Say you've been feeling under the weather for a few days, and you decide to go to the doctor.
The moment you open the door to your doctor’s office, she takes one quick look at you, thrusts a prescription into your hands, and slams the door in your face.
No check-up, no conversation, just a bottle of pills and her bill in the mail.
Are you confident she’s given you the solution — the correct medicine — you need to make you feel better?
Um, no.
How could she possibly know what the right prescription would be without carefully considering and analyzing your symptoms?
Even if you were suffering from something simple, you’d still want your 10 minutes of poking, prodding, “umming,” “ahhing,” and answering all the questions specific to your situation.
That’s what gives you the confidence that the doctor can fix your problem.
Your prospects need the same thing
Assessing and explaining the reasons behind your customer's "symptoms" is just as essential when writing sales copy.
If you try to jump straight into selling your product before identifying the problem, you make it harder to convince your customer logically, emotionally, and with proof that you have something they desperately need.
So, here’s a simple three-step guide to using your prospects’ symptoms to make your offer more compelling and convincing.
Step 1: Outline your prospect’s symptoms
When you go to the doctor she doesn't ask if you feel "unwell." She asks you if your throat is sore, if you have a cough, if you have a headache in the morning, and so on.
She needs to identify your precise symptoms before she can solve the root problem.
In copywriting, your customer's "symptoms" are specific situations he can relate to that are caused by the problem you solve.
For example,...
