Most of the sales pieces people ask me to rewrite seem to offer great products and services. In fact, some of their offers are so good, prospects would be crazy to turn them down. But they do. And these sales pieces end up falling in my lap because they're desperately unproductive.

One of the biggest problems I see in these pieces is the fact that the copy is stale, limp and anemic.Copywriting is "Salesmanship in Print"

This is nothing new. It comes from the ageless teachings of the masters, like Hopkins, Barton, Collier, et al, which still ring true today.

Writing copy is like face-to-face selling. And when writing copy, the lack of human interaction takes away the emotional element in the selling process. A sales message must therefore communicate that emotion that so empowers people to buy.

Often, the challenge is not with the offer itself but with the language, the tone and the "voice" of the copy.

You may have a great product, but your copy must be effective enough to make its case and present its offer in an irresistibly compelling way.

Problem is, some sales messages get so engrossed in describing the companies, the products and the features of their products that they fail to appeal to the reader specifically.

It's understandable. Businesspeople are often so tied to their businesses or products that they get tunnel vision and fail to look at their copy from their readers' perspective.

Understandable, yes. But not excusable.

My advice? Be benefit-rich, of course. But more important, be ego-driven when describing those benefits.Appeal to Their Ego

People buy on emotion. Even when selling to other businesses, people are still the ones okaying the deal, whipping out their credit cards or signing the checks. And people always buy for personal, selfish reasons.

Copy using convoluted, complex, highfalutin language doesn't sell product. I'm talking about third person, impersonal, high horse, "holier than thou," ego-stroking corporate-speak. (In here, I'm referring to the seller's ego, not the buyer's.)

The fact remains that companies and websites and committees and C-Level titles are NOT the ones that fork out the money, issue the purchase orders or sign the checks.

People do.

Don't be shy or afraid in being personal, conversational and emotional with your copy. Of course, I'm not talking about being so lackadaisical with your grammar and your spelling to the point that English majors want to burn you at the stake for heresy.

(Although, your copy might infuriate some purist grammarians. Unless you target scribes and grammarians specifically, these people are not, and never will be, your clients. Clients are the ones that matter.)

And I'm not talking about being crude, uttering profanities or using a style that's so laid back, you appear as if you are on anti-depressants.

I mean copy that goes "for the jugular," is down to earth and is straight to the point. Copy that relates to your audience at an intimate level -- not an educational or socio-economic level, but a level people can easily understand, appreciate and identify themselves with.

A level that appears as if you were a concerned, genuinely interested and empathetic salesperson making a face-to-face pitch with your prospect.

So, here are some tips.Follow the "3 C's" Rule

Express your offer as Clearly, as Convincingly and as Compellingly as possible.

Be enthusiastic. Be energetic. Be excited about your offering, because your job is to transfer that excitement into the minds of your readers.

Use words, phrases and imagery that help paint vivid mental pictures. When people can visualize the process of doing what you want them to do, including the enjoyment of the benefits of your offer, you drive their actions almost instinctively.

You need to denominate, as specifically as possible, the value you bring to the table. And how what you bring to the table will meet and serve the needs of your prospect specifically.

In other words, you need to make them feel important. Write as if you were speaking WITH your prospect, right in front of them, in a comfortable, conversational manner.

When you do, your copy will imply that you understand them, you feel for them and their "suffering" (for which you have a solution), and you're ready to nurture and take care of them.

Forget things like "best," "fastest," "cheapest" and other, broad claims. Because the worst thing you can do, second to making broad claims, is to express those claims broadly.

Be specific. But also...
Be Emotional!

If you want to tell people how better or different or superior or unique your offering is, make sure you express those claims in your sales message in a way that directly benefits your buyer and appeals to her ego.

Being different is important. But don't focus on how better or unique you are. Focus on how that uniqueness directly benefits others, even to the point they can almost taste it.

Again, people buy on emotion. They always have and always will. They only justify their decision with logic, and rationalize their feelings about your offering with logic.

Once you accept and internalize that fact, you'll clearly have the first rule of copywriting (or selling, for that matter) down pat. (Plus, you'll also gain an edge over 98% of all other businesses and copywriters out there.)

