In a crowded marketplace, capturing a prospect’s attention is only the first challenge. The greater opportunity lies in delivering a message that builds trust, resonates with clients, and inspires action. In today’s FA Alpha Daily, we explore an often-overlooked communication principle that can strengthen client acquisition and engagement.
FA Alpha Daily
Practice Management Insights
Powered by Valens Research
Flashy, vague promises have become the default in prospect engagement.
Instead of offering clear, specific value, many advisors overwhelm clients with muddled messaging.
This approach may seem effective on the surface, but such ambiguity ultimately sabotages your ability to land and retain clients.
So, what should you be doing instead?
The answer is simple, actually.
All you have to do is to be specific!
Specificity is the Name of the Game
According to the Father of Modern Advertising, Claude C. Hopkins, specific facts, when written, have their full weight and effect.
For example:
Simply saying, “My advisory rates have been reduced” will pass through your prospects’ minds without creating any marked impression.
Why?
It’s because the statement lacks the necessary information to persuade your target customers.
On the other hand, when you say, “My advisory rates and other offerings have been reduced by 30%,” consumers get the full value from your announcement and chances are they will be more motivated to avail of your services.
Specificity is important in both written and verbal salesmanship. The more specific you get, the more value you attach to your offerings.
So… how can you exercise being specific in communicating with prospects and clients?
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Focus on one topic .
It’s hard to get specific if you’re talking about a whole bunch of different things when promoting your services.
In that case, you risk confusing your prospects because your thoughts are all over the place.
To avoid that from happening, identify the main point of your copy first before putting pen to paper. This will help you visualize and plan how you’ll write or say your pitch.
Additionally, focusing on one topic helps engage your prospects’ imagination. The more specific your statements and other information are, the easier it will be for prospects to make tests, comparisons, visualizations, etc.
If you’re writing a sales/promotional copy:
If you feel like the main topic you’re writing about in your copy has some important sub-topics worth mentioning as well, that’s okay.
… but!
To keep things organized, make sure you place specific headers to separate different sections in your content. This will let your readers know that the next part is a different topic, preventing them from confusing one thing with another.
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Use numbers and other data to paint a clearer picture in your readers’ minds.
According to Stanford Business School Professor Chip Heath and Corporate Education Consultant Dan Heath, the human brain retains ideas and statements with more concrete information.
One of the ways to make your statements more concrete in your copies?
Use specific facts, numbers, examples, etc.!
For instance:
Writing, “Save up to 50% of your money when you avail our package deal” is more impactful than saying, “Save money when you avail our package deal” because the first one says more about how much a customer will save when he or she buys a particular product.
Numbers improve readers’ perception of the product or service you’re selling in your copies.
For instance:
When these data clearly demonstrate the efficacy of your offerings, chances are many consumers will be motivated to buy from your brand.
However, take note that using numbers to make your copies specific doesn’t necessarily mean being accurate, such as attempting to write down the full value of pi, which is at least 3.1415926535…
Remember what 18th century author Carveth Read said:
“It’s better to be approximately right than exactly wrong.”
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Keep your copies targeted.
While you may not be a full-fledged writer, you shouldn’t just be specific about the content of your copies. You should also be specific about who will read them.
In other words, be mindful about who your target audience is as you write your drafts!
According to Hopkins, specific content will matter most to a specific group of people.
That is why the term, “target market” exists.
To make the information in your copies more specific and concrete, make sure you understand the needs and wants of your main customer segment.
This is because when you know your target market’s demands, preferences, pain points, etc., you’ll have an idea on how to make your content specifically appealing so they’ll be compelled to act on your brand’s call-to-action.
Another thing to include in your specificity checklist: Let your prospects relate to your copies by using the right messaging, phrasing, wording, and other elements such as images and other visuals.
If appropriate, you may also mention to whom your brand’s offerings are made so readers know you’re talking to them.
… and always remember to write to your target market in a conversational manner!
That way, you won’t just appeal to them through specific content but also keep them engaged as they read your copy!
Specificity is Key
According to “CopyHackers” author Joanna Wiebe,
“Vague is the enemy of conversion.”
That’s true―a vague “guesstimate” won’t have the intended impact on your target audience because there’s doubt that clouds their minds.
Without the necessary concrete facts in your copies or pitches, prospects might think you’re just making things up or exaggerating.
On the contrary, including specific details in your content helps convey to your readers that you are telling the truth. This makes them trust your words more and perceive your brand as credible.
Hopkins has a similar stance with Wiebe when it comes to being specific.
He said:
“No generality has any weight whatsoever. It is like saying, ‘How do you do?’ when you have no intention of inquiring about one’s health. But specific claims, when made in print, are taken at their value.”
Capture your target prospect’s attention, spark curiosity, and produce an aura of authenticity through specificity!
With these guidelines in mind, you’ll get one step closer towards landing new clients!
Best regards,
Joel Litman & Rob Spivey
Chief Investment Officer &
Director of Research
at Valens Research
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