Probably the best technique for widening, then bridging this gap in the world of face-to-face selling is the "SPIN Selling" technique pioneered by Neil Rackham and based on thousands of observations of successful and unsuccesful salespeople in action.
Nowadays the wod spin has negative connotations, but SPIN selling predates this (SPIN is an acronym for the sequence of questions you ask to establish the magnitude of need).
Rackham's genius was to recognise (and prove) that there was a big difference between the techniques that were successful in small sales, and the techniques that worked for larger sales. In particular, the larger the sale, the more the potential customer needs to see just how big the gap is and its impact on their business. The techniques in SPIN selling not only explore the gap itself, but the impact of that gap on the potential customer's business. They explicitly explore all the "knock on effects" of the problem - showing the customer the issue is a much bigger problem than they thought - and therefore justifying the investment in the solution.
Now I've never thought of applying the techniques to copywriting as they are essentially questioning techniques - but from what you are saying about "widening the gap", there seems no reason why the same underlying logic wouldn't work.
Ian
David
· 1 year ago
I like the way Eugene Schwartz presents this in his Rodale speech, "Heaven and Hell... Very interesting to think of thinking of your merchandising... the person is here in the center. And here is Hell. And here is Heaven. What you are doing is giving him the opportunity to go to Heaven and escape Hell. Think in terms that dramatic... The absolute agony of arthritis versus a pain-free, healthy life for the next 50 years. Heaven and Hell. You are thinking in dramatic terms.
Lawton Chiles
· 1 month ago
David, I love that point man. I am going to start thinking in terms of being that dramatic, b/c in their minds, it is that dramatic.
This post helped me confirm that I'm on the right path with the next project I'm working on.
I intend for the salesletter to be a play on Marty Conroy's "Two Young Men" letter for the Wall Street Journal.
Do you consider that letter as an example of a Gap letter? I do, though according to your explanation of Gap Analysis, it needs more detail to really bring the point home.
That's what I'll do.
Vicki Zerbee
· 1 year ago
Excellent article Michel.. and to take this a step further. My husband and I have been studying the different personality types. It can get complicated and I must credit him for studying it and then breaking it down for me. You can actually identify pretty quickly if a person is dominantly one of four categories. There are words and styles that each personality relate to best. The language that they can most identify with can be used during the 'gap' stage to attain even better success. If there isn't personal interaction during this stage, one can still 'write' with the goal to reach all of those groups. It is very interesting stuff!
Adrian
· 1 year ago
Michael,
Great post, the sound old principles of selling. Will be using this tactic for my product launch most definitely.
Interesting and useful distinction on a copywriting "standard". I agree, your idea makes the "Problem-Agitate-Solve" approach much more impactful. I'll be using this idea more often in my closing sections (I already use it to some extent) to increase the emotional punch.
Thanks for a great post (as usual!)
Kevin Francis
Rich
· 1 year ago
Great thoughts there, Michel.
By the way: kudos on your new mast--it's remarkably better. The new pic is warmer, friendlier, and more welcoming than the previous. Typography and overall look--also seems improved. (It's amazing how the first impression factor and tone of a mast can carry forward into a site.) Perhaps this might even be fodder for another post. :)
One question though: do you do tweak your own graphics and layout, or do you have someone else do this?
I've always been impressed by the layouts, positioning, and the overall "feel" of your various sites. Who gets the credit?
Originally Posted By David I like the way Eugene Schwartz presents this in his Rodale speech, "Heaven and Hell... Very interesting to think of thinking of your merchandising... the person is here in the center. And here is Hell. And here is Heaven. What you are doing is giving him the opportunity to go to Heaven and escape Hell. Think in terms that dramatic... The absolute agony of arthritis versus a pain-free, healthy life for the next 50 years. Heaven and Hell. You are thinking in dramatic terms.
Testing new comment quote plugin.
Bostyon Johnson
· 1 year ago
I love the approach you use to carry out the Financial Burden. I highly recommend this program for anyone who is serious about making some real money!
Thank you, Bostyon Johnson
Jon
· 1 year ago
Hi Michel
Thanks for a very useful post (timely for me)... and thanks to the commenters who reminded me to revisit SPIN selling!
I don't know if you're familiar with NLP, there's a concept of "Towards Motivation" and "Away From Motivation" - where "Away from" is motivation to escape from something, "Towards" is motivation to achieve/get something.
