In our enewsletter this week, 10 Tips For Writing More Effective Copy, I mentioned the importance of using specifics: exact numbers, particular examples, and case histories. It reminded me of an experience I’ve had with grocery stores that still makes me chuckle.
Whenever I’ve needed empty boxes for packing, I’ve never had much luck simply asking for them. With my impeccable timing, a large load of them has always just been crushed and no one is unpacking at the moment. That pretty much ends the discussion, and my search is always hit or miss.
Over the years, I’ve learned that a much more successful tactic is to ask for tomato boxes. Responding to the power of the specific, store workers hunt all over for them. When they’re not available, they offer to save them for me. It’s a phenomenon I’ve experienced more than once, and the difference in response still surprises me!
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One Comment
You’re SO right, Val.
SPECIFICITY is so important because it takes what could otherwise be fuzzy, amorphous images and turns them into clear, sharp, and brighter pictures that people can better relate (and respond) to.
When you think about it, the words you’re now reading are just symbols, aren’t they? You and I happen to know what groups of these symbols (words) mean. When you’re faced with a larger group of these symbols (sentences) which were constructed in a poor manner, the images “installed” in your brain themselves are fuzzy, dull, muted, and incapable of causing action. They leave you unmoved–like a blurry picture on a movie screen–because the information transferred to you simply isn’t clear.
I dedicate an entire section on the importance of SPECIFICITY in my book “Cashvertising.” You hit the nail on the head when you said that tiny things make a big difference. Simple word changes (or additions) can really sharpen the focus of your presentation. Result? Clarity… understanding… and, ultimately, ACTION!
Keep up the great work, Val!
Success!
Drew Eric Whitman, D.R.S.
Direct Response Surgeon™