You are walking down the street when you come upon two homeless people. Both hold signs, but the message is different on each:
- “Can you spare a few dollars? God bless you.”
- “I can’t afford to feed my 1-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter… I feel like a terrible dad. Can you please, help me be a better dad until I can find work?”
Would you treat or think about these people differently? Which would you be more likely to give money to?
Most people would give a lot more money to the second person. Why? First, they are being specific as to why they need the money and what it will be used for. Specificity equals believability.
Second, it is using the power of standing for something bigger than yourself. It makes people care. And when people care, they act.
Here are some ways you can use this concept in your business… all while making the world a better place:
- Take a stand on an important issue… tax reform, affordable housing, and senior hunger. Be passionate and logical in your argument. Use that argument in letters to the editor, on blogs, in press releases, at your place of worship… become the rallying point for the issue.
- Instead of offering the same thing, the same way as all your competitors… sell a philosophy. Create a book of heroic stories where you’ve changed people’s lives by solving problems or creating opportunities. People get emotional over stories. And we all know people’s decisions are based much more on their emotions than their logic.
Successful marketing comes down to igniting passion and emotion in your prospects. Quit being like your competitors, who simply get lost in the noise with their logic and product pushing.