Apply The Law of Contrast to Build Desire

Bridging the gapIn a recent critique for a coaching client, the issue of “gap analysis” arose. Gap Analysis is something I learned in sales, and it was heavily taught by sales trainers like Brian Tracy, such as in his course “The Psychology of Selling.”

Gap Analysis is an immensely powerful selling technique. It’s also an important feature of copywriting. In fact, most people will know a variation of it, which is often called “Problem-Agitate-Solve,” a term coined by top copywriter Dan Kennedy.

I prefer “Gap Analysis” because it drives home the relationship between those three elements. So what is Gap Analysis and how can you apply it to your sales copy?

A gap is the perceived difference between the problem and the potential outcome. That is, you have to describe life with the problem and life without it.

Your product, which is your solution, is the bridge between the two. Showing the benefits enables you to position your product as the bridge over the gap.

Once the gap is established, your words can widen the gap by aggravating (or blowing up) the problem, or by pushing away the solution.

I know this might sound contradictory, but you should make your prospect feel uncomfortable and raise their level of discomfort. You do that by exacerbating their problem or pushing the solution as far away as you can.

Specifically, you should widen the gap as much as you can. Your copy should make your prospect as uncomfortable as possible and any solution for the problem it solves as unattainable as possible.

Why? Because once you widen the gap, then when you do present your solution it will be so compelling, in itself, that it becomes more desirable.

You’re turning a desire into a necessity.

Your product becomes like a cool, refreshing oasis in the middle of a scorching desert, appearing only after walking for miles under the sun’s blistering heat.

Gap Analysis is a powerful tool that should be included in your copywriting toolbox.

Granted, you must identify your prospect’s problem and focus on the benefits of your solution. But clearly defining the problem and the solution is not enough.

You must give your readers a common vision of what relief from the problem will mean to them on a personal level. It’s an essential step in the sales process, the one that fosters desire and increases the urgency to find a solution.

As luck would have it, a large part of its power is in it’s simplicity. The process consists of only four steps:

  1. Introduce the problem.
  2. Introduce the “other side”.
  3. Widen the gap.
  4. Bridge the gap.

Here’s a very simple example.

You qualify the reader by introducing their current situation into the conversation. Talk about the “now”. Relate to the current issues facing your prospect. You can discuss how bad things are or at least how bad things are as it applies to the problem you are introducing.

Once the problem is introduced, you will want to present the other side. That way, you also introduce the gap. For example, you say things like:

  • Wouldn’t it be nice if…”
  • What all of us dream of is…”
  • Would you like to know how to…”

… Avoid, leapfrog over, or solve [problem], and achieve [benefits] and picture enjoying [benefits of solving the problem]?”

Now that you’ve created the gap, you can work on widening it.

You can make the problem appear bigger by focusing on it, exacerbating it, and making it more real and concrete. Or you do so by making the solution seem unachievable and describe the frustration of not having access to it.

To push away the solution even further you can remind them of how great it would be if they get benefit, benefit, benefit. You can do that by painting pictures of them enjoying the benefits of solving this problem (or not having it in the first place).

You also emphasize how urgent it is to solve the problem. Use vivid descriptions and mental imagery to enlarge the effects of the problem going unsolved.

Then you can move on to the final step.

Now, with perfect timing, you release your solution. It’s at this point that your solution will be far more in demand. By finally bridging the gap, they can grasp more fully how achievable “the other side” really is, and this increases their desire to buy your solution in order to reach it.

It’s applying the law of contrast, really.

If I offer a solution to your problem, you may be apathetic about it, regardless of how fantastic the solution is or how great its benefits are. Why? Because the problem is not as important to you.

Even if the problem is important to you, you may be shopping around for alternate solutions, or the solution may not be as desirable since solving the problem is not at the top of your mind at the moment.

(When do you think about seeing your doctor the most? Before a problem happens in order to prevent it? Long after a problem has happened and is now in the back of your mind? Or while the problem is happening and hurts you the most?)

But you will be a lot more excited about the solution if the problem is at the top of your mind at that moment, and if you know how bad (or how bad things can be if left unsolved) the problem really is.

That’s the power of Gap Analysis.

Also, with the help of Gap Analysis you apply the law of contrast in another way.

Since paying for your solution is a problem in itself (money is security, and nobody wants to lose their hard-earned dollars), then by widening the gap the problem of not owning your product is now a lot larger in comparison to the smaller problem of paying for it.

