The secret to enduring wealth and happiness, in a simple 5-word question!
I got an email the other day from a friend and colleague, an old boss and my very first marketing mentor. He’d been approached by a direct response copywriter on LinkedIn, trying to land him as a client.
And my friend would make a great client for a copywriter.
He currently runs over a dozen specialty events per year, in markets all across the US. In each market, they are attempting to fill the events with dozens if not hundreds of executive-level professionals. Along with that, they’re looking to get a handful of event sponsors, who will each pay thousands of dollars to connect with attendees.
Even if the projects with my friend would be relatively small, they’re using a TON of copy.
And, they have a good-sized handful of quality revenue opportunities.
Which means that if you could impress him and provide good copy for the business, he might be willing to pay you well.
He does understand the value of copywriting — after all, he’s friends with ME!
Not only that, this friend has some “hidden” benefits as a client.
He’s built multiple multi-million-dollar companies through direct marketing. He knows how to build businesses using a ton of different media, including direct mail, online, space advertising, and more.
He’s sales-minded. He cares first and foremost about results.
And, he’s pretty easy-going. If you’re on his good side, he’ll give you room to succeed on YOUR terms.
If you’re able to help him grow his business, he’s going to give you an AWESOME success story that will attract even more great clients like him.
But this copywriter didn’t have a chance…
I got to talking to my friend, and we landed on a very important concept. A 5-word question that gets you anything you want in life.
If you want to be successful in sales and marketing, you have to know this question — and how to use it.
And a sophisticated prospect — like my friend — can spot in a New York Minute whether you get it or not.
This copywriter didn’t.
And so this copywriter didn’t get the light of day. Much less a project.
When you DO understand this question — and how to use it — you’ll find it much easier to get clients. AND, your copy that you write will be much more effective.
In fact, it could be said that in copywriting, selling, or any persuasion…
THIS is the most important question that can be asked.
Because once you know the answer, you know how to move people to action.
Here’s this magic 5-word question…
“What’s in it for me?”
The way you DON’T get anything you want in life is by asking that question for YOURSELF, and using the answer in communicating with others.
The way you DO get anything you want in life is by asking that question about OTHERS — from their perspective — and using the answer to motivate them to a mutually-beneficial action.
In the words of Zig Ziglar, “You can get anything you want in life by helping enough people get what they want in life.”
But first you have to take on their perspective, and ask, “What’s in it for me?”
In the words of Peter Diamandis, “If you want to become a billionaire, solve a billion-person problem.”
First, you have to get in their heads and look at the problems and solutions, asking about the solutions, “What’s in it for me?”
Here’s where that copywriter failed — as probably 95% of professional persuaders do…
When he approached my friend, the copywriter had asked himself what HE could get out of the relationship. Not what my friend, the client, would get. But what the copywriter would get.
And so the copywriter told my friend all the reasons HE (the copywriter) would love to connect with and work with my friend.
It wasn’t about my friend. He wasn’t talking about this potential client’s needs, wants, and desires. He was talking about his own.
When is the last time you’ve been moved to buy a product because the salesperson really wanted to sell it to you?
When’s the last time you hired someone because they really wanted to work with you?
These are obvious facts and inconsequential to your buying situation.
Maybe when you’re buying from a kid’s fundraiser. But in almost no other situation do these factors have any significant weight in a buying decision.
No — you care what’s in it for you!
And so when the tables are turned — when you’re the one doing the selling — you need to put the prospect’s needs first.
Get out of your own head, and get into your prospect’s!
Take a moment to go deep into your imagination. Try to get inside the head of your prospect. Imagine what it’s like to be them. What it’s like to have their life. To wake up in their house. To go to their job. To have their spouse. To drive their car. To pay their bills. To enjoy their luxuries. To have their family — and all the good and bad relationships in it. To have their friends — and enemies.
What are their needs, their wants, and their desires?
What are their fears? Their frustrations? Their biggest failures?
