Before You Invest in Your Next Campaign…
Build Your Next Promotion on a Stronger Argument.
Uncover the gold hidden in customer complaints, sales conversations, and overlooked product details—and turn it into your next sales argument.
Picture your very best salesperson… on one of their very best calls. One of those calls when the lights go on in your prospect’s head. That’s when the questions change, and hesitation melts away. Interest goes up, and their conversation pivots to how your solution could work for them.
Do you think it was the script or a perfectly timed story? Maybe the closing technique…
Perhaps…
But even your weakest salesperson has access to the same script and product information. They might even sprinkle in their own stories. But would you trust them with your most important prospects?
So what makes the difference?
It’s that your best salesperson understands something… they know which questions to ask and when. They know what answers need following up with another question. They know how to dig for more information when the reason the prospect gives doesn’t quite add up.
They sort through the clues, separating signal from noise, and then build a powerful case.
That’s just what your next promotion needs, and it’s what I do. For me, every direct-response assignment begins with an investigation into what matters to your buyers, along with their objections and anything else that would block them from accepting your offer. I use what I find to build the argument and write the copy that takes your prospect on a journey from opening promise through the close.
What Would Your Best Salesperson Ask Next?
Let me show you what I mean.
While working on a bathroom-remodeling concept, I found that marketing was focused on Aging in Place…helping older homeowners stay in their homes by making the bathroom more accessible.
That’s a reason to remodel, but how come it was the primary sales argument? No one could explain what research or feedback from the field pointed to that direction. So I went straight to the source—the founder of the company. He was the first salesperson and still worked in the field, selling every day.
What he told me was completely different than anything I had heard from marketing. His best customers were Midwestern homeowners in their fifties who had worked in the trades. These were folks who could easily do the remodel themselves, but they just didn’t want to. They had put in their time (and still did). They wanted to enjoy the fruit of their hard work by having someone else take care of it for them.
He told me that they were sick of the way their bathroom looked. It bugged them every time they sat on the toilet, so they would whip out their phone and scroll through Instagram. And then they would begin their search for someone who could transform their bathroom for them.
When these folks reached out, they were ready for a different conversation than Aging in Place. Now we’re talking to people who know what work that involves. And they aren’t interested in tearing into the room and rebuilding it. But they still want something better to look at. And they want it done without a major project taking over their life or taking away their bathroom for days on end.
I built a page that painted a picture of getting a dream bathroom that served as their private sanctuary. I addressed maintenance concerns and the hassles and disruption of remodeling. As I look back at that project, I realize I tried too hard to straddle the fence between those two directions. I should have pursued the customer the founder knew.
Get the Bathroom You'd Build Yourself—Without Having to Build It Yourself.
That’s the headline I would use today. The original page remained an internal proposal, so I don’t have test results to share. I’ve included it here because it shows why I always start by asking questions before accepting any explanation of who buys and why.
This is Where I Start
You have customer profiles, research, and a creative brief. I’ll need to look through them, and I’ll ask what they’re based on.
I next turn to asking questions like:
- What do customers complain about before they find you?
- What is it that they praise after they buy?
- What does your sales team have to explain over and over again?
- What is it that competitors all say? And where do buyers still hesitate after hearing it all?
- What unmet, deep driving desire motivates them right now?
- What do their words and behavior reveal about their personality, strongest desires, and the needs that take priority right now?
After that, I turn to the product.
- What does it actually do?
- How does it work?
- Which details explain an advantage, answer a doubt, or make the promised outcome more believable?
A solitary comment can kick off the investigation, but it can’t finish it. I scan for recurring themes across sources. I look at the contradictions. And I keep asking more questions, looking for additional or alternate explanations for what we’re seeing. Even the most beautiful theory needs evidence.
I’ll ask you questions about your business—because you’re the subject matter expert here. I will push and pull, looking at your answers from every angle. I challenge assumptions…yours, mine, the product manager’s, the sales rep’s.
Gold often turns up during these conversations. Our findings sometimes change the angle, sometimes the offer itself. Sometimes we find that the ad creates an expectation that the landing page doesn’t deliver on. Sometimes we find that everything is already doing its job, so we leave our hands off.
Here’s Where Your Salesperson Makes the Case
Facts don’t close sales. If they did, your product manual would be enough. Crack salespeople sift through those facts, deciding what matters. They key in on which desires they need to use to lead the discussion. They seem to have a sixth sense about what needs explaining before the promise is believable. They know which product details matter and which get in the way.
That's what I had to do with Thermogenesis, a weight-loss supplement. Meeka Spyker asked me for some copy. I started with the ingredients. Big deal. Everyone pushes those. So I went below the surface. I asked what problems those ingredients addressed. I studied the prospect to find what problems caused enough pain and discomfort to move the needle. I built a five-page sales letter, taking on the promises that had fallen flat for prospects. It’s not like this was their first rodeo. I had to take on their disbelief and show why this product was different enough to consider.
I took each ingredient and drilled down into the frustrations and skepticism. I had to tie the benefits to emotional outcomes. Things like having enough energy to do things they had given up…looking different…feeling more comfortable and confident.
Meeka's assessment was:
“Les truly understands both my target market, and what my product can do for that market.”
That's the connection I'm looking for in your promotion, too. What matters to this buyer… and what can your product credibly do about it?
Read the thermogenesis letter.
Wanting the Outcome Doesn't Equal a Decision
Just because a prospect wants the benefits and understands the explanation doesn’t mean they’re ready to take action. Something holds them back.
I wrote Budget Brainiacs, a financial-literacy campaign, as an AWAI assignment. Even though parents might want their kids to avoid debt and become financially independent, it doesn’t mean they think their kids will sit through a program. They might even be afraid that this will be another thing that they pay for where their kids won’t listen to them.
The sales letter took that head-on. “Besides, what kid really wants to hear about financial stuff from their parent or grandparent?”
Games, activities, and rewards addressed that concern, while hands-on activities made the lessons practical, giving kids a chance to practice handling money.
The letter painted a picture of the future that parents want for their kids. It connected that future to the burning question of the moment: “Will my child engage with this?”
Thermogenesis faced a different hurdle. It addressed past unpleasant experiences with fat burners. I used testimonials to dispel those hesitations. A strong guarantee created solid risk reversal.
The right explanation can prevent an objection. A specific testimonial can take an objection on, answering directly. I find that sometimes the problem is in the offer, and the offer needs to be reworked.
Putting a list of reassuring statements at the bottom rarely does the job.
I Stake My Reputation on This Approach
I’ve spent more than a decade doing deep dives into direct-response copywriting, conversion psychology, and buyer behavior. When I’m not writing, I have a book in my hand in my drive to get to the bottom of the human riddle. And I’ve learned from some of the best…the experts at AWAI and MECLABS, along with giants like Bob Bly, Clayton Makepeace, and Dan Kennedy.
I’ve walked you through how I think to give you a taste of what you can expect before you make your hiring decision. If you believe the way I think, investigate, and write could be of benefit to your next promotion, we need to talk.
Les Moyes
Direct-Response Copywriter | High Impact Method