Like many people, you probably remember watching Richard
Pryor on television and in the movies. Pryor was
over-the-top, bold, and outrageous, and he had the cojones
to say whatever was on his mind. Often times, all he was
doing was simply entering the conversation his audience was
already having inside their own minds, saying out loud, the
thoughts they were already thinking about, but were afraid
to mention or discuss on their own.America’s top copywriter and direct-marketing
consultant Craig Garber (http://www.kingofcopy.com) says
“Most business owners could learn a lot about
selling from Richard Pryor. Whether you know it or not, he
was a pure genius when it came to marketing, and this is
why he was so successful.” Garber, who consistently
prods and encourages business-owners to use unconventional
“maverick marketing” methods, says here are just 5 of the
many things Pryor cleverly did, that you should be using as well:1. He was controversial. Most advertising is nothing
more than a “big business card,” and
let’s face it, do you really think telling your
prospects your name, phone number, and how long you’
ve been in business, sets you apart from your competition,
or gives them enough of a reason to lie awake in bed at
night, thinking you might be the solution to their problems?
You don’t need to look any further than the results
of your marketing, to get the answer to this one.
Don’t bet the farm on conventional wisdom — going
against the grain is your ticket to success in marketing,
and in life.2. Pryor consistently talked about personal events going
on in his life. And since by nature, people are curious
and voyeuristic — that’s why Reality TV is so
popular — your prospects would be thrilled to hear
what’s going on “behind the closed
doors” of your life, especially if you can make it
exciting and fun for them.3. Along these same lines, Pryor certainly wasn’t
afraid to expose and make fun of his own weaknesses. And
as a marketer, one of the smartest things you can do is
bring up any objections to, or weaknesses in your own
product or service ahead of time, and deal with these things
up-front. Think about it, if you’ve already handled
your prospect’s concerns, not only are you
eliminating critical selling obstacles, but you’re
also building trust by letting them know you’re only
human, just like they are.4. Pryor was funny and entertaining! Thoreau once said
“Most men lead lives of quiet
desperation,” and this applies to your prospects
as well. They’re overwhelmed with too many things to
do and not enough time to do them in, and if you can
regularly be the bright ray of sunshine in their lives,
they’ll LOVE hearing from you and they’ll show
you their appreciation by buying more, and by buying more
often.5. Most important of all, Pryor was REAL. And in
today’s day-and-age, when your prospects are getting
hit six-ways-till Sunday with all sorts of hype and
sensationalized B.S. — coming along with a dose of reality
and a no-nonsense style, makes YOU a refreshing slice of
life your clients will gobble up, again and again.Listen, insanity is doing the same thing over-and-over again
and expecting different results. And when it comes to
selling, truer words were never spoken. So if you want to
keep getting the same awful results from your marketing,
then keep doing the same things you’re doing. But if
you want to uncover how to simply explode your sales, in
addition to discovering much much more about how to use
compelling and eye-opening sales copy and marketing savvy to
consistently get your prospects to buy, then you want to
consider using the same methods Pryor used, to get the same
kind of outstanding results.