Fear, Persuasion and Your eBay Listings

The following is from Dr. Robert Cialdini's Inside Influence Report:

"...advertising campaigns that inform potential clients of the real-world threats that your company’s goods or services can alleviate should be accompanied immediately in time by clear, specific, effective steps they can take to reduce the danger.”

The whole article is very intriguing. Take a look at this article, and see if you can apply some of the wisdom to your own eBay listings and descriptions. The right application of this research will immediately increase sales and improve your eBay selling overall.

All of this relates to something the marketing business calls "value-add." By adding value to your products (whether it's through bonuses, additional information, or your specific expertise), you differentiate your products and gain greater market share and mind share.

Here's something else that Cialdini notes: "Potential customers are more motivated by fear than the opportunity for gain." Now that's intriguing. It goes against traditional marketing philosophy that stresses positive benefits. Usually we're taught to list all the great things that the customer will experience after purchasing the product. The sale, however, relies more on the fears that motivate the buyer in the first place. Cialdini has the data to back it up.

If you're serious about the science of marketing and persuasion, I highly recommend reading Cialdini's books (or listening to his audio resources). The level of detail is deep, and the insights are numerous.