If you think you have a business that is so different and that getting new customers and people to buy from you is the biggest challenge – join the club!
We all have that issue and salescopy helps you get eyes not only on your products and services, BUT strikes an emotion to help them buy.
This week on the podcast, we had two interesting questions about making salescopy pop selling two not so sexy things: 1 – Pest Control: How to make the sales copy talk to people that want to buy pest control treatments. I know its fear of pests or fear of the damage that they can do to property (termites) but I end up with wishy washy copy that does not “POP” 2 – Selling wifi controlled irrigation sprinkling system on timer, saves money, water, and pays for itself in 2 years…
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Jim Edwards: Hey guys, Jim Edwards here and welcome back to the Sales Copywriting Content Marketing Hacks Podcast podcast…
This is Episode 70 episodes…
That’s like, what 70 people with one episode do…
It’s like we’ve done 70 people’s podcasts.
Stew Smith: That’s like one podcast a week for 70 weeks.
Jim Edwards: That’s pretty much…
That’s exactly
So, last episode…
Yeah, and last episode, I ambushed you. So, I expect no better treatment from you this week…
Do you have an ambush question for me here or…?
Jim Edwards: Yes! I actually have two of them but I’m going to frame it in
a unique way because,
Jim Edwards: Okay.
Stew Smith: This is all about sales copy…
Right?
Copywriting…
Jim Edwards: Yes, it is…
Stew Smith: And I want people to realize, just because you have a business that sells something that you may not think everybody needs. Still, people have needs people want things, they don’t have to necessarily need them…
But, when you sell something that, for instance these, these two I’m going to throw at you…
One is a pest control company, and the other one sells irrigation systems.
Okay, pretty, specific products and services going on to, yeah, it’s not something that I really look forward to buying…
Jim Edwards: Right.
Stew Smith: But yeah, if you sell it right, you can actually have, it makes a lot of sense…
Maybe I will pull the trigger on that pest control, right.
Jim Edwards: Oh, yeah, pest control is going to be easier to sell than then Wi-Fi controlled irrigation system, but also the other one could be pretty easy to sell
If you’re going after rich People with nice lawns near golf courses where they have all of their ego and their status is tied up in how their lawn looks.
Stew Smith: Sure.
Yeah, I mean, there’s plenty of business out there.
Jim Edwards: Oh, yeah.
Stew Smith: So, you just got to sell it to the right person.
So, let me let me just tell you the two emails we got…
We got one email from someone in the pest control business says how do I make sales copy talk to people that want to buy Pest Control treatments…
I know its fear of the pests or fear of damage when it comes to property like termite damage…
But I always end up wishy-washy with the copy, and it doesn’t really sell for him…
So, what should he do?
Jim Edwards: So, I think you’re right; it’s there’s it’s all a fear-based thing…
It’s fear of the pests, and it’s also fear of damage.
Now I’m going to tell you a story…
And this is an absolutely 100% true, which makes this even nastier.
Okay?
Um, and that is when I was in college…
I lived in the fraternity house for three years.
I mean, it was nasty.
And I woke up my senior year, the first night back…
I woke up at two in the morning, and I had a roach on my chest that I’m not lying to you.
It was one of those water bugs that’s like three inches, four inches long, and it was standing on my chest and I woke up, and I’ll admit, I screamed and like brushed the thing off and then stomped on it and stuff.
And that has given me just an irrational fear of roaches.
Um, that to this day it sticks with me So, my point is that you got a little squeamish just, just imagine
Jim Edwards: Just imagine I mean I woke up and that thing was looking at me literally was looking at me was one of them flying things…
So, the point I had this happen to me another time I live this is when I lived in the trailer park, and the trailer park was on a community well.
And a community well is going to draw water bugs…
There’s no there’s just absolutely no way around it.
So, I was working at home I had a this is back before we use correct stuff…
We had a Mr. Coffee you’d make a pot of coffee…
I don’t know if people still do that anymore…
But I had drunk the whole pot of coffee and was on the last cup, and I poured the last cup into my cup and a water bug that big poured out of the coffee jug into my cup.
Stew Smith: Yeah, that’s pretty gross. And I’d probably quit drinking coffee at that point.
Jim Edwards: That just yeah, I didn’t finish that cup.
Stew Smith: Yeah.
