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Copywriting John Ritskowitz on 26 Oct 2007 05:26 pm
One Big Reason Why Your Scarcity Selling IS NOT Working
Ok, you might consider this a rant. In a way, it is.
But I’ve seen this mistake made way too many times to remain silent about it any longer.
I subscribe to a lot of (otherwise) smart marketers’ lists. But I’m really surprised to see this huge mistake being made time and time again. What is it?
Well, the most recent email I got was about a video they had posted that was about to be pulled down (this one was from one of those 3 or 4 words to a line emails…I call them the long “vertical” tail!)
“The videos will be taken down at midnight!”
But in truth I see this happening a lot nowadays online.
I’m talking, of course, about scarcity selling. Also known as takeaway selling, it’s the urgency you create to get them to act now. And it’s one of the things that makes direct response copywriting so powerful.
In the course of your web surfing you’ve undoubtedly come across the ‘ol Javascript countdown timers. Or the “date generators” that always say this offer expires (or will be raised in price) at midnight on such-and-such a date. And of course that date always happens to be today.
Come back tomorrow, and that date will have magically changed to tomorrow’s date. Can you say “sucker”?
That may have worked circa 1999, but it’s amazing to me that marketers still use that blatantly transparent tactic.
Do you think your prospects are that dumb?
It wasn’t that long ago where more sophisticated markets like the Internet marketing crowd got wise to that sorry (and untruthful) technique. But now you’re seeing Grandma laugh at it. Nearly every prospect but the most raw rookie net newbie understands this now.
It’s been done to death.
Uh oh. Now you need to come up with a REAL reason why your offer won’t be available for much longer. Why they really need to act right now.
Of course, the crackerjack copywriters have known this for years. Michel Fortin is one of the best “reason why” copywriters online today. David Garfinkel, John Carlton, Harlan Kilstein, Clayton Makepeace, Yanik Silver. These heavyweights don’t pass along bull to their prospects. They truly understand the psychology behind it all, and they don’t give a lame (or even no) reason for the takeaway.
And it’s the “no reason” part I want to address today. Back to the vertical long tail email I got today…
The videos are coming down at midnight!
And yet…no reason was given as to why they’re going away. Not even a lame reason.
It’s as if some marketers got tired of the Javascript hacks and just decided to not give a reason whatsoever.
But I suspect it’s costing them big time…
I believe I’ve referred to this brilliant post by “the greatest copywriter alive” Gary Bencivenga before. But in case you missed it, fill your head and gave a good read here.
Need I say more?
What do you think? Am I way off base here?
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on 26 Oct 2007 at 5:59 pm 1.Chris said …
This is one reason I’ve unsubscribed to a dozen or more marketers emails.
It’s just damned ANNOYING to be talked to like you’re an idiot.
Cheers.
on 26 Oct 2007 at 6:04 pm 2.Glenn Grundberg said …
Hear, Hear!
Great post, Ritz, and a credo I wholeheartedly endorse. Veer away from Bull, and insert honest Pull instead.
Best way? Avoid trickery and hype, and give reasons- real, concrete reasons to overcome objections to buying, and build trust and long-term relationships with your customers.
There be success, matey!
Arrrggh!
Gman
on 26 Oct 2007 at 6:08 pm 3.John Ritskowitz said …
Glenn,
“Veer away from Bull, and insert honest Pull instead.”
That is too cool. Did you come up with that, or is there some marketer you swiped it from that I’m missing out on?
John
P.S. BTW, Thanks for your feedback, both of you!
on 26 Oct 2007 at 6:34 pm 4.Stephanie Trahd said …
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I am at a point now that when I get an email like that, I automatically hit my ‘delete’ key. If it happens more than once, I tickle the ‘unsubscribe’ link first. It’s just insulting - and I never purchase from anyone who treats me like I’m an idiot!
OK John, now I’m anxious to see if you get anyone to post on the opposing side!
~Stephanie
on 26 Oct 2007 at 6:44 pm 5.Jason Moffatt said …
You do have a great point there John.
However, it’s still very effective if you know it’s the truth.
For instance, take Mr. Kern’s scarcity. People will set their alarm clocks because they know when he says only 100 get it, he means it.
Heck, I can’t even remember how many tens of thousands of dollars he returned because he oversold once.
Now that’s some honesty.
Cheers,
J-Mo
on 26 Oct 2007 at 7:06 pm 6.John Ritskowitz said …
Ah, Jason. You raise a very interesting point.
If you develop a relationship with your list, prospects, whatever, and you have a track record of actually following through with your promises, especially when it comes to takeaway selling, then you’re right. If you say the offer is coming down, you might not need a reason. They may already know you mean business and will take action.
But even Frank attracts new prospects all the time, people who don’t know him as well as his existing customers do. Now you could argue that his marketing funnel is doing all the work for him (and undoubtedly the social proof, which should NEVER be underestimated…OR overestimated, for that matter).
And not everyone has the reputation that Frank does. So he may get a pass in some of these concepts. But when you’re emailing to tens or hundreds of thousands, and you tell them “the deal only lasts until tomorrow”, but you don’t give them a valid reason why, I still think you’re selling yourself short.
You’re putting yourself in the “crowd clutter”. There’s no reason why they should believe you, and why they should act now. They get that message all the time.
We’ve all seen too many marketers promise “a limited number will be sold” and then go back on their word. I just saw a post on the Warrior forum the other day about such a “deal”. I think it’s been since removed, but it had to do with some “black hat” software. I think you know what I mean.
