It's time to research what's going to be of interest to the specific person that you are selling your products and services to - your prospective customer.

Let me set one thing straight. There is no more important person than your client. Your job is to convince her that you'll make her...

• More money

• More intelligent

• More attractive

If you do, you'll be rewarded with SALES. And that's what it's all about - isn't it? So you need to do your research. You need to step into the shoes of your customer and understand...

• What motivates him

• What his fears and concerns are

• How he thinks and communicates

• What his feelings, beliefs and desires are

Because he is the person that ULTIMATELY determines your pay cheque and the success of your advertising.

And that's why you need to know the answers to these 13 questions. These are the 13 questions that I have used in order to write blockbuster ads for my clients. Ads that literally increased results by up to 500%, ads and sales letters that have made my clients tens of thousands of dollars.

Your Advertising Detective 13 Super Questions

• What outcome do you want your advertisement to achieve?

• What features does your product or service have? Consider everything. Write down every aspect you can think of.

• What are the benefits that these features deliver? (e.g. Feature:bath with hot water. Benefit: Helps you relax. Keeps you warm.

• What makes you unique? Why should prospective customers choose your business over any other? Think about your unique selling advantage?

• What concerns does your customer have? What annoys them about your industry? What objections do they normally have? (for example, if you were a plumber, your customers might be concerned about you turning up late, making their house dirty, etc.)

• Could you offer a guarantee? How could your guarantee lower the resistance of customers from buying from you?

• Who's your target market? If you could have any client in the world, who would you most like to attract? (the most profitable ones for the least effort)

• If your customers don't grab the bull by the horns and invest in your product or service now, what long term pain will they experience? (e.g., if you were a financial planner, then your customers could end up broke at retirement, like most Australian's)

• How much is your average sale? (Work out how many responses you need to break even on the ad)

• What sort of value have your past clients received from your product/service? Can you get testimonials that will let other people do the selling for you?

• People will put off anything if there's no urgency. Explain the reasons why customers should take decisive action and invest in your product/service now.

• What else would clients see as really impressive about your company and products? What makes you credible? How long have you been in business? How many staff do you have? Have you won any awards? Do you have more than one location?

• How can we back up your claims with data - facts and figures that lend credibility to what you have to say? Is there an association that can provide you with facts, charts, graphs or statistics in relation to your product/service?