Here's some old school direct marketing wisdom: you always want to enter the conversation that's already taking place in your prospect's mind. Remember this four letter word, and you'll be a long way towards doing that…
Please leave a comment below. I'd love to hear from you…
Frank Tornatore
Jeff , you are absolutely right when you say that we need to address all those worries of the potential buyer of our services, but also there are so many other issues in there mind to bring forward and address.
I thank you for your great pod casts, I follow them all and read the book , that I strongly recommend , I love to become an affiliate of yours just like Frank Kern did , to get you more people here in UK to read the book they would love it just like I do, after 35 years of marketing.
I love to be intouch and help out any way I can
Bill Alpert
LOL and right on!. I remember that even buying great stuff like PLF was a little bit like watching a porn video. At that moment, you may not want to advertise it to the world!
Frank DiLorenzo
Absolutely True Jeff!
Thank you so much for sharing!
Frank D.
Harish
Jeff,
I also want to do what you did and get the same results.
My business is selling tax returns and business and financial advise
I have prepared a 60 Product list and a menu of how to serve the customer their solution.
But I need to re launch the products on the net,
but also believe it will not work for me
Can you help with a weekly step by step programme to launch my business.
cristiano
Hello Jeff, thank you for your teachings, I’m starting in internet marketing and I can tell you is one of my mentors, thank you and success.
Mariana
Hi Jeff!
I love your videos. They are intimate and you do a great job at ‘talking to me’. This one is specially great and as I’m launching my product now I’ll definitively take it into consideration in the email sequence.
Thanks and enjoy the weekend!
Karlsbad
Dude! Thanks for the reminder! This is so true – my product is physical and removes scratches on new cars and does touch up paint repair my primary targeted customer is new car owners. my customers have all of the fears you mentioned heaped on top of another HUGE one “what if I make the scratch damage worse” and ruin my brand new car. Over the 6 yrs since I launched the product (yes PLF is integral part of my marketing) I have fine tuned (still not perfect ha!) the copy and video sales letters by paying attention to testimonials I get. They usually lead off with ” I was skeptical” ” I was surprised” ” it worked” “it was kinda expensive…” “I was scared…”
I use bold risk reversal that is to this day not used by anyone in my niche…however the fact remains…if your prospect does not BELIEVE they can do it…all the risk reversal in the world will only go so far.
I think THE biggest numero uno fear like you say is “I believe it works for other people …but its not going to work for me”
Ha ha…our customers and prospects don’t always share our “entrepreneur attitude about new things” you know like…. ” oh hell yeah I can do that piece of cake ” we may go down in flames but that doesn’t even cross our mind up front 🙂
Rock & Roll
Karlsbad
Ron
Jeff,
So true! Fear is perhaps the #1 purchase barrier to any product. Am I making a smart decision? Will this really work for me? What will others think? The list of questions that fear brings to the surface blocking the purchase decision is endless.
As a marketer, I think its helpful to keep this F.E.AR. acronym in mind. Fear is: False Evidence Appearing Real. If we can create messaging that helps our potential consumes overcome their F.E.A.R.s we will close more sales.
Tom Matzen
Morning Jeff,
Great reminder about keeping crystal clear our prospects fears as they engage or decide to engage with us. I’m such an eternal optimist (as most entrepreneurs are), we forget most people are motivated by fear than seizing opportunity. Thanks for sharing, Tom
Joe Trometer
Thanks Jeff. Great reminder to put that fear in check. I needed this, great timing.
Michael Kidzinski
Great video Jeff. I just realized that I was also feeling fear when I was made decision to buy stuff.
Thank you for reminding this because right now I have many ideas to use this information in my efforts.
Klaus Pankrac
Jeff
I just watched the video
Thanks..I am moving forward with thoughts to implement your book with my business of information/transformation learning and blogs
Great stuff in video
Thanks Klaus
Marc Klaesius
Hey Jeff, awesome!
The feeling of anxiety you describe is something I know VERY well! “Will it work for me? What will my wife say?” Haha…Great:-) That’s good. Just start observing your own feelings and thoughts when you buy or don’t buy!
Thanks for sharing:-)
Marc
Dan Brown
Great post and video yet again Jeff! Were you at Titans of DR this weekend?
I see these exact objections come up soo often people are constantly saying to themselves “well it worked for them, but that won’t work for me”
I think one of our biggest responsibilities as information marketers is to make it easy for our clients to take action and implement.
