, there’s no mystery to it at all.  Anyone with half a grain of common sense knows the answer:  all you need is a product they want at a price they’re willing to pay.

Okay, I told you that you knew that…

But here’s the rub:  you think you have a product they want and you’re pretty sure it’s at a good price – after all, you’ve done the market research and you just can’t bring it to market any cheaper..  And still, they’re not buying.  How come?

Let’s assume you do have a product they want and that it’s well priced.  How can you be sure that they will buy?  How can you guarantee sales success?

There’s a key ingredient you have to add to the mix in order to get your prospect to take action.  It’s ‘feelings’.  No matter how much they ‘need’ or can afford the product, they will not buy unless they ‘feel’ they have to have it.

Now you can’t possibly know all the nuances of feeling that might be necessary to make the right connection. But you can identify the main contenders.  The easiest way to do this is to poll a section of your target market.  If you can talk to your ideal prospect and get to know their core fears, hopes and desires, it’s a lot easier to evoke and address the specific feelings that will motivate them to buy.

You’ve no doubt heard the old adage:  Sell the sizzle not the steak.  And that still holds true. Unfortunately, most businesses do not carry that philosophy through their communications with their market – and so, neve rreach their full sales potential.  You HAVE to speak to the prospect’s emotions.  Not to manipulate, but to match.  Because, as I’ve so often stated previously, people do not buy in an emotional vacuum.  Emotion is ALWAYS involved in the purchasing decision – even when it masquerades as the satisfaction of using logic.  You have to match your product with the kind of emotion they will experience from owning it.

Here are some example of how to use feelings to guarantee sales success:

• Business to business sales:  talk about things that are important to the purchaser.  These will usually revolve around a need to know that the product / service will not let them down and if they’re an employee, land them in hot water with their boss.  Therefore a pitch that focuses on the peace of mind aspect i.e. their security which is ensured by various guarantees and warranties  and the recognition they will receive for having made such a savvy purchase, will be a lot more powerful and likely to succeed than one that focuses solely on features and benefits.  Once the primary  emotional connection has been made, then  information relating to how this purchase will improve productivity and profitability will further appeal to very specific secondary emotions and will cement the connection.
• Business to consumer: most people’s purchasing decisions are activated by fear (and the need for security) or desire for advancement, whether that advancement is peer recognition, social standing or financial gain.  Showing how the purchase can achieve any or all of these states is key.  For instance, ‘feel thin, fit and attractive’ is more powerful than ‘look thin, fit and attractive’ although they’re essentially the same thing.  ‘Go to sleep at night without worrying about your future’ is more powerful than ‘Secure your future’.  ‘Your neighbors will be impressed…’ is more powerful than ‘Own this luxury vehicle’…

Making these kinds of emotional connections really does guarantee sales success.  You’ve already proved it in your own life.  Think back:  have you ever purchased something you really wanted after having found all the good reasons why you ‘needed’ it?  And have you ever justified a purchase to someone else using logic a little different to the emotion you felt when contemplating and making the purchase?   I thought so…

Whose writing seems so natural, so effortless that it moves the reader beyond being aware of the act of reading and into a state of experiencing what they are reading.

Does it come naturally?  Does it take talent?  Does it take years of practice?  I think it’s a combination of a natural or learned understanding of psychology together with an overwhelming heart desire to communicate.

When you think about it, the world as we know it has been profoundly affected by the written word.  Think about these very obvious examples:

1. The Bible
2. Martin Luther’s edicts
3. Martin Luther King’s speech “I have a dream…”
4. The constitution (of whichever free country you may call home)

From pictograms then cuneiform of ancient Mesopotamia to the few characters of text messages and tweets, ideas are communicated in words. Those ideas take on a life of their own when acted upon.

The sword, on the other hand, is much more difficult to wield. It’s impact can be devastating and seemingly more powerful than the word at the time of its wielding… but its effect eventually dies.  Wars are fought, battles won, boundaries change, people die and forget.  But philosophies communicated by words change thinking, actions, nations and eventually the world as we know it.

Look at communism for instance. Initially a philosophy, then a state ‘religion’ and now, an obviously failed social ‘experiment’.  While the ‘sword’ enforced it, the ‘word’ overthrew it.

Which is why we should never underestimate the power of our words, especially our written words, to influence, persuade and motivate.

That seemingly effortless writing I spoke of at the beginning of this article comes only as a result of passion channeled through carefully chosen words that are precise, powerful and perfect to convey very specific meaning and emotion.  Master that art, that science and you have a weapon more powerful than any other ever invented by man.

If you’d like to test this for yourself here’s an exercise you can try:

Pick a subject. Preferably a controversial subject.  Now write 2 short articles about it.  Write one as if your the protagonist for the subject and the other as if you’re against it.  Put yourself in each role.  Imagine yourself feeling completely convinced of the righteousness of your stance in each case.  Argue your case.  Convince your readers that you are right and make them feel as you do.

Then, read your articles. Note how they move you.  Note how your own opinions are changed as you move from one viewpoint to the other as you seek to justify it.

I remember doing a similar exercise in high school.  The subject was a hobo being moved from their cardboard shack on a city street.  I’ll never forget the impact that exercise had on my thinking or how it opened my eyes to the power of words.