Well, this sucks out loud.
Got word last week from Michael Senoff that the world’s “most feared negotiator” Jim Camp joined the choir invisible. Jim Camp was the guy the FBI called when they wanted to teach their agents negotiation strategies, and his methods were used by over 100,000 students and were featured on CNN, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Inc., and more.
I first heard him on an interview Michael Senoff did.
I must have listened to that interview over 50 times.
(And still listen to it once or twice per year.)
I never met the man in person, but did get to be a co-guest with him on one of David Garfinkel and Brian McLoud’s “Fast Effective Copywriting” webinars last year and he was a true class act. He also confirmed for me on the air a tactic I use in emails is not only completely ethical (sometimes people accuse what I do as less-than-nice when I prey upon my market’s insecurities in my emails and ads), but also highly effective and something he did when he was negotiating high level deals.
Anyway, I want to honor the guy.
So, below is the #1 lesson I learned from him.
I use it in my sales copy, emails, blog posts, when I’m negotiating with someone, or even if I’m wanting to convince someone to do something I want them to do.
Here it is:
“Vision drives decision”
It’s ALL about your prospect’s vision, not yours.
One example Jim used was seat belts. It’s been proven over and over seat belts save lives and, as Jim pointed out, every day someone of great intellect dies in an automobile accident not wearing a seat belt. So what do we do? We lecture people on it. We threaten to ticket people. We try to “intellectualize” the idea of it (which simply creates objections…)
None of which works very often.
Jim’s solution?
Ask questions that create a vision:
“Where is your head going to end up if it smashes through the windshield at 50 mph?”
Or, if selling gasoline:
You could go into a dissertation on the the different octane levels and what they mean and do or, you can say…
“How many miles can you afford to cut off of your engine life?”
Or, selling water filters:
You can launch into a pitch about how your filters get rid of 99.9% of chlorine or whatever, or you can pull a Jim Camp (what he said when selling them door-to-door to get people to hear him out):
“Just tell me you don’t want softer hair and I’ll leave.”
More:
He had a quote that drives everything I do in copywriting.
(In fact, I used in every speech/training I gave last year)
And that is:
“You’re always safe in the other person’s world”
What that means is this:
As long as you stay in their world, talking about their problems, fears, frustrations, and desires, telling stories that are interesting to them, and ultimately making everything you say about them, you cannot bore people (boredom equals death in marketing), you cannot lose their interest, and you cannot really screw up.
But what do most people do?
They start with their product first.
They try to “pitch” right away.
And, they often flounder as a result.
Anyway, it’s one of the single most profitable lessons I ever learned about selling, copywriting, and persuasion.
No, there’s nothing “ninja” about it.
And there are no tricks or tactics to celebrate.
It’s just sound, principled thought and communicating in a way that is in perfect harmony with the laws of human behavior.
Bottom line?
Jim Camp left us one helluva legacy.
I highly suggest you study his books.
Check out the interview he did with Michael Senoff.
And, if you want to see how I apply his ideas to email marketing, crack open any issue of “Email Players” at www.EmailPlayers.com — most of what I teach is influenced by Jim Camp in some way, shape, or form.
So RIP, Mr. Camp.
It was a pleasure to have spoken with you.
Enjoy your next adventure…
Ben Settle