Jim Edwards: Those two stories telling a story of an encounter with a specific pest makes it real that people want to get rid of it.
So, you got to paint a better picture than “Hey, we do pest control. Don’t you want to not deal with pests?”
Number one I would mean no, no, seriously…
I mean, which pests?
Fire ants?
If you’re in Florida, fire ants can kill a baby?
Did that fire ants can kill a baby?
Stew Smith: Yeah, those aren’t fun, man…
Jim Edwards: Did that roaches spread disease and blah blah blah…
Imagine waking up in the middle of the night…
Going to check on your baby and find in a roach on your kid.
Imagine rolling over to look Get your spouse in seeing a roach on their cheek.
That’s what Pest Control does.
It saves you from horrifying scenes.
Now again, people Jim, would you really go over the top with that?
Yes, I would.
I personally would.
If I owned a pest control company, I would have the most Chilling Tales from the Crypt looking ads running where people were screaming and running like an old horror film.
And here I come like Ghostbusters to save the day.
So, I think that the two big things is use stories, use gross pictures, use specific pests and then also give have case studies where people…
Again, over on, that’s the fear…
But then the damage one would be using case studies of where people got hosed for big time, big time damage and, that could have been prevented if they had been on a yearly inspection type plan.
I mean, I’ve had termites before
Stew Smith: Yes. That’s sucks, some termite damage.
Yeah…
And all those things flying around and…
Jim Edwards: Yeah, when they all spawn at that one time, yeah…
And there, you see a swarm of termites…
That’s nothing but dollar bills flying away that’s causing you to just reevaluate life, man.
I mean, that’s dollar bills are just flying $100 bills, man.
And So, that’s you got to paint the picture for people.
So, that’s my number one gut reaction to that he’s watering it down because he’s trying to not hurt people’s feelings or he’s trying to be too inclusive.
I’d have one ad for roaches one ad for rat.
Do you have rats?
Do you have vermin?
Are you worried that your Did In the 1800s that children used to be eaten by rats they got so, big?
I mean, it’s true…
So, I mean, I would really isolate by group rats, whatever the main groups are right and it
Stew Smith: Could be regional to, if you have you have a pest control company in the South or the West, you’re going to have different critters that play…
Jim Edwards: Now, hopefully deadly.
Yeah, I mean, dude, you grew up in Florida.
What was the big thing everybody was scared of?
What kind of snake coral snake, right?
Stew Smith: I mean, all snakes.
I mean, there wasn’t a snake we didn’t have.
Jim Edwards: Right but what I’m saying is the coral snake is like so, it’s like
“We get rid of snakes, including the deadly coral snake, which can be you see what I mean?”
It’s, we get rid of all this, but we also get rid of the one that kill you …
Yeah, that’ll ruin your marriage…
That will eat your kids.
Stew Smith: Always like water moccasins yeah, those things.
Jim Edwards: Yeah.
Stew Smith: Also, if it rained… They’d come out into the neighborhood and hang out. Whew.
Jim Edwards: Yeah. Alligators.
Stew Smith: Yep.
Jim Edwards: So, yeah, I mean again, what’s it what’s a pest?
Even like here, we got groundhogs.
Groundhogs are terrible pests around where I am here…
They can screw up your foundation in no time…
By burrowing under and causing your foundation to crack.
Don’t let this cute little creature turn into a $50,000 repair bill. Call us!
We’ll kill the thing with extreme prejudice, but you won’t have to see the bloodshed!
Stew Smith: I Like it, that’s good!
Jim Edwards: Yeah.
Stew Smith: It made me laugh.
It took an emotion.
It took dollar bills, and it made me laugh.
Jim Edwards: I’ve always said I spoke in front of a group of inventors one time, and at the time, we had an older house over in Williamsburg.
And again, when you live near the woods, and you’re in an older house, no matter what you do, you’re going to get a mouse every once in a while, a mouse is going to come from the woods…
Come into your house in the winter, and it’s nice and warm.
So, my wife got these humane mousetraps, which basically meant that it’s a tube that you bait the thing into, and then it hits something, and then the end folds up, and then you’re supposed to go dispose of it humanely out in the woods, and it might get loose or you let it loose…
And so, all night back, I listened to this thing gnawing on this trap, gnawing on it and squeaking and making this noise, and all I could think of is won’t you just die?!