When I'm coaching clients, highlighting the "Away from" is often a good way to help them take immediate action, but emphasising the "Towards motivation" tends to be more effective for long-term change in behaviour. "Away from" motivation tends to decrease as soon as the person starts moving away from the source of pain, whereas "Towards motivation" tends to increase as the person gets closer to the benefits they're seeking (excuse the generalisations).
Not sure if you can apply this to copywriting/selling, I guess it depends on what product/service you're selling, and what action you want the prospect to take?
Cheers, Jon
Secret Affiliate Code
· 1 year ago
This is a serious valuable post. Not only for the on line business entrepreneurs, but also very valuable for off line sales companies. I remember learning about it in college, and your twists on it compliment that theory nicely! Thanks for this great post. I never actually blown up the problems of my clients as of such, I merely threw some sands in the open wounds they had, making them feel more desperate to my solution. Maybe harsh, but a great way of making sales.
Shira
· 1 year ago
Hi Michael,
Would you mind pointing to an article or ad that uses the law of contrast to build desire? I get the idea but could benefit from a real-life example.
Incidentally, this seems to be related to a principal called "manufactured need." I read about that when I was studying Rhetoric in college.
It's the idea of creating a need where one did not previously exist. Before the 90's we all used lotion-free tissue. then one day we were told we NEEDED tissue with lotion in it to keep our noses from drying up and falling off. I guess this takes the contrast one step further?
Thanks for the blog!
Shira
Michel Fortin
· 1 year ago
@Shira - Yup, here's one from one of my coaching students who wrote the copy:
Nice post For me give an idea how to make business rum well and get success
The Success
Mike
· 1 year ago
I was first introduced to this idea when I read Maria Veloso's "Web Copy That Sells". I don't think I've been widening the gap enough though. I present the Problem and then got to why it still Persists. I'm going to try and use one of those "Imagine what it would be like..." phrases before I get to why it still persits and test the results.
Thanks again Michael for your great posts. They've helped me dozens and dozens of times.
Mike
Lisa
· 1 year ago
Very insightful post Michel (not Michael :-) ). Will follow your advice and "practice and perfect this technique. Just follow the four steps outlined." Merci! ~Lisa
Hal Coleman
· 1 year ago
Michael,
A few months back, probably in the fall of 2007, I signed up for the $500.00 membership page. I have forgotten how to get to the page. I know my passwords, but what is the url for the page where I sign in? Thanks.
Hal Coleman
Michel Fortin
· 1 year ago
@Hal Coleman - Hal, I have multiple programs for $500 a month. Which one are you referring to? Anyway, I've sent your request to my assistant, Evelyn. You can reach her anytime at evelyn [at] successdoctor.com. Thanks!
Asanya
· 1 year ago
I randomely found out on google about this nice software you can use to get people find you and be attracted to your headlines in search engines. I think it was called glyphius... You pretty much type a headline and it gives you a score. You keep editing it and changing few words until the score gets higher and higher and i guess next thing you know, you have a catchy headline ;) I think I'll try it to advertise my coming up business.
Thatsblog
· 1 year ago
Thanks for your submission to the ninth edition of the Blog Carnival: Blogging. Your post has been accepted and its live: http://thatsblog.com/?p=79
-ThatsBlog.com
Richard Muir
· 1 year ago
Love the round about of sales principles that are timeless. Will definitely implement into business and "widen the gap" with my copy.
Interesting writing concept that fits well with my Writing Solutions for Netrepreneurs series and adds more understanding to an old NLP principle I once learned.
Copywriting Kid
· 1 year ago
Hi Michel,
I reread your post three times now and I'm still not sure if I get it. It seems like all that you say is just that I should spray some salt in my prospects wounds before I tell him about how relieving the soothing balm will feel once he puts it on?
And why is it called Gap ANALYSIS? It seems like the analysis part is just analysing were the "pain" is, but what you're describing is also taking it two steps further and then amplifying it and offering relieve.
Also, it reads to me like "Wouldn't it be nice if...", "What all of us dream of is...", "Would you like to know how to..." are pretty weak phrases, no? They're kind of greyish, with the colors faded.
Example: "Wouldn't it be nice if your skin is beautiful and clear, no more acne [blabla]"
Compared to: "Now imagine this: Your skin is beautiful and clear, no more acne [blabla]" isn't the second one stronger?
