Ever watch the TV show “Seinfeld”?
Even 11 years after it’s cancellation, and seeing every episode several times… I STILL never grow tired of it.
The other night was an especially funny episode.
It was the one where George Costanza did everything in opposites.
For example:
He saw a hot, seksy woman in the diner, walked up to her and, instead of lying and conning her into a date, said he was a short, bald, unemployed man who still lives with his parents.
She immediately went out with him.
Later, he gets a job interview with the New York Yankees.
And instead of kissing the owner’s “boo-tay”, tells him how much the team sucks, and why his every decision is stoopid.
“Hire this man!” the owners says.
Anyway, here’s the point:
Every time George did the opposite of what he would normally do — what logic and common sense dictated — he “won.”
And you know what?
In a lot of ways, it’s the same with selling, too.
Frankly, methinks a LOT of sales advice is not only BS… but can HURT you big time.
Like, for example, all these so-called “black hat” tactics.
Or consciously “tricking” people into buying.
Or, in copywriting, looking at all the “successful” ads on the Internet and blindly copying and studying them.
Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
First off, black hat is just a “cool” term for “manipulate.”
And while you CAN manipulate people into buying, it’s a TERRIBLE way to run a long term business or get someone to buy from you again.
Same with using “tricks.”
(And by “trick” I mean literally “tricking” them into doing something they wouldn’t normally do — like buy your product.)
You don’t need tricks if you have a solid understanding of the way human beings think, behave and make decisions.
In fact, you can usually only “trick” someone once.
After that, the chances of them buying from you again (where the REAL moolah is) are null and void.
And don’t even get me started on copying Internet sales letters.
There are some really good ones out there.
But there are some really BAD ones, too.
And unless you know the fundamentals first, you’ll never know the difference, and copying them can cause you FAR more harm than good.
Anyway, here’s the lesson:
Doing the opposite as everyone else can give you a BIG “leg up”.
In fact, just for kicks, next time you have something to sell, consider doing it the “George Costanza way” — the OPPOSITE of what everyone else does.
You just might be surprised by the results.
Ben Settle
P.S. If you’d like to learn some 100% proven ways to write ads and sell without tricks, lies or manipulation, check out the interview I did with “A List” copywriter Doug D’Anna in appendix 7 of The Copywriting Grab Bag:
Doug tells the truth, the whole truth and nuttin’ but the truth about selling.
And I think you’ll find (in most cases) he goes 100% AGAINST what most other sales and copywriting “gurus” say.