In other words, by blowing up the problem, you are also shrinking the problem of making a decision to buy. You are reducing the price in their minds — that is, the psychological impact of the price.

Of course, you can and should lower price sensitivity by increasing the value of your solution. But by using Gap Analysis and the power of contrast, you make the pain of paying for your solution a lot more bearable in contrast to the pain of not owning it.

Ultimately, by now it’s probably quite clear to you how important it is to introduce both sides of the gap during a sales presentation. It’s the only way to provide your readers with a complete picture of how impressive an impact your product will have on their lives.

Remember to use your target market’s most basic desires as emotional highlights to your descriptions. It’s important to elicit an emotional response in your reader and “widening the gap” has the potential to do so.

The whole of this process works to build your relationship with the reader, and by extension the reader’s relationship to the product.

By presenting the gap effectively, you connect with your reader by realistically relating to their current predicament as well as their dominant desires, while inflating both at the same time.

So that, when you finally reveal your product, they are ready for the solution, predisposed to accept it, and eager to buy it.

Obviously, you will want to practice and perfect this technique. Just follow the four steps outlined. It will help if you keep a solid picture of your target market in mind so that you remember to choose and use words, phrases, situations, and stories that your reader will be able to relate to.

You’ll soon find that “widening the gap” is a natural part of your copywriting repertoire.

Last 5 Posts by Michel Fortin

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  • Good advice Michael,

    Probably the best technique for widening, then bridging this gap in the world of face-to-face selling is the "SPIN Selling" technique pioneered by Neil Rackham and based on thousands of observations of successful and unsuccesful salespeople in action.

    Nowadays the wod spin has negative connotations, but SPIN selling predates this (SPIN is an acronym for the sequence of questions you ask to establish the magnitude of need).

    Rackham's genius was to recognise (and prove) that there was a big difference between the techniques that were successful in small sales, and the techniques that worked for larger sales. In particular, the larger the sale, the more the potential customer needs to see just how big the gap is and its impact on their business. The techniques in SPIN selling not only explore the gap itself, but the impact of that gap on the potential customer's business. They explicitly explore all the "knock on effects" of the problem - showing the customer the issue is a much bigger problem than they thought - and therefore justifying the investment in the solution.

    Now I've never thought of applying the techniques to copywriting as they are essentially questioning techniques - but from what you are saying about "widening the gap", there seems no reason why the same underlying logic wouldn't work.

    Ian
  • I like the way Eugene Schwartz presents this in his Rodale speech, "Heaven and Hell... Very interesting to think of thinking of your merchandising... the person is here in the center. And here is Hell. And here is Heaven. What you are doing is giving him the opportunity to go to Heaven and escape Hell. Think in terms that dramatic... The absolute agony of arthritis versus a pain-free, healthy life for the next 50 years. Heaven and Hell. You are thinking in dramatic terms.
  • @David:

    Excellent point!
  • Michel,

    This post helped me confirm that I'm on the right path with the next project I'm working on.

    I intend for the salesletter to be a play on Marty Conroy's "Two Young Men" letter for the Wall Street Journal.

    Do you consider that letter as an example of a Gap letter? I do, though according to your explanation of Gap Analysis, it needs more detail to really bring the point home.

    That's what I'll do.
  • Excellent article Michel.. and to take this a step further. My husband and I have been studying the different personality types. It can get complicated and I must credit him for studying it and then breaking it down for me. You can actually identify pretty quickly if a person is dominantly one of four categories. There are words and styles that each personality relate to best. The language that they can most identify with can be used during the 'gap' stage to attain even better success. If there isn't personal interaction during this stage, one can still 'write' with the goal to reach all of those groups. It is very interesting stuff!
  • Adrian
    Michael,

    Great post, the sound old principles of selling. Will be using this tactic for my product launch most definitely.
  • @Vicki Zerbee:

    Yes, indeed. I wrote an article about it a long time ago:

    http://www.michelfortin.com/does-your-copy-have...
  • Michel,

    Interesting and useful distinction on a copywriting "standard". I agree, your idea makes the "Problem-Agitate-Solve" approach much more impactful. I'll be using this idea more often in my closing sections (I already use it to some extent) to increase the emotional punch.

    Thanks for a great post (as usual!)

    Kevin Francis
  • Rich
    Great thoughts there, Michel.

    By the way: kudos on your new mast--it's remarkably better. The new pic is warmer, friendlier, and more welcoming than the previous. Typography and overall look--also seems improved. (It's amazing how the first impression factor and tone of a mast can carry forward into a site.) Perhaps this might even be fodder for another post. :)

    One question though: do you do tweak your own graphics and layout, or do you have someone else do this?

