You might be surprised to know this skill is obtainable. In fact, triggering a buying trace with your written words isn’t as complicated as you might think.

Success comes down to your ability to attract targeted prospects. Because once you have these people’s interest, you can shape their mental imagery and lead them down a path to your desired outcome.

Unfortunately, you face a dominant obstacle — the mind’s natural defense mechanism.

You see, your mind doesn’t welcome change. As a result, instant rejection is much more common than acceptance. This decision process occurs instantly and often without conscious control.

The moment your marketing message contains an idea your prospects’ minds can’t accept, any thought of making a purchase is rejected and your opportunity is lost forever. But when you can switch off the brain’s critical component, you give your marketing message a fighting chance of getting evaluated.

One way to temporarily disable your prospects’ inner critic is by calling attention to specific problems. After all, problems are “messages” your mind can relate to because you’re actively thinking about them.

Here’s an example …

When promoting my new special report, Marketing Materials Made Easy: 8 Secrets for Attracting Attention, Creating Customers and Building Your Business, I target certain prospects with the following phrase:

For business owners and professionals fed up by the lack of leads generated by their company’s marketing materials — and can’t figure out what’s wrong …

Notice how I don’t just target “business owners” or “professionals.” What good would it do me to pursue such a general group?

Instead, I want business owners and professionals who are concerned about their marketing materials … frustrated because their promotional efforts are failing … and confused about what can be done to generate leads. Once I have the attention of these targeted prospects, I can then pile on the reasons for needing my special report.

You can use this same approach in any industry.

Let’s say you’re a criminal defense lawyer in Chicago. Here’s a possible statement:

For Chicago residents accused of a violent crime who feel overwhelmed with decisions, confused about legal options and scared about their future — and can’t figure out where to turn for honest advice …

Pretty simple strategy, isn’t it?

On Tuesday, June 1, I’m almost certain my attendance “record” will fall, as Internet marketing experts Andy Renk and Jon Ward present “How to Get More Customers with Local Online Marketing.”

Andy is a multimillion-dollar success story, having propelled an online audio/visual hardware retailer from $0 to $12 million in sales in just three years. A faculty member for Trump University and nationally acclaimed expert on online branding, Jon has worked with business leaders such as Donald Trump, Robert Kiyosaki, John Assaraf and T. Harv Eker.

Reserve your seat for FREE today at http://www.clickforclients.com/smcc. (If you can’t make it to Phoenix, be sure to see the bottom of this post.)

If you target local consumers, you need an effective online presence because nearly all consumers use online media for shopping decisions. According to BIA/Kelsey and ConStat’s new “User View Wave VII” report, 97% of consumers research products and services online. And of these Internet users, a whopping 90% use search engines first when researching nearby businesses.

So what are you currently doing online to attract customers from your local market?

During Andy and Jon’s FREE 60-minute workshop, you’ll discover how any business can profit online, as well as …

• The 5 essential ingredients of a profitable Web Marketing System. (Plug these basic components together and watch the dollars flow into your business.)

• How to use high-impact video and audio e-mail — and average at least $45 for every marketing dollar you spend.

• The hidden secrets of the Psychological Persuasion Triggers (PPTs) developed by an ASU professor that drive your best website visitors down your sales path.

• The astonishing power of marketing to your prospect’s iPhone, BlackBerry or other “smart phone” — and why this strategy could be more profitable than using e-mail.

• A new Google search technique that puts your business in front of your industry’s most eager online prospects. (Nearly 99.9% of all small businesses with a website overlook this strategy that could alone be worth thousands in new sales).

• How harnessing the Internet’s search capabilities can multiply your return on investment from print, direct mail and telemarketing.

• 4 surprisingly simple, zero-cost ways to legally “spy” on your competitors. (Wait until you see how you can you these techniques to secretly reveal your competition’s marketing efforts.)

• And much more, including answers to your questions.

The “Lunch and Learn” workshop on June 1 starts at 11:30 a.m. MST at South Mountain Community College (Room SU100A). Registration and complete details are available at http://www.clickforclients.com/smcc.

Grab your seat today and invite a friend!

If you can’t make it to Phoenix for the workshop, don’t worry … you can still see “How to Get More Customers with Local Online Marketing.” Andy and Jon are planning to stream this workshop live on the Internet. Resister today and you’ll receive your link to watch online right before the event: http://www.clickforclients.com/smcc.

The advertising writer had just landed a campaign with a struggling company. But the fact that the company had trouble attracting the customers they wanted was only a minor issue.

