Have you heard the latest FTC hoopla?
The gummint “chatter” about how they are reviewing the testimonial laws and (from what I’ve seen) making them so tight, it won’t hardly even be worth using testimonials anymore?
Well, nobody really knows what’s coming down the pike.
But a lot of marketers seem pretty freaked out by the idea.
Me?
I rarely rely on testimonials (even if I have them) to do my selling for me. They are, in my opinion, one of the weakest forms of proof out there right now. They are easily manufactured and most sound completely canned anyway.
Hey, don’t get me wrong.
I LOVE using testimonials.
And I have them on my own ads when possible.
I’m always, for example, using them to sell my copywriting book.
But this lame idea that you “need” testimonials is a myth.
I remember at least one time where testimonials HURT my response.
And you know what?
If you can’t sell without testimonials, you got bigger problems.
Probably with your positioning, story-telling or (and this is always the biggie) with your message to market match.
Anyway, here’s my point:
Don’t let the FTC’s latest brain fart shake you up.
If you focus on learning to sell using the natural (never changing) laws of human behavior and basic sales psychology, you got nuttin’ to fear from the FTC boogeymen.
In fact, since so many other marketers tend to rely on testimonials (instead of learning how to SELL), you’ll be WAY ahead of the game.
Just use their ignorance of selling to your advantage.
Ben Settle
P.S. For dozens and dozens and dozens of ways to write ads that pull mucho response — whether you have raving testimonials or not — scootch on over to www.CopywritingGrabBag.com
