How to Coach Yourself and Others Influencing, Inter Personal and Leadership Skills | Page 29

managers, you’re generous, ” I would then, later on, ask for a raise or a loan of some
sort.
Here are a couple of examples I might use when selling to dog owners:
• Pet parents always serve their dogs Special-J Dog Food.
• Caring pet owners feed their dogs Special-J Dog Food.
While you’re writing, ask yourself, “Who is this person?” Who does she think she is?”
“What roles are important to him?” “What positive, complimentary label can I apply to
him or her?”
2. Use Their Hierarchy of Values.
This technique can tie into the one above. People place a value on practically everything.
And that includes time, goods, ideas, people, etc. But they do have priorities. They will
compare the characteristics of one thing to another to determine which one is more
valuable to them, especially if they have to make a choice. How can you tie in what
you’re offering with one or more of their highest values?
Some of the fairly universal values (at least here in the west) are these: love, health,
attractiveness, security, safety of family, pleasure, impressing others, happiness.
Think of something fairly expensive you bought recently. Why did you buy it? What
value(s) of yours made it appeal to you? What would have stopped you from buying it?
What would have had to happen for you to pay twice the money for it? Whatever your
answers to these questions, they show the values you applied to your purchase.
An example:
• What’s more important to you, saving a few bucks or your dog’s health?
Questions to ask yourself while writing: “What’s important to this person?” “How can I
make my offer just as valuable?”
3. Invoke Emotions.
As any professional advertising copywriter knows, you sell something by getting the
prospective customers’ emotions involved. Propagandists and spin-doctors know this
too. Positive emotions like hope, anticipation, love, and negative emotions like anger,
loneliness, disgust can spur people into action.
You also need to use emotionally charged words that add impact to your writing. Try to
pull out bland words and head to a thesaurus to find words that have a punch.
An example:
• Show the love for your dog that he or she shows you.
Ask yourself, “What emotions do I want to invoke, and how can I do it?”
4. Motivate
Why should they do what you ask them? What’s in it for your reader? What do they get?
What’s the incentive? What are the major benefits of doing what you are asking them to
do? Make big promises. Promises you can keep if you don’t want major fallout later. A