I love listening to sales pitches on TV and Radio. It’s fun to be able to identify exactly what type of persuasive strategy the product marketer is using to get their listeners to bite. It amazes me that they work, but they do—most people are very easy to persuade.

Here are three that stand out to me …

This Product is NOT for you.

There is a radio ad about a weight loss supplement that starts its pitch by stating boldly:

“If you only need to lose 10lbs, this product is not for you.”
It goes on to state how the product is ONLY for those who need to lose a lot of weight.

Now, do you think they really don’t want to sell to those who only need to lose 10lbs or less, or that those people would not benefit? Absolutely NOT!

They know that people who need to lose 5 or 10 pounds will respond even stronger to this ad, because it insinuates that it works so well—that people will lose lots of weight!

Only One per Household.

Another trick of the trade that many TV and Radio marketers use is the old “only one per household” limit.

This trick causes people to want the product even more. When someone hears that they are ONLY allowed to buy “one,” it makes them think that this product is so hot that people want to buy as many as they can. Also, this strategy turns a buyer’s attitude from “They are lucky to get my order” to “Can I buy from you” … A total change in the buying psychology!

If your Last Name Starts with.

Another marketing strategy which is commonly used on the radio is the “People with last names starting with A-K can call today and those with their last names starting with L-Z can call tomorrow to order.”

Do you really believe that this company, which is trying to sell products, is actually limiting when people are allowed to order? Nope! What they are doing is seeding the idea that they are so slammed with orders that they need to control the inflow of calls. This illusion makes people want the product even more and marketers know that these people will instantly call, even though they are told they cannot.

Psychology is just so important in sales – what motivates and triggers a response is pretty predictable. Whether you are one of those who seem to get caught emotionally to these pitches, or someone who is looking to write better copy, it’s a good thing to learn the tricks of the trade.