Breaking Through the Sales Barriers - PDQ

PDQ:  Preview the Problem solved around a Dominant need in a Question form.

Your challenge is to say something that will compel your reader to stop whatever he is thinking or doing and willingly give his entire attention to you.  You must tantalize him. The tantalizer preview should be geared to satisfying your reader's needs, solving his problem, and eliminating what is causing his problem - something that will help him gain or maintain the satisfaction of his needs.  And since you want him to participate in what your tantalizing words promise him, put it in the form of a question.  (Not only at the beginning of a piece, but use good tantalizing sentences or questions throughout the presentation.)

lscpa: listen, share, condition, present, ask

headline (offer or imply a strong benefit)

Relate

• Many of the ______ tell me...
• Recently I read that ....
• A lot of my customers say that.....
• Mr._______ tells me......

Q

• Do you find this to be true?
• Do you face this same problem?
• Do you feel in the same bind?
• Do you feel the same dilemma?
• How do you feel about this?
• Does this have meaning to you?
• Has this ever happened to you?
• What is your opinion?
• Do you feel this has any validity?
• What do you think?
• Do you feel this is a problem?
• Are you concerned about this?
• Does this worry you?
• What's your thinking on this problem?
• Is this important to you?
• Does this sound reasonable to you?

Relate again

Present (Solution-Advantage-Benefit)

Ask

Reassure

Close

Problems shared by small business people without an effective web site:

• friends or business peers have web sites and reader doesn't
• would like one, but don't know where to start
• have limited: time, money
• competitor has a site
• big guys have a site

turn it around:  look at what you are presenting.  What problem does it solve?  What need does it fulfill?

Compliments:

1. Sincere
2. Specific (tell the reader what it is that made you bring it up, compliment details "I love the shine to you hair", not "your hair is beautiful"), compliment the act the person did, not the person
3. Something of real interest to the person (most rewarding when it reassures the reader in an area where he may have doubts)

"I've got a problem.  I need your help."  You boost the reader's self-image by allowing him or her to be of help.