Lead Generation - How to overcome human inertia

Human inertia describes our natural tendency to resist taking action. For the most part, we learn we're generally better off if we do nothing...

Don't make a decision
Don't buy a product
Don't get off the sofa
Don't vote
Don't change our mind
Don't change our life

The enduring struggle and challenge of lead generation is to overcome this natural human tendency, and spur our prospects into action. In the case of lead generation, the action we want to generate in our prospect will be one of these...

Fill out a web form and submit it
Fill out a reply coupon and post it
Pick up the phone and call us
Write an email and send it
Click a link

Even something as simple as clicking a link can stop a prospect right there and then. There's no risk to the prospect, yet the mere fact the link is there can stop a sale.

Having noted this tendency, some marking professionals have come to the conclusion that it's more effective to stuff everything into a single page.

I strongly disagree. In fact, I think having people click links and submit forms is an essential part of the lead generation process. You can find out why in this article on persuasion (see the section headed 'consistency').

Cramming everything into a single page doesn't overcome human inertia, and eventually you're going to have to ask the prospect to fill out a form and become a lead. The problem has to be overcome during the course of the sales copy, rather than put off until the last moment.

So how do you overcome human inertia in your lead generation copy? Here are 3 things that generate action in human beings...

Fear
Excitement
Desire

The most common human fear is fear of loss. Well written ad copy can create fear in the mind of the prospect, and use it to generate a sense of urgency. Once the prospect feels an urgent need to prevent the situation s/he fears, the lead is secure.

Excitement is another powerful motivating force in human beings. The more excited we get, the more energy we're willing to expend. A sufficiently excited prospect will respond if we offer to supply the thing s/he is excited about (assuming s/he believes we can deliver the item in question).

Human beings experience increased desire when they want something, and can't easily obtain it. In lead generation, desire is built by appealing to basic human psychological needs such as social status, attractiveness, or looking good in the eyes of others.

Once strong desire has been instilled in a person, you can generate the lead by introducing scarcity. For example, you might make it known the desired item is about to run out and it will be 2 weeks before you get more.

Which of the 3 is right for you?

If you've been generating leads for a while, you probably already have a good idea which one is likely to work best for your product. A general rule of thumb is to ask yourself these questions...

Is the product desired by many, but obtainable only by a select few? Try desire
Is the product popular, but hard to get hold of? Try desire
Does the product resolve a problem that people don't like to talk about (e.g. life insurance, making out a will)? Try fear
Is the product new and revolutionary? Try excitement
Is this an upgrade to an existing and highly popular product? Try excitement
Does the product convey social status or attractiveness? Try desire
Does the product offer protection against external threats? Try fear

If you're still not sure, think about what the product offers. What does the client lose if s/he doesn't buy it?