Raise (And Resolve) Objections

Here’s the deal. People want to buy from someone they trust—and they’re willing to pay a premium for it. One of my favorite ways to establishing that trust (and a key to writing kickass copy) is by bringing up the negative features of your product first. Not only does this make you seem more credible and trustworthy, it also gives you the opportunity to later dismiss those concerns with the virtues of your product.

It gets people thinking “Can I commit to this?”

And if they’re thinking about you (or your product)…

That’s good.

Here are a few examples.

Example 1:#

“The only negative feature of this house may appear to be the busy street facing the back yard…”

Example 1: Precise Builder#

Precise Builder is a estimating and project management software for exterior contractors. The most common concern before purchasing the software is the initial learning curve.

Learning a new software takes time and effort—and Precise Builder is no different.

Example 2: Smucker Exteriors#

Smucker Exteriors (an exterior contractors using Precise Builder) said the main reason clients don’t go through with projects is the price—that they quote higher. So we owned it—and then explained why [LINK].

There’s no question about it. Upgrading your home is an investment. And truth-be-told, Smucker Exteriors sometimes comes in higher than the competition. There’s a reason for that.

Because we quote fair prices for service that goes above and beyond. And we’re legit—our employees are vetted at the highest possible level. The guys have integrity.‍

To be fair, you should shop around to make sure you’re getting the best deal. But before you go with the lowballers, ask if they’re PA licensed and fully insured. If not, it could come back to haunt you.

Example 3: Magic Stat Thermostat#

This is some great ad copy by Joe Sugarman. The opening three paragraphs got into everything he hated about the product. Then he showed how those issues were minor compared to the ease of installation.

When we first saw the Magic Stat, we took one look at the name and went “Yuck.” We took one look at the plastic case and said “How cheap looking.” And when we looked for the digital readout, it had none. So before the salesman ever showed us how it worked, we were totally turned off. …

So there is was—at first blush a real loser. But wait, we did find one good feature—a feature that led us to a discovery…

Make A Concession#

I like this simple concession written by Anna Lengacher.

“Pen and paper is great for some things. Like sending a note to your grandma, surprising your wife with a handwritten letter, or doodling with your kids. But when it comes to running your business, it’s easy for key details to get lost and forgotten (problem). With this spreadsheet (solution), you can easily (and accurately!) estimate projects with just a few clicks (benefit). Check it out.

Show Negative Reviews#

Include negative reviews in your copy and then show why the reviews aren’t bad at all. (And might be perfect for the right customer.)

Action Items#

List all objections on one side of a piece of paper. How can you turn those objections into opportunities? Will a certain kind of person benefit from them? How are they minor compared to your product’s other good features? What kinds of concessions can you make?