The primary problem was the product — it was anything but unique. Several companies shared what essentially was an identical product. In fact, the product was so common that it was already in homes and taverns throughout the United States.

The new client was Schlitz and the product was beer.

At the time, Schlitz held fifth place in its industry. The strategy you’re about to read propelled the Milwaukee brewer into a tie for first after only a few months.

Schlitz’s rise to prominence has been called the greatest success in beer advertising. Not only do you see beer’s biggest brands using the same strategy today, but it’s also something you can apply to any business.

When Hopkins began studying other beer companies, he noticed they all announced the same claim in their advertising — “pure.” In his book, “My Life in Advertising,” Hopkins explained how brewers would publicize the word in big letters. Some would even buy double-page ads so “pure” was displayed as large as possible.

Hopkins recognized the claim had little effect on prospects. So he went to a Schlitz brewery in search of a solution …

Once there, he saw plate-glass rooms filled with filtered air where beer dripped over pipes. The process allowed the beer to cool in purity.

Next, he saw large filters packed with white-wood pulp, and then watched how every pump and pipe was cleaned twice daily to avoid contamination. Even the bottles were washed four times by machinery.

Although the brewery sat on the shores of Lake Michigan, Hopkins saw how Schlitz tapped artesian wells to collect pure water from 4,000 feet below the ground. He was also shown vats where beer aged for six months before it went to users.

A stop in the laboratory revealed how the yeast used in Schlitz beer was developed from an original cell that required 1,200 experiments before the finest taste was discovered.

Once back at the office, Hopkins asked, “Why don’t you tell people these things? Why do you merely try to cry louder than others that your beer is pure? Why don’t you tell the reasons?”

“Why?” was the response. “The processes we use are just the same as others use. No one can make good beer without them.”

Hopkins had a hunch people would respond to reading how Schlitz achieved “pure” beer. So he used print ads to tell stories that gave purity meaning.

Here are a couple of those ads:

Notice how Hopkins supported his claims with specific facts and didn’t assume prospects knew information his client believed was common knowledge. Too often, we’re so close to our companies that it’s difficult to realize what prospects truly understand.

Also, Hopkins was a master at educating his readers. When you walk away from reading one of his ads, you feel a little wiser.

And, finally, Hopkins wasn’t hesitant about using long copy. He understood prospects crave as much information as possible before making a purchase. After all, who would ever handicap a salesman by only allowing him to speak a certain number of words?

If you’re actively advertising your business, make certain you also avoid the two common mistakes described in the following video:

So many advertisers focus their marketing messages on their own goals as opposed to the goals of the customer. Why is this? How can someone avoid this mistake?

Since I often address this common communication error in my articles, I sent a reply to the media contact who submitted the inquiry. My answer is posted below.

There are two primary reasons why advertisers focus their marketing efforts on their own goals as opposed to the goals of their customers:

It’s easy … and it’s familiar.

Trying to figure out what your target audience wants is a big challenge that takes time. But determining what you (as the advertiser) want is simple. As a result, the focus on far too many companies’ advertising and marketing materials is on making a sale, instead of developing a relationship, building trust, establishing credibility, etc.

Worse yet is when advertisers copy their competition. I recently tackled this issue in a blog post titled, “What’s the Purpose of Your Marketing?”

The easiest way to avoid these mistakes is by educating your prospects. Also, the information in your marketing piece or ad should be so valuable that prospects can’t ignore or throw it away. When you apply this suggestion, there’s little chance your advertising/marketing efforts won’t improve.

In effect, you’re no different than an artist who starts with a blank canvas. Your words are the “paint” that determines what prospects are willing to pay for your product or service. You have the power to create unlimited value for your prospects.

When you consider thousands of messages contend for your prospects’ attention each day, you can understand why communication focused on a company’s goals is so easy to ignore. After all, why would prospects care about your objectives when they want to achieve their own?

Another major issue with self-centered copy is it doesn’t offer prospects an emotional tie-in because the topic isn’t relevant to their needs. This problem is especially critical when you understand all buying decisions are based on emotions. So it stands to reason the likelihood of getting a sale with your ad or marketing piece is minimal if your text doesn’t have an emotional appeal.

These days, getting your prospects’ attention requires presenting information that’s relevant, useful and immediate. The most effective communication targets your prospects’ needs and desires - and is delivered in a way that requires them to put forth as little effort as possible.

