Here's The Right Way
To Use Fear
To Increase Sales

      Fear is the most powerful emotion you can use in Internet marketing. However, if you don't use it properly it can backfire and create major problems for you.

      People resent obvious manipulation or trickery unless they enjoy it as a joke or they learn something that they want to learn. When you try to scare people into buying, most people will see that as an attempt to manipulate and they will not respond. You will lose credibility in the eyes of your prospect.

      On the other hand, if you can show that there is a valid reason to be fearful, indirectly, you will gain credibility.

      People are afraid of many things but they avoid facing their fears. If your product is naturally suited to the fear emotion, like burglar alarm systems, then you have an easy way to illustrate the problem. But even then, people will not want to face the reality of the need until something happens in their life.

      So, the trick to using fear properly is to allude to it, indirectly. Instead of telling people that they need to be fearful, you need to ask questions or hint at the fear. Let them come to their own conclusions.

      When people are allowed to use their own imagination on how bad a situation might be the emotion is much stronger than if someone simply shows them.

      While with the other emotional motivators people are trying to get something, the most powerful fear is the fear of loss.

      People can't stand to lose something that they value.

      The example I have selected to illustrate the proper use of fear (using fear to motivate buyers) is actually selling software that allows Internet marketers to set up various scenarios where people will lose the opportunity to buy the product.

      You would think that that doesn't make any sense. Why would people buy something just because someone tells them they may not be able to buy it in the future? But it's true. If you show people that something is very valuable then don't let them buy it, they will want it even more.

      The producers of this particular software made thousands of dollars in a very short period of time with this strategy.

      You'll notice that right from the headline they are offering huge value. Immediately after the headline is a video showing how easy it is to get the results they promise.

      Immediately after that are two testimonials. The first one indicates that it is an innovativ product. The second one is designed to create confidence that the product really delivers as promised.

      The copywriter understands that people will have an initial negative response to using fear to sell more of their products so much of the sales letter is designed to help people understand the proper use of fear.

      I highly recommend you read and understand the principles of using fear in Internet marketing by reading this sales letter. It spells out three fears that can applies to practically any product or service:

      I could paraphrase the techniques described in the sales letter (using fear to motivate buyers) but the sales letter does such a good job of it, I'll let you read it there.

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