I had a conversation about NLP with a friend, Daryll, last night and he was discussing how he has got to the point with his ‘trade’ where he takes what he does as normal, and sometimes has to remind himself that to other people who have never come into contact with what he does, it’s something new and unknown.

For instance, assuming that you drive now, imagine the first time you got behind the wheel of a car compared to how you may take it for granted now.

My point… People coming into contact with what you do will have a completely different outlook and understanding of every aspect of it - the benefits, the theory, the practical, etc.

Is you sales message written for them, or for you?

Jakob Nielson, the Usability Guru whom many of the web community listen to when he speaks has a good post about wasted words this month.

Don’t go wasting valuable word-count or ‘fluff’ when most people want to cut to the chase.

• What? (What will users find on this page — i.e., what’s its function?)
• Why? (Why should they care — i.e., what’s in it for them?)

I used to use a companies website home page content as a good example of this. I blanked out their name so see what they have to say about themselves…

Our Product Range
xxxxx has a vast product range on offer, giving our customers the very best choice. By offering a wide range of products, we are confident we have the right solution for you. Our aim is to focus on our customers requirements, so we can use our knowledge and expertise to provide the best product to improve your lifestyle.

Sounds good doesn’t it? Do you want one? Even if I told you that they sell mobility scooters?

I stood in the station last night staring at a billboard wondering about the title of the book it was advertising, Paul McKenna’s “I Can Make You Rich“.

Now, Paul McKenna is very good at what he does and I respect his abilities and being into NLP myself, as is he (albeit much more than I), I am sure he knows full well that he can’t make you rich, you would have to do that yourself.

But, It’s obviously not about that. It’s about selling books more than you becoming rich. So that’s the words the book uses.

I can imagine his audience love the fact that he will do it for them, the same way that he has “made people thin” or “give up smoking”.

I am sure the people who read this will make Paul McKenna rich[er] but not themselves. If they were that keen, they’d be doing it without the need for a book.

So, back to my point. What you say, and how you say it is all about the audience. Whether you play on their fears, their hopes and dreams, even their laziness.

Whatever flicks their switch, you can guarantee that the appropriate [sales] story is there, waiting to be written. And, taking that concept on the web, you can test to your hearts content.

I had a conversation with a disgruntled website owner today. His website used to deliver him traffic and business a couple of years ago but one fine day, Goggle made a big change to their search algorithm with Jagger it changed everything for him.

His ranking slipped, and his once competitive website began to slip. We built a new one for him but to no avail, the traffic is becoming harder to come by.

This highlights two major points for me:

1. Relying on a search engine for your business is a dangerous thing. Companies have tried (and failed) to sue Google when these things happen but their business is not yours - we all need to become less reliant on one source of traffic.
2. Search, and the internet in general, is become ever more competitive. Bigger players are entering the market with larger resources. SEO is so mainstream now, a new ‘edge’ needs to be found - with a more diversified approach to relevant markets.

It can be done but it takes hard work. Small niche businesses are thriving on the web but are maybe too reliant on search, a problem larger eTailors don’t seem to have.

So, that gives us content, and content propagation. ie. Write some good relevant articles and then tell the world about them. Social sites (such as Digg, Del.icio.us, etc. all the way through to Facebook) are good for this or you could try buying into some Directories. Of course, you could try making your own site more social and, if you are a small business, or one man band, you could, yourself, become more social online.

I was on a course last week (The Human Element) at a pretty classy business venue, the kind that has a very plush foyer and makes you stand up straight as you walk in.

In the toilet was a sign that bugged me all week and on Friday I worked out what it was.

How polite can a notice be when the instruction is an order and CAPITAL letters are used? I felt a bit patronised considering the location and the type of person who was there (me being one of them).

Now, this post isn’t about my sensitivities, it’s about the need to create the right message:

• For the right audience
• At the right time
• In the right language

How many sales must lost and call-to-actions ignore simply because they use the wrong words in the wrong way.

I love this headline tool at the Advanced Marketing Insitute that allows you to enter a headline and find out the emotional marketing value (EMV) of the words you use.

This headline gets 50% with me having tweaked it from it’s original 16.67% of “Write headlines that draw people in”

Another interesting article on Copyblogger (one of my favourite blogs) about breaking down the objection barriers people have when visiting an e-commerce website. Brian cites examples such as:

This can be done with landing pages, but also with whitepapers, reports, ebooks, email tutorials, blogging, audio and video seminars and webinars. Simple and clear language, benefits and the features that support them, testimonials, specific supporting data, a sweet offer and risk-removal via solid guarantees all help you overcome objections and build trust. The more a prospect trusts you, the easier time you’ll have bypassing barriers to the sale.

It goes to prove that the online shopping experience goes beyond design, products, etc. and the elements of pyschology (already well used in traditional retail) are very much needed for online success.

Yes, it’s additional cost and yes, it makes a difference that is ongoing. Analysing your web pages, what they say and the way they say it, can make all the difference.