Great content man!
Carl Street
Hi Jeff,
I am also old school — 47+ years ago I fell in with evil companions and left accounting for direct mail — best move I ever made. Over the years I have applied those DM lessons learned to radio, TV, print, email and Internet with considerable success.
You are only 1,000% correct about putting ideas in people’s heads — it takes the educational system 12 years and even then the drop out and failure rate is high. Frankly, neither my creditors nor I ever had that kind of time…
Always better to link to what is already there — rapid success lies in that direction…
Best always,
Carl Street
Gerhard Radstake
Hi Jeff,
You are so right on this. I got to work on it a couple of years ago and I managed to get most of it out of the way.
But even today in certain areas of life I run into it but do manage to overcome.
As a startup coach I deal with fear a lot with all my clients starting their own business. Starting your own business is a scary thing for many people. I know from experience if you face fear you will overcome it.
Being at the start of a new business is always an honor and it is amazing to see people grow in person and grow in business.
It is good thing I developed my bizniz startup kit to help these startups.
Chris Eckhardt
Jeff,
I absolutely love your videos. As someone starting out, it is SO good to hear your stories of your beginning.
Thank you for everything you’re doing!
Best,
Chris
Suzanne Reilley
Really useful video. I want to become really skilled in writing copy and always have an eye out for the best way to learn. I’m a PLF Owner, slowly putting together my first launch. My thought is to do what you say in PLF and tinker with other books as I have the time. I do own Breakthrough Advertising. I also have the e-version of Power Copywriting for the Internet by Bob Serling (one of your bonuses). How did you go about teaching your son? How did you learn? …what do you recommend?
Tibsay Felida
Great post, Jeff. The way you nailed it is amazing. I work as an English tutor living in Spain and I have got a website to teach English to Spanish speakers for free. When I am looking for digital products to learn how to attract more clients for my tutoring business or new ways to monitize my website instead of depending only on Adsense, I feel the same fear. Is this going to work for me? Does this info work only in the US or could I apply it to the Spanish market? Am I going to waste my money and my time? And now I realize that my prospect is going through the same proces. Thank you so much! When you know what is going on in head of your prospect it is a lot easier to adress those fears and that will get you one step closer to selling. I have finished reading the launch and this week I am going to put together the content for my pre-launch. Thanks for sharing 😉
Gaianna
So what’s the best way in addressing the fear? Giving testimonials they can tell their friends about? Anything else sweet Jeff?
Melanie
Hey Jeff,
I’m launching a new product in a few weeks, but wondering how to create scarcity around a product that doesn’t have a deadline? It’s launching on a specific date but there’s no cut off.
Any suggestions?
Melanie
Jen Deane
Great post Thank you Jeff!
So true I have many wonderful friends yet feel shy of sharing my dreams and ideas and learning adventures with them often. Many with the best intentions are the Debbie and Donny downers to stepping out of our comfort zones. Great mindset to remember for those who are watching us until they feel ready to step ahead, for their own reasons.
Nitin Mistry
Hi Jeff,
Been following you … forever now 🙂 and bought some of your amazing products that changed my life.
One thing i noticed is that my existing customers (i.e. people who have bought from me – not the ones on my free list) as much more responsive to my emails than the ones on my free list. In fact I hardly market to them and they REALLY appreciate that. I am not sure though how to approach them from a fear point of view. I create an ebook creator software product. Once the customer has bought there’s not much else they need from me except support. So I would be interested in learning what kind of fear Authors and Writers who want to publish their ebook on Amazon Kindle have?
Jay Rosenberg
It starts this way: You love your product so you are convinced everyone else will… and you launch and learn.
It’s like stepping off a cliff. It’s that step that enables us to succeed.
FEAR — bring it on! It’s one of the best friends you’ll ever make.
Kind regards,
Jay
Annette
Thank you for reminding how important it is to connect with our prospects. I started the PLF program this summer and am slowly going through it taking those “baby” steps as u say. I am absorbing all the info and following one step at a time. Hopefully I will be able to launch something in the near future!
RAMA
Thanks Jeff,
That was really helpful, especially hearing your own story.
Aloha,
Rama
~jacki
Oh, Jeff. How could anyone fear you? But you have made me wonder why anyone would fear buying silk floral arrangments? I truly do not know. ~j
Henry
Jeff, you’re absolutly right. Fear is the number 1 word. By the way, the title of this article is 4 word. How can I see the other 3 ? Thanks a lot.
