Killer post…Empathy… what a great way to identify with someones feelings and emotions.

Love the blog by the way.

Bill Jeffels

Kevin

Terrance Charles
http://thesimplecodemanuscript.com

You make a good point about establishing authority, however, remember in this example the doctor is an ER doctor and the patient has just sawed his thumb off. Which is far different from arriving for an appointment with your physician.

So, the point John made to me and (hopefully) I passed on, is to TRULY understand the relationship when the reader arrives. You summed it up well in your final line there. That moment of “I’ve solved this many times before” is crucial, even if “I know how it feels” does not apply.

John told me that same discussion has prompted him to write a new blog post about the difference between sympathy and empathy. I hope he does, should be a good one.

Kevin

As you said, “the doctor’s job is to assure him he knows exactly how to stop the pain and heal the wound”.

However, several things have already happened in this scenario. The client is already at the doctor’s, and probably already TRUST that doctor to an extent, and KNOW he/she is likely to be able to help.

However, sales copy is not a doctor’s surgery. It is a sales pitch. And if you’re not a doctor, you have an additional “authority” hurdle to overcome.

I guess that’s why many copywriters go the “I know how it feels” route, because it creates a different KIND of authority (especially if the one selling the solution isn’t a “doctor” in the first place).

Instead of the doctor’s authority… “hey, I’m a doctor, so I’m qualified to solve this”, it’s kind of “hey, I’ve been there, and I solved it, so I’m qualified to help you” route.

Paul Hancox
http://twitter.com/copysnips

What you’re describing is going deep in an elegant, yet powerfully emotive way. As compared to a shallow, one-size-fits-all approach where you always start with “empathy”, which can amount to little more than throat clearing. (Guilty!)

Thanks for the gentle nudge in the right direction.

And don’t hold off too long on the story of how you got on Carlton’s team.

Best,
Sheridan

Reminds me of the idea of NOT responding to inquiries too quickly because you’ll appear “too available.” Bullshit. Clients are hot when they contact you, letting them cool to establish the illusion of importance is dumb. If you know how to communicate with confidence, replying in a timely manner (within 24-48hrs) shows respect for your potential prospect’s time. The same respect you should be demanding for yourself.

Thanks for another thought provoking comment, Brian.

I’ll leave the NLP mastering to Harlan, he’s brilliant. But from what I understand about pacing, empathy is a key component. The lesson here is to understand your prospect’s desires on a deep level so that you can know if empathy is the right approach. In this case, where the reader is urgently seeking to fix an all-consuming problem… something that’s thrown his entire life of kilter… telling him it’s “not his fault” or that you know how he feels is not the most effective angle to take.

Sure you want to acknowledge that you understand the process, how it has pushed him out of his comfort zone, but he does not need you to feel for him, he just needs you to supply answers. So spend your energy supplying him the confidence to trust that you have the solution, rather than empathizing with his plight.

It’s not that missing the mark here will necessarily “piss him off” but it will lose you some sales.

Thanks for stopping by,
Kevin

Thanks for commenting.
Kevin