    I've always been impressed by the layouts, positioning, and the overall "feel" of your various sites. Who gets the credit?
  • @Rich:

    That would be... Me!

    Thank you for the kudos.
  • Originally Posted By David
    I like the way Eugene Schwartz presents this in his Rodale speech, "Heaven and Hell... Very interesting to think of thinking of your merchandising... the person is here in the center. And here is Hell. And here is Heaven. What you are doing is giving him the opportunity to go to Heaven and escape Hell. Think in terms that dramatic... The absolute agony of arthritis versus a pain-free, healthy life for the next 50 years. Heaven and Hell. You are thinking in dramatic terms.


    Testing new comment quote plugin.
  • I love the approach you use to carry out the Financial Burden. I highly recommend this program for anyone who is serious about making some real money!

    Thank you,
    Bostyon Johnson
  • Jon
    Hi Michel

    Thanks for a very useful post (timely for me)... and thanks to the commenters who reminded me to revisit SPIN selling!

    I don't know if you're familiar with NLP, there's a concept of "Towards Motivation" and "Away From Motivation" - where "Away from" is motivation to escape from something, "Towards" is motivation to achieve/get something.

    When I'm coaching clients, highlighting the "Away from" is often a good way to help them take immediate action, but emphasising the "Towards motivation" tends to be more effective for long-term change in behaviour. "Away from" motivation tends to decrease as soon as the person starts moving away from the source of pain, whereas "Towards motivation" tends to increase as the person gets closer to the benefits they're seeking (excuse the generalisations).

    Not sure if you can apply this to copywriting/selling, I guess it depends on what product/service you're selling, and what action you want the prospect to take?

    Cheers, Jon
  • This is a serious valuable post. Not only for the on line business entrepreneurs, but also very valuable for off line sales companies. I remember learning about it in college, and your twists on it compliment that theory nicely! Thanks for this great post. I never actually blown up the problems of my clients as of such, I merely threw some sands in the open wounds they had, making them feel more desperate to my solution. Maybe harsh, but a great way of making sales.
  • Shira
    Hi Michael,

    Would you mind pointing to an article or ad that uses the law of contrast to build desire? I get the idea but could benefit from a real-life example.

    Incidentally, this seems to be related to a principal called "manufactured need." I read about that when I was studying Rhetoric in college.

    It's the idea of creating a need where one did not previously exist. Before the 90's we all used lotion-free tissue. then one day we were told we NEEDED tissue with lotion in it to keep our noses from drying up and falling off. I guess this takes the contrast one step further?

    Thanks for the blog!

    Shira
  • @Shira - Yup, here's one from one of my coaching students who wrote the copy:

    http://www.secretsofself-mademillionaires.com/i...
  • Nice post
    For me give an idea how to make business rum well and get success

    The Success
  • I was first introduced to this idea when I read Maria Veloso's "Web Copy That Sells". I don't think I've been widening the gap enough though. I present the Problem and then got to why it still Persists. I'm going to try and use one of those "Imagine what it would be like..." phrases before I get to why it still persits and test the results.

    Thanks again Michael for your great posts. They've helped me dozens and dozens of times.

    Mike
  • Very insightful post Michel (not Michael :-) ).
    Will follow your advice and "practice and perfect this technique. Just follow the four steps outlined."
    Merci! ~Lisa
  • Michael,

    A few months back, probably in the fall of 2007, I signed up for the $500.00 membership page. I have forgotten how to get to the page. I know my passwords, but what is the url for the page where I sign in? Thanks.

    Hal Coleman
  • @Hal Coleman - Hal, I have multiple programs for $500 a month. Which one are you referring to? Anyway, I've sent your request to my assistant, Evelyn. You can reach her anytime at evelyn [at] successdoctor.com. Thanks!
  • Asanya
    I randomely found out on google about this nice software you can use to get people find you and be attracted to your headlines in search engines. I think it was called glyphius...
    You pretty much type a headline and it gives you a score. You keep editing it and changing few words until the score gets higher and higher and i guess next thing you know, you have a catchy headline ;) I think I'll try it to advertise my coming up business.
  • Thanks for your submission to the ninth edition of the Blog Carnival: Blogging. Your post has been accepted and its live: http://thatsblog.com/?p=79

    -ThatsBlog.com
  • Love the round about of sales principles that are timeless. Will definitely implement into business and "widen the gap" with my copy.