Remember, you don’t have the luxury of time. Your prospects are so besieged by messages that your communication must cut through the clutter and offer something more compelling than your competition.

Here’s a video where I explain two methods you can use to cut through the clutter and write your way into prospects’ minds: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6NMZ0lU6DQ.

In fact, you may want to print and post the following tips near your computer so you can review them next time you write copy for a website, advertisement, sales page, brochure, letter, special report, newsletter, flyer or any other marketing material for your business.

When you use the following checklist, you don’t need to be a strong writer to create marketing materials that generate leads.

1.    Do you have a headline? Immediately grab your prospects’ attention by addressing their needs and making your product or service’s big benefit impossible to ignore.

2.    Have you provided prospects with a reason to continue reading? Incorporate curiosity and demonstrate an understanding of your prospects’ problems, feelings and desires.

3.    Do you have an emotional appeal? All buying decisions are driven by emotions and justified with logic.

4.    Are your claims supported with proof? You must satisfy those inner critics mingling in your prospects’ minds.

5.    Have you educated your prospects? Make the information you share in your marketing piece so valuable that prospects can’t throw it away.

6.    Is your company name prominently featured (it shouldn’t be)? Your company name is irrelevant to your prospects when compared to the end result your product or service provides.

7.    Have you established yourself as the expert? Reference articles, awards, books, case studies or media coverage to help demonstrate your position as an industry authority.

8.    Is your unique selling point incorporated? If you don’t explain why you’re different than your competition, then your marketing message becomes as noticeable as a whisper in a crowded bar.

9.    Do you have testimonials? Anything you say about your product or service is never as powerful as your customers’ comments.

10.    Are long paragraphs broken up? Lengthy blocks of text are easier to comprehend when divided into 1- to 3-sentence chunks and topped with benefit-laden subheads.

11.    Are your facts specific? A statement such as “14,154 traffic tickets dismissed since 2002” is more believable than “thousands of traffic tickets dismissed during the last few years.”

12.    Who does your text speak to? Your copy should read as if you’re having a one-on-one conversation with a friend (i.e., involve your prospects and use easy-to-understand words with short sentences).

13.    Have you made it easy to capture your prospects’ information? Your prospects will instantly qualify themselves when you offer them an opportunity to exchange their e-mail or mailing addresses for free information.

14.    How many times do you use “you”? The words “you” and “your” should appear at least three times as much in your copy as “we,” “our” and your company name.

15.    Does your text portray enthusiasm about your product or service? You can’t expect prospects to want your product or service if you’re not excited about it.

16.    Do you have a call to action? Tell your readers exactly what you want them to do next — or risk them doing nothing.

17.    Is it simple for your prospect to act on your offer? As you add more steps, you decrease the likelihood of getting your desired response.

18.    Do you have a deadline? The longer you allow people to wait, the less likely they will take action — so provide compelling reasons to act now.

19.    “What’s in it for me?” Your prospects want to know, so frequently tell them by building on the big benefit stated in your headline.

20.    Have you reversed your prospects’ risk of taking action? A guarantee or free trial demonstrates to prospects your confidence in your product or service.

21.    Did you address every common question prospects might have about your offer? Your prospects will reward you with action when you acknowledge their resistance.

One type of marketing material I’ve mentioned several times in recent articles is special reports. If you’d like to see how I re-packaged some of my recent articles to create a 21-page special report, check out http://www.marketingmaterialsmadeeasy.com.

That’s exciting because it shows me people are anxious to take action on this simple strategy. (If you missed Tuesday’s post, you can view it here.

In addition to addressing questions, I’m about to give you several insider secrets on how to write and use your special reports to get more customers.

First, don’t over-think the writing process — just provide useful ideas about your product or service as if you were talking to a customer face-to-face. Ask yourself, “What information would my ideal prospect find helpful when considering my product/service?”

For example, let’s say you sell office furniture. You might title your report “7 Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Office Furniture.” You could then explain why you shouldn’t buy without first having a master plan … why basing your purchase on price could come back to haunt you … or why focusing too much on style instead of function could decrease employee productivity.

Get the idea?

If you don’t feel comfortable writing, record your tips and then have them transcribed. Of course, you can also call me. I’ll ask you questions and write your special report (and get everything set up for your website) based on the responses you gave over the phone.

The key to your special report’s success is value. Give information so valuable your prospects would gladly pay you for it.

Once your report is ready, the easiest way to make it available on your website is a service such as AWeber. You can use AWeber to create your web form, collect/store e-mail addresses and deliver your report the instant your prospects request it.

