There's an old story . . .
A guy walks into a country grocery store and sees hundreds of bags of salt stacked up to the ceiling.
"I see you sell salt," he says to the shopkeeper.
"No," says the shopkeeper wistfully. "But could that salesman sell salt."
A nice story. But why am I telling you this?
Because all copywriters, all marketers, must remember a simple, but crucially important fact . . .
Ultimately, we are all salespeople.
The fact is, our clients will not judge us by our creativity, our clever puns, our sense of humor.
They just want us to make them money.
Here's a true story that shows what a terrific salesperson can do.
Years ago I was considering buying a million-dollar life insurance policy and got a quote from my agent.
The premiums seemed very expensive so I called my attorney and asked her advice.
She said that I would do better by taking the money I planned on using to pay the insurance premiums, and investing it in the stock market instead.
A few days later, the insurance agent came to our house and asked if my wife and I had made a decision.
I told him what my lawyer had advised.
The agent paused, looked me in the eye, and then said, slowly and thoughtfully:
"Ivan, if you die tomorrow and your wife calls your lawyer, will she come to your house and hand Wendy a check for a million dollars? . . . I will."
This powerful argument stopped me in my tracks.
It seemed to clarify everything and my resistance quickly melted away. I signed on the dotted line.
And that's what it's all about, isn't it?
Understanding your prospect, making your case, overcoming skepticism, getting them to sign on the dotted line.
That's what I do for my clients every day, and every day I remember what I do for a living.
I sell salt.
Ivan Levison, Copywriter
