Simple Trick To Instantly Build Trust And Rapport When Writing
A short & sweet tip to help you make an instant connection with your reader… with pinpoint accuracy
That’s the name of the game, right?
After all… people don’t buy if they don’t believe. And they don’t believe if they don’t trust you.
“Wait a minute Bret… I’m honest, trustworthy and a good person. Shouldn’t they know that?”
Wake up vanity Smurf…. you need to prove it.
Here’s one (of many) ways to do this.
The fastest way to create connection and rapport is to have a similar interest.
Think back when you had a social life (pre kids and business). You’d meet someone at a party. You quickly found out they had a personality like a soggy mud brick.
You’d look for an opportunity to do a toilet dash… just to escape the deathly vortex of boredom.
Amongst the dreary monotone conversation, the dude mentions what suburb he grew up in. Low and behold… it was the exact same suburb you grew up in as a kid! Blood rushes back to your head with a renewed enthusiasm as you spit out,
“Really? No way… That’s where I grew up!”
“What street did you live in?
“What year did you go to School there?
“Was Mrs Calligahn still teaching English then? Man, she was scary”
“Do you remember the old abandoned warehouse on Waterview Road? We used to play footy there for hours a day… long before it was turned into a housing development.”
Blah, blah, blah, you get the idea.
So what happened? Connection, that’s what happened. Through a similar interest…
So how can you do this in your marketing?
Nostalgia is a powerful mechanism for creating connection, rapport and trust. Especially when you’re selling to the mass baby boomers.
Look for opportunities to mention your favourite movies, books, holidays, pets, cars, childhood memories, and so on…. Take time out to think about this, seriously. It’ll pay off tenfold.
Okay, you may not hit the bulls-eye every time, but I promise you this… The more you share, the more you reveal your human side, the more trust and rapport you’ll build… and ultimately make more sales.
People buy from people they like. Reveal the real you. That’s what we want to see.
You may not get the sale on the spot, but it’ll quickly add some much-needed tokens to your trust account, get it?
Of course, that’s just one small (very small) taste of the profitable breakthroughs you’ll learn at www.thecopywritingsystem.com
That’s the place for taking your sales and conversions to all new heights… fast!
Think big. Be different.
Bret Thomson
P.S. Does anyone press these social media share buttons below or what? I might start the trend and give it a go. Care to join me?
Ignore the bad singing and enjoy the message of how reading changed my life… And my ongoing dilemma of getting my kids to do what I NEVER did!
Why I Bribe My Kids To Read
Yep, it’s true.
I bribe my kids (with cash) to read books.
Good? Bad? Whatever. Nothing else works.
The idea of them reading a book… heaven forbid… outside of school hours… would cause a raucous mutiny… Thinking back, I was the same…
My only appetite for reading as a kid was Alfred. P. Newman’s “MAD Magazines”… or the occasional “Choose your own adventure” books… (Might explain some things)
So with my boys… why did I revert to bribery? Cos books (eventually) changed my life, as you’ll hear when you read on…
And let’s face it folks… as any truth-telling parent would admit… We tend to fill the voids from our own life with a caring hand of direction to our kids. True or true?
I needed to inject some outside positive dialogue into their noggins… To open their eyes up to what’s possible in life… So they can see the unlimited potential in themselves, like i see in them.
Don’t get me wrong… They get smothered with my daily positive brain droppings…But you know how that goes. I never listened to my old man till i was in my thirties (thtupid me)… So they need to hear it from someone else, i.e. Books.
And besides… wearing the “Strict Dad” hat with my hard-nosed-drill-sergeant routine doesn’t always work with my kids. So I found another way (maybe not the best way, but a way)… I got creative and bribed them.
There Is Madness To My Method.
I’ll tell you why in a sec… and… believe it or not… this relates to your marketing success too. But first…
Here’s a typical scene at our house:
I’ll whip out a $10 (or $20) note and tape it to the inside back cover… with an inch or more of the note sticking out the top.
I’ll call my boys (usually 3 or 4 times) into the room to announce the challenge…
“Okay my men, first person to read this book, cover to cover, get’s to keep the cash. I have no way of checking if you’re cheating or not. I’m trusting you.”
Then I’ll say, “You’ll have to live with your own guilt if you take my money dishonestly. And besides, I’ll be quizzing you about sections of the book anyway”
I’ll rant about the book and tell ‘em why I think it’ll benefit them. Then I’ll slap the book on the table, tell them how awesome they are, and walk away.
I’m Sure Qualified Quacks Would Preach 101 Reasons Why This Is Wrong.
Whatever.
Look, it’s getting harder to fill their minds with positive stuff these days, would you agree?