And it wouldn’t because it was half caught in there.
Oh, So, I was talking these inventors, and I said you all think that the key is to invent a better mousetrap.
And the answer is not a better mousetrap.
It’s a mousetrap that kills the mouse quickly, and your job is to advertise the fact that you killed the mouse with extreme prejudice.
And some of them got it and some of them didn’t.
But it’s true.
That’s the point of your advertising, and your marketing is to explain that you solve the problem.
You’re the hero.
You come riding in and take care of it.
Stew Smith: Yeah.
Jim Edwards: There you go.
I mean, I had a pestle up I might have.
Stew Smith: I do that.
Jim Edwards: Oh my god, I’m not going to touch that nasty crap.
Now the stuff outside I will take care of I’ll pop but then again, I popped a skunk with a 22 and I didn’t get a headshot on him.
And he shot his load, and then I unloaded in him man, I shot him 30 times I was like, screw you dude, you have just screwed my life you’re going to die man messed up one of those have a heart traps because I was shooting him.
So, much, it was messed up the wire.
God, that pissed me off, but next time we had a problem.
I didn’t try and solve it.
I called the pest control company, and they came and trapped him.
And then they went and got him, and their guy got hit.
So, there you go. That worth 300 bucks.
Stew Smith: You definitely want to outsource a skunk kit.
Yes, yes, absolutely.
Jim Edwards: So, I didn’t realized I had all these…
I didn’t realize I had all these Pest Control stories.
Stew Smith: Yeah, me too.
We all have them.
That’s why I think they resonate.
I don’t think it’s going to be wishy-washy if you hit them with some emotion.
Right?
Yeah, creepy.
Jim Edwards: Skunks, bats, possums, cats.
Stew Smith: Everybody has a little critter story…
That Yep, gave them the creeps.
Jim Edwards: The Heebie Jeebies.
Stew Smith: Yeah. So, what, what wizard would you say would be a good one for someone in the pest control business.
I know you can do multiple, but you’re one that kind of really establishes that fear factor?
Jim Edwards: So, I think two of them that I would suggest, I don’t know we don’t really, really going to demo it.
Stew Smith: Them already…
But
Jim Edwards: but I would say the what I do in one sentence wizard would be one because that would be the one to tell people, “I help homeowners just like you get rid of rats, bats, mice, and ants so you don’t have to get your fingers into dirty chemicals or blah, blah, blah.”
I mean, just I would say it not a, one of these corporate things and I would get my hands dirty…
Okay, with like, we take care of the nasty, dirty yucky pest problems so, you don’t have. So, you can sleep safely at night with you and your kids can sleep safely at night. And not worry about and strange noises in the walls.”
Stew Smith: Yeah, I mean, that’s a good one.
And then like I said, you could mix it in with, the dollar bills that you had a minute ago that was that was clever, by the way.
And all around when you see the swarm of termites, those are just hundred-dollar bills flying in the air in your basement.
Jim Edwards: They really are.
And then the hidden persuasion wizard would be the one where I would really get into people’s heads.
Where it’s like, you’re down in the fears and the other stuff.
And then what you also have to do is promise a fast resolution.
It’s like call us, and it’s as good as fixed.
Call us in that pet that pest is as good as deader than a doornail on a freeway.
I mean, we’ll make roadkill in your driveway.
If you want us to take revenge on that pest for you in your driveway.
We’ll do it.
We’ve got big dually trucks we will take care of it.
And now I know that I’m offending some people, but since I adopted my no cussing policy on videos, I need to find new ways to annoy people.
So, I don’t apologize.
However, if you are in a place where humane treatment of the pest is a big deal, then you can take the other tack, which is we respectfully and humanely help you handle your pest problems.
We use live traps.
We never harm the animals, in front of you.
Stew Smith: You never know I mean it may be a percentage of your sales.
Jim Edwards: That could be it.
Humane traps available for an extra charge.
Stew Smith: Oh, you mean give the humane option.
Jim Edwards: We won’t kill it.
Stew Smith: Upsell, you’re.
Jim Edwards: The ultimate upsell you can’t kill it.
We’ll hold it while you kill it!
So, wrong!
We shouldn’t laugh it just encourages me.
