The Single Most

Persuasive Word in Marketing

By Ben Hart

Again, contrary to conventional advertising wisdom, the most persuasive words in selling are not “free” and “new.”

The word “BECAUSE” is far more persuasive.

Why?

BECAUSE this word signals to the reader that you have reasons for making the claims you are asserting . . .

BECAUSE this word instantly lets your reader know that you have facts to back up what you say . . .

BECAUSE this word shows your reader that you have put thought into your letter.

BECAUSE is a great word for building credibility. 

The word BECAUSE signals that you have facts to support what you are saying.  “Hire me BECAUSE . . .” is so much stronger than just leaving it as “HIRE ME!”

And adding an exclamation mark does not strengthen the argument one bit.

Facts sell.  And reasons sell . . . BECAUSE facts and reasons persuade.  The word “BECAUSE” tells your reader that the rest of the sentence will be “a reason why” what you claim is true, or a reason why I am asking you to take some action. 

Suppose your 10-year-old child made this request: “Mom, can I come home later tonight and miss dinner?” 

Your response would not be, “Sure, no problem.  Come home whenever you can.”  It would either be to say “No, absolutely not.  Get home right now and start your homework.”  Or, you might come back with a very skeptical, “Why?”—knowing your answer would still be “No.”

Your child would have a far greater chance of getting an immediate “yes” if he asked the same question this way: “Mom, can I come home after dinner tonight BECAUSE I’ve already finished my homework and BECAUSE Jimmy’s mom has invited me to have dinner there with them.”

The word BECAUSE is very disarming BECAUSE this word tells you that your child is about to follow his seemingly out-of-the-ordinary request with a set of reasons and facts that can easily be checked out. 

You might still answer “NO” after hearing his reasons and facts.  You might indeed have a stronger set of facts and reasons for denying his request.  But the conversation is now engaged.  And your son has a far greater chance of getting a “yes” answer from you . . . all BECAUSE he immediately followed his request with the word “BECAUSE.”

The #1 mistake

made by writers of sales letters 

Facts, reasons, logical arguments, fascinating details, and a great story all help you sell. 

The fastest way to guarantee your letter is thrown in the trash is to use the typical empty hype-words amateur writers use all the time in their sales letters.

You know these words well—words like “amazing,” “incredible, “awesome,” the “best ever,” “colossal,” and the “greatest.”

With compelling facts, reasons, and a good story to tell, there’s no reason to use these kinds of meaningless hype words.  But these hype words are used so often that not only are they not attention-getting in the least, they have actually become trigger words that cause a reflex action in readers to stop reading immediately.

Most amateur writers of sales letters think raising the volume and screaming at the reader is the best way to make sure the reader listens—when actually it’s the surest way to cause your prospect to tune out.

Good copywriting does not imitate the approach of street corner huckster.

The best salesmen are those who have a knack for selling without their customers even realizing they are being sold.  The instant your prospect sees that she is being sold, the truth detector machinery in the brain kicks onto full alert and your reader becomes a super skeptic.

Who are you more likely to hire to do a job?

The fellow who is trying to sell you hard, the fellow who seems desperate for work?  Or the fellow who does not need the job because he has plenty of business already, the fellow who must clear a spot in his schedule for you because his services are in such demand?

When Stephen King writes, does he use a lot of hype to generate reader interest?  Does he scream at the reader?  Does he say, “Okay reader, now get ready for the scary part, because this is going to be really, really scary”?

No, he simply tells the story.  Readers are pulled along by the fascinating details, the mystery, the intrigue, the suspense, and the storyline.  This is how Stephen King gets people to stay up all night reading one of his 600-page books. 

Great writers know how to hold the attention of readers without the empty hype.  Study Stephen King and how he holds your attention.  You will then write much better letters.

Remember, Stephen King is a salesman too.  He sells books for a living, and he’s sold a lot of them.  But it does not matter one bit to his customers that Stephen King is selling them books, because we are completely
immersed in the story he’s telling, and the fascinating details.  We want him to keep writing books . . . so we can buy more.