Man… I thought the X-box and PlayStation were a brain drain for kids… Pfft… that’s nothing… Facebook dominates that role now. Don’t get me started on that…
Moving on. Like I said, books changed my life. But here’s something that might surprise you…
I didn’t start reading till I was in my mid twenties. True story. Prior to that, the only reading I’d do was the “Did you know” quiz under beer bottle caps.
Oh yeah… Mr Suave, thank you.
Actually, I do remember reading one article once… about how excessive alcohol is highly damaging to your brain. Blew me away. Stunned, I was.
So I made a firm decision that day.
I Was NEVER Going To Read Again.
In time, I smartened up. The first book I ever read (by my own choice) was when I was 26, called, “Awaken The Giant Within” by Anthony Robbins.
Changed my life forever… and launched me on a never-ending journey of personal excellence. I had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge… I devoured books like a piranha let loose in a fish farm.
These days, I tell my boys…
If You Can’t See Where You’re Going In Life Then You’re Not Standing On Enough Books
Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said, “The books you read and the people you meet will determine where you are in five years.”
Friend, that’s especially true with your business…
Whether you do your own copywriting and marketing… or you get me and my word-slinging A-team to do it for you… the point is this…
You’ve gotta keep yourself educated… stay sharp with your marketing… cos things can change fast, amigo…
So fellow biz owners, entrepreneurs and copywriters can get weekly breakthrough insights on how to annihilate their competition with edgy marketing and copywriting power.
To open their eyes up to what’s possible in their business… So they can see their unlimited potential with effective (and affordable) marketing… like I see.
Remember… He who markets the best wins!
Just one idea… one tweak… one insight… one paragraph from a book (when actioned)… can fling you into poll position. It’s true in life… and in business.
Keep your saw sharpened my friend…
Think big. Be different.
Bret Thomson
P.S. Spread the love and share or comment below. Catchya
I’ve always had the reputation in the family of being fearless.
If anyone will “have a go” it’ll be Dad.
Bungee Jumping… Phft… easy.
Sky diving… Piece of cake, baby.
Karaoke… Just try stopping me.
Rock climbing… what about it?
Big surf… I’ll race ya there.
Snakes, spiders… not even a flinch.
But night diving… as in snorkel, flippers, torch, in the open waters… at night??
Are you serious? That’s friken insane. Crazy, I tell ya. No way man… I mean, Hello? Even a 4 year old knows what lurks around the waters at night, right?
Starts with “S” and ends in “harks”… That’s right Einstein … Why nominate yourself as potential shark bait? No thanks.
So when my teenage son told me he was going on a school excursion to Tangalooma beach this week… and one of the activities was “Night Diving”… I knew he wouldn’t do it. No chance.
We’re talking about a kid who fused himself to a side railing at SeaWorld when I suggested he come on the Pirate Ship with me. Took 4 grown adults and a 3-foot jimmy bar to pry him off the railing… until I promised he didn’t have to go on it.
In fact… Just the night before he left for Tangalooma, he was even nervous about being away from home camping for a few days… let alone the thought of diving at night? Forget that.
But to help him feel comfortable about leaving for his trip… I thought I’d give him some good ol’ “DAD ADVISE”. Funny though… he didn’t even asked for it? They never do…
I said, “You’ll be right buddy… You’ll have a ball my man… Remember… On the other side of your fear lies your greatest victory”
“Yeah, yeah, Dad, I know, I know”
I figured that bit of advise slide past the goal keeper like most of my “Dad Talks”. Apparently not. Get this.
He calls me up on his first night camping and says, “DAD! DAD! I went night diving!”
“WHAT?!?! ARE YOU SERIOUS? You went night diving?… At night?”
“Yeah, It was AMAZING! It was so cool Dad. It was uuuunreeeal.”
“OH MY GOD! I’m so proud of you. Were you scared?”
“Hell yes. It was so scary. There was about 15 of us and we had to swim 200 meters back to shore with our torches. It was pitch black. The water was about 10 metres deep. About half way along I dived under and saw this GIGANTIC turtle. It was HUGE! It’s shell was bigger than me. So I grabbed onto it’s shell and it took me for a ride underwater for a few meters.”
“NO WAAAAAY?! That’s AMAZING?! My man…That’s the cooolest thing I have ever heard. EVER. You’re a LEGEND! You are my new hero. I am soooo proud of you buddy.”
“Thanks Dad”
(We stayed talking for another 20 minutes or more…)
Now you tell me… is that cool or what? Goes to show that on the other side of fear waits a tremendous victory. The same goes when I work with clients to come up with their BIG IDEA.
It’s often the scariest idea that will pull in the biggest financial rewards.
I push concepts way beyond the ‘comfortable zone’… where most marketers shudder with fear. But the financial windfall is stunning.
