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September 2003 THE ASSUMPTIVE CLOSE Those of you who have been subjected to sales training at one point or more in your careers may remember a technique called "the assumptive close". It goes something like this:
"Would you like the car in red or blue?"In theory, asking such questions is an effective (if aggressive) method of bypassing the awkward "do you want to buy" question by, in effect, assuming the prospect has already decided to buy, and simply asking him or her to clarify that decision. I was reminded of this technique upon receiving a sales letter recently from a leading CRM vendor that read as follows (names and other details changed to protect the misguided):
"To get a complete picture of your company, you need an integrated business application. AcmePro 1.0 is the one. Only AcmePro ..."In direct marketing copy, there's a fine line between assumptive and presumptuous, and this example crosses that line in leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, the "If X, then you need Y" school of writing crops up often in direct marketing, in part, one supposes, because it's a convenient though lazy way to connect a pain point with a company's product or service. It's also horribly ineffective. Telling someone that they need your product, no matter what the argument, is a sure way to turn off that reader. No-one, not even the buyer desperate for what your product can offer, wants to be told what he or she needs. Far better to suggest the reader can learn how to solve a particular pain by responding for more information, without explicitly suggesting you know better than the reader does what he or she needs. For example (putting aside, for the moment, whether the benefit outlined below is particularly compelling):
"To learn how to get a complete picture of your company, call 1-800-XXX-XXXX for more information on AcmePro 1.0 ..."Remember, it's OK to assume that the reader has the appropriate pain or problem or issue, and wants to solve it. Just don't assume he or she already believes your product is the answer. | |
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