In the last email I talked about the benefits of writing a "negative" email — aka handling an Objection — about your product.
And how one Objection-style email played a part in pushing the last launch of CopyHour past $140k in sales.
If you can raise an issue on a lot of your prospect’s minds, and solve it effectively, it doesn’t torpedo sales like some might think. In my experience it actually boosts sales and general engagement because of the trust an honest discussion brings out.
Now, in the case of CopyHour, a common Objection is that there is time and work commitment involved. It’s not a push-button solution.
So I had a decision: I could address the fact that CopyHour asks people to put in some time and work to learn copywriting… or I could ignore it entirely.
The right choice is almost always to address common concerns.
If you think you might benefit from an Objection handling email, here’s a nice proven formula you can use.
- The Question or Curiosity
- Create Anticipation
- State the Objection
- Empathize
- Minimize
- Expand
- Clear Advantage
- Negative Association
Part #1: The Subject Line Should Ask The Question or Create Curiosity
The purpose of a subject line is 2-fold:
- Grab attention.
- Create enough curiosity to get an open.
For an Objection-style email I think you have two good options.
Option #1 is to outright state the Objection.
This might have resulted in a subject line like: "How much work does CopyHour require?"
That’s okay, but for this particular Objection, that’s not enough curiosity, and barely enough attention.
Option #2 is to create curiosity.
I decided to go with a proven subject line formula that grabs attention and creates curiosity (because the reader doesn’t expect this email or know what some Objections might be).
The proven subject line formula is: "The Case against XYZ".
Step #2: Create anticipation
The best way to create anticipation is to start by saying you’re going to be honest and that it could hurt business in some way (even though it probably will have the opposite effect).
Step #3: Simply State The Objection.
Try to make this as word-for-word with what you’ve seen a customer or real person say. It should resonate with the prospect. "Yes, I was thinking the same thing."
Step #4: Empathize with that objection.
Tell them that they’re actually right to feel this way. I know this from being in a relationship. The easiest and surest path to a fight is to dismiss someone’s feelings and then give advice.
Don’t do that. Emphasize by agreeing with them in some way.
Step #5: Minimize the Objection Without Dismissing it Fully.
The best transitionary word here is "But".
"But" is one of those weird words that seems to softly negate what you said previously. The key is to find a flaw in the thinking or something that their concern might be missing.
Step #6: Expand the Objection into a Positive Thing.
The way I did it in my email was saying: It’s not easy, but 90 days isn’t a long time. Short hard bursts produce results that last a lifetime.
Step #7: Turn the Objection into a Clear Advantage.
Tell them that all the best case studies (successful people) have enjoyed this Objection because it helped them stand apart from the herd.
Step #8: Steer Them Away From Purchasing Only If They Want A Negative Association.
When you tell someone that a product isn’t right for them if they associate with an undesirable trait… that creates tension. People want to identify with positive traits (such as being a hard worker).
It also creates trust by giving people an out if they need it.
And that’s it!
If you’re then transitioning into a pitch of your product, it makes sense to highlight most clearly the benefits you’ve just described through handling the Objection.
If you want the full email to look at, you can see it in action here:
>>> CopyHour’s Objection handling email
Cheers!
- Derek