It worked for me when i pushed past the fear barrier and made my 7 hour sales letter video. (Nearly didn’t happen).
It worked for my clients when I suggested a creative way to offer a $10,000 Grant to their first property buyers. Turned out to be a multi-million dollar a month idea, that one.
It worked for another client when I convinced them to run a newspaper ad asking people to qualify to do business with them… Result? A cool 1/4 of a million bucks in 3 months, thank you very much.
It worked when I twisted my clients arm to turn his guarantee into a public $100,000 challenge… creating a flood of responses… no surprise to me.
And it’ll work for you too when I think about your business… when i rattle the cage of fear and uncover the scary BIG IDEA that’ll be a game-changer for YOU… and YOUR business.
Sure… you might “GULP” at my ideas… you may even skip a heart beat or two… you’ll probably think I’m crazy at first… (You’d be right)… but it’ll pay you well.
I believe YOU are just one BIG IDEA away from YOUR million dollar pay day. And it’s probably floating in my brain right now… just waiting to be awakened. Your call.
I guess you’re thinking, “Well how do i get it out of your head and make it real?
Check out this shiny orange link to see how we can make this happen.
“Fear knocked on the door, and when courage answered, no one was there”
A lot of people I speak to (and coach) are crippled with fear.
Paralyzed to the point of not taking action.
While others “seem” to be in motion… swinging the hammer, so to speak, but only with half strength.
Again. Held back by a fear of some sort.
Some smart dude once said, “The enemy of success is to be comfortable”
Yep. That’s one hell of a dangerous place to be. And if you’re not careful…you can curl up and die with your life unlived.
If you’re justifying a plateau in your life… then you need to eyeball this sucker called fear once and for all. And that’s what I’m going to tackle in this post today.
Look. Fear comes in all shapes and sizes. Oh, and don’t think I’m any different. No sir-ee.
If I were you, I’d be wary of listening to a “guru” who tells you they didn’t feel fear… Sometimes on a daily basis. It’s a good indictor you’re pushing the boundaries and growing.
There’s a cool quote that goes something like this…
“Fear is the scarecrow of fools and the beacon of wise men”
I love that one. So yes, we all have it. In different levels…and at different times. But it’s always there. The trick is… what you do with it that matters.
What am I talking about? I’m glad you asked.
Think about this…
Are you feeding your fear… or starving it?
Cos let me tell you amigo… fear has a gluttonous appetite. It needs to feed to stay alive…
And you could be feeding it without realizing.
One of the fastest ways to fatten up your fear is to compare yourself to others.
Oh boy does that ever throw you into a negative spiral. Dangerous game. Very little good can come from it.
Money can’t flow easily in an environment where you are comparing yourself to others. That kind of thinking suffocates money-making creativeness.
Instead…
Money and ideas FLOURISH when you think “What’s possible”
Big difference.
So is there a way to overcome fear? Yes, there is. Well… there are probably a whole bunch of ways. But I’ll share what worked with me.
First of all, let’s look at the consequences of this self-inflicted debilitating toxin they call fear.
In plain simple English: Fear stops you from being the best you can be. Holds you back.
Friend, we want to see you at your best. We’ll always like you no matter what, but don’t waste your unused potential. We like seeing you at your best. We love seeing you shine.
We know you have more to offer. And deep down… you know it too, don’t you?
If fear is holding you back, then let’s fix this once and for all.
From this point on… No more feeding your fear.
I’ve heard…
“What you feed – grows. What you starve – dies.”
Makes sense, right? But be careful… Sounds smart, but I’m not convinced it’s entirely true.
If “starving it” means to ignore it, then I reckon it’ll rear its ugly head up again, one time or another.
Are you doing your best to ignore it? Hard act to keep up. Tiring. Don’t ignore it and sweep it under the rug.
Talk to it. Confront it. Eye ball it. But with compassion… empathy… and understanding… Recognize it. Validate it. After all, it’s a part of you. Make it work in your favour.
Now bear with me here… this next part may sound a little airy-fairy… but it’s not.
It got me out of a stagnant place when I was tangled up with thoughts of being inadequate.
It worked for me, so do with it what you will. And besides… I’ve come this far… might as well unpack the whole basket…
Here’s a conversation you can have with yourself…
Say… “Okay fear… I understand you’re afraid of <fill in the blank>, but here’s something greater to be fearful of…
It’s way more scarier to:
Live your life half lived… and never know how good you could have been
Never get out of debt… and never having enough money to do the things you love
Not being able to help family members out financially
Your kids not looking up to you because you’re not the action taker they once believed you were
Your partner losing respect for you because you’re not living up to your promises
Giving up on the dreams you once believed in… Giving up the fight.