Sorry for my stubborn mind here, but I'm really trying to understand. :-)
Thanks.
Shanika Journey
· 1 year ago
Hey Micheal,
This post was actually more useful on what to do to build up the value and psychological buy now factors to produce a sale. I am currently building my webstore and information like this is so highly needed and more. I am definitely glad that you were on one of my seminar dvds. You are definitely one of the best to learn form.
Michel Fortin
· 1 year ago
@Copywriting Kid - Kid, Gap Analysis is actually an accounting term, but the term was first used by sales trainer Brian Tracy in "The Psychology of Selling." I wanted to show how it is just as applicable in copy.
Sure, your example is better. And I'm sure there are even better ones. The point is not to dazzle but to simply show how it works to people who are new to copywriting. (I see that *you* get it.)
Is it just spraying salt? Not really. Problem-Agitate-Solve talks about mentioning the problem, agitating the problem (the salt you mentioned) and then solving it.
But Gap Analysis also introduces the other side in the process.
Better said, it's like "Problem, Tease (with solution), Agitate, then Solve." It adds an extra step so prospects know there's a solution before you agitate.
Why? Because just spraying salt on a problem would be irrelevant if the prospect doesn't care for the problem (they are oblivious or apathetic) or has nothing else (possible solution or benefits) to measure it against.
I appreciate that the article is boring to you, but you seem to "get it" while others may not.
Thanks for the feedback, though.
Copywriting Kid
· 1 year ago
@Michel Fortin - Hi Michael, thanks a lot for breaking it down that clearly, I didn't realize the distinction.
I really appreciate you taking the time.
Juhani Tontti
· 1 year ago
Hi Michel!
Splendid article, which gave me good ideas for my upcoming launch. Thanks a lot.
Cindy King
· 1 year ago
Hmmm, I originally stopped by to tell you that I've just published your article on the most recent Marketer Review Blog Carnival and I see the trackback didn't work. Yours is not the first site, I must have done something wrong on my post. I'll have to look into this.
Come by to vote on the best post of the 31 posts this week. Yes, you can vote for your own post. Use the social media of your choice to help get traffic back to your site.
Remember that Friday is our deadline for new articles, so mark this Friday on your calendar as the latest that you can get to Blog Carnival to submit for next week.
John watson
· 1 year ago
i've been using this technique for a while and it really works! Thanks Michel
Matt
· 1 year ago
Great post Michael - VERY helpful! I hate to be a pain in the ass - but you use the term "illicit an emotional response..." - should be "elicit an emotional response..." Just trying to help - I hope I don't come off sounding like your English teacher in High School - take care. :)
Cowboy Copywriter
· 1 year ago
Seriously Michael do you ever write a bad article? Thanks for putting the pressure on the rest of us and raising the free content bar to the moon Alice! ; )
Fred
· 1 year ago
Great info as usual. I was introduced to Problem Agitate Solve by Dan Kennedy but I do enjoy the extra dimension that you've added to it.
Claire Jarrett
· 10 months ago
Interesting idea, thanks! I'm going to try this when next writing copy for a website page.
Business Blog
· 7 months ago
Do you think this only applies to face to face selling or to selling via the internet do you think?
The5sisters
· 7 months ago
Normally I am a good story teller and essay writer but a lousy salesman.When it comes to copywriting I will have to use new methods such as yours to use successfully for any internet marketing I am involved in.Gap Analysis might be my answer.Paying for copywriting course,like I have been offered via e-mails ,is not in my budget;and I am stubborn about using my own talents yet willing to learn tweaks.Keep up with these great articles.This one and the previous one "I get".
PS: if you happen to look at my website blog ,the 'Tweet This" function is leading to a 403 page when the post is clicked on in Tweeter ;working on the solution.
PPS: Have 2 linkbacks on my sites to your blog..