If you’re concerned about cluttering up your website’s design, consider a lightbox. This type of web form allows you to display an opt-in box separate from your actual website. (For an example of how a lightbox works, click the link at the bottom of this e-mail to see one on my blog.)

In addition to offering the special report on your website and other targeted areas online, don’t forget about your offline options. Mailers, advertisements and even your business card are great places to promote your special report.

A small classified ad for your special report might read something like:

———

WARNING … Need New Office Furniture?

Get these facts before you open another catalog

or walk into one more showroom. Your FREE

report, 7 Critical  Mistakes to Avoid When

Buying Office Furniture, is available now at

http://www.freeofficefurniturereport.com.

———

Notice how there’s no mention of a company name or a sales pitch. Instead, you’re offering education — and qualifying your prospects.

Another easy and cost-effective idea is to distribute your special report as a flyer. Basically, you can print your special report on the front and back of a single sheet of paper and distribute it to targeted prospects at homes or businesses. You can also use the flyer as a handout at events where you’re in contact with prospects.

I’m using the “flyer” strategy right now. One of my special reports is currently being delivered to 1,000 targeted business owners here in Phoenix. My total cost for printing and delivery was $147.

Do some searching and you’re certain to find a flyer delivery company in your area. You can even cut your costs completely by printing and delivering your special report yourself.

A few other tips for your special reports:

• Include testimonials. Anything you say about your product/service is never as powerful as your customers’ comments.

• Weave in stories. Explain how people have successfully used your product/service.

• Don’t forget a call to action. Tell your prospects exactly what you want them to do after reading your special report.

• Encourage sharing. Prospects will give your special report to other people, especially if you include a sentence telling them to do so.

Keep your questions coming! I can promise you special reports offer the easiest way — in any industry — to establish your position as an expert, separate yourself from the competition, and eliminate price shoppers.

According to their new “User View Wave VII” report, nearly all consumers use online media for shopping decisions. More specifically, 97% of consumers research products and services online. And of these Internet users, a whopping 90% use search engines first when researching nearby businesses.

If you target local consumers, these figures prove the importance of having an effective online presence. But they also bring up a crucial question …

What are you currently doing on your website to target your local market?

If you’re serious about attracting a local audience online, then your website must make it easy for your prospects to find you using search engines such as Google.

That means having keywords your prospects use in search engines incorporated into your website’s content. These keywords must be in your title tags (the area displayed in the blue bar at the top of your browser), your headers (the larger text that breaks up your content and explains the big benefit of doing business with you) and your anchor text (clickable content that links to other pages on your site).

Keywords in your URL will also help your cause.

If you need help determining which keywords people use to find businesses like yours, try Google AdWords’ Keyword Tool.

And don’t forget about building your incoming links. You want as many relevant and reputable websites as possible linking to your online home. This will help drive traffic to your website and give you virtual “votes” from Google.

Article marketing using EzineArticles.com is one way to start building your backlinks.

Once your website begins getting local search engine traffic, the absolute easiest way to collect targeted prospects (and I will write this advice until my fingers can no longer type on a keyword) is to give away a special report/guide and saturate it with valuable content. Of course, you want to collect any prospect’s e-mail address before you deliver your free report/guide.

This simple step allows you to begin creating your own list of targeted prospects. Because here’s the honest truth:

Unless your website is building your customer list right now, it’s totally useless to you as a marketing tool.

The above statement might sound harsh, but I promise you it’s the truth.

Of course, you may not know what to include in your free report to attract prospects. If that’s the case, here are two easy topics:

(Insert Number) Critical Mistakes to Avoid When Buying (Your Product or Service)

(Insert Number) Critical Questions to Ask When Hiring (Your Type of Company)

All you have to do is reveal the mistakes or question your prospects need to know when shopping for your product or service. Of course, your information can tie right into your company’s strengths.

The added bonus is you instantly become an industry expert — regardless of how long you’ve been in business. As well, you now have a lead-generating marketing piece you can promote online and offline.

If you’ve read this far, then you know these prospect-gathering tips will make a major difference in the number of leads you collect off your website. The only mistake you can make now is waiting to incorporate them.

• 4 online resources you can use to uncover your prospects’ strongest desires about your product or service — and how these discoveries can help you quickly write irresistible copy.

• An often-ignored persuasion trick you can use on complete strangers to convince them to surrender their e-mail addresses so you can send them messages that promote your products or services.

