In marketing and copywriting, ask yourself which camp you fall into – either trying to convince your audience that the answers to their problems are simple and absolute, or that the answers are so complex they need a guide like you. And then step back, and re-examine that position as a prospect.
You know what I’ve found? Most folks just want the truth as it applies to their situation, no matter how brutal or unpleasant it may be. They distrust rosy pictures that deny anything could ever go wrong. They bristle not just when they’re lied to – which is unforgivable – but also when misled.
And yet, they are seldom treated with straight talk.
Long ago, I decided that when I critiqued a piece of copy, I would do it the same way I critique my own copy.
Which means… there’s no flattery involved.
It’s just a straight-on does-it-work assault, run through my Nonsense Detector and my Inner Salesman. If the copy doesn’t meet my high standards, it most likely will not produce world class results.
And so I am not shy about trashing your effort if it’s bad. There’s money on the line. There are other places you can go if all you want is someone to stroke your ego. I won’t do it – if you’re gonna send an ad out into the bad old business world, it needs to be all grown up and ready to meet the skepticism and disbelief and outright hostility of the real market.
Or advertising, marketing and copywriting will bomb.
That’s all I’ve ever done: Just lay it out, and tell the truth, as precisely as I can.
Now, there are many markets where telling the truth will get you burned.
Politics, for example. The diet market, for another. There is and always will be a niche for truth-telling in both examples… but the main part of each audience will never appreciate the truth. They want to be lied to.)
I was shocked when that one vet just opened up and spoke to me like I was a peer, minus the soft soothing tones he obviously used for most people. I wanted the straight dope, and was ready to hear the worst. Turned out, the worst wasn’t anywhere near as bad as I’d feared.
Now, finally, we can decide what to do… armed with good info.
I’ve always advised people to aspire to become the Go To Guy in their market… because few markets already have someone in that spot.
And, being a Go To Guy means you must have a handle on the bottom line truth… and be willing to explain that truth in a way that informs and empowers your customers.
It’s not the easiest row to hoe. We’re not brought up to appreciate the value of the truth, and we’re not taught to respect it.
I haven’t gone through medical school, but I’ve spent enough time with doctors to know that they do NOT believe you – as the patient – deserve to know everything. Too many of them believe M.D. stands for “Medical Deity”, and that you should just take their advice and shut up.
The only way to avoid nasty surprises is to get hip. You only get the “peer” treatment when you prove to him that you know nearly as much as he does.)
This is not a simple subject. I wish it were.
Do what you believe is right. In my experience, however, the truth is always better than delusion. If it’s bad news, you’re not going to shed more tears than if you were protected.
It’s funny, in a way – here we are, deep in the Information Age, and truth remains a rare thing.
Ah, the irony.
