Fear-Based Selling: Turning Fear into Your Most Effective Sales Strategy

How Brands Are Using Fear to Make You Buy?

Fact: Every time you get into your car, you are exposed to unseen threats. Your seats, car dashboard, and steering wheel are grounds for millions of bacteria and viruses, waiting for you to jump to your hands and clothes, and your face is their best destination. Can you imagine, an average steering wheel contains three times more bacteria than a public toilet seat? These bacteria are opening you to a major risk for infections, skin diseases, and illnesses.

The solution? CleanShield Car Purifier Wipes. You will eliminate 99.9% of harmful bacteria with only one wipe and will have a safer ride for you and your family.

Emotions of prospects are one of the elements that copywriter take into consideration when writing their copy. Taping into the readers’ emotions will motivate them to take actions you would like them to take.

Fear is one of these emotions that motivates people to take action and move them to spend. The question you currently have in mind is whether this is ethical. Well, the simple answer is yes, but only if your service prevents them from experiencing the thing that they are fearing to experience.

For example, if you are writing for a weight loss product that will help your customers lose weight and be healthier then it is to their benefit to remind them that not taking action to change the situation they are in now, there will be negative consequences in the future such as heart diseases, strokes, unhealthy body, etc

Furthermore, in enhance your copy by using information from reports/studies to amplify the fear of your prospects and how the negative consequences of not taking immediate action.

Fear has an impact on consumers’ decisions because it creates stress, which causes people to do something about it.

Example of DuckDuckGo:

Brands use it all the time. For example, DuckDuckGo has a solution to navigate the internet with privacy, the below ad indirectly states that other web browsers are not safe to browse as they do not provide privacy for users.

This emotion can be utilized in different products/services such as life insurance, security cameras, home smoke detectors etc.

Elements to be included in your copay to be successful

Your solution shall prevent the customer from pain and unpleasant situations, if the solution is effective, it will always be welcomed by your prospects. If the proposed solution can use the advantage of fear emotion, then the below steps are essential for it to be effective, your copy shall:

• Scare people to the extreme
• Give a solution to overcome the fear or threat
• The solution shall appeal effective by the consumer (logically)
• The prospect shall believe that he can perform the recommendation (the ability of the reader to perform the recommendation)

An absence of one of the previous elements will not make your copy successful, all elements shall exist in your message for it to be effective. Remember, your prospect will only perform the action if he believes in his ability to perform it, the solution shall be both achievable and credible by the prospect.

• Credible: Convincing the prospect by using factors to boost the credibility of the solution such as testimonials; video demonstrations, free lessons, and guarantees, etc., Prospects shall believe that they will able to enjoy your solution.
• Effective: Readers want to believe that your solution is effective, it’s your task to prove to them that they will pick the right effective solution.

The emotion of fear already exists within us, you won’t need to create it, your job will only be tapping into the existing fear.

Example:

Fear: Every night while you and your family are falling asleep, your home is at risk of being broken into. Thieves are targeting neighborhoods similar to yours and statistics are showing it, according to “whatever source” shows that homes without security systems are 250% more likely to be broken into. Waking up to the sound of shattering glass is a feeling that you would not want your family to experience.

It gets worse, the emotional damage to your family lasts longer, and that is more important than the valuable stolen objects. Imagine your family not being able to sleep the same as before again in their own home?

The solution: SecureHome™ Security System. Provides 24/7 monitoring and real-time alerts sent directly to your mobile phone. By using this solution, you are making sure your family is protected and are sleeping peacefully. The installation is super easy with no technical knowledge required. 30-day money-back guarantee, no questions asked. Our solution is easy, affordable and it’s your family’s first line of defense. Your family’s comfort is priceless, use our solution and prevent the nightmares from becoming reality.

Fear can be used in many ways:

Fear can also be injected you your product titles or email subject lines. Below are examples you can use to tap on your prospects’ fear:

Fear of loss: The simple reason [Your Prospect] often ignores [Your Product], and how many miss out on 400% higher profits

• Example: The Simple Reason Business Owners Often Ignore ProfitBoost™ Analytics, and How Many Miss Out on 400% Higher Profits

Fear of change: a new scientific approach is teaching [Your Prospects] how to unlock the secret power of [Your Product] without cannibalizing their [core real estate] offers

• Example: A New Scientific Approach is Teaching E-Commerce Retailers How to Unlock the Secret Power of ProfitScale™ Without Cannibalizing Their Core Product Sales

Fear of unknown + hope: [Your Prospects] bleak outlook in three charts and why [Your Product] just might be the simple solution agents need

• Example: Retailers’ Bleak Outlook in Three Charts—And Why ShopSmart™ Might Be the Simple Solution They Need

Before writing your message make sure the answer the below questions:

• What fears does your ad/copy/article bring to mind?
• Why is it important for the consumer the act? What happens if that fear becomes a reality? will the prospect lose something? Will he suffer?
• What hope does your product offer to prevent the pain?

After amplifying the fear, it is essential to create hope and act as the solution to eliminate that fear that the consumer is feeling.

The fear is not created, it is already there within people, the objective, is to tap into the fear and amplify it. The contrast for the pleasure, you shall amplify the joy that will experienced to move people to act. Use that specific emotion and give it a goal.