The5sisters
· 4 months ago
Re: comment of mine below; Fixed the 403 page backlink problem by correcting the htacess file. Backlinks now work,if anyone should happen to click on one of my links here or Twitter or Feedburner etc. I know it's off topic and I do appreciate all your articles.
sai
· 4 months ago
hey michael,
this is an awesome post. i understand bring up the problem. but i understand it way better now.
i'm going to start using this in my emails to offer products. it's like u kind of Apply The Law of Contrast to Build Desire in this post to. because it suck me in like a vacuum.
awesome post
Lawton Chiles
· 1 month ago
Man, this comes right on the heels of a letter I was writing that addresses dangerous chemicals and animals. Thank you for helping me to aggravate the issue and the chief problem. I'm trying to figure out if putting reasons why bullets after the headline but before the letter is a good move. It increases desire, curiosity and interest, and social proof, but is it a good move? hmmm.
lorrainegrula
· 1 month ago
I have read a lot of articles on this subject, all using the problem-agitate-solve, but I do indeed think the gap analysis makes it more clear. Some of the comments too are spot on so I was able to learn a lot here for the time I spent. I appreciate that! There are a lot of marketers who seem to not have a clue that there should be a difference in the way they write sales copy and the way they write informational copy. That can get terribly frustrating because you can not learn as much from those folks. As I have studied internet marketing, it sometimes seems like every darn one of them is that way. They rarely give any REAL information in their free stuff and blog posts. Teaching and selling are 2 different things. At least I think they should be. Have you ever seen, "But WAIT! There's more!" in a textbook? No. Of course now that think of it, maybe that would make reading a text book more appealing!
All Comments
Probably the best technique for widening, then bridging this gap in the world of face-to-face selling is the "SPIN Selling" technique pioneered by Neil Rackham and based on thousands of observations of successful and unsuccesful salespeople in action.
Nowadays the wod spin has negative connotations, but SPIN selling predates this (SPIN is an acronym for the sequence of questions you ask to establish the magnitude of need).
Rackham's genius was to recognise (and prove) that there was a big difference between the techniques that were successful in small sales, and the techniques that worked for larger sales. In particular, the larger the sale, the more the potential customer needs to see just how big the gap is and its impact on their business. The techniques in SPIN selling not only explore the gap itself, but the impact of that gap on the potential customer's business. They explicitly explore all the "knock on effects" of the problem - showing the customer the issue is a much bigger problem than they thought - and therefore justifying the investment in the solution.
Now I've never thought of applying the techniques to copywriting as they are essentially questioning techniques - but from what you are saying about "widening the gap", there seems no reason why the same underlying logic wouldn't work.
Ian
Excellent point!
This post helped me confirm that I'm on the right path with the next project I'm working on.
I intend for the salesletter to be a play on Marty Conroy's "Two Young Men" letter for the Wall Street Journal.
Do you consider that letter as an example of a Gap letter? I do, though according to your explanation of Gap Analysis, it needs more detail to really bring the point home.
That's what I'll do.
Great post, the sound old principles of selling. Will be using this tactic for my product launch most definitely.
Yes, indeed. I wrote an article about it a long time ago:
http://www.michelfortin.com/does-your-copy-have...
Interesting and useful distinction on a copywriting "standard". I agree, your idea makes the "Problem-Agitate-Solve" approach much more impactful. I'll be using this idea more often in my closing sections (I already use it to some extent) to increase the emotional punch.
Thanks for a great post (as usual!)
Kevin Francis
By the way: kudos on your new mast--it's remarkably better. The new pic is warmer, friendlier, and more welcoming than the previous. Typography and overall look--also seems improved. (It's amazing how the first impression factor and tone of a mast can carry forward into a site.) Perhaps this might even be fodder for another post. :)
One question though: do you do tweak your own graphics and layout, or do you have someone else do this?
I've always been impressed by the layouts, positioning, and the overall "feel" of your various sites. Who gets the credit?
That would be... Me!
Thank you for the kudos.
Testing new comment quote plugin.
Thank you,
Bostyon Johnson
Thanks for a very useful post (timely for me)... and thanks to the commenters who reminded me to revisit SPIN selling!
I don't know if you're familiar with NLP, there's a concept of "Towards Motivation" and "Away From Motivation" - where "Away from" is motivation to escape from something, "Towards" is motivation to achieve/get something.
When I'm coaching clients, highlighting the "Away from" is often a good way to help them take immediate action, but emphasising the "Towards motivation" tends to be more effective for long-term change in behaviour. "Away from" motivation tends to decrease as soon as the person starts moving away from the source of pain, whereas "Towards motivation" tends to increase as the person gets closer to the benefits they're seeking (excuse the generalisations).
