What is persuasive marketing?

The 5 C’s of Persuasive Marketing

Marketing is a persuasive process.
“Yes, Mark. You’ve said that before.”
You were listening? Great, then it’s time to reveal the actual process for persuasion that will attract you a community and convert them into happy clients.

These are the 5 C’s of Persuasive Marketing

• Content
• Character
• Confidence
• Concrete
• Check

Content

With the ever growing presence of social media you won’t have a difficult time finding folks that will emphatically tell you that “social media and relationships make the internet go ’round.”
They say that because they’re good at talking… not creating business. Here’s the real truth:
The world that the internet goes ’round is Content. Relationships are based on Content and are a key determining factor if someone wants to go ahead and build a relationship or not.
This makes Content the key component in your client-catching process.
If folks turn to the internet for information then the higher quality information you provide the more people you attract.
Put on your Content Creating Hat because by providing quality content up front you do a few things. Obviously, you attract people to you. You also position yourself as the authority in your market. Good place to be if you want to eventually sell something.

Character

If it’s Content that attracts, then it’s Character that converts. You’ve given them something good in terms of Content… now they’re asking themselves a question: Do I want to get to know this guy?
Most definitely, you want them to get to know you. So show some Character, my man. Boring marketing gets you nowhere… but marketing with Character, now that gets you raving fans.
Look at Howard Stern or Simon Cowell. Love them or hate them, they’ve got Character worth about a bazillion dollars a year.
I also want you to notice the transition here… your Content attracts folks when they look for information – this is the intellectual appeal of your marketing. In order to make a sale, though, we need to start appealing to folks on an emotional level – that’s where your Character comes in.
Emotion is not just the key to the heart (raving fans) it’s also the key to the credit card (hyper-responsive buyers).
Keep Character out of your marketing process and you’re keeping dollars from your pocket. Plain and simple.

Confidence

Now, I’m no Dr. Phil but I can tell you that at some point in the relationship the other person is going to have doubts.

Is this for me?
Maybe I should wait?
What happens if this is wrong?
Will I die?

You’ve gotta build their Confidence that “YES, I’m a swell guy and I’ll treat you right.”
Nothing speaks this louder and builds Confidence better than proof. Confidence and proof remove anxiety so that your prospects move closer to you, get chummy and, of course, eventually become happy clients.
You’ve given them valuable Content, they see you as a trusted friend because of your Character, and they feel Confident that you can deliver upon your promise.
One thing I want to point out is that proof doesn’t just support your story, it also helps your prospect weave their own.
See, your prospect witnesses those testimonials, those case studies, and inserts themselves as the main character. They picture themselves achieving similar positive results. Even if those results are just half as good, they still picture what it will be like when they come out on top just like those other folks.
Nothing is more persuasive than those visions and emotions they stir up in themselves.

Concrete

At this point, you want to let them feel it because “once you pop you can’t stop.” (Pringles, anyone?)
By making things Concrete the promised benefits become more tangible. In real estate this is the 1-on-1 consult where you re-affirm your coolness and ability to help. It allows your prospect to get a richer taste of what is to come.
Once you make things Concrete the whole process becomes far more experiential, too. Your prospect is actually experienceing the level of service that will deliver to them the awesome scenario they’ve started fantasizing about.
That’s pretty powerful. Keep laying on the Confidence throughout this stage and your prospect’s emotions begin to really build up… and they’ve made the decision themselves that choosing you is the best thing for them to do.

Check

Up to this point, you’ve educated your market with Content, built rapport with your Character, removed anxiety and built Confidence, and made access to their dreams Concrete. Now it’s time for the Check Move.
For the life of me, I can’t recall who introduced me to the term Check Move. Someone probably infinitely smarter than I. Anyway…
In chess, checkmate is when your opponent can no longer avoid you or protect himself. In real estate, the checkmate is when your prospect makes the decision and signs the buyer-broker.
You can no more make them sign than you can cause them to lose a game of chess… they have to do that for themselves. All you can do is create the opportunity for them to do so.
This happens throughout the process I’ve described. You remove their objections and obstacles, their uncertainty as to choosing you to handle this major transaction, and built up the emotional desire to move forward. Then you simply declare Check and present your buyer-broker.
You’ll like the result
Do this right and you’ll enjoy two extra C’s – Cash and re-Creation. Okay, that may be a bit lame, but still… nothing wrong with more money in the pocket and more time spent at the lake.