The ‘AICPBSAWN’ Formula

September 7th, 2010 Posted in Business Monitoring and Reporting, Making Sale, Objection Handling, Offline Marketing, Presenting, Targeting Top Customers, Testimonials, Unique Business Advantage

The
‘AICPBSAWN’ Formula

Let me introduce you to the AICPBSAWN formula of one of America’s best
copywriters, Brian Keith Voiles, a man who charges a minimum of $10,000 for
an ad or letter!
           The AICPBSAWN formula is more of a procedure and I call it a formula
because when you combine all of the existing elements, they become something
greater than they are independent of each other.

So here are the different elements of the procedure — in order of how
they’d appear in your ad or sales letter:

•  A = Attention: Say something that gets your prospects attention; what’s the biggest benefit he gets from doing business with you, or what’s the biggest problem or frustration you can solve for him – and what’s unique about doing business with you over any of your competition?

           (Headline, picture with caption, opening paragraph, opening statement,  unique selling advantage, etc.)

•  I = Interest: Tell them the reason why they should be interested in what you have to say. (Your offer, answer to WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?), most powerful benefit, a benefit they can’t get anywhere else, your unique selling advantage, etc.)

•  C = Credibility: Tell them the reason why they should believe what you’re saying is true. (Success stories, case studies, testimonials from people who are like your prospects; and testimonials that focus on benefits – endorsements from “celebrities” of your target market, and other credibility builders, etc.)

•  P = Prove: Prove what you’re claiming is true through the use of more testimonials, facts, figures, etc. (This can be tricky!)

•  B = Benefits: List all the benefits they get for doing business with you. All of the benefits should be framed to show your prospect what’s in it for them. Remember the differences between a benefit and a feature! (This section of your ad will usually be bullets . . . loads and loads of bullets, sub-heads, etc.)

•  S = Scarcity: Tell your prospect that what you’re selling:

                – is available only for a limited time;
                – is available at a discounted price for a limited time;
                – is available with all these free bonuses for a limited time;
                – was produced in small quantity;
                – there are only 15 seats available at the workshop;
                – there were only 150 copies printed, and if they want one they’d better

                             act now, etc. etc. etc. 

By creating scarcity, your prospect begins to think, “Gee, I’d better buy
this before it’s too late!” which is exactly what you want them to think.

One important thing to remember when using the scarcity tactic is that
the scarcity must be real, and it must be perceived as real. In other
words, be honest. Scarcity only works if you’re using it honestly.

Whatever approach you take to positioning your offer with scarcity,
make sure the scarcity is actual and factual.   

• A = Action: Tell them precisely what actions they have to take (buy what you’re selling) to get the benefits they want to enjoy from your product or service. Assume nothing! Don’t assume that your prospects are smart enough to know how to pick up the telephone, fill out the order form, fax the order form, etc. . . . you’ve got to tell them exactly what to do to order.

• W = Warning: Warn them what will happen to them if they choose not to take action. Tell them very clearly, and in no uncertain terms what benefits they’ll be missing out on if they choose not to take action. Make them really feel the pain of remaining in the situation they’re in, if they choose not to buy. I call this the “Status Quo Syndrome”. If your product or service really delivers a solution to your prospect’s challenges, frustrations and anxieties (and it should), then it’s your duty to do everything you can to get them to order — so you can benefit their life and solve their problem(s). Right? Right! So remind them of the status quo of not taking action.

•  N = NOW! Make sure you have a powerful offer that motivates them to take action now. Don’t let them put it off. If you do, chances are very strong they won’t order from you (at least not from this ad/mailing/ contact).

It’s not guaranteed to make you money every time you run an ad. Obviously
you’ve got to do your research, and you’ve got to have the talent to create each
part of the procedure . . . that’s where the entire first two sections come into play.

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