There’s an art to getting people to care, and it starts long before you ask for the sale. Whether it’s a thought-provoking question or a surprising fact, the best hooks work because they make people feel something. When it comes down to it, people buy from those who make them feel something.

In a piece for the LeadFuze blog, Josh Slone recommends thinking of a sales hook like an elevator pitch. You only have about 30 seconds to tell a prospect about your offering and how you’re different from every other sales rep.

While there’s no single right way to frame a sales hook, you can try some of the approaches below to capture interest and resonate with your audience. We share some of Slone’s ideas in this issue of PromoPro Daily.

  1. Tell a relatable story. People love great stories. Stories grab attention and engage us emotionally. Slone says that’s why stories are so effective when creating selling hooks. Just be sure you keep them short so they’re not listening or reading for too long. He recommends using colorful language and asking prospects to imagine a scenario and play along. Make your story realistically optimistic.

  2. Ask surprising questions. The more unexpected the question, the more engagement you can achieve. Be cautious about not asking personal questions, though. Slone says if you want to ask a provocative question, you should have an equally provocative idea or fact to share.

  3. Push the pain-point buttons. Want to close more deals? You need to solve the right problems. That’s why it’s vital to know your prospects’ fears, struggles and insecurities. Slone says if you have done good research, you should push those pain buttons. This is how you gain trust and motivate people to continue the conversation.

  4. Use the dichotomy approach. In other words, say something true and then present a second truth that is in direct opposition to the first fact. Then, bring in your promo solution and how it can be used to address the problem. According to Slone, this contrasting approach informs us that we don’t make absolute judgments but rather that we compare 2 or more things.

  5. Flatter them. As long as it’s genuine, flattery goes a long way in sales. People love being complimented, Slone says, so turn on the charm to generate interest. The prospect may know you’re buttering them up, but they’ll still feel good because of your compliments.

  6. Appeal to the emotions. This tactic piques interest fast. Just be sure you understand the business, values and beliefs of your target audience. Then, Slone says you should demonstrate how your pitch is related to their own value system.

  7. Use the pique technique. If you’re talking to someone who doesn’t really want to be in the conversation, it’s not helpful to launch into a conventional sales presentation. That’s when you could try the pique technique. According to Slone, it requires making an unusual request or asking an unexpected question that causes the prospect to ponder why you brought it up.

Instead of trying to sell, the best sales hooks spark interest. The fastest way to connect is to understand what your audience truly needs and show them a better way forward. That’s when your message shifts from noise to value.

Compiled by Audrey Sellers
Source: Josh Slone is the former head content writer at LeadFuze, a B2B lead generation and sales automation platform.