Are you flippin’ kidding me!?

May well have been the response when Jack returned to his mum with no cow and no money in exchange for said cow.

No it’s okay honest, I’ve got something better…

Jack insists as his mum pulls underwear from the dryer. Trying to ignore the rumble of her empty stomach, her last shred of optimism is obliterated with his next response:

…Magic beans!

We had to censor the rest…

Magic beans and copywriting

Jack’s mum had every right to be furious. He’d taken some stranger’s word for it that he was getting a bargain by handing over his cow for magic beans. There was no:

• Breakdown of how the beans would work
• Social proof to show that others had used the beans with success
• Guarantee if the beans failed to produce the expected results

Needless to say today’s shoppers are much more savvy than Jack when evaluating a purchase (okay, so his definitely paid off but really, what are the chances outside of a fairy tale?)

Sometimes I see landing pages and sales pages that try to get customers to believe in their own magic beans simply because they tell them that they are ‘magic.’

Don’t make your customer take (even the tiniest) leap of faith

Now, I know you’re not actually selling magic beans. You’ve got a credible, serious product.

However, there may be places in your sales copy where you are asking your customer to make little leaps of faith that you may not realise.

For example, let’s look at some sales copy that sells business coaching (I’ve had a few business coach clients recently so this is on my mind).

The sales copy might read:

If you’re struggling to get new clients I can increase your leads with a tailored marketing plan.

Doesn’t seem too bad right?

But to your customer, this might sound like:

If you’re struggling to get new clients HUNGRY, I can increase your leads PERFORM MAGIC with a tailored marketing plan THESE BEANS.

The old man on the way to the market knew the beans were magic. He knew that all Jack had to do was stick them in the ground and they’d sprout to his good fortune.

Jack did not know this at the time.

YOU might know that a tailored marketing plan will get more clients.

Your customer may not know this.

The solution? Reveal the magic…

It sounds simple, and it is (most of the best techniques actually are).

Tell them how the magic works. Now while this is frowned upon in secret circles of magicians, you DO want your reader to know just how you’re going to give them the results they so desperately want.

For example:

If you’re struggling to get new clients, you need a tailored marketing plan. How does that work? Well, instead of trying to blog, advertise, use social media or leaflet drop to get people to your business, I’ll show you (based on 20+ years working with thousands of business owners) exactly what channels will give you the best results based on who you want to reach and your individual business model. You’ll know exactly what to focus on and more importantly, what you can ignore.

You might find it helps to set out some notes before you sit down to write, for example:

Now of course, as with anything in copywriting, it all depends on your customer. If you tell them what a tailored marketing plan is, are they familiar with the concept? If yes, you don’t need to explain as much of the magic. If so, you need to spend a little more time explaining it in your copy.

Now it’s over to you, have a look through your copy. Are you asking customers to take a leap of faith with your magic beans or is your power overwhelmingly evident? Let me know in the comments.