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The Weight Loss Industry’s Secret Selling Mechanism

Seems like everyday, there’s a new weight loss offer promoted.

Whether it’s a food, infoproduct, service or device, it seems we can’t get enough ways to lose weight.

If Gary Halbert were writing this, he’d say the market was “rabid”.

“It doesn’t matter if the last five products I’ve bought didn’t work.

It doesn’t matter if I didn’t lose a single pound.

It doesn’t matter if they won’t give me my money back.

This next time will be different.

This next time, I’ll lose the blubber and be able to finally fit into my skinny jeans.”

Delusional?

Maybe, maybe not.

I’ve worked on dozens of weight loss offers over the years. The majority of the products worked. 

Their testimonials were legit.

So why do people continue to buy?

Yes of course, they want to “torch the fat.”

But why do they continue to buy when all their previous efforts have failed?

And this becomes the lesson for the marketer and copywriter.

The answer is… HOPE.

When you’re in markets where there is a high amount of failure for people to get results, you want to press the hope button.

And continue to press it, until they buy.

In these markets, hope is an integral element to the copywriting. It’s essential to the sale.

Look at it this way:

You already know you’re in a rabid market.

A rabid market prone to high amounts of failure.

First thing you must do is justify those previous failures and make them a non-issue.

This opens the mental door to see your product in a new light, which is fairly easy to do because the desire to melt fat is so incredibly high.

Then with every opportunity that makes sense, you ratchet up hope.

You can do this, for instance, with the guarantee. 

“We’re so certain you’ll lose 10 pounds the first month, if you don’t, we’ll give you your money back. And you can keep our gizmo as a token of our appreciation for trusting us.”

 This implicitly creates hope.

You’re calling out to their previous attempts when you say “and if you don’t”.

And yes, your certainty (if it’s strong enough without being overpowering) will also provide hope.

The point is, once you get to the introduction of your product… and once you justify away why those previous products haven’t worked… you instill hope all along the way.

Of course, the testimonials help.

And yes, the risk reversal.

But also the price contrast and reveal, the future pacing, the closes and the calls-to-action.

Do it where it makes sense.

And keep in mind, this email isn’t just about weight loss.

Golf… business opportunity… alternative health… internet marketing… these are all markets where you should be selling hope.

The way I do it is I mentally assume they’re already buyers.

They just need to have hope–ONE. MORE. TIME.

They just need to…

BELIEVE.

Talk soon,

–Matt

P.S. And don’t forget to keep banging that drum. 😉

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