As a freelance copywriter, I recently did some informal market research, trying to wrap my head around how to do the copywriting for a product new to me. When reporting what one prototype customer said to a friend, when that prototype customer was obviously wrong, my friend said I should have challenged him.
Uh…no. The customer is always right. If the customer says the sky is green, the sky is green. At least until I through my copywriting prowess move him from potential customer to loyal customer. Then I have some credibility with him that means he’ll listen to something that opposes his worldview.
My job as a freelance copywriter is to figure out what my clients’ customers are buying, not what the client is selling. Yet I run up against this mindset all the time, with clients so focused on how they see their product or service, they’re unable to see it through the customers’ eyes. That’s why I like to talk to customers, and to the salespeople: The sales folks usually understand better what the customer is buying than the marketing department, because the marketing department is too obsessed with the story as they see it, not the way the customer sees it.
In spite of the marketing department, copywriters have to write their copy to sell what the customer is buying, NOT what the client is selling.
Are you selling mattresses or a good night’s sleep?
Are you selling blogging software or search engine optimization?
Are you selling meat or meals?
Are you selling trucks or status?
Are you selling TVs or entertainment?
I could have challenged my prototype customer and pointed out he was wrong. But he wouldn’t have believed me. And where in the world would that get me as a marketer and copywriter? That’s akin to going into a focus group and telling the participants they are wrong and what the correct answers should be…when the whole point of the focus group is to find out what potential customers think so the copywriting can match it.
Companies don’t always like what customers have to say or how customers view their product or service. They often want to sell what they want to sell, not what the customer wants to buy. But then they are ego-driven, more concerned with being “right” than being successful. The smart company tells their copywriter to write copy that fits and REINFORCES the customer’s worldview.
When you oppose someone's worldview, in any aspect of life, not just marketing, they resist you. And you cause friction. And I as a freelance copywriter want to avoid friction at all costs. Whether I'm doing the copywriting for a Website, email marketing, or something else, my words must move the prospect closer to "yes," not push them away.
Seth Godin’s book “All Marketers Are Liars” deals with this topic far better than this copywriter’s blog post does. He refers to figuring out your customer’s worldview, then telling your story in a way that fits that worldview. You’re not really a liar. That’s just a title that sells. But you are a story teller, especially if you’re a copywriter, and a good story tells a potential customer what they WANT to hear…even if you have to let them keep on believing that the sky is green.
I did the math. My research subject was wrong. But rather than say that and challenge my prototype customer which would have gotten me nowhere, I responded with, “OK, you don’t eat that many pounds of such-and-such. Do you eat at least six meals per month at home?” And therein would lie MY answer as the copywriter: talk about meals, not pounds. That fits the customer’s worldview and still enables me as the copywriter to do my job.
One caveat: Sometimes a prospect just isn't a good prospect. Sometimes no matter how a copywriter tells the story, it will not fit the prospect's worldview. Take me as customer for example: Is there a story that fits my worldview in such a way that I'd ever buy a Hummer? Nope. So just remember, not everyone is a potential customer, not everyone is a good fit.
When you’re a copywriter, it truly is all in how you say it. So never, ever underestimate the power of words. And value your customer’s opinions and thoughts and worldview. He or she may not be right, but he or she is the one with the money to spend.
i want to get into the psychology of numbers too because that also came into play in this situation, but I'll save that for another copywriting blog post.
Three days ago, a dog named Bear joined our family. Animals now outnumber people by 5 to 1 (not counting squirrels). 
Last night I watched "Seabiscuit" again. Thank you to my daughter for picking that out at the movie place! It was timely given we'd been showing my racehorse (pictured here) to potential buyers over the weekend. 
My friend Mavis is a freelance copywriter like me. But she calls herself a story teller. And it's true. Copywriters are story tellers. Companies hire us copywriters to tell their stories on their Websites, in their email marketing, in their blogs...at least the smart companies do. 
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