Not sure if you can apply this to copywriting/selling, I guess it depends on what product/service you're selling, and what action you want the prospect to take?
Cheers, Jon
Would you mind pointing to an article or ad that uses the law of contrast to build desire? I get the idea but could benefit from a real-life example.
Incidentally, this seems to be related to a principal called "manufactured need." I read about that when I was studying Rhetoric in college.
It's the idea of creating a need where one did not previously exist. Before the 90's we all used lotion-free tissue. then one day we were told we NEEDED tissue with lotion in it to keep our noses from drying up and falling off. I guess this takes the contrast one step further?
Thanks for the blog!
Shira
http://www.secretsofself-mademillionaires.com/i...
For me give an idea how to make business rum well and get success
The Success
Thanks again Michael for your great posts. They've helped me dozens and dozens of times.
Mike
Will follow your advice and "practice and perfect this technique. Just follow the four steps outlined."
Merci! ~Lisa
A few months back, probably in the fall of 2007, I signed up for the $500.00 membership page. I have forgotten how to get to the page. I know my passwords, but what is the url for the page where I sign in? Thanks.
Hal Coleman
You pretty much type a headline and it gives you a score. You keep editing it and changing few words until the score gets higher and higher and i guess next thing you know, you have a catchy headline ;) I think I'll try it to advertise my coming up business.
-ThatsBlog.com
Regards
Rich Muir
http://www.companiesnow.com.au
making registering your company easy
I reread your post three times now and I'm still not sure if I get it. It seems like all that you say is just that I should spray some salt in my prospects wounds before I tell him about how relieving the soothing balm will feel once he puts it on?
And why is it called Gap ANALYSIS? It seems like the analysis part is just analysing were the "pain" is, but what you're describing is also taking it two steps further and then amplifying it and offering relieve.
Also, it reads to me like "Wouldn't it be nice if...", "What all of us dream of is...", "Would you like to know how to..." are pretty weak phrases, no? They're kind of greyish, with the colors faded.
Example: "Wouldn't it be nice if your skin is beautiful and clear, no more acne [blabla]"
Compared to: "Now imagine this: Your skin is beautiful and clear, no more acne [blabla]"
isn't the second one stronger?
Sorry for my stubborn mind here, but I'm really trying to understand. :-)
Thanks.
This post was actually more useful on what to do to build up the value and psychological buy now factors to produce a sale. I am currently building my webstore and information like this is so highly needed and more. I am definitely glad that you were on one of my seminar dvds. You are definitely one of the best to learn form.
Sure, your example is better. And I'm sure there are even better ones. The point is not to dazzle but to simply show how it works to people who are new to copywriting. (I see that *you* get it.)
Is it just spraying salt? Not really. Problem-Agitate-Solve talks about mentioning the problem, agitating the problem (the salt you mentioned) and then solving it.
But Gap Analysis also introduces the other side in the process.
Better said, it's like "Problem, Tease (with solution), Agitate, then Solve." It adds an extra step so prospects know there's a solution before you agitate.
Why? Because just spraying salt on a problem would be irrelevant if the prospect doesn't care for the problem (they are oblivious or apathetic) or has nothing else (possible solution or benefits) to measure it against.
I appreciate that the article is boring to you, but you seem to "get it" while others may not.
Thanks for the feedback, though.
I really appreciate you taking the time.
Splendid article, which gave me good ideas for my upcoming launch. Thanks a lot.
Come by to vote on the best post of the 31 posts this week. Yes, you can vote for your own post. Use the social media of your choice to help get traffic back to your site.
Remember that Friday is our deadline for new articles, so mark this Friday on your calendar as the latest that you can get to Blog Carnival to submit for next week.
PS: if you happen to look at my website blog ,the 'Tweet This" function is leading to a 403 page when the post is clicked on in Tweeter ;working on the solution.
PPS: Have 2 linkbacks on my sites to your blog..
Fixed the 403 page backlink problem by correcting the htacess file.
Backlinks now work,if anyone should happen to click on one of my links here or Twitter or Feedburner etc.
I know it's off topic and I do appreciate all your articles.
this is an awesome post. i understand bring up the problem. but i understand it way better now.
i'm going to start using this in my emails to offer products. it's like u kind of Apply The Law of Contrast to Build Desire in this post to. because it suck me in like a vacuum.
awesome post