Jim Miotke
Thanks Jeff! This was a great reminder of that excellent advice to enter the conversational already going on in their head. It reminds me also of the idea of marketing to the already converted vs. trying to create a new market with a totally new unique product.
It also made me think in a new way about conversing with my prospects about what I’M interested in (rather than what they’re interested in). Because I’m so passionate about it, I keep talking about personal development, motivation, mindset… I just can’t help myself. And surveys say that about 14% of my audience are interested in this mindset stuff. But the rest want to talk photography (while being reassured that they not in danger of scam/ridicule/failure) and some get downright mad when I talk about the mental game.
So in addition to entering the conversation of fear, I need to enter the conversation of the main topic they’ve raised their hand about… and segment that 14% who are interested in personal development.
Thanks Jeff.
Preston Rentz
This video alone helps me to better understand the need for every step of the launch process. Well said!! Well Done!! Many Thanks Jeff.
Paul
This is a timely reminder! Great delivery on another helpful video, Jeff!
Darlene
Actually, I still struggle with this thought (It seems to work out for every one else however it proven
not to turn out for me!) to this day I struggle with this message over and over.
because it has been something I convince my self to buy these marketing courses and sure
enough it turn out to be one more set of marketing courses that does not turn out for me.
plus I still feel dumb for listening to these marketing pitches, and I do hid it from some one in
my life. and what even worse is I own lots of marketing courses already why am I buying another for?
That my internal struggles that goes over and over in my head.
Becky
Thanks Jeff! These are such great thoughts! I am going to pass this video on to my team.
Nancy
Hi Jeff, this is great news.
We are farmers and we sell organic, pastured meats…people are afraid to spend real money on real food…i will address this for them and the benefits of eating real food and the money they will actually save over time!
Can’t wait.
From the farm,
Nancy
Coach Miriam
Thanks for the reminder, Jeff. Love your genuine, down to earth videos.
Toni Rockis
Jeff, thanks for your reminders and tips that help me better serve my clients.
Dave Larson
As always, great advice. Claude Hopkins, John Caples, Gary Halbert will boost your copywriting skills.
carolyn anderson
Hi Jeff,
I absolutely love your podcasts. So on target and so real. Plus you look so much like a young version of my father, how could I not cling to every word? lol. Excellent point today. Perfect for me as I am jut now reviewing my copy and noticing that I talk mostly about what I love about my online Interior design courses. Not the best way to overcome fear. Now I know just how to reword everything to address objections. Thanks!
Carolyn
John Patrick Weiss
Jeff,
Thanks for a timely video. There’s a lot of mediocrity out there. People selling products that turn out to be common sense tips as opposed to actionable, insightful advice. I think building rapport with your audience and newsletter followers is very important. That’s why your sideways marketing approach works so well, since people are given quality content. You prove your worth and so they are more inclined to trust you and the product you sell.
Michael
That was a very refreshing message .
Thanks Jeff
Nikolay Tomov
Very precise and timely! This should be borne in mind and reckoned with in every product or service marketing strategy.
HomeschoolDad
Yes. It’s always about fear! People are even petrified today to give you their email address…even if you offer them a free book.
Marty Cordova
Homeschool Dad,
Please note: my comments are based solely on my own experience. Nothing scientific about them. OK?
In your comment you say, “People are even petrified today to give you their email address…even if you offer them a free book.” I, for one, am tired of being offered “books.” Over 99% of the “books” being offered in exchange for my email address are nothing short of very, very long sales letters pushing the authors “new” and “recently discovered” product. All the reader has to do is part with $47 and all your problems will go away and then, once you’ve paid the $47, here comes the up-sale. It’s all snake oil. What I’m looking for are real honest solutions. Real answers to problems I’m having.
Example: Let’s say you want to give away a book in exchange for an email address, where and to whom do you make the offer to since you have no list to begin with? How do you begin to build the list? I know, all the gurus tell us to write articles. Have you tried to write an article and get it seen? There are 1,000’s writing articles, there is an ocean of writers and the probability of your article being seen is very, very low. So you write and write and write and nothing. Other gurus tell you to buy advertising for your giveaway via some pay per click vender like Google, or Facebook. Remember those 1,000s of writers, they’re all doing pay per click. Then, to add insult to injury, your bids for all the right phrases or words are all taken by people like Kerns and Walker because they can afford to bid higher than you because they sell high end products and will recover the cost of the click more quickly than you will.
