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Fifteen years ago I began looking closely at how psychology can be used to make mail programs more successful. Around 1980, an IBM computer programmer named Rodger Bailey created a methodology for using mental filters to predict and influence someone's behavior. Rodger Bailey's work is mind-boggling in its ramifications. People with similar behavior patterns have similar language patterns. That means all we have to do is figure out what language patterns our target market uses and we can predict and motivate their behavior! Before I write any marketing program, now, I develop a psychological/language profile of the target market. For those of you who rely on zip codes or income to determine your mailing list and message, experience proves it - you're wasting a lot of your efforts. With a psychological/language profile, I know what specific language patterns to include in the letters. I know if I should include testimonials. I know if I should use action words or passive words. I know if I should give a step-by-step procedure, or list the options available. As you can see, some of the traditional thinking about letters is just wrong. Let me give you a case study to prove my point. One of my clients sells term life. Now, you probably know, that's a crowded, competitive market. How is direct mail going to work? Traditionally, you'd find zip codes where middle-income people lived and send them a self-mailer built around guilt or estate tax avoidance. What's wrong with that? No psychology. In this case, I wrote an over-sized post card. The most important element was the psychology that I built into the message. I knew that these people were interested in price ó nearly everyone is who inquires about term life insurance. I also knew that they already owned a term policy. I knew that they would be skeptical of my offer unless I convinced them to trust me. And, I knew that they would want a step-by-step procedure to follow. Here's what I did. First, I told them several things that were true. It didn't really matter what I told them, only that the statements were obviously true. That's called a "Truth frame," and it gets people leaning toward trusting you. Then, I used specific language patterns to appeal to their hope of saving money. Finally, I repeated my hot points three times. That's the number of times most people need to see information before they're convinced to trust it. This post card got more than a 3% return overall ó and twice that when you realize that I was aiming for only a specific type of person within the list. The post card generated 1300 responses and represented a gross potential profit of nearly $2 million in commissions. Why was it successful? Because:
If you know your product
and your target market, you probably also know who represents your "A"
clients. Who are they? Just develop a profile of those people. What do they have
in common? Can you see the difference between this and traditional direct marketing?
If you understand who you want to attract, you can write a letter to attract exactly
those people. If you don't know who you want to attract, you have to commit one
of direct marketing's mortal sins ó scatter shoot. If you don't aim, how do you
know when you hit something good? Michael Lovas is licensed, certified and degreed in teaching sales and marketing professionals how to use psychology to predict behavior and motivate target markets into becoming loyal clients. Michael is the author of Beyond Wave Marketing - how to add credibility to your relationship marketing program. He's a sales & marketing coach specializing in the insurance and financial industry. He is licensed, certified and degreed in teaching people how to use effective psychology to predict behavior and motivate prospects into becoming loyal clients. He has spoken to: MDRT, IAFP, NAILBA, Society of Certified Senior Advisors, NALU chapters, NAHU chapters, American Marketing Association chapters, and many businesses including Mobil Oil, London Life and Great Western Life. For bookings, appointments or to order Beyond Wave Marketing, contact: Michael
Lovas |
