Have you ever wondered why so many door-to-door salespersons, Online ads, and infomercials use those annoying sell techniques? Surely, if they knew how much it turns the stomach, no one would use the hard sell approach, right? Wrong. The hard sell will continue to be used because it works. “Cold call” advertising requires a much more aggressive approach; these companies don’t have the advantage of time to develop relationships through a series of postcard and brochure mailings. As corny and obvious as the hard sell can be, any company can benefit from incorporating some of the techniques into their printed advertisements. Here are some tips so that you can increase the effectiveness of your printed brochure or printed postcard by learning from the hard sell.
1. Hype
The hard sell hype is ten times more extreme than other hype methods of advertising. Hype allows the salesperson to create an “event” surrounding the launch of a new product or service by literally counting down the weeks or days to a deadline, such as placing a countdown clock on the website. This is often used in postcard printing by sending out a postcard in threes, such as three months in a row.
2. Time Limit
A time-sensitive offer invites urgency, creating the sense that if a buyer doesn’t act now, they’ll miss out on a valuable opportunity. In a hard sell, the time line has always (it seems) almost expired. Of course, the offer stands again the next day or two. Yet, including a time-sensitive offer encourages consumers to act faster, so use this technique in your brochures and postcards by including a timely incentive. For instance, offer free shipping for the month of June only.
3. Reviews of Value
Have you ever wondered if those reviews of the product are real? Sometimes, yes, but most of the time they are exaggerated. Hard core salespersons know that social reviews of a service or product improves the believability of their offer. The only problem is that most of these reviews are encouraged to be over-the-top by promises of special discounts or the ability to order early – just to make sure the reviewer gets the product before they run out. Including customer testimonials in brochure and even postcard printing really does work, as long as it’s real. Include the customer’s first name, the company if appropriate, location, and even a picture if the customer approves. Use the exact quote that the customer sent. People can tell when it’s not real.
4. Intimate Approach
Also known as Guerrilla Marketing, reaching prospects on a personal level can build trust. Although this is only short-term relationship building (remember the time-sensitive offer?), this approach gives buyers the feeling that a company knows exactly what is needed to solve their problems. Unlike an impersonal brochure, Guerrilla Marketing involves telling personal hardships and how the buyer can overcome them using the service or product offered. A brochure can be made more personal by including such information. For instance, feature a short success story of a customer or two to connect with prospects on a more personal level.
There are many more hard sell techniques out there, but these four are the ones most important to incorporate into your brochure and postcard printing pieces. Just try to avoid the corny phrases (Don’t be only one in your neighborhood without one. Order now – only 10 left!) and be honest so that your customers will order your products or services for years to come.
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