Be warned, the following story may hurt some people’s sensibilities. And I am not saying this shamelessly to grab your attention. This is true…
Here’s what happened.
The woman you see in the picture is Stella Liebeck.
She was a 79-year-old woman living in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
One afternoon in February 1992, Stella went to the airport to drop off her grandson.
Then she went to McDrive to buy a coffee before returning to her car.
And… since she wanted to mix milk and sugar, and she didn’t have a cup holder…
…he held it between his knees to try to remove the lid.
Except that… it detaches the lid mercilessly.
Can you guess what’s next?
Hot coffee (82°C. All the same…) spilled onto the old woman’s clothes and burned her skin for 90 seconds.
16% of his skin was burned in the second degree and 6% in the third.
Stable for four weeks, Stella had to undergo a skin graft.
And after the accident, she became permanently disabled…
… to the extent that he weighed only 38 k. instead of 50.
So much for reference.
Now you’re thinking, “Okay, but what’s the deal with $2.7M?” ,
I’ll explain to you
This is where the interesting things start
Stella asked McDonald’s to reimburse her $11,000 in medical expenses.
Except that the brand refused and decided to pay him only $800.
(Not very good, really…)
Angry at what happened to him…
Revolt against these terrifying sequels…
Angry with this firm ruining his life..
Stella decided to file a complaint against McDonald’s.
Worryingly, the trial was not won.
The old lady was still responsible for her injuries.
But everything changes when…
… McDonald’s Quality Control Manager Speaks Two Deadly Words
The judge had just summoned him to try to shed light on the matter.
But this man takes cold steps, focusing on the numbers.
He said McDonald’s sells millions of coffees a day…
… and cases like Stella are “statistically insignificant”.
Shocked by this brutal lack of empathy, the jury agreed.
He ordered Brand to pay $200,000 in damages and $2,700,000 in punitive damages.
(Also, for short anecdote: the amount paid was so unusual that this trial is often cited as an example of a “culture of damage” in the United States).
why am i telling you this disgusting story
(And what not to do if you want to sell your dope)
If I tell you this story, it is because there is something quite shocking in it.
Didn’t you notice?
No… ?
OK, I’ll tell you what it is.
It was thanks to a feeling that the judges ruled in favor of Stella.
Whereas a judge is generally considered to be rational.
Which brings me to the next lesson:
nobody is here’Nature without Courage,
That is to say, if you are perceived as cold and insensitive, they will not get in your way.
To take the example of the story quoted above:
The quality control manager handled the situation rationally.
and not emotional.
As a result, he was treated as a demon without compassion.
And it’s the same in sales.
If a marketer addresses people in trouble without showing that he understands their pain…
…no one would want to buy from him.
We’ll start thinking it’s just for sale.
He doesn’t care about his customers.
And treat them like a cash machine.
Aristotle also said on this subject:
“The genre will have justification if it expresses passion and characters, and if it is in proportion to the things that are its subjects” ,rhetoric, Book III, chap. 7, 1408A)
In other words, to persuade someone to listen to you, you must accept appropriate feelings,
Let’s take an example.
Would you trust a seller who says:
“If you are not able to invest in yourself, and if you do not have at least 10 hours. Per week to dedicate to your business, leave this page. You better stay on the job”
Or who says:
“I think you’ve already put a lot of money into training. But unfortunately, every time you were sold a lie. Unfulfilled promises. Beautiful speech. And on top of that, you wasted a lot of time. :/ I understand your pain. am. “
I, personally, would go more towards the other.
not you?
The first is offensive and guilt-inducing.
while the other is good.
(And, as you know, the sympathetic bias is a weapon of persuasion).
another example.
Let’s say you sell a slimming product.
And you want to break the price objection in the sales page.
Is it better to declare the price directly?
or better to say something like this:
“As you can imagine, I can charge €1,500 for this product. Because it’s not just a flat stomach you’ll have. They’re compliments, marks of attention, and better self-esteem too. But. .. I know that my ending may be difficult. That’s why I offer you this product for only 37 €. »
you get the idea.
By accepting appropriate feelings, you create what Theo Rossi calls
emotional connection
EC is a situation in which you become a friend of your potential customer.
(Whereas 5 minutes ago he didn’t know you either Eve or Adam).
This is what allows you to:
- build trust;
- Breaking the “I don’t believe you” objection;
- Keep the reader’s attention.
summary
Instead of ignoring people’s feelings, Try to manage them.
Are your chances basically doubtful?
Tell her that she has a right to be careful.
Are you likely lazy?
Tell him that laziness can be a virtue.
Is your prospect consumed by fear?
Tell him you were too.
I have often used this strategy in copywriting for my clients.
Each time, I tried to estimate the behavior of the probability.
To know what he would think if I said this instead of him.
to know his possiblyHis prejudices…
Know your objection…
And the results have always been there.
For example, about a year ago, I was able to achieve a conversion rate of 42.15% on a single landing page.
(where the average rate is 9.7%, according to a figure from Unbounce)
It was in the health sector, and it looked like this:
In this space, people have already tried a lot of solutions.
But often these measures do not work.
Otherwise people start gaining weight.
So… if we come to the market with a promise like:
“How To Finally Lose Weight With This New Method”
No one will believe this.
Simply because people are upset and skeptical.
So… you have to have:
- a strong piece of evidence;
- novelty;
- a unique mechanism;
- Specialty.
Just like I did on this capture page.
just think now
Imagine if you could predict probability behavior?
Imagine if you could really guide his actions?
Unless he takes out his credit card at the end of the sales page?
Yes it is OK.
It seems impossible to say so.
However, if you know your prospect’s state of mind, it is possible.
That’s why I titled this article:
“How This Woman Made $2.7 Million From a Glass”
This is to get your attention and “force” you to read me.
Because if I had said:
“How to Sell More Through Emotion”
You probably haven’t read me by now.
Because I know this kind of title is boring, hackneyed and deja vu.
So that’s what I’m talking about.
But not in the same way. I
Did you like this short article?
Don’t hesitate to let me know in the comments!
Then know that I have a personal newsletter where I give marketing tips like this every week (link in bio)
With that, I say see you soon.
Your care.
About the Author
Greetings ! I am Maxence Delabre. From Copywriter 2020, I was able to discover behind the scenes of big business. I reveal their secrets in my personal newsletter (for example, how to quickly build a large email list).