Hard-sell design
BY CHUCK GREEN Don't be fooled by the terminology—for most of us, “hard-sell” conjures up a less-than-pretty picture. You might even go so far as to say it smacks of intimidation, of someone trying to sell something we wouldn't buy unless we were talked into buying it. That is not the kind of hard-sell I'm going to talk about here.
I want to talk about the honest hard-sell. Techniques for grabbing attention. For confidently presenting the compelling benefits of an idea, a product, or a service. And for asking a prospect to take a specific action in their own self interest. The honest hard-sell does not overstate the facts. It does not deceive. It does not intimidate. It deals with the truth.
It might help, too, to define the opposite of the hard-sell—the soft sell. The soft sell is something quite different. It says “Welcome, come look around. Get a feel for who we are and how we can help you.” A soft sell advertisement, for example, might sell the look and feel of a store, where a hard-sell would list specific items and sale prices. A soft sell brochure might present an overall view of a service, where a hard-sell makes specific, actionable offers.
To my way of thinking, a hard-sell hopes to initiate a sale with one time exposure to the message, while a soft sell hopes of cultivate a customer over a series of repeated exposures. So why wouldn't you opt for the hard-sell all the time? Wouldn't you spend less money for more action? Not necessarily. A hard-sell might move a particular product or service but it does not necessarily create long-term customers.
All that said, as with any type of marketing, there are no universal rules—only universal possibilities. Your business situation, your market, and your tastes make your situation unique. Can you expect hard-sell strategies to work in your situation? The answer is a definitive—always, sometimes, and never.
hard-sell HEADLINES SPEAK IN THE LANGUAGE OF BENEFITS—When a prospect reads your ad (below), you hope they will find a compelling reason to buy. Instead of listing features and information about your organization, concentrate on presenting the compelling benefit of the product to the prospect—and state it in clear, accessible terms.
hard-sell TYPEFACES MATCH THE “VOICE” OF THE MESSAGE—Think of a typeface as a way to establish tone of voice you would use if you were telling someone about your offer. To me, a bold typeface, such as the Frutiger Ultra Black used for the “Try your vacation...,” headline is clear, strong, and confident. Raleigh Gothic, used for “Yucatan Mexico” is a bit exotic.
hard-sell LAYOUTS ARE DESIGNED FOR THE MEDIUM—An ad for a newspaper (below) is different than an ad for a magazine. While the border of this newspaper ad might look a little too bold here, when it is added to the complex mix of images, headlines, and text on a typical newspaper page, the border helps the ad command attention.
hard-sell IDEAS DIRECT THE ACTION—Every ad, every brochure, every mailer, every hard-sell everything should leave no doubt as to the next step your prospect should take. In this case, “Please send my FREE vacation video,” the phone number, and the reply coupon not only tell you what the next step is, it shows you how to take it.
hard-sell ILLUSTRATIONS TELL A STORY—One powerful example of ad storytelling is John Caples' famous ad showing a man approaching a piano in a room full of people. The headline reads “They Laughed When I Sat Down At the Piano... But When I Started Play!” hard-selling doesn't have to be bland, it can be grand. Think of a compelling story a customer told you about how your product or service benefited them and build an ad around it (below).
hard-sell COPY DOESN'T PLAY GAMES—We live in a world where seemingly everything is the “ultimate” or the “best.” Unrealistic claims are a turnoff. Tell your audience the compelling benefits of your product or service, but don't taint your copy with claims you wouldn't believe yourself.
hard-sell COPY TALKS SPECIFICS—Would you be more apt to pick up a brochure that read “World Wide Web business solutions” or one that read (below) “How to sell your products, your services, and yourself on the World Wide Web?” The difference is that the “how to” headline makes a specific offer. Inside it offers more specifics about “How much,” “How long,” and “What's next.”
hard-sell COLORS ARE EVERYWHERE—I keep a file of bold, bright, attractive printed materials that cross my desk. When I'm stuck for ideas, I steal those color schemes. A process color specifiyer such as those published by Pantone, show thousands of different colors and the values of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black (CMYK) used to create them. You simply match up a color from the printed piece to a color in the book and copy the color specifications to the program you're using.
hard-sell LAYOUTS ARE DESIGNED LIKE SIGNS—The first job of a page layout is to slow the reader down long enough to get them involved. A brochure often needs to be spotted from five or ten feet away. To that end, design your brochure like a sign—bold, simple, and colorful.
hard-sell IDEAS ANTICIPATE OUTCOMES—Assume for a minute that your prospect accepts your message—how do you direct their response? If you think they may not contact you until a specific need arises, anticipate that need. The brochure below includes a rotary file card so the contact information is nearby when they are ready to buy.
hard-sell TYPEFACES ARE USED FOR EMPHASIS—If everyone is screaming, no one gets heard. Better to establish one clear voice and use the others to harmonize. Below, one bold typeface is used in two different sizes to draw the reader through the letter. From the big, white-on-black headline which states the benefit, to the coupon subhead which directs the action.
hard-sell ILLUSTRATIONS SHOW THE PRODUCT—Everyone has a product and should show it. Even if you are selling a service, you can show the result of using it.
hard-sell LAYOUTS SHOW HOW TO RESPOND—This flyer (below) could be inserted in a publication or mailed with a cover letter. The cover panel (bottom left) makes the offer and is lifted to reveal a discount certificate (top left). Fully opened, the illustration, headline, and coupon ask for a response. When the coupon is filled in, the reader simply refolds the flyer, tapes it shut and drops it in the mail to return it post paid.
hard-sell IDEAS COME FROM SELLING SITUATIONS—A printed piece typically attempts to do some of the same things a sales person does. Great insights into how a piece should present your message can be found through discussions with sales people who have hands-on experience with your customers. Find out what they know about the difference between your prospects and your buyers. What objections do they hear? What offers do they make? How do they close their sales? Even if you don't have a sales staff, you can read up on applicable selling techniques and see how they might be adapted to your situation.
hard-sell IS NOT COMPLICATED—A soft sell campaign, designed to develop the image of your organization, often approaches the selling problem in an indirect way. A hard-sell piece (below) should leave little to interpretation—it lays out the benefits, anticipates objections, fills in the details, and asks for the sale.
Sources: Photograph: Photo of men at office construction site from Corporate Motion CD by Rubberball Productions, www.rubberball.com; Illustrations: Clip art from Designer's Club by Dynamic Graphics, www.dgusa.com; Headline font: Raleigh Gothic Condensed from FontHaus www.fonthaus.com; Photograph: US Landmarks and Travel by PhotoDisc, www.photodisc.com