So, I think we’ve handled the pest one enough.
Stew Smith: Yeah, I like the hidden persuasion wizard idea.
That’s a good one.
Okay, So, here’s another one.
The gentleman has an irrigation sprinkler system business, and he’s really trying to plug Wi-Fi controlled irrigation sprinkler system on a timer.
And he says, here’s the good thing about it is it saves money, it saves water, and it pays for itself in a few years.
Okay, and I said, I was like, I mean, you already got most of your sales copy right there!
Now let’s, let’s put it into, a unique fashion that…
Jim Edwards: That’s actually, say that’s decent.
That’s actually decent copy right there.
Yeah, that’s that the big thing you need a hook.
You need some kind of a hook that, again, it all starts with the target audience though.
I mean, who’s your target audience?
In my opinion, the target audience is more…?
Well, I don’t know what the price point is on it…
But the kind of person who has a lawn sprinkler system who has a lawn that they would be worried about having a Wi-Fi controller for it and their stuff is probably, at least initially, I would be going after more well-to-do people, people in gated communities, people in golf course communities, people in planned unit developments and people where there are significant homeowner associations where they’re really keeping a tight control over people’s appearance and prop, instead.
In other words, nowhere close to where I live.
Stew Smith: My grass is green.
Yeah, multiple mixes of whatever’s out there.
Sometimes flowers that pop up, too.
Jim Edwards: Yeah, well, they’re pretty.
You can clip them and give them to your wife.
Stew Smith: And I mow and it’s green.
Jim Edwards: Yeah, we have volunteer grass, whatever grass volunteers to grow…
That’s the grass we have, man.
If it wasn’t for crabgrass, I’d have no grass.
So, my point though, is that if you understand who the audience is, then you can start hitting their hot buttons.
Now, some of these people are probably also, depending on the part of the country, there may be drought restrictions…
There may be things where this could help somebody to water their lawn and still be within drought restriction stuff or keep them below whatever the meter limits are for your house, or you see what I mean…
So, there’s knowing what you’re going after and who you’re going after and where they are is a big thing because that’ll start giving the hot buttons to put into especially your headline.
Stew Smith: And face it…
Sometimes you just lose track of the day, and you’re like, oh man, I forgot to water the grass.
Jim Edwards: I’ve done that for the last 20 years, I’ll never remember to water the grass people,
Stew Smith: Some people, okay. Whether it’s or flower…
So, if you spent a lot of money on sod, you just redone your yard, what I would probably do is I would get in with some landscaping folks and work with them to say hey, next time you offer somebody to do sod, we’ll put we’ll come in put the irrigation system in there, and then we’ll upsell the Wi-Fi controlled irrigation system because I guarantee you, you got sod you’re going to be watering it a lot.
And if you have a system to support that it’s going to be a lot easier on you…
Especially and you could also own and…
Jim Edwards: Add those bigger places like someone who’s going to spend money on true what is it a true green lawn, those national lawn care things
Stew Smith: Yeah.
Jim Edwards: you could target them with your advertising potentially, if people put in those keywords then you can come up, and your ads can show up…
If they have a presence on social media I don’t know if they do or don’t, but you could target them if they’re big enough.
There’s all kinds of stuff that you can do by realizing…
“Okay, where are people?”
But I think you’ve already got the, the germs of what you need to be able to create some great copy and I really would, me personally, I would start with the Gary Halbert favorite direct response headline wizard that’s in the Jim Edwards method premium because that’s going to maybe give you some sizzle.
And I would target some more well to do well-heeled people, and ending up with, I don’t know, do we want to I don’t think we really have time for it, but that would be the one I would go after.
You’re looking for, something where you’re just it’s got that sizzle.
It’s got that pop.
Stew Smith: Are you in a good place?
Jim Edwards: I was. Yeah, I’m on it, but I loaded a different one just looking for some, don’t envy the neighbor with the beautiful lawn be one…
Let’s see.
How to beat Whoa!
“How to be the golf course greens keepers at their own game.”
Stew Smith: That’s cool!
Jim Edwards: That doesn’t suck, right?
Yeah.
That kind of thing a lot.
What it whoa, wait a minute, how to beat the golf course greens keepers at their own game.
Use this Wi-Fi controlled sprinkler…
System to have lush, beautiful, green lawn without the staff.
