by Marie Williams
Most of you will be familiar with the works of Dale
Carnegie and, in particular, his best-selling
publication 'How to Win Friends and Influence People.'
People.' It may be over half a century old, but this
powerful book is still largely relevant today. Some of
his basic ideas need just a little modification for
running a successful online business. Here's how to win
(and keep!) friends on the web:
1) GET PERSONAL. Dale says: 'Remember that a man's
name is to him the sweetest and most important sound.'
Political correctness aside, he's spot on. We're less
likely to trash personalised emails, are more likely to
open these first, and (providing the email is also
well-written) we'll be better disposed to actually
reading them. Limited use of names within the body of
the email can also draw attention to important points,
but if this is overdone it will loose its
effectiveness.
2) PRAISE WHERE IT'S DUE. Dale says: 'Begin with praise
and appreciation.' This is a great technique when
promoting products or services. A small amount of
praise can go a long way - as long as it's sincere and
you've done your homework. Take a look at the following
two notes:
a) Hi there friend! Great site! I've got a great new
product to share with you at a very special price ...
b) Hi Name. Your articles in X Ezine are top-notch.
Your ideas have helped to turn my website into a
goldmine. By way of thanks, I'd now like to share
some exciting new ideas of mine with you ...
No points for guessing which letter will get results.
The first smacks of insincerity and contains no
personalization or indication that the writer has even
visited your website. The second letter uses a small
amount of targeted praise as a great introduction to
the sales patter. This helps to establish an element of
trust - necessary if you hope to make any sales.
3) INFLATE YOUR INTEREST. Dale says: 'Talk in terms
of the other man's interests.' Of course, this isn't so
manageable with an online business. It's easy to apply
with a reciprocal face-to-face conversation, but it's
another matter entirely via email correspondence.
You have to learn to be an email 'scavenger.' It
usually takes several emails before a deal is struck.
In this time (providing that you have followed the
personalization and praise techniques), your reader
will probably have opened up a little. You should read
all their emails carefully (keep them together in a
separate file if necessary) and search for anything
that they let slip about themselves - personal details,
country of residence, even their preferred style of
writing (formal or informal). These details are your
marketing weapons. Comment upon or casually drop in
a few of these choice details in your replies for added
personalization. When used discretely, they can
establish and build a bond between you and your
potential client.
4) LET THEM HAVE THEIR SAY. Dale says: 'Let the other
man do a great deal of the talking.' Encourage feedback
from your reader. Give them a reason to reply and to
pass on more of their personal details. This can be
done by making a few relevant enquiries. Ensure that
you don't ask questions which simply require a 'yes' or
'no' answer. Ask something specific and get them
talking. Not only does this help you extract your
marketing weapons but it also means that your potential
client won't feel as though they've been talked into
anything - even if they have.
I think you'll find that these four steps will give you
a really unfair advantage over your competition. If you
want to learn more, pick up a copy of 'How to Win
Friends and Influence People.' It's not too old to
teach you a thing or two.
Marie Williams, editor "Write Advice"
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