Inbound Marketing Strategy

The Secret to Getting Six-Pack Abs and The Key to Selling Anything

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Online Selling
Image courtesy of petekraynak

Do you want six-pack abs?

Who doesn’t?!

Well you’re in luck, because I’m about to reveal the secret.

This is backed up by cutting-edge research, and used by all the hottest Hollywood celebrities.

In just a few short weeks, you can drop weight and look rock-hard without even getting up off the couch!

The best part?

No running, ab-rollers, or lap-band needed.

Ready for it?

I bet you are.

Here it is.

The Lure of Instant Gratification

What is the key to six-pack abs and a rock hard midsection?

The one thing that has the biggest impact on your health?

Your diet.

Everyone has a six-pack. But it’s covered by a layer of fat around your midsection.

So you really want six-pack abs?

Stop eating so much.

But you knew that, right? Of course. Everyone does.

But that doesn’t mean we like it, or even follow it. Because it’s hard, and not very fun.

Damnit, we deserve a few beers and a pound of rib-eye after work.

But here’s the rub.

People don’t want to hear about what they need, they want to hear about what they want.

So when you’re selling, you have to make your message easy-to-digest.

And one of the best ways to sell is to emphasize instant gratification.

Secret Formulas, Unicorns and Magic Potion

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about The Top Secret Formula for Instantly Getting More Facebook Fans.

It did pretty well, and people seemed to like it.

But here’s the interesting thing… it was a joke.

Not the whole post. Just the punchline. There was not “secret formula”.

This was a trick to get people’s attention before giving them what they really needed to hear.

Here’s why it worked so well, and how you can do the same thing.

The Greyhound’s Lure

Greyhound racing is practiced around the world in several different countries.

It’s been going on for over a hundred years in the US alone.

A typical race consists of… well you guessed it… a few greyhounds running around a track.

They run a certain number of laps, and then it’s over.

But I’ve always wondered. How do they get the dogs to stay so focused? How do the Greyhound’s sprint around the track without becoming distracted?

When I bring my dog to the park and there’s other dogs around, I can barely control him.

Sure, the greyhounds are trained. But at the end of the day, they’re still dogs. So how do they do it?

They use a lure.

A lure in greyhound racing is a stuffed object that resembles a bone or rabbit and sits at the end of a mechanical arm.

A driver steers the lure around the track, a safe distance beyond the greyhounds, and lets them chase the lure until the race is finished.

It’s like a carrot on a stick that gives them something to fight for. It’s a powerful motivator because it’s a tangible reward that people can see, touch, smell, and hear.

Ok, great. What does this have to do with online marketing?

Read on.

Why You Should Always Sell the Instant Solution

It doesn’t matter if you’re a product or service company.

You’re selling the same thing.

A solution to someone’s problem.

People don’t buy your product… they’re buying a cure.

And when you’re selling a solution, you have to find the lure.

What is the specific benefit that will compel people to take action?

That promise needs to be in everything from your advertisements, to your printed brochures, your next blog post, or the headlines on your website.

(The goal of your website is to sell… not to look pretty.)

My post about The Top Secret Formula for Getting More Facebook Fans used a lure, right in the title.

It promised instant gratification.

And it decreases risk and gets people take action.

And it usually has two different forms.

1. You’re selling the cure for a problem or threat.

2. You’re selling the dream of the ideal life or circumstance.

Promising a quick fix is one of the easiest ways to sell anything.

But it’s tricky. It can work really well, or it can blow up in your face.

Here’s what you need to watch out for.

Why Instant Gratification is like the Wizard of Oz

Selling instant gratification can be powerful.

But you have to understand that it’s not true.

Instant gratification is an illusion. Like the Wizard of Oz who turned out to be a simple old man.

Everyone wants to believe that there’s an easy solution for their problems, but it’s seldom the case.

You should use instant gratification whenever you can, but you have to realize the limitations.

It’s good at grabbing attention, but little else.

If you’re bold promise doesn’t live up to the hype, and there’s no substance underneath, then you’ll lose credibility. And trust is essential to building a lasting company today.

My “Top Secret Formula for Getting More Facebook Fans” post exploited this trick.

It promised people what they wanted to hear, but then gave them what they really needed.

The trick was in getting people to actually do the work, using the promise of a “secret formula” as the lure.

So when you’re using instant gratification as the lure, the trick is to show the tip of the iceberg. But then give people what they really need to solve their problem.

That’s the difference between over-hyped nonsense filled with fluff, and something that actually delivers real value.

Get long-term ROI.

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