A recent snorkeling trip in Thailand reminded me of the incredible power of fear, and it’s potential to drive sales.
But should you be using this technique in your business?
Read more about how the snorkeling operator managed a 100% upsell.
—
Not my foot!
Phuket Thailand, September 2011: After arriving at the jetty from which our snorkeling boat was leaving from we were asked to sit down for a presentation on what islands we would be visiting and the time spent at each snorkeling spot.
Then came the shocker… The guide pointed to pictures of people’s feet after stepping on sea urchins and told of how painful it was. He then went on to say that using fins would protect your feet and are only 100baht (US$3.30) to rent for the day. The result: 100% of the group took the cross-sell!
I had decided to rent the fins prior to the presentation to make snorkeling easier, but I’m sure many of the other’s wouldn’t have if not shown the photos.
It reminded me of the incredible power of fear, and it’s influence on behavior.
Do you use fear to sell your products or services? Do you think this is a ethical tactic?
Please post your comments!
I believe the use of fear in advertising is a legitimate part of the marketing and selling process. It is simply knowing how your target prospect functions from the inside out. Assuming integrity of the part of the seller, and that they have a quality product to promote that will deliver a valuable service to the purchaser, I would not hesitate to use fear to induce the sale.
Thanks Richard,
I agree. If the thing to be fearful of is legitimate and it will help the customer achieve a better experience, you should use it as part of your sales mix.
As always, “it depends!” Good ol’ IBM sales folks were masters of F.U.D. – Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt and there’s certainly a time and a place but for most of us, it’s certanly not the main selling point.
Instead, we typically sell not the features of our product or service, but the BENEFITS! So in your illustration, we’d cite the fins as offering several benefits:
– ease of mobility
– less physical effort and exertion
– see more ocean life
– …
– (and of course) avoid pain, infection and medical treatment from stepping on sea urchins
Hopefully, the photos would primarily focus on young, attractive snorklers having a great time in the water with their beloved fins – all selling the POSITIVE benefits, saving the “cincher/closer” near the end, finishing with the sexy dudes and dudettes smiling and having a great time.
Of course, depending on one’s business the message and associated product/service BENEFITS change. Yet for most businesses involved with ongoing relationships (as opposed to your commodity-based one time customer relationship), we principally focus on the positive benefits.
BTW, I liked the easy to read book “The Ultimate Sales Letter” that discusses winning copywriting techniques and tactics as:
- Intimidation
- Demonstrate ROI
- Ego appeals
- Strong guarantees
- Being a storyteller
Regards, Michael
Thanks for the post Michael,
I think ““The Ultimate Sales Letter”” may have been the first Kennedy book that I bought, and applied immediately to creating a sales letter when I was selling CDs online in Japan. Still great as a refresher on the basics, like using a “damaging admission”.