How to Write Sales Copy That Converts: Purchase Objections, Pt. 2

There's no statement in the English language that creates anxiety in the human brain like the words "We need to talk.”

Your brain immediately starts making assumptions about what’s wrong and what the problem is. Most of the time, what we come up with isn’t even real. We waste valuable time and energy stressing out about nothing.

But what does that have to do with sales copy?

You can be writing for the most amazing offer in the world, but if you don’t address the purchase objections in people’s minds, it’s like you’re putting them in limbo with “We need to talk”, and leaving their brains to try to close the loop.

Unaddressed Purchase Objections

If we haven’t met, I am Christa Nichols. I’ve been writing direct response sales copy for seven- and eight-figure entrepreneurs and business owners for the past six years. I’ve seen it all, and now I’m on a mission to help equip freelance copywriting mamas with the strategies and sales copy techniques that will help them uplevel their results and uplevel their income.

Unaddressed purchase objections will continue to live inside consumers’ minds. Unless you dig in deep to figure out what they are so you can address them in your copy, you're leaving buyers to make their own assumptions about the offer and its ability to solve their problem.

This is NOT good, because we all know what happens when you assume.

This article is part two in my series on "How to Write Sales Copy That Converts: Purchase Objections". Did you miss part one? You can read it here.

In this article, I'm breaking down two more types of purchase objections that every offer faces - ability-related purchase objections and results-based purchase objections.

I’ll point out several different ways these objections materialize in people’s minds and give you some strategies for addressing each one in the sales copy you write for clients.?

And if you’re a business owner or entrepreneur who writes their own sales copy, this applies to you too. So let’s talk about ability- and results-based purchase objections.

Ability-Related Purchase Objections

When I first started as a freelancer, I spent some time as a social media manager. Not only was I not very good at it, but I didn't enjoy it at all.

It didn’t take long before I shifted my focus to sales copywriting, which I loved, but my past experience as a not-so-hot social media manager followed me. It affected how I moved forward in my business, and I underpriced my services because I doubted my ability to get results.

Until I regained my confidence, my past experiences and how I felt about them held me back in my business.

There are people out there who are in pain and searching for solutions. Unfortunately, their past experiences are tagging along with them, and that can affect their purchase decisions. So let’s talk about how ability-related purchase objections show up in people's minds and how to deal with them in your sales copy.

Am I qualified?

The first way ability-related objections show up in people’s minds is with the question, “Is this for me?” People want to know, “Am I qualified? I’ve failed before. Am I going to be able to get the results I want now, with this?”

You know and I know they’re a perfect fit for the offer, right? But THEY don’t, and that’s the problem. Your sales copy must help them self-identify as the exact person the offer is for, and there are a couple ways you can do this.?

First, use stories in the body of the copy to illustrate the before and after of the people just like them who have used the offer and had success. Stories are connective, and they have a way of showing people the truth in a way that engages and holds the reader's attention.

For example, let’s say your client sells a sleep course that helps perimenopausal women with sleep disturbances sleep through the night again. Is this a big problem for this target audience? I can personally say that yes, yes it is. Better sleep is a solution these women desperately want ...

... but that doesn't mean this offer will get an automatic yes. Remember, people bring their past experiences with them, and it can affect how they see their chances at success.

Some of these women will see the offer and think, "I've tried something like this before, and it didn't work. It must just be me. I bet this won't work for me either."

Others will think, “Wow, that sounds great, but it’s probably only for women who are xyz. I’m not, so I bet I won't be able to get the same results they did.” She automatically assumes there’s something in her that will keep her from succeeding.?

But if you know the ability-related purchase objections these women have, you can include a story that illustrates how women just like them took the course and started sleeping better.?

Another way to deal with the “Is this for me?” question is to just straight up say who the offer is for in the sales copy. You may think it’s unnecessary, but remember, that’s just an assumption. Don’t make people guess who an offer is for. Tell them.

Can I figure it out?

Trying something new and unfamiliar can be nerve-wracking. It’s even more so for those who have been trying and failing. The second way ability-based purchase objections show up in people’s minds is with the question, “Can I figure it out?”?

