It's marketing 101.
When you make an offer or submit a proposal... make your prospect feel the need to act right away or suffer dire consequences.
But did you know there's a secret, an actual secret, when using urgency that improves your chances of converting the lead?
I bet you didn't.
Let me share it with you.
WRONG WAY TO USE URGENCY:
"Sign up by Sept. 2, 2017 and you will receive a whopping 60% off of the $900 price tag. Your special discount price is only $460. But only if you hurry and order now. If you wait until Sept. 3, it will be too late and you will lose the discount. Order now!"
RIGHT WAY TO USE URGENCY:
"Sign up by Sept. 2, 2017 and you will receive a whopping 60% off of the $900 price tag. Your special discount price is only $360. But only if you hurry and order now. If you wait until Sept. 3, it will be too late and you will lose the discount. Order now! Here's how:
Go to ____________.com and you'll see a 60% off coupon code on the upper right side of the page. If you click on it, you will be automatically eligible to receive the discount. If you order now, you will pay only $360 instead of the regular price of $900."
What's the Difference?
It's pretty clear in version two, I gave exact directions for ordering. I didn't do that in version one.
But the secret isn't just about giving directions. It's about telling the prospect HOW AND WHERE TO GET THE SOLUTION (DISCOUNT).
HOW: I told them how to get the discount -- go to the URL I identified and when you order, you will automatically receive the discount.
WHERE: I told them where they will see the coupon code, on the upper right hand of the page.
This "specific steps" formula is based on a study done by Howard Leventhal in 1965 in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. In it, Leventhal observed the reaction and follow up steps taken by participants in a study
about the disastrous effects of the tetanus disease.
Group 1 Was the control -- Participants received a pamphlet with just information about the tetanus disease.
Group 2 -- Participants receive a similar pamphlet along with detailed information on how and where to get vaccinated.
The result? Group 2 was much more likely to take action on getting vaccinated. They were also much more open to processing the information regarding the tetanus disease.
Leventhal concluded that people are more likely to block out information that has a sense of urgency attached to it if the information doesn't also provide instructions on how to specifically handle the information.
Boom!
This is INVALUABLE to a business person because, while we all use (or should use) urgency in our marketing, not everyone gives the "how and where" instructions on how to achieve the desired outcome.
Armed with this information, you should see higher response rates if you apply it to your marketing and sales processes.
At the very least, you should test it out and track the results.
Until next time...
