ความเฉพาะเจาะจง (Specification)

Specific work better than generalities. When research reported that average shopper thought Sear Roebuck made a profit of 37 per cent on sales, I headlined an advertisement Sear make a profit of 5 per cent. This specific was more persuasive than saying that Sears’ profit was ‘less than you might suppose’ or something equally vague.

… Make your promise specific. Instead of generalities, use percentages, time elapsed, dollar saved.

This [being specific] is very important to consider in written or personal salesmanship. The weight of an argument may often be multiplied by making it specific. Say that a tungsten lamp gives more light than a carbon and you leave some doubt. Say it gives three and one-third times the light and people realize that you have made tests and comparisons.

A dealer may say, "Our prices have been reduced" without creating any marked impression. But when he says "Our prices have been reduced 25 percent" he gets the full value of his announcement.

… Impressive claims are made far more impressive by making them exact. So, many experiments are made to get the actual figures. For instance, a certain drink is known to have a large food value. That simple assertion is not very convincing. So we send the drink to the laboratory and find that its food value is 425 calories per pint. One pint is equal to six eggs in calories of nutriment. That claim makes a great impression.

Anybody who works on tested advertising will tell you how important it is to be specific in your copy. For example, the statement that “97,482 people have bought one of these appliances” is stronger than the statement “Nearly 100,000 of these appliances have been sold.” The first statement sounds like a fact. It tell the reader that a strict and accurate count has been made of the actual number of customers. The second statement --- 100,000 have been sold --- sound like a copywriter’s claim --- and possibly an exaggerated claim.

The reason there are so many general claims used in advertising copy is that it requires time and trouble to collect specific data.

ฺBeing specific in your explanations is very critical and can establish your credibility. … By being specific you sound like you’re an expert on your product --- you’ve really investigated it and very knowledgeable. And, this too, build trust and confidence.

People, in general, are very skeptical about advertising and often don’t believe many of claims states in ads. But when you make a specific claim using an exact facts and figures, your message is much more credible and often trusted.    

Crush Your Competition with Extreme Specificity

This one idea is so powerful, it can help you establish a strangle-hold your competition.

… I call it extreme specificity, and your competitors will curse you for it. It’s simple, and here’s what you do: from this day on, start being extreme specific everytime you describe your products or services. Here what I mean...

One day I conducted an experiment. I grabbed my telephone and Yellow Pages. I call 25 local pizza shops at random. I said: “Hello, I’m coming in with 10 friends this Saturday. I want to come to your place, but one of the guys wants to go to another pizzeria. Help me convince the group; what makes your pizza better?”
 

Call #1 Response: [Annoyed] “Uhhh … I don’t know. That’s for YOU to decide!”

Analysis: Pathetic. Here’s a guy who was given the opportunity by a cash-wielding customer to distinguish his restaurant from the rest. In 30 seconds, he could have won up to 10 new customers for many years.
 

Call #2 Response: “We use better ingredients.”

Analysis: This reply tell me nothing. It creates no positive image in my mind, and gives me no reason to desire his pizza. The response is too generic. Another chance to stand out from the crowd, blown.
 

Call #3 Response: “Better quality. Our sauce and flour are from Italy”

Analysis: Not great, but better! He doesn’t just say “quality,” or “ingredients,” but he also specifies which ingredients. Then, he says they’re better because they’re true Italian ingredients. It sure sounds better than flour and cheese made in Bronx.

But could he has done better? Absolutely...  

A Tale of Two Hardware Stores

What do most independent hardware hardware stores do in their ads? Very little. They’re often no more than business cards with a quick mention of the few items they have on sale. Consider the following two ads.
 

Hardware Store #1:

Hammers, screwdrivers, power tools, home fix-up, lawn and garden equipment. Paulson’s has the hardware you’re looking for … at neighborhood-friendly price!
 

Hardware Store #2:

Handyman Jack’s is no ordinary hardware store. We’re a Hardware Super Store! We carry 343 kinds of fasteners, 28 types of nails, 86 gauges of wire, 43 grit sizes of sandpaper, 16 different styles of hammers, 28 kinds of screwdrivers, 47 types of keys, a daily inventory of 354,000 bolts and screws, all the top-name power tools for less and a no-nonsense, money-back guarantee of complete satisfaction.
 

… Remember: It’s not important that people need to know all that information. I mean, who really cares how many nails and bolts you have, as long as you have what they want. But the psychology behind it --- the Length-Implies-Strength heuristic --- make it tremendously potent. Because hardly any other store says these things, people judge the one who does say it to be better, more complete, more successful in some way. Don’t you want to convey that?