I can go on and on. I like Jeff because at least he’s honest with his readers. Anyway, I found your comment interesting so I thought I’d comment.
Andre Catnott
I might have to share this with my team.
Great stuff! !!
Don Sears
GREAT ADVICE JEFF!!!
FEAR is an objection that is rarely announced by the prospect. Meeting this FEAR head on and eliminating it up front will make it easier to increase conversions. Thanks.
Chad
Great stuff again Jeff…
Quick question…you mentioned the basic info marketing pack you bought in the 1990’s…
What was that?
(Just trying to swim upstream…have the Robert Collier Letter Book and Scientific Advertising and Tony Robbins Personal Power)…
Thank you again, Jeff.
Trent Jessee
Thanks for the reminder Jeff! Yeah, everyone wants to avoid embarrassment. They don’t want to purchase something and then look dumb afterwards or feel regret for their purchase. Entering into the conversation in their mind helps us put ourselves in their shoes so we can connect better, like you said. Great stuff!
John Farrar
Wonderful thoughts Jeff. I have transitioned from geek author to personal development teaching. Along the way many of the things you speak of have been key changes. One group I joined recently has shown the power of what you are saying. As of this morning there are 108 posts in the forum from me and 54 profile views, 24 liked comments. It used to be a focus on getting the other person to see my insight and now it’s a focus on seeing what the other person is saying first and creating a relationship. I think the book Unmarketing was the book that turned my thinking in this area. (regarding entering into the conversation that is already going on). It is great to hear it and have you help reinforce the concept in my mind.
Charles Water
Jeff, simple and to the point. Thanks. Love these short spot on thoughts. Charlie
Daphne
Jeff, you are so right! Thanks for making that link in my head. I thought back to my own doubts and worries when deciding whether or not to buy a product. I will have to put that on my checklist when building my product line.
Thanks for sharing your info. You are making the world a better place.
Daphne
Joe North
Hi Jeff,
Although I’ve heard this a number of times before it’s great to hear you put it over in your own way. For me it certainly had more impact. Like most people out there I’ve had these exact feelings and pushed through anyway.
A great lesson, so thanks Jeff. Have a great week.
Eunis WildFire! Christensen
Back to basics. Love it. Looking forward to attending PLF 5 next month.
Lorraine
Great point, as always Jeff. I enjoy your videos – short, to the point and packed with useful information. I am doing my first ever launch next week and have been preparing for this moment for a very long time. I have scrutinised your videos and your book and am very excited to try it all out for my online skincare school. Wish me luck! 🙂
Joe Emmet
Hi Jeff,
As always, you hit the nail on the head. You are absolutely right, people’s fears have to be addressed; it really isn’t that hard to accomplish! How?
One of my mentors shared this old axiom — I’m sure many of us have heard it over the years: FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real. Do a little soul searching on the topic we want to address with our prospects. With a little work, we can all connect with the FEARs people might have. Do some research online, and find the questions they are asking about this topic (their questions are usually rooted in fear). Get personally connected to their concerns!
Now you have some ammunition to use in your copy or pre-launch emails. Address those fears and show your audience why they needn’t be concerned by eclipsing the inherent qualms, and with those that are answerable, implicitly contradicting them or giving the
“reason why” it isn’t an issue. Of course, a great guarantee helps too.
Joe
Liz
I love that I am on the same wave length as someone as successful as you! Thank you for reminding us of this seriously important fact! This boils back down to personal relationships with our clients and future clients. Having a sincere attachment to what they are feeling and not just looking for the sale. There are 3 things that I know my future clients are thinking when I present a product to them (I am in an MLM fitness industry); “Can I do this?”, “Does it work?” & “How does it benefit me?”. Those are the 3 main things they are thinking and they have fear and doubt surrounding themselves in those 3 questions. When I talk to those people, I am making sure I am first and foremost addressing these 3 things with them before they even have to speak them. p.s. Love the book Launch, genius, I have set a goal to do one!
Drew Dillon
Jeff – My first comment to you. This video was epic, straight to the punch and hit a key fact I know I’ve forgot about at times. Loved the book… finished it 2 days!
Thanks again!
