Contrast is nothing more than helping your prospects realize the value in your product or service compared to another product or service that they are already sold on.

For example, let's assume your prospect is a coffee drinker and the widget you are selling costs $29.00 per month. You might say:

"For less than a measly dollar a day, this amazing widget quickly and easily does blah, blah, blah, helping you earn more and work less. Under a buck a day that's less than you pay for your daily cup of coffee!"

How can you use the principle of contrast in your sales copy?

Liking:

Most people prefer to interact and deal with people that they know and like, so try to find some similarity between you and your prospect.

Maybe you both like baseball.

Maybe you both have kids in the third grade.

Maybe you both love Thai food.

Whatever it is, find it. When a prospect can identify with you based on some similarity, he is more apt to like you and, thus, buy from you.

You should also look for opportunities to praise people and use their names. In his book, How To Win Friends And Influence People, Dale Carnegie says:

"We should be aware of the magic contained in a name and realize that this single item is wholly and completely owned by the person with whom we are dealing...and nobody else."

"The name sets the individual apart; it makes him or her unique among all others. The information we are imparting or the request we are making takes on a special importance when we approach the situation with the name of the individual. From the waitresses to the senior executives, the name will work magic as we deal with others."

"Remember that a person's name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language."

If you have never read Carnegie's book, I highly recommend you do.

EMOTION: Want vs. Need

If you had the choice to sell your subscribers something they wanted or something they needed, which would you choose?

You would choose the product they need because they have to buy it, right?

Well, yes and no.

Just because your subscribers need a product doesn't mean they want it. In fact, the opposite is often true; they don't want it, but out of necessity, are required to purchase it.

That means they're spending money on a requirement rather than a desire, so they become resistant to your sales messages. And because they resist spending their money on something they don't necessarily want, it can become very difficult to sell it to them.

Take auto insurance, for example.

If you want to drive a vehicle, you are required by law to own automobile insurance. Just because you are required to purchase it, does not mean you want to purchase it.

Perhaps you don't see the value in it or you don't understand the value of it.

In any case, many people do not want to spend their hard-earned dollars on something that they do not want, such as auto insurance. So, they shop around looking for one thing only - the best price. It, thus, becomes difficult for an auto insurance sales person to sell insurance policies.

On the other hand, let's say you sell cars, and Jack comes to you to buy a car. After speaking with him for a few minutes, you learn he is interested in the red sports car. You know this car costs twice as much as one of the more 'practical' cars on the lot, but you also know it's not the car that Jack wants.

Chances are, what Jack wants is the status that comes from owning such a car. So you paint a mental picture for him of how great he'll feel when he's driving down the road with the top down, waving at his friends and family and colleagues.

You don't sell him what he needs (a car); you sell him what he wants (feeling great and important and proud).

Whatever his reasons, it is your job to uncover his personal desires. As you take him through the sales process, you constantly reinforce those emotions, and remind him of the benefits he receives from purchasing that car.

Take a look around your house at all of your possessions and you'll quickly discover that almost everything you own, you purchased based on emotion rather than out of necessity.

Therefore take the time to find out exactly what it is your subscribers and customers want. Focus on selling them what they want, not what they need.

* Supercharge Messages with Multiple Persuasion Tactics

Do you have to use just one principle of persuasion per sales message?

NO!

Use as many as you can, like in this example, of a woman praising her favorite salon:

"My hairstylist Massimo was trained by the best in his motherland Italy (Authority). My good friend Sonia recommended him to me (Testimonial). He even cuts and styles the hair of several celebrities (Social Proof). He is in such demand that I have to book over a month in advance (Scarcity). But when I am there, he pampers me with wine and cheese. It's so relaxing (Reciprocity, Over-Deliver)."

Basically, it comes down to this: emotion sells. That's why it is your job as a sales person to tap into the emotions of your subscribers and uncover the real reasons why your prospect wants your product or service.

Persuade your subscribers to buy, and you will end up with a huge, highly profitable opt-in email list.