Let's continue with the lesson on overcoming objections, shall we?

Technique 4: Because I Said so, that's why!

If you've ever dealt with a toddler (like me - I have a two year old), you've dealt with questions. Lots of questions.

"Daddy, why are you doing that?" "Why is there a stop sign there?" "Why is Mommy yelling at you again?"

As a parent, you know the power of the word "Because." Just saying "Because" with a semi-plausible explanation will satisfy a toddler. And guess what.

The word "because" will satisfy your audience as well.

They want to know why you are offering such a great deal. They want to know why you are selling at that price. They want to know how you developed the product, what your background is. They are like a toddler. They want to know why.

So tell them.

Explain yourself. Your reasoning should be plausible and logical. And use the word "because." Research has shown that "because" has special persuasive power.

Another technique that addresses these issues is to add a FAQ section to your sales page. Raise the questions just as the most skeptical reader would and answer them honestly. What if you come up with an objection that your offer does not adequately address? The answer is simple. Change your offer.

Why does answering questions have amazing persuasive power? Because it does, that's why. :)

Technique 5: Be Specific

Precision implies accuracy and truth. So don't use round numbers, use real, specific numbers. Don’t simply say: "Last week, I made $10,000" . Instead say: "Last week, I made $10, 079. 57" .

And use that specificity to describe the stories in your sales letter (remember when I told you that a story is the best way to sell something?) Well, the most believable stories provide details that help the reader visualize the scene. "There was a pile of unpaid bills on the table. I couldn't bring myself to look at them. They'd been piling up for weeks, and I knew I didn't have the money to pay them. So I went to my computer instead. Just for the hell of it, I checked my Paypal account. And you wouldn't believe what I saw."

See, I could have just said "I turned on my computer and checked my account." But that wouldn't have had the punch that those other details provided.

Technique 6: Compare yourself against the Competition

Every product has competition, and your readers are thinking about your competition as they read your sales letter. So rather than hide from the competition, you should go after them head-on. Describe how your product beats them in various way. You could put up one of those comparison grids that lists the features of each product in the market. Of course your product will have all the check marks, and the competitors will have mostly gaps.

What if your competition is free? Good news. It doesn't matter. You can still go after them. Tell your readers that they will get what they pay for. Question the competition's quality, reliability, timeliness, value. You name it. Try to instill fear, uncertainty and doubt about using the competitor's product. And point out how your superior quality, organization, support and warranty beat them.

Technique 7: Write Copy That's as long as Necessary

Beginning copywriters always ask the same question: "How long should my copy be?"

The short answer to this question is simple…whatever works.

If this sounds like I am dodging the question, I am not. The truth is, there is no hard and fast answer to that question. I have personally used sales copy that was short and worked and have used sales copy that was long and worked. They key is not in the length of the sales copy. The key is in the message.

Good sales letters, whether it is long or short, all have one thing in common. They are compelling. Once the reader starts reading, they find that they are unable to stop.

Naturally, with shorter copy, this is easier to do. It’s harder to keep a person’s interest for a long period of time. So in that respect, if you feel you can’t write long copy that is interesting, it is probably best to stick with short copy.

Since the key is keeping the reader’s interest, how do we go about doing that? Well, for starters, we have to grab their attention right away. That means writing a headline that really pulls them in. Statistics show that headlines account for 80% of the sales that a sales copy makes. So if your headline just lies there dead, most likely your sales will suffer.

After the headline, the copy itself has to tell a story and have a natural progression. It must speak to the reader. It can’t focus on YOU but on the reader. So you don’t want to use a lot of I’s in your message. The reader doesn’t care about you. He cares about what YOU can do for him. You want to make the sales message as personal to him as you can.

If a copy is long and there is a lot of running text, this will tend to lose your reader. So, you want to have your text broken up by things like testimonials, photos and so on. You also want to have subheaders for every page length. This will also break things up a bit and attract those who are skimmers.

Also, you have to consider what it is that you’re selling. If you are selling an item for $7, you don’t have to write a 40 page sales letter. The cost of the item just doesn’t warrant it. However, if you are selling a piece of software that costs $300, then you better have a very long sales letter explaining all the benefits of this software, plus quite a few testimonials.

For those interested, tests have been conducted that show long sales copy out pulls short sales copy. I think that has to do with the fact that most products out there are very expensive. Ultimately, you will need to test this to see what works best for you.