Your advertising offer is simply your statement of what you propose to do for sales prospects in exchange for what you want from them — their money, says noted copywriter Russ Phelps.
Before you make your statement, he advises, answer the following two questions:
What is the biggest promise that you know you can fulfill?
What is the most you can offer without losing your shirt?
Those questions are vital, Phelps writes, because, if you do not answer them:
You might try to get away with making less of a promise than you could.
You might try to milk the buyer for as much as you can, while holding back what you could be giving in return. If you act on these natural human impulses, Phelps says, you will lose sales and profits.
Every profitable offer, Phelps states, involves certain essential components:
Product & BonusesBenefits of Product/ServiceGift for replyBonuses for basic or larger order
Pricing Discounts on introductory, rapid, or high-quantity ordersRefunds or rebates
Payment Terms Cash, check, credit card, or chargeBill-me-laterCharge card in 30 days unless trial purchase returnedOffer expires in 10 days
GuaranteeUnlimited, unconditionalTime limit on refundsKeep bonuses no matter whatDouble or triple money backTap into customer motivators
Customers, Phelps writes, will buy benefits that satisfy two elementary motivators:
Greed — Get more of what I want
Fear — Avoid losing what I have.
Phelps says that people’s behavior is motivated by emotion — but explained by logic. So, sell them the benefits of accepting your offer, and justify their purchase by detailing how your product's features will deliver the benefits they crave.