Those, my friend, are more terrifying consequences to be afraid of.
Like I said… Fear is a part of life… so I reckon you might as well choose your own list of fears… Fears that’ll propel you in a new direction…
If you let fear stop you from being the ultimate version of yourself, then the consequences are miserable.
Look… I’m having trouble explaining this. I’m not satisfied you get it. Not your fault. Words are inadequate. I’ll press on anyway…
Listen… Try using fear as motivation to move forward… to take action.
Be the best you can be.
Can you flick a switch and instantly turn into the super confident version of yourself?
Possibly.
But for most, it’s not that easy. It takes daily work. Create new daily habits. Call it your self-esteem workout. Just 5-mins a day… but something…
Think of a time when you were at your highest point of confidence and happiness.
Tap into that feeling. Relive it. Meditate on it if that’s your thing. Read a positive book; call a friend for some positive feedback about yourself. Have a card in your pocket with a list of positive affirmations to read throughout the day. Whatever works.
Daily habits. What ever suits you, but take that step forward.
The key is immersion. Repetition. Tilt the scale so you’re top-heavy with positive… and if you feel fear creeping in… Remind yourself of your new list of fears that’ll push you in a new direction.
We want to see you shine. The world is longing for you to be your best. We want to see more of you…
It’s your time to shine.
Think big. Be different.
Bret Thomson
P.S. I’ll land this plane with one of my all time favourite quotes:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyondmeasure. It is our light, not our darkness that mostfrightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to bebrilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually,who are you not to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened aboutshrinking so that other people won’t feel insecurearound you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.And, as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to dothe same. As we are liberated from our own fear,our presence automatically liberates others.”
And one other thing… My accurate statistics prove that their chances of having a massive financial windfall increased by 273% as soon as they joined my list. True story.
All in all…
They’re all fellow “Direct Response Marketing Junkies” with a ravenous appetite for any hints, tips or ideas that’ll boost conversions…
Righty-o, enough rambling…
Now before you skip ahead and test your skills… I want you to promise me you’ll read the second part of this post.
Remember? When I mentioned my crazy idea earlier? Yeah, that part.
I want you to contribute something in the comment box below when this is over.
Don’t’ be scared. If you’re smart, (which you obviously are because you’re reading my blog), then you’ll see the benefit of doing it…
Geeez… I’m pushy aren’t I?
No harm intended… but feel free to feel guilty if you don’t.
Okay, are you ready?
Let’s see how you go…
Pick the winner…
Here are the stats.
One of these subject lines got a: 37.3% open rate – and a 15.8% click rate
The other one got a: 57.4% open rate – and a 23.5% click rate
But which one was it? A or B?
Pick the winner...
A
Subject line (A):
How To Belt A Home Run With Your Next Promotion
B
Subject line (B):
Open This To See Some Killer Sales Copy Examples
Question 1 Explanation:
Correct answer was (B)
That’s a massive 54% increase on getting the email opened... and a further 51% of people clicked the link! Worthwhile test? Hell yes!
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Okay… so how did you go?
But before you get ahead of yourself… remember… no two lists are the same.
What works for my list may not work for yours! The key is to do your own spilt testing!
Which brings me to my next point.
… That idea that’s been rattling around in my skull for a few days…
First up, did you like that I shared my spilt test results with you? Yes or no?
Would you like to see more? Yes or no?
Good. Look, I’m happy to do that… but think about this…
Imagine if you got to see a whole bunch of split test results in one place? Not just from me… but from a whole swag of fellow marketers and copywriters?
Is it only me… or would that be ultra- cool?
Let me unfold my idea more so you can see how it relates to you…
It starts like this… I’m challenging anyone reading this post to contribute and leave their own split testing result in the comment box below.
Be it a… subject line, headline, price test, whatever.
But it starts with you.
No wait. I’ll break the ice first… I’ll put my #1 highest opened subject line below. Just to make you feel better….
But then you’re next, cool?
Relax… You don’t have to show the % stats if you don’t want. Up to you…
This is not an ego-stroking competition. Forget that.
Just a community of fellow savvy marketing fiends sharing and growing together…
What do you reckon… You in or what?
If this works…then you’ll LOVE my next idea!!
Think big. Be different.
Bret Thomson
P.S. If you don’t do split testing or don’t have a business yet… but you enjoyed the post… then don’t keep it to yourself. Let me know below… And spread the love baby!
P.P.S. If you’re not already on my email subscribers… then you’re missing out on all my hot-off-the-press, in-the-trenches, sizzling hot direct response insights. I’ll make it easy for you by letting you join below
And don’t worry. I won’t email you every day. I should. But I don’t. Catchya…