Drew
Marty Cordova
OK, I agree with the premise that to successfully sell you must first overcome the buyers fears, but the question is: How do you overcome these fears? When you’re selling a physical product or even a downloadable computer program or things similar to these, you can offer a 100% money back guarantee. But (I know that you’re not supposed to start a sentence with the word “but,” but what the heck), what do you do you do when you’re selling an intangible like a candidate, or an idea and asking for something more important than money – their vote? No 30 day guarantee here . Once you’ve given the vote there’s no taking it back.
I was just wondering if you had thoughts about that.
Christopher
Jeff! Great stuff, I appreciate your insight and helping us cut through all the noise!
Sean
This is absolutely gold. When I started internet marketing 4 years ago I had this feeling. I’m going to launch my product soon and now I understand that I should address this point on my launch. Great stuff as always.
thanks Jeff.
Mary
Thank you Jeff! I have heard you say this before, but for some reason it sounded so completely different and fresh… I think sharing the story of watching Tony Robbins and the fear you felt… I have completed reading your book and am preparing (in my head right now) to do a launch. So, this info is so timely. I want to remember to include it in my launch — prelaunch. Thank you for so generously sharing your process with us. Blessings, Mary
Canon
Jeff,
Another insightful video. I love that you mention “enter the conversation that’s already going on in your customer’s mind.” When I name for entrepreneurs I always help them discover what is the secret pressing on the heart of their customer. When you can say out loud the very thing that’s shouting in their mind. The very thing they’re are afraid to say or too embarrassed to say, you create an instant bond with them. They feel validated and seen by you. They want to buy what you have created because they feel you get them, and therefore you created this product just for them. Their fears reveal their greatest desires. Speaking into those fears in your Pre-launch content, sharing your similar fears helps overcome the “is this guy/gal/product/service/event a sham” doubt that creeps in before every purchase. Great stuff as always Jeff.
Bill Hackett
Jeff, thanks for yet another insightful video. A simple and important concept, presented with clarity and sincerity.
Ann
Hi, Jeff. Your video took me completely by surprise. I assumed the four-letter word was “cost.” “Fear” — really insightful. When I think back over some of my conversations with potential clients, I see that you are absolutely correct in this. I can see them thinking “This is a lot of money and what if it doesn’t work? What if I don’t get the results I need?” Sometimes the fear is great than the pain they are looking to cure. This little tip alone is already reshaping how I’m thinking about my conversion conversations. Thanks so much!!
Marisa Shadrick
Jeff, what a great point. Fear can paralyze people from both sides of the coin–presenting and buying. Great and easy to consume content. Love your casual style. Thank you!
Side note: I just watched Amy Porterfield’s Profit Lab promotional video. It was nice to see you were one of the marketing gurus that motivated her to start her own business when she worked with Tony Robbins. Look at her now!
Audrey
Hugely insightful Jeff. Love your work. With gratitude….
LouAnn
Thanks, Jeff!
This is so so true. I often struggle with how to get into the minds of my people so this was very helpful. It’s also helpful to remember that their hesitation has more to do with what’s inside of them and who’s in their environment than it does about us and our products. This was great timing for a great message. Love your style and your personable personality.
BTW – PLF live rocked! Thanks for making it such a deep and powerful three days.
Launch! 🙂
Jeannie Long
I just got rid of my Tony Robbins Personal Power cassette tapes, now that’s old school, ha!
Shelley
My goal is to help families start homeschooling, I’ve been doing it for 10 years. I’m already seen as a local ‘guru’ and get calls and know what the questions are that run in every mom’s mind and they are exactly what you talked about in your video.. They don’t want to tell people, they have to justify to themselves, their spouse, their extended family, their kids, and then everyone has an opinion on the matter including the checker at walmart!! So for me your video was two fold…my product is about helping people find a way through this fear with their own personal homeschool blueprint and then knowing that they are afraid that my help won’t work in their situation or family. Thank you so much!!
A question, I saw a video on your jeffwalker.com site about finding out what the market wants…so I know what they call and ask me, I know the questions they ask me, I know the struggles they face…how do I turn that into a product that sells….how do I know that the struggles are something they “want” help fixing? I’m catching myself saying, they need this support, they need this help….but when I’ve tried a few things before only a very few have purchased anything…maybe I gave up too early? I had 5 sales form a list of 30 people and amazing testimonials.