What dreams do they harbor? What are their desires — both public, and secret? What destiny do they see for themselves, their life, and their impact on their community and the world at large?
And then, once you’re fully immersed in the psyche of your prospect…
Put that product or service right in front of your face…
And, from their perspective, ask, “What’s in it for me?”
Why should I care about this, right now? What benefit will it offer? What problems will it solve? How will it help me move toward everything I want in life, and protect me from everything I don’t want? How will it make my life easier? And at what cost? What incredible benefits am I going to get from this that completely outweigh my investment in it and the financial and opportunity risk of making a purchase?
Examine these things in vivid detail, as they relate to your prospect and your product.
Once you’ve done this, persuasion is relatively easy.
You paint a picture of the answer to “What’s in it for me?” Make it vivid, and make the benefits outweigh the costs and risks. Prove that you’re not just making it all up, and make a compelling offer.
Now I’d like for you to imagine something for yourself…
You’re on this list because you’re in business and marketing. Maybe you’re a business owner, or a copywriter. Maybe you play some other role in marketing. Or you want to get into a lucrative career in marketing.
You know that there are a TON of wannabes out there online. Folks who’ve made it their business to sell you “how to get rich in marketing” advice on the internet. When the only way they’ve managed to get rich in marketing, is in selling this bunk advice. (Most of that entire industry is bunk, or cheap derivatives of what really works.)
But then there are folks out there who have actually done it.
Who are out there, in the trenches, every day, making money for themselves and their clients through proven direct marketing processes and principles. Some have also made a fortune as teachers — but have made as much and more doing it in industries that have nothing to do with “how to get rich in marketing.” Others seldom teach, and don’t have information products of their own.
You know that if you want to build a substantial, enduring career in this business, you really need to know what works. That you could spend a fortune on empty promises, and never really get ahead. Or make smart investments in proven principles, and be confident those investments will come back to you many times over.
The Titans of Direct Response, last year, was one of those opportunities to learn from real-life living legends. Folks who, collectively, generate well over $1 billion in sales EVERY YEAR from direct marketing. Folks who are out there doing it — NOT just teaching “how to get rich” advice.
I was incredibly fortunate that Brian Kurtz tapped ME to write his sales letter for Titans. I was fortunate to connect with those Titans — many of whom are long-time heroes of mine. I value investing in real-world marketing principles and strategies that work across industries and media, and that endure through the ages while marketing fads and tactics come and go. And I was fortunate to get VIP treatment at Titans through my affiliation with Brian. (It’s really cool to see a room full of 250 top-level marketers who are there to LEARN, who registered for the event after reading your sales letter!)
This once-in-a-lifetime event will NEVER be repeated. There were specific reasons Brian Kurtz was able to bring these Titans together, that mean it could only ever happen once. And if you didn’t make it to the event, your chance to experience it live is now dust in the wind.
But your opportunity to learn from the Titans — to get their every lesson, shared from the stage — is now available.
Brian has just officially made the DVDs available to the public. He has no interest in being in the DVD business, so don’t expect these things to be around forever. But he does want to share the content with serious marketers like you, who want to be able to tap the wisdom of the world’s best — knowing it’s the best way to rise to the top yourself.
Personally, I plan to refer to these DVDs every year for the rest of my career. Their secrets are that powerful, that enduring. They will continue to provide a wealth of knowledge and inspiration for decades.
And because I want YOU to have them, too — knowing how serious you are about being as successful as you can be. And so I’m also throwing in recordings of my copywriting workshop from last November (currently unavailable at ANY price) FREE when you order the Titans DVDs by Midnight Thursday.
Click here to get the Titans DVDs…
When your order is complete, forward me the receipt and I’ll reply with a link to instantly download my workshop recordings. I go into a lot deeper coverage of the buyer psychology talked about above — as well as the rest of my best lessons from my first 10 years as a successful direct response copywriter and marketing consultant.
I promise, it’s 3 days packed with breakthrough content.
Yours for bigger breakthroughs,
Roy Furr
Editor, Breakthrough Marketing Secrets
