Good
Bait—No Hook
Dear
Associate,
"Do
you like submarine sandwiches?" the blonde lady asked
me as I'm walking past a car wash on a busy La Jolla street.
"Yes
I do," I answered. When it comes to sandwiches I will
never forget the ones made from the delis in San Francisco
with their unique sourdough bread. While the sandwiches are
delicious, it's the bread that makes them stand out. I have
yet to come across sourdough bread that comes close in flavor
and texture.
"Good,"
she said. "The new submarine place just opened across
the street. It's not a chain, but family owned. Here's a coupon
for a $4.99 special on their Hero Sub with soda and a bag
of chips."
"Okay,
thanks," I replied.
She
handed me a beautiful four-color brochure, which contained
their menu. Inserted inside was a postcard-sized coupon with
their logo, a map of their location, phone number, web address
and a close-up picture of a fresh sub. This was impressive
as most eateries print their to-go menus in one-color ink
on lightweight colored paper.
I
looked across the street at their storefront and basically
it was a sandwich place nestled between a Mexican taqueria
and a locally owned taco chain. It appeared clean and inviting
but nothing stood out to capture my interest. No fireworks,
no media, no celebrities and no eye candy.
The
postcard mentioned "Now Open!" so I assumed they
were a new business. Their main job now was to get people
in the door. And passing out coupons to pedestrians was a
pro-active way to get noticed and drum up business.
I
wasn't hungry so I passed. During the following week I referred
back to the gorgeous brochure and postcard. Although I liked
their offer, there was nothing else that compelled me to want
to go there to place an order.
"...Prepares
the highest quality salads, sandwiches and soups..."
means little to me. And neither does, "Perfected in California."
That's vague and insignificant.
The
dull drivel continued...
"hand
crafted sandwiches, hot and ready soups, ready to-go salads."
If you think about it — isn't this the same default message
given by the rest of the sandwich shops? Definitely. This
shop was missing one important element:
The
hook.
The
hook is that special lower your defenses draw which
can single-handedly bring in a gusher of customers. It knocks
down all forms of resistance. It creates a mad rush. It persuades
the staunch light-spender to open her purse while tossing
out all logic and reasoning. It convinces the tightwad he's
getting a super deal.
For
example: a casino can advertise, "We have the loosest
slots in town." A restaurant can claim, "Voted best
steakhouse in the county." Or a retailer can offer, "Save
an extra 20% on top of the discounted price on all Red Dot
items."
The
hook repositions a shopper's priorities. It entices her to
spend instead of window shop. It makes him go out of his way
to satisfy his lust. It can make a consumer salivate.
One
evening in Las Vegas a colleague and I read a sign inside
a decent restaurant: "Steak and Egg Breakfast for $2.99."
I began drooling. Coming from California, that was a ridiculous
bargain. We HAD to try it. We were so determined to be there
the next morning — nothing could have gotten in our way.
In this case, the offer became the hook.
Are
you losing sales that should be yours?
If
so then you may want to create your hook. Consumers will go
out of their way if you hook and deliver them a promise your
competitors do not offer. Do this now to boost your online
and offline sales.
Warm
regards,
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Tommy Yan helps business owners and entrepreneurs make more
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