Behold! He with the light cometh!

He shall light thy darkest night, illuminate thy muddled confusion, and he shall uncover all that hides from thou. He who holds the knowledge of the ancients comes quickly to you. Be not afraid, for he brings hope. Tremble not, for he will calm you. You shall see as a blind man cured. Riding close behind comes with him the mysteries of wealth, knowledge, and power.

OK, so do I have your attention? I called you to read the ad and take action didn’t I? I made you “want” to read more, to “see” this light so to speak. Don’t feel duped…J You have not been. What I present here is a simple psychology behind the reason someone responds to an advertisement. The “Lost Secrets” I refer to are right in front of you.

When you write a headline you must grab the readers attention within 2 seconds. That’s it! You get no more time. Do not stop, do not pass go, and certainly do not collect your $200. Certainly do not believe anyone who will tell you differently. To get your prospect to your offer your ad must be enticing, yet present a certain “hope” to the reader that what lies on the other side of the text is a solution.

But, it should not be just any solution. This solution must solve a specific problem. There is no other reason to entice your prospects. You can think of tons of needs and wants but the simple, cut and dry, black and white of it is that your customer “needs” a “solution” to a “problem”.

This problem could be anything as simple as a new computer chair to the much more powerful and complicated ink pen. Every pun intended…J The pen offers you the ability to write, and what you write will be ads. Not just any ads mind you. But prospect pulling, customer converting, sales exploding ads.

Using the power of the pen, and the written word has caused wars and saved lives. It has placed a value upon every real and conceivable thing on the planet. When you see the written word it pulls you into it’s meaning. Too often today we are bombarded with advertisements that SCREAM at you to Buy, Buy, Buy Now! Get Rich Quick! Make Tons Of Cash Sitting On Your Duff! Either the guys that write these type ads are desperate or they are idiots.

Get real people. It doesn’t work as good as well written, enticing, hope giving, problem solving, ads. Simple as that. Who else would try to sell you a SPAM blocker in an email you never asked for in the first place. They would argue that it’s clever, or that the sheer number of ads will pull in the money, and make it worth it. They play the numbers game. Are you?

Are you simply throwing as many ads out there as you possibly can hoping someone will find you and your product? I tell you now that doing that is like throwing mud against a wall while standing next to it. Some will stick but most will come back and slap you in the face.

On the flip side of this advertising coin are the people who really don’t care. They are after, and only want one thing. Your money. They couldn’t care less whether they were providing a service to someone, or solving someone’s problem with a “win-win” solution. This causes the real solution provider much grief and increases the distrust between the consumer and the salesperson/advertiser. Ultimately it makes the job of the “real” business owner that much more difficult.

Two of the oldest business ideals around are Quality and Quantity. Which one do you use in your business? Which one do you believe in? If you are of the latter group, than please stop reading this article right now. The internet would be a better place without these types of advertisers. Unless of course you are ready to change your world weary ways.

People are tired of reading ads that SCREAM at them. A few examples are:

• ALL CAPS!
• Excessive Punctuation!!!!!!
• Make 10 Million Dollars By This Time Tomorrow Night!
• Incorect Speeling!

Nothing turns a potential prospect off more than these types of ads. Yet we see them day in day out. Everyone has their own idea about marketing. Some work, some don’t. Some just simply play the numbers knowing they can always get about 1% conversion and don’t really care about writing good ads, fulfilling articles, or most importantly, solving the consumers problem.

You must be credible. Your prospects will know if you are not.
You must be trustworthy. Your prospects will know if you are not.
You must be straightforward. Your prospects will know if you are not.
You must offer hope of a solution. Your prospects will know if you are not.
You must be believable. Your prospects will know if you are not.

You must realize… Your prospects are not stupid!

I started to explain the solution principle to you when I described the chair. You don’t normally purchase a chair because it’s pretty, or it because it matches the drapes. You don’t purchase a chair because it was on sale or even because you save money. In fact, you don’t buy the chair at all. You invest in the solution it provides. Remember this and your sales will show positive results.

Invest in your customer first and he or she will invest in you and your product or service. Show credibility and trust, and your prospects will be more likely to purchase from you rather than your competitor. Be ethical, honest and straightforward in your ads and your bottom line will increase exponentially.

The old adage, “The customer is always right.” Is only part of it. The customer is always looking for a solution. Provide it to them and they will thank you for it with their order.

By: Eric Wichman
Founder: Pdtimes.com

Copyright 2005 Eric Wichman. All rights reserved.

This article was posted on January 14, 2005

About The Author

Eric Wichman is founder of PD Times at http://www.pdtimes.com, a public domain resources site specializing in free resources for web content and references for webmasters, researchers, marketers, and businesses alike. You are welcome to reprint and publish this article on your site as long as it includes this Bio.