• A surprisingly simple, low-cost way to capture buying customers fast using any website (beginning today) … even if it’s not attracting a lot of traffic.

• The 2 most powerful words you can use in your marketing copy during a recession. (You’re making a major mistake if you think “free” is one of the words.)

• How you can use e-mail to average at least $45 for every marketing dollar you spend.

• And much more, including answers to your questions.

DATE: Saturday, Feb. 27, from 10 - 11:30 a.m.

LOCATION: Burton Barr Central Library, Pulliam Auditorium (1^st Floor), 1221 N. Central Ave., Phoenix

Reserve your spot today at http://www.tomtrush.com.

*** All registered attendees will receive Tom’s newest audio program, The Anatomy of a Profitable E-mail Campaign: How to Quickly Write Irresistible Marketing Messages. ***

You may remember, earlier this month, I offered to explain my unique “momentum marketing” strategy in a one-on-one conversation with anyone on my lists. Requests for the 15-minute conferences spanned three continents, giving me an opportunity to speak with business owners from around the globe.

As you might expect, I saw a lot of marketing copy during the conferences. And, in some cases, I gave quick critiques because the same mistakes came up again and again.

Today I’m sharing with you one of those common mistakes that you can quickly correct.

First, think back to the last time you read a newspaper or magazine. Did you quickly scan the publication to find something that piqued your interest? Or did you start in the upper-left corner of the first page and force yourself to read every word until you finished all the articles?

If your habits are similar to most readers, you skimmed until you saw a collection of words that grabbed your eyeballs. In most cases, the “eyeball-grabber” was a headline or title.

Your prospects perform the same evaluation when reading your marketing materials. The only difference it they scan at a much quicker pace.

The mistake I continuously see is marketing materials with headlines or titles that only state a company name, a product/service name or some type of unoriginal “welcome” message. Worst yet is a marketing piece without anything that resembles a headline or title.

Your marketing piece must clearly explain the biggest benefit your prospects will receive when using your product/service.

If you make this information the first item your prospects see on your website, direct-mail letters, brochures or even e-mails, I promise you will get more responses.

When you don’t display the biggest benefit(s) of your product/service, the rest of your marketing copy becomes invisible because your prospects won’t read anything that doesn’t immediately attract their attention.

During the last century, countless advertising and marketing experts have crowed it king of the copy castle — the most critical element in any promotional piece.

This status is well-deserved.

After all, the headline is your first opportunity to grab your prospect’s attention. If you fail to attract eyeballs and communicate a reason to continue reading, then there’s little use for the remaining copy because most people won’t see it.

“On the average, five times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money.” – David Ogilvy, world-famous advertising executive and best-selling author of “Ogilvy on Advertising.”

The good news is you don’t have to be a great wordsmith to write powerful headlines. You can simply alter ones that are already written to fit your needs.

Once you understand the inner workings of a powerful headline, you can replace the elements with your own information.

For example, let’s look at this article’s tile (which serves the same purpose as a headline on an advertisement or marketing piece). There are at least three words you could change to target a completely different audience. In my opinion, the easiest terms to remove and replace are “Writer’s,” “Creating” and “Headlines.”

If you want to target people who hate crunching numbers at tax time, why not use the headline The Reluctant Accountant’s Guide to Filing Taxes?

If you want to target people who are hesitant about cooking their Thanksgiving turkey, you could try The Reluctant Cook’s Guide to Roasting the Perfect Turkey.

Get the idea?

A great source for coming up with headlines is Digg. A social news website for discovering and sharing content from the Internet, Digg allows its users to determine the value of information using votes (or “diggs”).

When you visit the site, it won’t take you long to notice a trend. Many posts with the most votes on Digg are numbered lists. Here are a few examples from this morning:

5 Ways Restaurants Provide You With Better Service

Top 5 Food Shortage Nightmares

15 Best Free Windows Mobile Apps

“How to” headlines are also common on Digg. If you study Ogilvy’s ads, you’ll see he frequently used “how to” headlines to tell potential clients about his agency’s expertise …

How to Create Corporate Advertising That Gets Results

How to Launch New Products

How to Make Your Sales Promotions More Profitable

The reason numbered lists and “how to” headlines are so effective is because they promise readers helpful information.

If you use these types of headlines, be prepared to provide valuable content in your body copy so you reward readers for investing their time. You’ll be amazed at how fast you can build credibility and trust with them when you share your knowledge.