The #1 Reason Prospects Tune Out and Move On

I don’t have many nightmares, but when I do have them, they’re usually about college.

They go like this: I wake in my dorm, roll out of bed, and realize my history final is TODAY…

…but I haven’t attended a single class…

…or read a single book.

Oh! The horror! I forgot to cram for the exam.

(Artist’s rendering of me in my nightmare: )

I was thinking about exams and late-night cram sessions and all that rotten stress this morning because it’s Evelyn Wood’s birthday.

Back in my high school and college days, Evelyn was the speed-reading queen. Ads for her “Reading Dynamics” courses were everywhere — TV, newspapers, direct mail.

I dug up one of those ads this morning, a full-page spread in a college newspaper from 1978.

The giant headline: “THE END OF CRAMMING”

Below that, a photo of a baggy-eyed coed, sitting in a dreary dorm room, frowning, a textbook (thick as a brick) open in front of her, a mug of coffee at her side.

This headline and photo cover more than half the page. Not a word about “Reading Dynamics” or speed-reading until you get to the bottom of the page.

And therein lies the lesson: Evelyn Wood was not selling “Reading Dynamics.” She was selling:

…the end of cramming…

…escape from that dreary dorm room…

…relief from rotten stress…

…and (as the ad’s small-print copy says) “time to enjoy college life.”

Those are compelling promises. “Read faster” is not.

The #1 reason most businesses struggle to attract quality leads and land more clients:

They don’t get the promises right. They lead with “read faster,” rather than “the end of cramming.”

When I help clients design and implement business-building machines, our first step is always to discover the promises that will resonate most with prospects…

…because if you don’t get that right, nothing else matters.

You have more expertise than anyone in your industry. You know you can serve clients well — if only they’d notice and hire you.

But no one will notice and hire you if your promises fall flat.

Last month, I hosted a series of live workshops called “The Email Assembly Blueprint.” In session two, I revealed how to craft irresistible promises that turn prospects from skeptics and critics to raving fans and buyers.

I recorded the sessions, and you can buy them here.