Hiya CopyStar!
So my friend Babs decided to have a multi-family yard sale in our small town here in Georgia, USA.
Now – I’ve only lived in our cabin for a year so I didn’t think I’d have enough stuff to sell. But…
… before I knew it – I had boxes of home décor that never got used. Plus I had way too many picture frames… baskets… books… funny signs… and a host of other knick knacks piling up in my storage room!
So I decided to make the drive down to the “big city” and have a go at it!
Now I didn’t expect to get rich – but knew I’d have some fun with the other ladies as we unload and dispose of our unneeded valuables.
And through the ebbs and flows of the customer traffic – I started watching our prospective buyers. I mean REALLY watching them.
That’s when I discovered some priceless copywriting jewels that can help you SHARPEN your skills.
So here are 3 copywriting AHA moments I experienced from my recent yard sale…
Yard Sale copywriting AHA moment #3: Folks like to touch stuff! I’m not kidding! Many of my yard sale shoppers didn’t just look at an object.
They picked it up. Studied it. Saw how much it weighed. How it felt. And even how it looked on them. Why?
To help them decide whether to buy or not.
What’s the copywriting lesson?
Give your prospect a clear description of what you’re selling! You don’t have the luxury to let your prospect touch your product – or to even have a personal conversation.
So you’ve got to use your words so your prospect can really understand what you’re selling.
Know the questions in your prospect’s mind in advance – and answer them in your sales! For example…
…if you’re selling nutritional supplements – make sure your prospect knows the product is easy to swallow… contains no nasty aftertaste/side effects… only needs to take one capsule a day.
Tell ‘em what’s in the formula and why they’re in there. What they can expect on day 1… day 30… and so on.
The more comfortable the prospect is with your description and explanation – the more likely you’ll make the sale!
Yard Sale copywriting AHA moment #2: Not everybody is your market! The majority of the stuff I had to sell had a rustic/cabin look or feel to it.
So a person searching for snowboarding/skiing items was not going to be interested in my stuff – no matter how cheap the price.
That’s why when folks stopped by – I asked if they were looking for something in particular? If they said “winter/skiing stuff” – I’d direct them to my friend Shelley – who had exclusively snowboards and ski supplies at her booth!
That saved us both time!
But if they said they just moved to the area or they’re living in a log home – BAM! I knew I had a shot!
So I would direct them to my stash! This way I focused my energy and narrowed my market to the folks most likely to buy my stuff!
So what’s the copywriting lesson?
Focus on your niche! Don’t try to sell to the masses. Go after your core market. Give them the best product. The best price. The best of everything you got!
These are the folks who are going to buy from you over and over again.
So treat them like royalty!
Yard Sale copywriting AHA moment #1: It’s not about YOU! One of the biggest mistakes you can make in a yard sale is to take things too personally. You may have spent $100 on an item and can’t see parting with it for less than $25. But those are YOUR issues.
You’re at a yard sale and buyers are looking for a great deal! They don’t need to hear your life’s story with the object. So you either want to sell the stuff – or put it back in your storage room to gather dust.
If you want to sell – you gotta be willing to make a deal. One thing that really helped me unload stuff was to keep the price fluid. When asked for a price – I’d say something like “I think it’s a great deal at $10 – what do you think?”
Sometimes folks agreed. Other times they’d say “would you take $8 for it?” In both cases – the deal was sealed!
This was another huge reminder to keep your sales copy focused on your prospect!
Let them know how the product affects their life!
Are they going to be thinner? Richer? Smarter? Prettier? Enviable?
Make sure your product offers benefits your prospect really wants! Write copy that feels like a one-on-one conversation – not a term paper! And by all means…
… write like you talk!
Like I said earlier – a great copywriter anticipates questions and answers them.
So right now – you’re probably dying to know how did my yard sale experience turn out? Or more importantly – how much moolah did it make?
Well – let me tell ya: I had a BLAST! I spent an entire day getting to know my neighbors. They told me about some great little eating spots that are supposedly DELISH! So I can’t wait to try them out.
I also got great stories and experiences that I can easily weave into future sales copy. For example – on a recent flight to Alaska, Sue experienced Congestive Heart Failure.
If the passenger sitting next to her wasn’t a cardiologist and the woman behind her, an ICU nurse – Sue swears she’d be dead now.
But she showed me her newly implanted pacemaker and says she’s thankful to be alive today! Cool story, right? You better believe I’m going to tie that story into a promo package somehow!
Then – I got a free large mango smoothie and pizza lunch from Bab’s husband Eddie that was YUM.
Plus – I laughed my head off with my yard sale ladies and new “sisters from other misters”: Babs, Alina, Wendy, Michelle, Shelley & Shelly. And…
… I made a whopping $142.50! (I honestly didn’t think I’d break $50 – so I was pleasantly surprised!) And let me tell you this:
Writing copy is a whole lot easier and lucrative – but overall it was a great day!
So if you get a chance to recycle your old stuff… reduce clutter in your home… and reinforce your copywriting skills – take advantage of your local yard sales CopyStar!
See you in class,
