What you’re going to learn in the next 2 minutes is, hands down, one of the most powerful lessons in communication.
With just this single tactic up your sleeve, getting anybody to like you becomes a walk in the park.
And the beauty of this simple yet highly powerful lesson is that it can be used almost anywhere with no exceptions.
Highly successful people use it…
The world’s greatest sales people use it to their own (and unfair) advantage…
Copywriters, master salespeople, public speakers, politicians, artists especially fiction writers and poets…everybody knows this.
People who are good at communication generally use this knowingly or by intuition (empaths anybody?).
And if you want to be a copywriter, a salesman or a speaker, this is a powerful communication tool in your arsenal.
Me revealing this tactic is like Houdini revealing the mechanism behind his most successful illusions.
But I’m totally fine with revealing this because I believe this ‘simple change’ in your communication pattern can change the way you interact and develop relationships with people in your life.
And I want you to know it. Because trust me, this has helped me personally in my life as well.
You could be a business owner trying to establish a good rapport with a client…
You could be an employee who wants your boss to have trust in you when dealing with an important project…
You could be a copywriter who wants your writing to be more ‘authentic’, ‘genuine’…
You could be a social media influencer who wants to build a real ‘connection’ with your target audience…
Or you might be someone who just wants to solidify your relationship with your significant other (I’m no dating coach, but this single copy tactic that I’ll tell you in a bit can nurture your relationships on a foundation of trust).
In short: using this technique will get people liking you more than you are used to.
Ready for the big reveal?
Without much further ado, here’s it:
Damaging admission.
I first came across this term while reading ‘The Ultimate Sales Letter’ by Dan Kennedy.
For those who aren’t in the marketing or advertising industry, Dan Kennedy is like the godfather of direct response marketing.
He’s one of the highest paid copywriters in the whole wide world. And if this single tactic has helped him write multi-million dollar revenue generating sales letters again and again, imagine what it could do for you and me.
Enough foreplay. Let’s get straight to it.
‘Damaging admission’.
What is it?
I already promised you it’s simple, right?
A ‘damaging admission’ is when you reveal a flaw about your product/service or about yourself to your target audience.
BULLSHIT. That’s what you’re probably mouthing right now.
I admit that reaction is expected. In fact, this goes against popular communication principles.
Who would want to admit their flaws out in the open?
Imagine a billion-dollar brand saying its product is flawed to their target customers… ‘Would customers even buy from us?’
Imagine admitting one of your shortcomings to your loved ones…’Would they love me less?’
I’ll save you time by not delving deep into the psychology behind a ‘damaging admission’.
In case if you want to dig deeper, I suggest you checkout the famous ads for Volkswagen Beetle (like 'Lemon') where you'll see this tactic used outlandishly.
But to save time and to avoid turning this blog into a scholarly case study, I'll just list out the 3 main benefits of this communication technique below:
You become the BIGGER person by admitting your flaws
You become more REAL, AUTHENTIC and GENUINE in your target customers’ mind
Now that you’ve admitted a damaging admission, people’s guards come down and they begin to interact with you on a much DEEPER level.
All the above 3 points condensed in to a simple statement: people will start liking you more.
Which means more commissions if you’re a copywriter, better ‘connection’ to your target audience if you’re an influencer, more sales if you’re a business owner, more trust if you’re a public figure and better communication in general if you’re trying to better your relationships.
I really don’t mind if you don’t believe me.
But I’d like you to test this the next time you’re having a conversation with your client or partner or in your sales letter and let me know if it works or not.
I’m confident it will work.
But here’s the key to making it work: don’t make it superficial.
People are not morons, they’ll catch up to you if you bombard them with your ‘damaging admissions’.
If overdone, this could project you as a person with low self-confidence and self-esteem issues.
Like I said before, keep it genuine, keep it minimal.
And more importantly, don’t even think of this as a ‘trick’. Just think of it as an element in improving your business and day-to-day relationships.
Most powerful persuasive ploys and tricks are simple, but effective.
As an added tip, please don’t use this copywriting secret for manipulative purposes as well.
We’re not trying to be a master Machiavelli, we’re just trying to portray our honest, best selves to our customers, audiences and partners.
And that’s why this copywriting tactic will work 10X times better if you’re honest and really care about the person you’re sending your communication to.
If you feel shy to drop a comment down below, you can reach me at my personal mail or number to let me know if this worked for you.
Now go out there and start making meaningful connections with people and make them like you more!
See you in another useful blog and happy Sunday :)
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