The Art of Persuasive Selling with Words

In the world of sales, mastering the art of persuasion is useful if you want to be great at selling; or even just a likeable person.

Words have the power to captivate, convince, and convert potential customers into loyal clients. The skilful use of language can transform a sales page, social media post, blog or podcast/video script into a compelling narrative that resonates with your audience.

Here we review six ways to enhance your language skills to make what you write more persuasive when creating sales and marketing content.

Pre-suasion: Setting the Stage for Persuasive Selling

Robert Cialdini's book Pre-suasion discusses how important it is to prepare an audience to be more receptive to a sales message before they actually encounter it. It’s about setting the stage and capturing attention so that the audience is already primed to say “yes” when it comes time to close the sale.

For example, if you are selling a security system, you might begin a customer journey (with a video or whitepaper) by discussing recent statistics about rising security concerns in the area. Discussing the problem that your product or service solves in a general but relatable way makes your audience naturally more interested (in security solutions). This provokes thoughts in the mind of your audience (am I safe? where do I fit in these statistics?) so they are now thinking about how the problem affects them personally. In this mental state (where they have been primed to think about their safety) your audience is now more receptive to messages about the benefits of your security systems.

Using the Barnum Effect to Create Unity

The Barnum Effect, named after P.T. Barnum, refers to the psychological phenomenon where people believe vague or general statements that apply to everyone are specifically tailored for them. It is often believed to be used by psychics and astrologers.

The effect of the closeness/personalisation that is created can be leveraged for a more persuasive sales process. Creating unity through commonality.

By highlighting shared experiences or values, you create a sense of belonging and trust with potential customers. For instance, using phrases like 'you have a need to help others', 'serious doubts about whether you have made the right decision' or 'having problems with a friend or relative' can capture a large group of people with Barnum Effect statements.

For example, to sell cookies with the Barnum Effect you might write - "Having problems with a friend or relative? Show them your dependable and respectful side with an honest conversation over coffee and cookies in a safe space."

Simplifying Complex Ideas with Metaphors and Symbols

Metaphors and symbols are powerful tools that can make complex ideas more relatable and easier to understand. They allow you to create vivid interpretations in the minds of your audience, making your message more memorable, compelling and persuasive.

For instance, if you’re selling a financial planning service, you might use the metaphor of a 'financial roadmap' to illustrate how your service can guide clients through the twists and turns of financial planning. This metaphor not only simplifies the concept but also instills a sense of direction and security.

You then further reinforce their understanding by using symbols, like a compass for navigating investments, sign posts for financial goals and other symbols like highways, arrows, map markers and guardrails to enhance the metaphor.

Inoculating Against Price Sensitivity with Large Numbers

Price sensitivity is a common barrier in sales.

To counteract this, you can inoculate your audience against issues with how much your product or service costs by introducing large numbers into your content.

This technique involves framing your product or service within a broader context of value or savings, usually through story-telling, metaphors and customer journey narratives.

By presenting larger numbers within your content (well before you state your price); your audience has to take time to mentally process these big numbers.

When it comes time to reveal your price, those big numbers are still in their heads, so your price seems reasonable (in comparison to the remembered big numbers).

For example, if you’re selling a fitness app membership that costs $800 a year, you might talk about extreme fitness in the form of a marathon runner. Someone who trains to run 105 laps of a 400 metre track - "42,200 meters of running non-stop. Enjoyable? Probably not at first. Fulfilling and satisfying once you get it done. Now that's rewarding!"

Presupposing a Great Outcome

Presupposition involves starting a narrative in the middle of an achievement, assuming the success of a product or service as a given. This technique helps create a positive expectation and mindset in the audience long before they are considering a purchase.

When presenting a product, you might say, “After using our software, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it.” This statement presupposes that the software is already an integral part of the customer’s workflow, making it easier for them to visualize the benefits and positive outcomes of using the product (compared to what they are using or doing right now).

Big companies with large marketing departments spend a lot of time and money on identifying the right supposition to make their brands more persuasive.

• L’Oréal uses “Because You’re Worth It.” to presupposes that the audience respects and values themselves.
• Visa uses "Everywhere You Want To Be." to presupposes a desire to travel and experience new things.
• Nike's famous "Just Do It." presupposes overcoming procrastination and setbacks to exercise.
• Huggies use of "The Ultimate in Care." presupposes the audience wants to provide the highest level of care.
• Woolworths slogan "Fresh Food People" presupposes that the audience wants high quality nourishing food.

Using Sensory Words to Emotionally Influence

Sensory words are descriptive words that appeal to the five senses: sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. These words can evoke emotions to create vivid internal mental interpretations.

It's how sports coaches and top flight life coaches appeal to their clients .. through the use of sensory words that trigger emotional connections.

In sales and marketing content, sensory words make your message more engaging and persuasive (to more than people who share the preferred sense you tend to write in).

For example, if you’re selling a luxury car, you might use sensory words like “sleek design” (sight), “purring engine” (sound), “smooth leather seats” (touch), and “new car scent” (smell) to create a rich, immersive experience for the audience. These words help customers imagine themselves enjoying the car, enhancing their emotional connection to the product.

As much as we try to include sensory words that we personally don't use regularly, it can be difficult to do when you've got the pressure of a deadline looming.

Fortunately these days you can use a genAI to help you come up with sensory words if you get stuck. Here's a basic one we used to come up with some sensory words for writing about weight-loss.

genAI Prompt Example

"As an expert in neuro linguistic programming, pattern interruptions, metaphors, reframing and cold reading. please provide a sensory word from each human sense to describe the sensation of achieving weight loss"

Prompt used with chatGPT

genAI Prompt Output

Here is a sensory word from each of the five human senses to describe the sensation of achieving weight loss:

1. Sight: Radiant

   • The feeling of seeing yourself in the mirror and noticing a vibrant, healthier appearance.

2. Sound: Crisp

   • The sound of your footsteps becoming lighter and more confident as you move.

3. Touch: Smooth

   • The sensation of your clothes fitting more comfortably and smoothly against your skin.

4. Taste: Fresh

   • The taste of fresh, wholesome foods that nourish your body and support your weight loss journey.

5. Smell: Invigorating

   • The invigorating scent of a clean, energized environment as you embrace a more active lifestyle.

These words evoke the positive and transformative experience of achieving weight loss through different sensory perspectives.

Persuasive Selling with Words

Just applying one of these techniques will change the way your audience engages with your content.

Mastering all the techniques will transform your sales approach, making your message more powerful and persuasive. No matter what type of content you are creating for your marketing, customer journey or sales process.

Remember, the key to persuasive selling lies not just in what you say, but how you say it. Harnessing the power of persuasive selling words, you can create deeper, more meaningful connections with your audience, and support sales conversions for enthusiastic new customers.