What It Takes To Sell To Smart People

“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.”
–Mark Twain, American author

In This Issue:

What It Takes To Sell To Smart People
by Monica Day

If you read The Daily Reckoning, you might already know that I’m the reporter for this week’s Agora Financial 2007 Investment Symposium. It’s one of the coolest gigs I do all year.

It started a few years ago, when Early to Rise did their first conference and they asked me to be the reporter for it. They taped the conference, I wrote daily reports that sold the tapes to all the people who stayed home. As happens often in this business…once word got out that our efforts netted an extra $100,000, I started hearing from other divisions of Agora and got booked for their conferences, too.

I’ve been so grateful for this work – for a lot of reasons. First, I’ve gotten to know people from all the divisions of Agora. I couldn’t have asked for a better PR vehicle. And I’ve picked up plenty of assignments after the conferences that I’m sure wouldn’t have come my way if my name hadn’t gotten out there.

But the unexpected benefit has been the biggest and the best.

I have met, face-to-face, the target prospect who receives most of the promotions I write. I know what they look like, how they think, how much they eat and drink at a conference, what they talk about in elevators…and many other small details that give me an edge that very few copywriters have. Especially newbies.

So let me tell you the top ten characteristics I’ve learned, specifically about the readers of financial promotions…although I’m sure many of the people I’ve met here also read health and travel promotions. After all, a direct mail buyer is a direct mail buyer…no matter the product:

#1: They are very smart. Smarter than most copywriters give them credit for. Which is a problem. Talk down to this crowd…treat them like they’re stupid…and I can pretty much guarantee you that your copy will bomb.

#2: They are skeptical. They aren’t going to accept broad-based statements and hype. You have to prove your points, beyond the shadow of a doubt.

#3: They have passports. Until the new passport rules went into effect, only 15% of Americans held passports…and even fewer used them regularly. So your target prospect is part of a more elite group than you might imagine.

#4: They are independent-minded. These are not followers or sheep willing to follow some stockbroker or guru blindly. They not only want to invest in the financial markets, or take a health supplement, or whatever the product is…they also want to understand why they should.

#5: They are forward-thinking. They understand that the mainstream press doesn’t tell them the whole story. They want to know not only what happened in the markets today…they want to know what’s coming down the pike.

#6: They are curious. Unlike most Americans who are content with the status quo, this crowd is curious about the world. They engage in lively conversations, swap opinions, and ask questions. It’s quite refreshing, actually.

#7: They are business-minded. Most of this crowd has made their own money, often in their own business. As such, they don’t appreciate taxes, government restrictions, lawsuits, and all the other ploys that separate self-employed people from their money

#8: They are down-to-earth. They are not overly impressed by academic, high-falutin’ ideas. They want to hear how even the most intellectual idea is going to impact them.

#9: They like preferential treatment. Unlike Groucho Marx, who famously said he would never join a club that would have him as a member…this crowd never met a club they didn’t want to join. The more elite the better. Give them a chance to differentiate themselves from the great unwashed, and they’ll fall all over each other to sign up.

#10: They are old-fashioned. For the most part, this is a meat-eating, cocktail-drinking, decidedly not politically-correct crowd.

So when we say copy has to be easy to read…we don’t mean dumb it down! You have to be able to grasp complicated topics…but present them in a simple, straightforward manner…so the reader understands how they are affected by what you’re writing.

Be informative. Back up your ideas with lots of proof. To sell to smart people, you have you convince them overwhelmingly of the value of what you’re selling. You can’t just pump up your copy with a lot of hype and exclamation points and think that’s going to do the job.

And if you can meet them in person, you’ll write better promotions for them. So even if you can’t score a reporter gig like the one I’ve got this week, find a way to get in the same room with your target prospect. If you have a client that holds any type of conference or event – sign up and go yourself. It’s one of the best networking opportunities out there. Trust me, very few copywriters think to do this. You’ll stand out – and write better promotions – if you take my advice and show up in person from time to time.

Resource Referral: Just A Few Spots Left

The countdown to sell-out is underway. By August 1st the AWAI Bootcamp goes full price. If it doesn’t sell out before that.

If you’re sitting on the fence, it’s time to tip over. Read my letter…you’ll see why I think it’s so important for you to attend. And that applies to you no matter where you are in your career. In my mind, it’s never too soon…or too late…to go to Bootcamp.

We still have a few spaces left for you to join either mine or Krista’s peer review group. But at this point, you must sign up with our link to get into one of our groups. So do it now! And we’ll look forward to meeting you in Delray.

Reader Response: A Timer Upgrade and Other Reader Ideas

Dear Monica,

I think you ladies are reading my mind. There aren’t any e-letters I read immediately — except yours. Whatever the focus happens to be, it’s right on point for me.

On the call Tuesday night, there was some technical glitch at my end and you were fading in and out. I was disappointed not to hear you.

Then the next day the "Invitation from Monica" Boot Camp piece arrived.

I read every word, and it thoroughly resonated with me. Mostly about the kind of relationships forged at Boot Camp, and the long-term journey I’m about to embark on with exceptional, special people.

And I wondered if you wrote this one while you were laid up. Wow!

Your letter was confirmation that registering for Boot Camp was a good decision. I look forward to meeting you there.

To your healing,

David B.

P.S. Here’s a link to Amazon and a timer I like. It doesn’t tick out loud like a metronome (which would drive me crazy if it did because I’m a percussionist). Counts up, counts down; alarm choices are silent, beeps, vibration, lights — all independently or various simultaneous configurations or not at all. When I first noticed it, it was $6.00. Then I got it for $9.99. And now it’s $15.00. Still a deal at that price. Click here.

Monica Responds:

Thanks David – I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason. Even random technical glitches and email promotions that hit our inbox at just the right time. Where would most of us be without such kismet?

I appreciate the hint on the timer – I’ll check it out, and others probably will, too.

And if you want to read an excerpt of the call that David refers to – without the technical glitch – you can go to: www.awaionline.com/bootcamp/interview

Yours truly is on there – along with three other Bootcamp alums and the one and only Joe Vitale. Check it out…