Last week, supplement company Green Valley, which was founded by A-list copywriter Lee Euler, sent out a panicked email that started with:
Dear John,
We discovered somewhat of a sticky situation last week…
So I’m hoping maybe we can help each other out…
You see, late last week our warehouse manager called to let me know that we have NO room for a large shipment that’s already on its way to our fulfillment facility here in Virginia…
That means I now have to get rid of a few pallets worth of one of our top sellers…
So, I’m knocking 70% off Gluco-Secure—a natural breakthrough shown to…
I don’t know who’s at fault here. But I find the warehouse manager’s “not my circus, not my monkeys” attitude contemptible. Particularly since he allowed a similar situation to happen last September. That’s when Green Valley sent out an email that started:
Dear John,
I never do this.
But I have a small problem and I think maybe we can help each other out.
Yesterday afternoon the Green Valley warehouse manager let me know that they have NO room in the warehouse for a truckload shipment of product that’s scheduled for delivery next week.
Somehow wires got crossed but it turns out we have 4 pallets of our top-selling joint pain formula that we need to clear out FAST to make room quickly for new inventory.
So, I’m doing something I never do…
I’m knocking 70% off a powerful joint-healing discovery…
Somehow wires got crossed?
Twice in under one year?
I don’t know what this warehouse manager is doing all day long. He’s clearly not doing his job. That’s why I say Green Valley must fire him, and must do it now.
But one person they shouldn’t fire is their email copywriter. Because that guy obviously knows about the power of reason why marketing.
Reason why is the most widespread and effective click, whirr mechanism in advertising.
Click, whirr, by the way, is the useful but somewhat-dated analogy Robert Cialdini used in his book Influence. You press the tape player button click, and whirr goes the automated behavior tape.
The incredible thing is that, just as with canned laughter and obvious flattery, reason why is effective even when it’s blatantly untrue.
I’m not saying you should lie… but you might choose to stretch the truth, until it turns into a reason why.
Because reason why works on you too. So if you ever need to justify why stretching the truth is ok, you can always say, for your own peace of mind and your customer’s,
“I never do this. But I have a small problem and I think maybe we can help each other out…”
Speaking of sticky situations:
I recently had an influx of new subscribers to my email newsletter. And I’m getting really close to a big round number of subscribers that I’ve always coveted.
So I’m going to do something I never do, in the hopes of quickly filling up those extra few newsletter subscriber spots.
For today only, I’m opening up my email newsletter to anybody to subscribe, for free, right here on this page. This opportunity might not come again for a long time. If you’re the type to grab a great opportunity when you see it, click here to subscribe now.