    Regards

    Rich Muir
    http://www.companiesnow.com.au
    making registering your company easy
  • Interesting writing concept that fits well with my Writing Solutions for Netrepreneurs series and adds more understanding to an old NLP principle I once learned.
  • Hi Michel,

    I reread your post three times now and I'm still not sure if I get it. It seems like all that you say is just that I should spray some salt in my prospects wounds before I tell him about how relieving the soothing balm will feel once he puts it on?

    And why is it called Gap ANALYSIS? It seems like the analysis part is just analysing were the "pain" is, but what you're describing is also taking it two steps further and then amplifying it and offering relieve.

    Also, it reads to me like "Wouldn't it be nice if...", "What all of us dream of is...", "Would you like to know how to..." are pretty weak phrases, no? They're kind of greyish, with the colors faded.

    Example: "Wouldn't it be nice if your skin is beautiful and clear, no more acne [blabla]"

    Compared to: "Now imagine this: Your skin is beautiful and clear, no more acne [blabla]"
    isn't the second one stronger?

    Sorry for my stubborn mind here, but I'm really trying to understand. :-)

    Thanks.
  • Shanika Journey
    Hey Micheal,

    This post was actually more useful on what to do to build up the value and psychological buy now factors to produce a sale. I am currently building my webstore and information like this is so highly needed and more. I am definitely glad that you were on one of my seminar dvds. You are definitely one of the best to learn form.
  • @Copywriting Kid - Kid, Gap Analysis is actually an accounting term, but the term was first used by sales trainer Brian Tracy in "The Psychology of Selling." I wanted to show how it is just as applicable in copy.

    Sure, your example is better. And I'm sure there are even better ones. The point is not to dazzle but to simply show how it works to people who are new to copywriting. (I see that *you* get it.)

    Is it just spraying salt? Not really. Problem-Agitate-Solve talks about mentioning the problem, agitating the problem (the salt you mentioned) and then solving it.

    But Gap Analysis also introduces the other side in the process.

    Better said, it's like "Problem, Tease (with solution), Agitate, then Solve." It adds an extra step so prospects know there's a solution before you agitate.

    Why? Because just spraying salt on a problem would be irrelevant if the prospect doesn't care for the problem (they are oblivious or apathetic) or has nothing else (possible solution or benefits) to measure it against.

    I appreciate that the article is boring to you, but you seem to "get it" while others may not.

    Thanks for the feedback, though.
  • @Michel Fortin - Hi Michael, thanks a lot for breaking it down that clearly, I didn't realize the distinction.

    I really appreciate you taking the time.
  • Hi Michel!

    Splendid article, which gave me good ideas for my upcoming launch. Thanks a lot.
  • Hmmm, I originally stopped by to tell you that I've just published your article on the most recent Marketer Review Blog Carnival and I see the trackback didn't work. Yours is not the first site, I must have done something wrong on my post. I'll have to look into this.

    Come by to vote on the best post of the 31 posts this week. Yes, you can vote for your own post. Use the social media of your choice to help get traffic back to your site.

    Remember that Friday is our deadline for new articles, so mark this Friday on your calendar as the latest that you can get to Blog Carnival to submit for next week.
  • i've been using this technique for a while and it really works! Thanks Michel
  • Great post Michael - VERY helpful! I hate to be a pain in the ass - but you use the term "illicit an emotional response..." - should be "elicit an emotional response..." Just trying to help - I hope I don't come off sounding like your English teacher in High School - take care. :)
  • Seriously Michael do you ever write a bad article? Thanks for putting the pressure on the rest of us and raising the free content bar to the moon Alice! ; )
  • Great info as usual. I was introduced to Problem Agitate Solve by Dan Kennedy but I do enjoy the extra dimension that you've added to it.
  • Interesting idea, thanks! I'm going to try this when next writing copy for a website page.
  • Do you think this only applies to face to face selling or to selling via the internet do you think?
  • Normally I am a good story teller and essay writer but a lousy salesman.When it comes to copywriting I will have to use new methods such as yours to use successfully for any internet marketing I am involved in.Gap Analysis might be my answer.Paying for copywriting course,like I have been offered via e-mails ,is not in my budget;and I am stubborn about using my own talents yet willing to learn tweaks.Keep up with these great articles.This one and the previous one "I get".

    PS: if you happen to look at my website blog ,the 'Tweet This" function is leading to a 403 page when the post is clicked on in Tweeter ;working on the solution.

    PPS: Have 2 linkbacks on my sites to your blog..
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