People want to know how something works. If they don't understand it, they may doubt whether or not they'll be able to figure it out. “Can I do it? Am I smart enough, strong enough, beautiful enough, tall enough …?" Fill in the blanks with whatever they’re the target audience thinks they’re not enough of.?

It's really important to make sure the sales copy communicates how the offer works and what they’ll need to be able to get the result they want. This can be as simple as writing a short description or as involved as including a step-by-step breakdown of how it works. The higher the price point, the more information you’ll need to include.

Another strategy that can help make this objection irrelevant is to talk about the things included in the offer that will help them "figure it out". How-to videos or a step-by-step guide can go a long way to helping someone put this ability-related objection to rest.

Am I in this on my own?

The final way ability-related purchase objections can show up raises the question, “Am I in this on my own?” People know they may have questions along the way. What they DON'T know is whether or not there will be somewhere to turn to get answers.

?“What if I get stuck? How do I get help? Is there somewhere I can go to ask questions?” These are questions consumers want to know the answers to.

No one wants to invest in something only to feel like they’re on their own if they ned support. The copy needs to communicate if there will be help and support available when they need it. Great places to address this are the frequently asked question section on a sales page or in an email remarketing sequence.

Now let’s turn our attention to the next type of purchase objection – results-based purchase objections.

Results-Based Purchase Objections

Raise your hand if you've ever purchased something and been disappointed. Yeah, me too. It's awful, especially if it's not the first time a product or service has let you down.

Some people in the target market for the products and services you write for are jaded. They're not going to just take your word - or your client's word - for it. It's time to get serious about dealing with results-based purchase objections!

Will this really work?

Have you ever looked at something and thought “I wonder if that even works?” That's the first way results-based objections tend to pop up.

We’ve all been let down by something we’ve purchased before. Those disappointments can affect the future purchasing decisions we make. If we're not questioning our own ability to get results, we're questioning whether or not the product or service works.?

The good news is, there’s a pretty simple solution to this one – testimonials. When you include testimonials of people who have gotten results from the offer, that’s gold standard social proof. It’s irreplaceable!

It’s so powerful for consumers to be able to see people just like them getting the results that they want. Grab those screenshots. Create those pull quotes. Compile a video montage. There's no such thing as having too many testimonials and reviews.

What if I don’t love it?

The second way results-based purchase objections show up is with the question, “What if I buy but I don’t love it?”

Nobody wants to get stuck with something they thought would be great but didn’t work. In fact, we hate it so much that our wallets will stay frozen in our pockets sometimes unless there's a “just in case” escape hatch.

What do I mean? I'm talking about a guarantee or warranty. Not every offer you write for will have one, but for those that do, make sure people know it exists. And don't forget to communicate the terms of the warranty or guarantee.

Guarantees and warranties help remove risk from people's minds. Although most will never use the guarantee or warranty, just knowing it's there can be enough to put people's minds at ease.

Why is THIS going to work when nothing else has?

The final results-based purchase objection is one that will have you diving into market research. You need to be able to answer the question “Why is THIS going to work when nothing else I’ve tried before has?”?

We touched on this in my previous video on cost and time objections. Being able to differentiate the offer you’re writing for from other solutions people are trying helps make purchase objections irrelevant.

That means you need to familiarize yourself with what those other options are, then be able to communicate how and why the offer you're writing for is better or different. To do this, you're going to need to work with your client to determine the unique value proposition of the offer.

If you've never heard the term unique value proposition (UVP) that's okay. Let me break it down. The UVP - also called the "smoking gun" - is the one thing that makes the offer different from all other offers.

Having a clear UVP and communicating it in the copy creates that “IT” factor around the offer, which triggers dopamine in the brain and makes people WANT it.?

If people don't know WHY or HOW your offer is any different/better/more unique/category of one than the competition, they’ll just go with the cheaper option, and nobody wins in a race to the bottom for pricing.

Results-based purchase objections can be tricky to deal with, but providing real-life testimonials, including a guarantee or warranty, and clearly outlining what makes this offer unique will help.

Conclusion

So what do you think? Are you ready to tackle ability-related and results-based purchase objections? Give me a thumbs up if this article was helpful, and drop a comment below and let me know how you’re going to use these tips this week.

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