I'm the founder and chief conversion copywriter at Conversion Alchemy. We help 7 and 8 figure SaaS and Ecommerce businesses convert more website visitors into happy customers.
Conversion Alchemy Journal is the collection of my thoughts, ideas, and ramblings on anything copy, UX, conversion rate optimization, psychology, decision-making, human behavior, and -often times - just bizarre, geeky stuff.
Grab a cup of coffee and join me. Once a week, every Friday.
Welcome to today’s issue of Conversion Alchemy Journal. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here.
How would you like to turn every single conversation into an opportunity to learn and create more serendipity in your life? And what if you could apply the same strategy to the copy you write?
You only need to shift your mindset around what a conversation is, and use other people's motivations to your advantage.
I've been multitasking like a madman at the gym (don't try it at home) and listening to the audio of "Supercommunicators" by Charles Duhigg.
The book goes into how engaging conversations align our brains and lead to deeper connections. It's how we "win friends and influence people" (just with a few more studies to back it up).
It's like reading people's minds
But one thing I've found fascinating and eye opening is how the author ,interprets conversations:
within every conversation there is a quiet negotiation, where the prize is not winning, but rather determining what everyone wants, so that something meaningful can occur
When I see it this way, it... kinda makes me want to put in more work when I have a chat! It's a way more productive way of seeing even the most random conversation. And it's useful when you're trying to get to the juice in your customer interviews for example.
And then I stumbled on something even deeper...
...many discussions are actually three different conversations. There are practical, decision-making conversations that focus on What’s This Really About? There are emotional conversations, which ask How Do We Feel? And there are social conversations that explore Who Are We? We are often moving in and out of all three conversations as a dialogue unfolds. However, if we aren’t having the same kind of conversation as our partners, at the same moment, we’re unlikely to connect with each other.
Mind-blown.
Makes me wonder how many times I've merely scratched the surface of what I could possibly learn from others and what they in turn, could have understood of me.
How does this apply to copywriting and sales?
Bob Moesta teaches us about the 3 sources of energy in motivating customers to make decisions:
Functional: The functional motivation is the core tasks that customers want to get done.
Emotional: The emotional motivation is how customers want to feel, or avoid feeling, as a result of executing the core functional outcome.
Social: The social motivation is how customers want to be perceived by others by using your product.
Do they sound familiar?
Yes, turns out the three conversations we're all having when chatting with our coworkers or our partner, are also the same energy sources we tap into when buying a new watch, t-shirt, software tool etc.
Looking at every interaction through this prism is VERY helpful to both learn more and get your ideas through more effectively and persuasively.
Next time you sit down and write copy, or you approach a friend, ask yourself:
How can I approach this "negotiation" to dig into and match their practical, emotional and social motivations?
At the very least you'll be way more empathetic and put in a serious effort.
📚 3 things to get better at copywriting
Video: Sugar foot, branding and learning from other disciplines
I was probably 14 when I saw him play back in Italy. And had no idea who he was. I even got a signed drum head from him (that I lost somewhere 😭).
Turns out, before playing for that Italian artist as a touring musician, Jonathan "Sugarfoot" Moffett was the drummer for people like The Jacksons, Madonna, Elton John, George Michael, and yep, Michael Jackson.
In this video he goes into how he stumbled on his nickname because of what he picked up from an organist, and how he then created his signature drum bass style.
Even if you're not a drummer, this is a masterclass in absorbing lessons from disparate fields and taking advantage of your differentiator.
Article: How to make better "one way door decisions"
Loved this piece by Dan Shipper on how to use LLMs to help you make what he calls "one door decisions" - big bold often irreversible decisions that can shape our lives in dramatic ways. It also supports my vision of using AI to pretty accurately simulate our ICPs so we can test our copy.
AI is an incredible tool for this kind of decision-making. It can simulate us—our personalities, our thoughts, our emotions—and reveal what that simulated version of ourselves might feel and think in different circumstances
I'm the founder and chief conversion copywriter at Conversion Alchemy. We help 7 and 8 figure SaaS and Ecommerce businesses convert more website visitors into happy customers.
Conversion Alchemy Journal is the collection of my thoughts, ideas, and ramblings on anything copy, UX, conversion rate optimization, psychology, decision-making, human behavior, and -often times - just bizarre, geeky stuff.
Grab a cup of coffee and join me. Once a week, every Friday.
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