Interesting True Stories
and
Marketing

Gain increased sales by telling interesting true stories.

People buy from people.  People get interested in other people’s experiences – especially when they can identify with them.  And that’s why telling your prospect about someone else's results and benefits encourages them to buy your product or service.  They want that result for themselves.  But there is a knack to how you do this to gain the best results…

Everyone loves interesting true stories.  Listen to any conversation – especially in social situations – and at some point someone will tell a story.  About something they’ve experienced, read about, heard or saw.

That’s why newspapers sell; magazines sell; people watch TV programs and newscasts; read books; listen to the radio.  The ‘human interest’ captures our attention, our imagination and our curiosity to know ‘how things turned out’

Use This Human Trait To Your Advantage In Your Sales Letters

When you tell interesting true stories – or explain a case study – your reader wants to know how it turns out; what was the result? How does it apply to them? How can they use any ‘lesson learnt’ in their situation?

Tell a story about someone who had a problem your reader can identify with.  Describe how your product or service resolved that problem, and you’ve hooked your reader into your letter and your offer.

Here’s The Trick with Interesting True Stories

Of course, as you’d expect there’s a technique to how to use this to the best effect in your letter.  Use this trick, do not to tell the whole story at once.  Use it as a ‘sandwich’.

Start your story, describe the real pain, frustration and aggravation your client or customer was having.  Remember; keep your writing style conversational – as if you’re telling a group of friends over a drink in the local pub.  Hint that there’s a solution – which you’ll “explain in a minute”.  Then tell them about something else.  It could even be another story or case history, or about some of the benefits your offer gives them.

It Really Works…

This technique was used in a very successful mailing campaign – you’ll be astounded at the results it brought in.

The letter started off by telling the reader about a very ‘scary court judgement’ made against someone in the same profession as them.  The judge awarded a jail sentence for a very obscure oversight – something they could so easily miss themselves.

The sales letter wanted the reader to attend a seminar to keep them up to date on all the legal aspects of their business, so they wouldn’t fall into traps like this.  It went on to describe the seminar contents and the importance to them – at this point they still hadn’t learned the legal mistake. It kept the reader in suspense, so they stayed ‘on for the ride’.

They needed to know the error, so they could avoid it.  The letter went on to explain all the other pitfalls and stumbling blocks they could come up against if they didn’t attend the course.

After explaining all the pain they could avoid and the seminar's benefits the sales letter finally let the reader into the secret… and the letter told them the amazingly silly mistake that had resulted in such a dire penalty.

All the information we wanted the reader to know about the seminar offer was effectively ‘sandwiched’ inside the story; a story about something that could so easily happen to them.

And that’s what you do; finish off your story later in your letter.  When you use this technique, provided you selected interesting true stories, relevant to the reader, you then entice them to continue reading your letter.  Compel them to finish reading all of it because they just have to know what happened.

Variations…

In some instances, you could leave your reader ‘dangling’ – they have to respond to your offer to find out the ending or punch line.  You build the final part of your story into the action you want your reader to take.

You need to collect testimonials and stories from your satisfied, happy and especially delighted clients because their experiences and your solutions bring your letter to life.

Impressive Results  

What was the result of the campaign from this technique?

A massive 262% increase in response resulting in over $24,101 worth of business (with an average sale amount of just $59), and 29 new clients, who purchased considerably more afterwards.

(Did you notice I used this sandwich technique in this article?)