“they were blind but now they see” ... How to create space in your prospects' minds, so they want to buy
Welcome to today’s issue of Conversion Alchemy Journal. If you received this from a friend and enjoy it, subscribe here.
I’ve always been obsessed with what happens in people’s brains the very moment they realize they need to buy something.
I study it constantly, in my clients’ customers, but in myself too.
If you want to understand what triggers prospects to head down the path that takes them to buying from you, you have to understand how their “first thought” works and how to help them create it. Because you can.
As the saying goes, “gotta see it to believe it”. Or better, gotta think it to want it.
From Demand-Side Sales 101 by Bob Moesta:
How do you cause a first thought? Everything starts with understanding the customer’s perspective. What are the struggling moments people have? Where do they have them? With first thought, you create questions in the buyer’s mind. The questions create space in the brain for solutions to fall into. It’s mostly about push. You want the buyer to question what they are doing and realize it’s not working. The goal is to help people understand there could be a better way. Successfully creating a first thought means now they can see things they could not see before; they were blind but now they see.
In one of my recent podcast episodes I talked with the guys at Autobooks, Derik and Kyle about this (spoiler alert, they’ve worked with Bob Moesta directly as case study for his book). They’ve even used this tactics at a conference to generate leads.
Here’s Bob’s 4 ways to create a first thought:
Ask a good question…and not give an answer
Tell a story
Give a new metric
State the obvious
How do you create a first thought for a B2B SaaS product?
Here’s a few examples for website copy, email copy, sales pitch copy and a Linkedin post as if we’re to try and create this first thought.
The theme: Streamlining sales processes for B2B SaaS companies
The target audience: Sales leaders and decision-makers in B2B SaaS companies
1) Website copy (Asking a good question)
Headline: Are manual sales processes slowing down your growth?
Subheading: Automate repetitive tasks, improve efficiency, and close more deals faster with [solution].
Body copy: In B2B SaaS sales, every minute counts. But are you spending too much time on manual, repetitive tasks? What if you could streamline your sales process, freeing up your team to focus on higher-value activities like building relationships and closing deals?
2) Email (Telling a story)
Subject: How XYZ SaaS Co. increased their sales velocity by 20%
Body copy: XYZ SaaS Co., a leading provider of cloud-based solutions, was facing a common challenge: their sales process was bogged down by manual tasks and inefficiencies. Reps were spending hours on data entry, lead prioritization, and follow-ups, leaving little time for actual selling. That's when they implemented [solution]. With automated data capture, intelligent lead scoring, and personalized email sequences, XYZ SaaS Co. was able to increase their sales velocity by 20% within the first quarter.
3) Sales pitch deck (Giving a new metric)
Slide headline: The Sales Efficiency Index (SEI): A new way to measure sales performance
Bullet points:
- The SEI is a comprehensive metric that evaluates the efficiency of your sales process
- By analyzing key factors such as time spent on manual tasks, lead response time, and conversion rates, the SEI provides a clear benchmark for your sales performance
- Companies with a high SEI score report 25% higher revenue growth and 30% lower customer acquisition costs compared to those with a low score
4) LinkedIn post (Stating the obvious)
Post copy: Your sales reps are spending 40% of their time on non-selling activities. That's right – nearly half of their day is consumed by manual data entry, lead research, and administrative tasks. This is a massive opportunity cost holding you back from growing. Our SaaS solution streamlines your sales process, automating repetitive tasks and enabling your reps to focus on what they do best: selling. Comment "AUTOMATE" if you're ready to take your sales performance to the next level.
All of these are about creating that space in the buyer’s mind.
Once you see it this way, you can’t unsee it.
Hope it helps.
What will you write today using this?
📚 3 things to get better at copywriting
Video: How to literally wear other people’s shoes
This new series is AMAZING. Imagine comedians getting make up done, without knowing or seeing what they’ve been turned into… until it’s time for them to jump on a 100% IMPROVISED interview.
Being a comedian is hard. Improv comedy is even harder.
And improv comedy on a story and character that make no sense and that you’ve been given by someone else, is insanely difficult.
But these guys nail it, interviewer included.
The result is absurd, hilarious, tragic and intriguing at the same time. One of my faves so far is the episode with Tommy Shriggly 😂
Article: “Writing is something that LLMs will never do as well as a human.”
If that’s what Ethan Mollick says, I trust him. even though things look promising and the computing power needed to achieve good results with LLMs is cutting in half every 5 to 14 months, I’m confident, humans and our empathy will always be the guide.
We’ll just have to work differently with our writing. Will you be a Cyborg or a Centaur?
On another note, I’ve been testing Claude 3 Opus, Anthropic’s ChatGPT 4 rival and it’s pretty good.
Swipe file: Did you know that…
Love this idea of “branding your own differentiator”.
And the way they reveal it only later in the copy, makes it stand out even more. Instant authority, credibility, and trust. And guess what, I didn’t even bother Googling for “Granary”. I just trust it’s something that’s been “going around for a while, so it must be popular”.
That’s the power of naming it before others do it.
💪
Work with me on your copy
Let's get more customers →
|
|
|
|
|
✅ Don't miss it
Episode 6 of The Message-Market Fit podcast is out.
I had an epic chat with Marc Thomas, senior growth at Podia. Here's what you'll learn:
- How to integrate culture into your marketing strategy
- How you can conquer the fear of failure
- How to leverage experience and empathy
- How to understand and navigate early stage company dynamics
- How to create effective positioning strategies and messaging patterns
- How to tackle the often neglected aspects of positioning
- How you can use customer research to drive business growth
- How to challenge the fear of change and the dangers of relying on standard playbooks
- How to disrupt the status quo with a "rinse and repeat" anti-playbook approach
And way way more.
Check it out here, wherever you listen to podcasts or on Youtube. And if you find it valuable, would you consider subscribing and leaving a rating? 🙏
Learn how to write a SaaS homepage with me, for free
Crafting an effective homepage is crucial for B2B SaaS companies, but it's often a daunting task.
How do you showcase your offerings? Should you focus on immediate conversions? How to balance features and benefits? Where should your CTAs lead?
And the ultimate question: How to differentiate with a compelling value proposition?
Get the answers to these questions and more in the Masterclass I’ll be hosting for the Belkins B2B Sales & Marketing Pros Community.
We'll guide you through planning, layout, and writing strategies for your SaaS homepage without relying on straight-jacket templates. You will also learn how to validate your copy before launch and leverage AI to improve it.
Here’s the link to sign up. It’s 100% free.
🤔 Thought of the week
"The sugar high of convenience is fleeting and the sting of missing out dulls rapidly, but the meaningful glow that comes from taking charge of what claims your time and attention is something that persists" — Cal Newport, Digital Minimalism
Curate your experience. That’s where you find lasting meaning.
Have a great weekend!
|
|
Chris Silvestri
Founder, Conversion Alchemy
|
🙌🏻 Let’s be friends (unless you’re a stalker)