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10/08/2007: "How To Get Creative Ideas and Get Your Sales Message Across"

You have a new project. You have a deadline. But you have no ideas and a blank screen. What do you do now?

I'm going to address two topics today. Why two? Because they're interrelated. The first is how to get ideas. The second is how to get your ideas (your sales message) across.

I'm not going to get deep into either. But I'm going to discuss the problems and give you some ideas on how to find your own solutions.

When I accept an assignment, I first carefully read and study the creative brief that I have the client fill out. That gives me the demographics of his or her prospects. It tells me about their product or service and the price it sells for or will sell for. In other words, it gives me the basics that I need to understand the client and the product.

That seldom is enough, however.

So I do lots of motivational and competitive research. I sometimes commission depth probing.

Now I get out my Moleskine Weekly Planner/Date book. I schedule each work day. I know exactly what I will accomplish each day on this project --- barring any unforeseen obstacles.

I take no phone calls while on project. I allow no interruptions.

Now, I'm looking at a blank screen. I may or may not have an idea. Let's say for the sake of this article I do not have an idea. What do I do?

Before I write a thing I must know who I'm writing to. No, it's not my client. I do not care about the client at this point. He is not the one who is the prospect. I write to the prospect who will buy my client's product or service. I don't care if the client likes the copy or not. I only care that the copy will sell to his prospect.

I don't write to a group. I write to one person. So who is the average prospect? Is it a man? How educated is he? How old is he. What kind of work does he do?

I need all this information because I can't connect to the prospect if I don't know the answers to these questions.

Different people at different stages of their lives have different wants and needs. People are at different places in life. You have to address that.

A woman in her sixties, for example, wants a car that gets from point A to point B safely. A man in his thirties wants a car that looks sharp and will impress people, make them think he's really somebody and going places. It doesn't matter if he can afford it or not. In other words, he wants to impress people.

Older people, on the other hand, don't generally have the need to impress people. They've already made it if they're going to. And, if they haven't, they usually satisfied and okay with where they are.
At least, they've accepted it.

Older people don't care what people think. And the smart ones spend far less than they have on housing and cars and most everything else. They buy less house and less car than they can afford and often pay cash. They don't like debt.

So you see, to motivate your prospect, you must KNOW your prospect. If you were selling cars and I was a prospect, you won't sell me by telling me how impressive I'll look in that Mercedes. You won't sell me by talking about low monthly payments. I neither care about impressing people nor low payments. I pay cash for my cars.

When I travel I fly company jet or rent a car. I only drive my own car about 3000 miles a year. So I don't need or want much car. So you need to address those needs and forget the monthly payment scheme. I'm a bottom line person and I am not taken in by gimmicks.

You approach different prospects quite differently. So you must know your prospect. If you don't, you won't sell your product no matter how good the copy is or even how good the offer is.

So let's assume that my research has shown me who my main prospect is. Where do I go from here?

First I turn on Latin music. Or, if I'm in another kind of mood with another kind of product, I put on Paul Potts or Maria Callas. I've even been known to put on Reba McIntire. Anything to get the juices going.

Then I come up with a working headline. I can't write without some sort of headline. It may be a stupid headline. But as long as it looks like a headline, it will do for now.

Then, I simply start to write. I may write something off the wall. It may not be good. Doesn't matter. No one will see it but me.

Once I know my prospect, I know what motivates them. I use the trigger words with the hidden persuaders. I know my prospect. So I know what will make him want to buy my product.

You get ideas by knowing your prospect. Then you study up on that sort of person. You learn what interests them, what motivates them. Then you drill into those motivators.

I see far too many copywriters writing sales copy to everyone. That's not good. Everyone is a prospect. When you really know who your prospect is, the writing should come easily.

A good copywriter knows how to sell by using the right words in the right way. The right words will come when you know and understand your prospect. If they don't come, you may be in the wrong profession.

I'm going to stop now because there are two rules for success: 1.) Don't tell all you know.