3 Lessons From Seducing Strangers

Josh Weltman has been an advertising creative director for more than 25 years.

He was also the co-producer for Mad Men. In the Foreword from John Hamm, (Don Draper) he said Weltman was "the unsung hero of Mad Men."

"Beyond the clothes, the women, the booze and cigarettes, Josh provides our world with a credible foundation in an industry that exists, almost by definition, in an incredible, or at least hyperbolic, state."

As a writer, I'm always searching for ways I can make my writing resonate with an audience.

And Weltman does an excellent job showing what works in his book, Seducing Strangers: How to Get People to Buy What You're Selling.

Here are three of the biggest lessons I learned from Weltman.

Lesson No. 3: Show Love & Respect

Mutual-love and-respect ads, or share-values ads, are about the unique trait, backgrounds, styles, behaviors, habits, and tastes that make one company's customers different from all others, as opposed to differentiating ads, which are about how one company's products are different. I think of them as thank-you notes or inside jokes. - Josh Weltman

This sounds corny and cliche, but consumers want more than a product. They want to purchase products from a company that shares their values.

For some people, a smart watch is just a smart watch.

In fact, a cost-conscious consumer could buy a smart watch now for just $12.99.

So why then would you pay close to $300 for an Apple smart watch?

There could be several reasons. I know I love the unveiling process when I get a new Apple product. It makes buying a tech device more personal, and it also edges you towards making a purchase from Apple just for the unveiling.

People may also pay more for Apple products because they know they are getting quality.

The new device will meet expectations.

Other people may buy Apple products because they love Steve Jobs. Some people may buy Apple products now because they respect how Tim Cook has led the company with such a huge shadow cast over him.

There are also studies that show people who buy Apple phones have common characteristics in terms of income, education, and jobs.

But how Apple has shown love and respect for its customers is through two words: Think Different.

Apple knows its easy to feel lost in the world. Apple knows businesses just look at you as another customer. But the message Apple sends is that it's okay not to conform to the world around you and that you are special.

Apple wants you to be a creator and innovator. They want you to have a reliable product that lets you reach your potential. And through an Apple product, you can change the world.

That's the message they deliver, and that's why people are willing to pay $300 for a smart watch.

Lesson No. 2: Answer Four Fundamental Questions

Weltman said every message that is tying to persuade, sell, or seduce needs to answer one of the four fundamental questions people ask before choosing any product or service:

1. What is it?
2. Why do I need it now?
3. What makes it different from other things?
4. Who else thinks it's good?

Weltman said answering these questions intriguingly, economically, truthfully, and memorably is the art of advertising.

However, you can see that answering all of these questions at once will create information overload.

When you're launching a new product, it's too much information for a consumer to understand what a product is, why they need it now, what makes it different, and who else thinks its good.

So when you're creating a campaign, focus on the question you should be answering and the goal of each message.

Lesson No. 1: You Are the Solution- Not the Problem

Weltman said that early in his career, he would go into presentations assuming that his ideas would disappoint.

He would psyche himself out by thinking about the MBAs his clients had. He would think about the big advertising budgets, and he would wonder why anyone would take a chance on someone under 30 from art school.

But he eventually realized the people he was presenting to wanted him to have a good idea.

"Now my thinking has his shifted to, I am the best hope these guys have. They're praying I have a good idea. All I have to do is walk in and let them now their prayers have been answered."

Weltman says that now he views his clients as hoping he can walk in and make their fears and anxieties go away.

While I listed three lessons I learned, three are plenty of more in Weltman's must-own book.

You can order it here, or click on the link below.

After reading it, let's have a discussion on the biggest lessons you learned.