Bottom line…Not everyone is Kern. And Frank has a good following that he’s cultivated very well and actually delivered on his promises.
As you know, people don’t forget that.
But it’s the new folks you might be missing out on. That PPC traffic going down the tubes because they don’t know you fulfill your promises. They don’t know you from a hole in the wall. If you’re spending money acquiring traffic, and you’re using takeaway tactics like what I discussed, you’re pissing your PPC budget away.
That’s what I meant.
But I think we’re saying the same thing. And I’m loving your participation here. We talk all the time on the phone. But I think this is the first time you’ve posted a comment on my blog. Thank you!
John
on 26 Oct 2007 at 7:32 pm 7.Mike Humphreys said …
Hi John,
Great article. To me, it raises a question of credibility.
For some marketers, it’s just a ploy to try to pry another couple bucks out of a prospect. They heard somewhere that using scarcity selling will help move more product… so they dangle it out with no intention of actually “backing their play”.
In contrast, credible marketers like Fortin mean it. When I get a rare promotional offer from Fortin (and certain other marketers), I know that it’s a firm deadline with no gimmicks.
Personally, I have chosen to follow that route… a limited time offer should be exactly that.
Limited - Time - Offer.
I always get a chuckle out of the emails I get after a promo I’ve run ends. “Damn! Mike actually meant the sale would end at that time.” LOL
I’ve found those same people usually wind up buying from me in the future, even if it’s a completely different product.
To Your Success,
Mike
on 26 Oct 2007 at 8:04 pm 8.Shel Horowitz said …
Not off base at all. Totally right-on, in fact. I wrote an article a few years ago on Honesty in Copywriting, in which I take this false scarcity tactic to task. I think you published it in one of your newsletters a while back.
I’m also a big believer in reasons why.
And quite frankly, when I do hit an expired offer, and there are people who do pull the plug on their offers (whether I agree with their reasons or not), I just think, oh, well, that’s what I get for being behind in my email. My bad. And I move on.
_____
Shel Horowitz, copywriter and award-winning author of five marketing books - http://www.frugalmarketing.com
Blogging at http://www.principledprofit.com/good-business-blog/ (intersection of ethics, marketing, sustainability, and politics)
and
http://frugalmarketing.com/newsletters (monthly frugal fun, frugal marketing, ethical business, and book marketing newsletters)
on 29 Oct 2007 at 12:52 pm 9.John Ritskowitz said …
Great points, Mike and Shel.
I think sometimes we have an advantage, because we know this stuff, and we’re always watching the marketing process when we purchase something (even subconsciously).
But consumers aren’t fools. They get so many pitches in a day, from all different types of media (with new ones popping up all the time). That’s why I think one of the biggest mistakes I see in salesletters today is not enough proof, not enough believability in their claims and their offers.
Prospects are becoming more and more jaded every day. I think you’ll find that “relationship built on trust” will become even more important than it is now in the coming months and years ahead.
John
on 01 Nov 2007 at 5:10 pm 10.John Ritskowitz said …
I posted a link to this article on Michel Fortin’s Copywriter’s board, and there are some interesting comments and debate about it there. I just replied, and rather than duplicate everything here, you can read all the comments here:
http://www.copywritersboard.com/member-content/6962-one-big-reason-why-your-scarcity-selling-not-working.html
Best regards,
John
on 08 Nov 2007 at 10:36 pm 11.Internet Marketing Blog said …
As my wife says, “What’s the catch?”. Anytime she feels rushed to make a decision, she doesn’t. And, online stuff is just the same. So, no, consumers are not fools. They have seen this garbage so much now it is almost like banner ads.
Today’s marketing is more about honesty and connecting with the readers. They want to know you, hence the explosion in the social networks. They want to see a picture of you, maybe a video of you, etc…..
I do not lie, nor even false advertise. It only takes one time to get caught doing something stupid or making something up and there goes your online world crashing down.
So, yeah, timelines are stupid, Just put the product up there and sell it.
Mike
on 24 Jan 2008 at 11:53 am 12.Ward Tipton said …
While I agree that bogus deadlines or anything else bogus for that matter will always do more harm than good. Sometimes deadlines can be a good thing. With the major program I am working with right now, the “deadline” is a number rather than a time though even then it serves a purpose. Trying to use that as the only reason for creating a sense of urgency however, is not only foolish but will be costly and also seems to indicate a definitive lack of imagination on the part of the copywriter.
Now if I could just get my copy up to par :”>
The truth may make you miserable first, but it will set you free.
IMHO
Ward
on 08 Mar 2008 at 2:36 pm 13.Home business Forum said …
Hi John,
Do you suggest an alternative to the scarcity tactic?
I’m an internet market and rely quite heavily on this tactic.
Are you talking just the “will be gone by tonight” or the WHOLE scarcity approach?
Thanks.
on 09 Mar 2008 at 6:24 pm 14.John Ritskowitz said …
Hi,
I definitely wasn’t dismissing the whole scarcity tactic. In fact, I would strongly suggest you have one if you don’t already.
But you are correct. What I was referring to was the “will be gone by midnight” script and then you come back tomorrow and it now says “will be gone by midnight” on THAT day. In other words the scripts that keep changing the deadline date.
I don’t see that working too well in NON-IM niches any more, never mind IM niches.
Cheers,
John