Something like that.
I mean, that’s a prestige thing.
Sure where, I’ve bought plenty of stuff so, that I would feel cool…
I’m sure people looked at me and thought what a Jackalope!
Why would anybody do that?!
it’s like when you drive around the rolls people look at you like.
Stew Smith: I bet he’s a jerk!
Jim Edwards: And, depending on the day, you’re right! Just not today.
So, that would be the one I would play with first, honestly.
Just to see, and we’ve got our headline ones in there.
Stew Smith: What’s it called? Gary Halbert…
Jim Edwards: the Gary Halbert favorite direct response headline, So, 84 of them, okay, So, that would be the one I would play with…
But really, it’s the hook!
It’s the hook!
And I think any kind of advertising that you’re doing in marketing very, very quickly, in whatever you’re doing needs to have some sort of an image of a lawn That just would even make me go
“Dang, that’s a nice lawn.”
If I cared about my grass, I’d want my grass to look like that.
But I don’t care about my grass!
Stew Smith: Have a system to go with it.
Jim Edwards: Oh, yeah, that guys got an irrigation system, obviously…
I mean, that’s the kind of now I don’t my irrigation system is, I depend on the Lord.
That’s all I got.
Stew Smith: I’m saying.
Jim Edwards: So, there you go. Oh, good the grass died now we don’t have to mow it!
That’s the best!
Stew Smith: After 30 days, that means I mowed the grass four times…
Jim Edwards: That’s right.
So, obviously, we’re not your target market.
Stew Smith: Yes!
But people that are specifically wanting the perfect lawn.
Yeah, perfect irrigation system, whether it’s, you they tie an irrigation system to their little farm that they have in the backyard.
That’s really smart too.
So, it doesn’t have to be grass either.
Jim Edwards: Gardeners. Yeah…
With a drip system or something, yeah, and that is something that we have done experimented with and having drips free feed systems, and that was a pain to go have to go out and go out and turn the thing on and do all that other stuff.
Stew Smith: So, there are other options.
Besides the people with the pretty lawns, people are making use of their, acreage is, is another opportunity for you too.
Jim Edwards: well, I’m making use of mine. I grabbed it and piled up a bunch of dirt, and I shoot lead into it.
I mean, that’s very a lot of people would love to have my yard, Stew!
Stew Smith: I like your yard.
It has a playground in it and.
Jim Edwards: Playground? Playground?! Tactical combat condition combat conditioning course!
That’s what you called it!
So, I want to point something out.
Interesting.
This is, I think we have stumbled across we’re not stumbled, but we have we have brought to the surface, a principle that I want to bring to everybody’s attention.
One of the things we always or often talk about is one of the key principles in copywriting is, sell what it does not what it is.
Focus on what it does, not what it is.
And another thing that we have just demonstrated is that you really can’t start talking about your copywriting until you get very clear on who your avatar is.
And once you’re clear on who your avatar is, then it makes it much easier and much more natural to be able to create the content and the copy that you want.
In other words, if you’re not clear on the avatar, you’re just taking stabs in the dark.
Stew Smith: That’s true.
Jim Edwards: But once you’re clear on that avatar, who then the copy flows from that, So, it all starts with the who not the what are the how.
Stew Smith: Yeah, and Jim mentioned it to, he’s also not only trying to write the good copy for it, but he’s also trying to find the place where that copy will do best.
Whether that is following the hashtags of landscaping businesses or, whatever, other social media sites and websites that are popular, out there as well that you can, groups, I’m sure there’s lawn groups on Facebook?
Jim Edwards: Oh, I bet you there are sure, sure.
Yeah…
So, I would bet money that there are groups on Facebook organized around having a beautiful lawn.
Stew Smith: Absolutely.
Jim Edwards: So, cool.
Yeah, you could find All righty.
Jim Edwards: Well, I think that does it for Episode 70, Stew.
Stew Smith: Yes.
Any final thoughts?
No, I just say, thanks for listening, but also, check out the Sales Copy and Content Marketing Hacks closed Facebook group, and you’ll get in there.
What are you close to 15,000 now?
Just over 15,000
Stew Smith: over 15,000…
Yeah…
So, there’s a lot of great people in there that are very helpful with giving you feedback on any sales copy that you may have and, give it a shot.
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