Copywriting Grab Bag

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A while back a friend of mine was having a problem selling a high quality juicer in the housewares store she works at.

Since my friend uses the juicer herself, she had no problem explaining its advantages, performances and benefits.

But one customer demanded to hear the juicer before buying it. And the second she turned it on the customer was immediately put off by its obnoxious, super loud noise.

He didn’t care that it squeezes out every last drop of juice. That the motor has a lifetime warranty. Or that it’s light weight, easy to clean and small enough to fit unnoticed in the corner of almost any kitchen.

As soon as he heard its ear-splitting sound he moved on.

“Any ideas on what I can do about that?” my friend asked. “It’s a great juicer, but it really is loud.”

I suggested two things.

1.) Admit the noise up front.

I mean, how long can she keep it a secret?

If nothing else, her customers will discover the juicer’s loud noise when they get home and end up returning it.

2.) Try to “spin” that noise into a reason to buy.

“Why is the juicer so loud?” I asked.

“Because the motor has to spin at super fast speeds to extract the maximum amount of juice and separate it from the pulp. So it makes a loud noise.” She replied.

“There you go,” I said. “Just say that for now on.”

Since then, she hasn’t had a problem with that objection.

Now, why am I telling you this story?

Because this concept of spinning flaws into benefits is just as relevant to copywriting as it is in face-to-face selling.

In fact, there’s a great story about this on page 154 of Eugene Schwartz’s classic copywriting book “Breakthrough Advertising”

Back in the 1930’s Lifebuoy sold a soap that was perfect in every way…except for its nasty medicine-like smell.

Their solution?

Their ads said body odor could not be eliminated with “ordinary” soap, and what made Lifebuoy’s soap so effective at eradicating “B.O.” was the strong medicinal-smelling ingredient built into every cake.

In other words, they spun that horrible smell into a compelling reason to buy.

And nabbed millions of sales as a result.

You can do the same thing.

If there really is an annoying flaw in your product — or even a small drawback — don’t hide it.

Instead, spend some serious time thinking about how you can spin it into a real and believable reason to buy.

Not only will you add a thick layer of credibility to your sales pitch (since you’re being honest), but if you do it right, you’ll make your product even more irresistible.