So the first step in persuasion is to know what appeals emotionally to your listener.  What is the problem the product or service will solve for him and what will happen if the problem is not solved for them? If you can answer these questions, you will have the key to what motivates your audience emotionally. You can then set out to write your sales letter or make your online or offline presentation targeting this emotional quotient.

An outstanding example of an opening sales pitch is Mark Anthony’s speech in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar.  The audience experience a roller coaster of emotions. Mark Anthony declares that he is there to bury Caesar and not to argue with Brutus and others about the qualities of the man. A subtle rider or “hook” to his declaration directs attention to the fact that “evil that men do lives after them” and “good” is buried with them. The rest of the speech is devoted to demolishing the association of “ambition” with Caesar and cutting through the arguments put forth by his killers for the murder…..

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears;

I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him.

The evil that men do lives after them;

The good is oft interred with their bones;

So let it be with Caesar. The noble Brutus

Hath told you Caesar was ambitious:

If it were so, it was a grievous fault,

And grievously hath Caesar answer’d it.

Here, under leave of Brutus and the rest–

For Brutus is an honourable man;

So are they all, all honourable men–

Come I to speak in Caesar’s funeral.

He was my friend, faithful and just to me:

But Brutus says he was ambitious;

And Brutus is an honourable man.

If you look at successful sales letters or successful presentations or even speeches that moved masses to action, you will notice that an appeal is being made to the emotional being in the target audience every time.  There is play on fears–loss of health, loss of income, fear of failure and so on.  The very opening sentence or headline sets the context. It is often an attention grabbing, powerful, magnetic line that keeps the audience riveted to the speech. Here are a few examples:

• Stop letting other people cheat you out of the Income you deserve
• Your health may depend on the Information contained in this letter
• Add years to your life with Newly Discovered Super Vitamin
• Build Six Pack muscles that will be the envy of your peers

The sub headline then creates the hook that holds the audience dangling on the line.  This is often another associated emotional reason that supports the headline.

Just one capsule a day will extend your life by 25%!

An appeal that has nothing to do with logic.  There is no reference to a miracle vitamin. Only a statement that vitamins will benefit you!

From this point on the Sales letter or presentation or speech is carefully pitched from the point of view of the reader and the flow of thoughts that must arise from the initial questions that were addressed to him.  There is a conscious and sustained effort to answer all the possible questions that may arise in the minds. Of course irresistible special offers are made at the end and a deadline for availing of the special offer is set to urge him into immediate action.

So, if you are making a presentation to your boss or selling a product to your client or making a speech, do not forget–the emotional quotient. The success or failure depends on how well you answer the question “What is in it for me!”

Sensitive marketers are aware of, and take advantage of , the marketing potential of  the situation. They assume a “problem sensitive” approach to marketing. They see markets in arenas that most people have micro problems. That is why the health industry is recession proof and the food industry does a roaring business. Google became a giant search engine, because  net surfers had a massive problem finding information on subjects that interested them. Branded clothes are sought after because the neo rich want to create the right impression or the social climber wants to be identified with the social set up he wants to enter.

It follows, that marketers need to understand personas if they want to promote their product. Target markets are nothing but a process of identifying the right type of buyer persona you can address. Politicians address voters, supporters and contributers. Universities target students and their parents. Vaccum cleaner manufacturers reach out to housewifes and large housekeeping establishments in hotels and other places.

Once the target market has been identified, the marketer must sensitively pinpoint the malady that can be best described in terms of “where the shoe pinches” syndrome. There can be no doubt that designing the advertising campaign around the syndrome will yeild the best results because it directs attention to real issues and not hypothetical ones.  A quick review of the marketing campaigns that have touched your life personally wil testify to the truth of this assertion.

So, if you are planning a marketing campaign for you product in the near future, tune in to your buyer persona–live his life and his problems and target them. Sell a solution to the problem, do not sell a product!

Do you see what the marketing guy is battling against? He needs to get across the information about his product in creative and interesting ways.

Television advertisments create little stories around products and actors act them out.  The best ads are those that give you glimpse into the life of the people who use the product and the value it has for them. For instance a wonderful ad from Airtel has a little sentimental plot: grandson visits grandfather–plays chess with him–leaves for his home by train–grandfather misses grandson and the intimacy of playing with him–grandson calls on mobile and continues the game calling out moves on the phone while traveling–grandfather is happy. Interesting? touching? absolutely fascinating? This is real wow marketing!

The web too has created a marketing environment where the old rules no longer apply. Social media networks enable you to communicate with a passionate group of fans and turn them into influencers for you.  It makes it easier for people to fall in love with you or hate you. You can create the stories that can make your brand famous overnight!

The most creative ad on the social media networks in the recent past was that of Photoshop. They did not talk about their product. They created a contest where participants identified the fake or done up pictures from the true pictures.  Once the identification process was complete, Adobe invited the participants to check out how their tool was used to make up the pictures and they invited them to study the tutorials to appreciate the process! Their sales went up and they had a large following on facebook, twitter and other social media networks!

Check out the demo of the campaign at http://showcase.tractionco.com/real-or-fake/

So, forget direct marketing. Build stories and contests round your product. Be as creative as you can! Make your stories market your product!