April 20, 2007

Dr. Joe Vitale Of "The Secret" / Michael Nicholas Interview On Sales Copy Writing

Michael: Joe, how would you best describe the methods you
use… to put your customers in the "buy it now" mood?…

Joe: There are at least two ways. The first is to mention
their problem. If they have sore feet, a headline that asks
"SORE FEET?" will get them wanting a solution. The second
way, and my preferred way, is to focus on the solution
first. Instead of "Sore Feet?" it might be "At last - Relief
for sore feet!" Either way, I'm focusing on THEIR problem,

==================
Michael: How do you use or embed triggers (the copy ideas
that help induce order clicks) within your sales page to
encourage the decision to buy?

Joe: This is tricky. Basically, people follow commands. If I
say "Look here," you'll look here, at least for a second. If
I say, "Imagine a time when you laughed like a little baby,
with no care or worry at all," you'll begin to go in that
direction mentally. I do the same thing in my writing. I
insert hypnotic commands.

Some may seem obvious. Others may be subtle, and almost
hidden. For example, if I tell you a story about one of my
clients who made a fortune with one of my ideas, you begin
to imagine you are that client. There are other ways, of
course. Just saying, "Don't order until I've told you the
whole story," is telling people they will soon be ordering.
It's very hypnotic. I have a whole collection of these
embedded commands in "The Hypnotic Writing Swipe File."

==================
Michael: Is there a formula to where and why you place your
order button/links at specific places within your sales
page?

Joe: Yes. I usually have an order button right at the top.
Some people will read the headline, realize the benefit, and
want to buy now. I accommodate them. I will then write out
my sales letter and two-thirds down, I'll have another order
button. This is for the people who are now convinced they
are ready to buy.

I will often list a series of bonuses people get when they
buy, and place an order button right there. This is for the
people who act on the psychology of the second interest:
They'll buy to get the freebies. And I always have an order
button in the PS's at the end.

==================

Michael: Do you find that placing emotionally charged copy
triggers preceding an order button/link gets better results?

Joe: Yes! It's one thing to say "Order here." It's quite
another to say, "Imagine how much money you'll make when you
order here" or "Stop your family from worrying about you and
click here to get life insurance now."

==================

Michael: How many order button/links do you place through
out your sales page?

Joe: Varies. Sometimes 5 or 6.

==================

Michael: I have noticed that triggers are layered throughout
sales pages where they keep building interest leading
directly to the order button/link, how do you approach this?

Joe: Oh yes! I love to sneak in psychological triggers that
make people start wanting the product or service. Even
little things like, "When you start using my new software,
you'll find…" implies that they will soon start using the
software. You're getting into the mind of people and pulling
their strings.

I love it. One of my favorite things to do is anticipate
questions. If I say, "How much does this cost?", it's
because I anticipated that that was your very question at
that time. If I'm right, I create rapport that is magnetic.
You then start to accept everything I say.

==================

Michael: Which do you find gets the most sales clicks, order
buttons, order links or a combination of the two?

Joe: A combination. Again, not every person will read the
entire sales copy. Make it easy for anyone to buy at any
time.

==================

Michael: Have you ever placed testimonials close to an order
button/link and found that it helps trigger more sales?

Joe: Yes. I LOVE testimonials. Since we live in the age of
skepticism, we need evidence to persuade people to buy.
Endorsements are miracles, or can be. I like to sprinkle
them throughout sales copy.

I like to have an endorsement that ends with a call to
order. Since a psychological principle is that people
remember best what they read last, an order button at the
end of a testimonial can get immediate action.

==================

Michael: What do you find are the hot buttons of buyer
behavior and how do you access them effectively to get more
order clicks?

Joe: I've created this software called "Hypnotic Writing
Wizard." In it I list the 26 things that cause people to
buy. Throughout history, these 26 things never change.
Technology changes, but not people.

People will always want food, sex and money, for example.
They want to look good, feel good, live forever, be safe and
secure, stay healthy, be popular, etc. All of these are hot
buttons for buying behavior.

==================

Michael: How many different forms of payment do you find
helps to increase sales conversions?

Joe: ALL. Have ways for people to call, fax, email, order
online, snail mail a check, take PayPal, or anything else.
If you want the sale, make it easy to buy.

==================

Michael: Do you find that showing the product price on the
sales page yields better sales conversions or revealing the
price on the order form page?

Joe: I get better results hiding the price. By the time
people get to it, I've justified it so it will seem
reasonable and fair to them. If I give the price up-front, I
lose potential buyers who never heard my plea. I want a
chance to state my pitch. I then frame the price to be
acceptable.

==================

Michael: How do you feel the price point of a product
affects a customer's buying decision?

Joe: There's a psychology to pricing. People generally value
a thing based on what you say it's worth. They have little
other way to frame the value.

You tell them it's worth $100 or $1,000 and then justify
your price with your own sales logic. Of course, the higher
price, the more you'll have to sell and explain. Long copy
works best in this situation.

==================

Michael: What call to action phrases do you use as your
order button/links, and which do you find pulls more orders
i.e. Buy It Now! or Click Here To Order, etc?

Joe: All of them. I'll vary them from "Order now" to "click
to buy" or "get yours here" or anything else I can think of
to try. Sometimes a good psychology is to pretend I'm the
voice of the customer and say, "Yes, I'm ready to buy now!"

==================

Michael: Have you found that a P.S. is good spot to place an
order button/link, or even a location that is close by?

Joe: Yes.

==================

Michael: Do you find that it helps to highlight certain
buzzword/phrases in bold or italic letters to help access
the "but it now" triggers?

Joe: Yes. This draws the eye to them. And even if people
quickly breeze through the writing, they unconsciously get
the buying signals.

==================

Michael: What is your current approach to offering bonuses
to entice more order clicks?

Joe: The more bonuses, the more orders. I've seen staggering
results from offering more freebies for those who buy. It's
the "psychology of the second interest." People will often
buy the first item to get the bonuses. It's often called an
ethical bribe. Works wonders, too.

==================

Michael: How do you use a guarantee to lock in consumer
buying confidence and do you feel it is one of the more
important sales triggers?

Joe: Absolutely! Without a guarantee, sales will drop to
nothing. With a strong or unusual guarantee, sales will
blast into the sky. Generally, the longer the guarantee, the
more the sales. The odder the guarantee, the more memorable
it will be.

**********************************************
Dr. Joe Vitale, President of Hypnotic Marketing, Inc.
#1 Best-Selling Author of many important books including,
"Spiritual Marketing" and "The Attractor Factor".
A main contributor to the book and movie "The Secret"
Joe recently appeared on Larry King Live.