Even when selling to multinational, Fortune 500 corporations, the buyers are people, not companies. Purchasing agents are people. Decision-making committees are made up of people. Even C-level executives with 6- or 7-figure incomes are people.They are Human Beings

And people always buy for personal desires, selfish reasons and self-interested motives. Why? Because people are people. Period. It's been that way for millions of years.

And nothing's changed.

So don't try to sell to some inanimate object called a "business" or even a "prospect." A business is just brick and mortar -- or a bunch of computer chips, in the case of online businesses. And a prospect is not some name and address on a mailing list, or a "hit" on your website.

Remember that it's not businesses or prospects that fork out the money or sign the checks. It's people.

Your job is to express your offer in terms that trigger their emotions, press their hot buttons, jerk their tears, tug at their heartstrings and nudge them into taking action.

If not, you're only telling. Not selling.

About the Author

Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.

---

MORE RESOURCES:

RELATED ARTICLES A Free Lesson On How To Easily Write Ads That Are Guaranteed To Make You Money COPYWRITINGAfter determining what we are going to sell, the next task is to effectively convey our message.Copywriting is the art of writing words and messages that successfully sell a product or service. Is Your Web Copy Plain Talk? It's true, we were all taught in school to express ourselves differently on paper, than the way we speak. To follow rules of grammar, and inject an artificial air of formality. Top 7 Things To Do Before You Hire A Copywriter Now that you've decided to hire a copywriter, how do you go about finding one? Here are seven things to look for to make sure the match is a good one.#1 - Define your expectations. The Power of Saying You Can If you have children, you will doubtless remember saying to them, "You can do it."It's what we say when our toddlers first struggle to their feet. Who is Your Customer? When you want to sell something?anything? you need to first know who is going to buy it. Why? Because your ad copy has to be written to that person. Segmenting Your Target Audience Through Your Copywriting Ask any copywriter what the first commandment of copywriting is and they'll quickly tell you "Know Thy Target Audience." In order to write effectively you have to know this one group of people and know them well. How You Can Proofread Your Own Work Putting out a high quality product is a given these days. With all the competition out there, you have to look great in every aspect. Does Your Copy Look Fake To the Search Engines? From the early days of search engine optimization, keywords and content have always been vital to achieving your goals. Starting back in the days when we used to shove every slightly relevant keyword into our Meta tags, it has been obvious that search engines love text. How To Find Freelance Jobs - Writing About Food Did you know that jobs writing about food are available? These opportunities are available in a variety of areas. Employment in these fields is an exciting concept. Copywriting Makeover: Search Engine-Friendly Can Also Mean Visitor-Friendly When it comes to search engine optimization, copywriting plays a big role. You want to have excellent copy that appeals to both your visitors and the engines in order to create pages that will rank highly. 7 Steps You MUST Take Before Writing a Word of Copy! Copywriting ChecklistOkay, you know you have your product (or service) in front of you. Now it's time to get the word out with an attention-grabbing sales letter. The Secret to Web Copywriting Gurudom Have you seen those copywriting gurus, working it on the web? How'd they get so darned famous? How can YOU get what THEY have? Here are some creative ideas for you to kick around and use in your copywriting escapades.1. SEO Copywriting: 7 Tips So you finally built a website for your home-based business. How exciting is that!? Now you just have to let people know you're out there. Your Article Headlines will Make or Break Your Business Most people with an online presence will have to regularly deal with the issue of coming up with an appropriate headline. The problem is that most people do not take it seriously enough. Stop Chasing Away Customers! Bad Copy is Your Worst Enemy Every day, more and more of us begin new online businessventures, hoping to make a better living or just a little extraon the side. And every day, more and more of us fail. Knowing Copywriting Basics - How To Get Ahead In Your Copy Writing Business In order to get ahead in your copy writing business, you need to know copywriting basics. There are several things that all business owners need to know, and here, we will touch on just a few. Headline Writing Can Lead To Fortunes: Here Are The Basics Of Writing Headlines Headlines attract attention. Headlines generate interest. Content is King IntroductionA pencil. Yes, a pencil. How Not to Write a Press Release Several years ago, when I was working for an agency, I was fired from an account. What that means is the client didn't want me writing for him anymore. The Five Rules Of Influential Web Writing Building a professional reputation requires a campaign founded on your words: the positions you endorse, the motions you advocate, the accuracy of your vision. Writing for the Web can either establish your expert credibility or destroy it.