September 2022

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Yes, this is the language of "hard sell" marketing.

  The hard sell is an attempt to overpower the prospect, beat them into submission by pushing and cajoling, and make the sale while they're still in a daze.

  Sadly, it can be very effective.

So what is the soft sell?

  It's the kind of selling you see used endlessly on channels like QVC and HSN.

  Never aggressive. Always relaxed.

  The presenters do their selling in an extremely friendly, low-key way. In fact the presenters are like surrogate friends who sell without pushing at all. Also very effective.

So what is the "deep sell"?

  As Inc. magazine puts it:

"Deep selling" requires a deep sense of empathy.

You need the ability to understand not only the needs,

but the wants and aspirations of the other party."

  When you're deep selling, you're not just listing product benefits. You're tapping into psychological truths.

EXAMPLE. Check it out: In the last issue of The Levison Letter I explained an idea I had for an ad

selling English marmalade.

  The ad in question isn't about product-benefits like the quality of the oranges or their flavor.

Instead the ad digs deeper,

and touches an emotional truth.

  The body copy explains that the English breakfast is a great institution but it's incomplete, inauthentic, and just not the real thing unless there's Elsenham marmalade on the table. Elsenham is what makes a classic English breakfast, English.

 

  The point is, the campaign's great virtue is that it fully leverages the product's emotional content. Its appeal is not based on mere claims about flavor or ingredients.

  Instead, it associates the product with a deep sense of Englishness and gives Elsenham a cultural, iconic status.

This is deep selling!

Give it a try.

  Need some help copywriting deep selling? soft selling? or hard selling? . . . give me a call. Now's the time. Let's go to work!

Ivan Levison, Copywriter