Bob Bly Direct Response Copywriter Official Banner

Can You Get People to Buy by Insulting Them?

June 7th, 2006 by Bob Bly

AN, a Web designer, seems to think so.

The other day he sent me an e-mail saying he enjoys my books — but that my Web site, www.bly.com, is crappy and poorly designed.

He never bothers to ask first whether the Web site is working — or how much money it is making for me — issues that apparently don’t concern him nearly as much as the fact that I don’t use a CMS (content management system) or that my pages are in HTML, something he doesn’t like.

Of course, for a fee, Web designer AN can fix it for me — and make it much better. Or so he says.

Let me ask those of you, especially those of you who either (a) have Web sites or (b) provide services….

How would you rate sending potential clients an e-mail criticizing what they’re doing, and then offering your own services to fix it, as a marketing strategy — good, bad, or terrible? And why?

Share

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 7th, 2006 at 2:46 pm and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

80 responses about “Can You Get People to Buy by Insulting Them?”

  1. Mordechai (Morty) Schiller said:

    Bob,
    I think this goes back to your other post about people being rude online.

    Sure, if I get a piece of direct mail that was poorly conceived and written, I might write a constructive note to the sender. I’d explain what I thought was wrong and suggest another approach.

    Wonder why these cranks are taking their frustrations out on you?! Consider it a sign of success!

    Morty

  2. Bob Bly said:

    Morty: my take on it is different. My rule: never give people unsolicited advice. If they want your opinion, they’ll ask for it. And only those who ask for it and pay for it will value it.

  3. Mike Duffy said:

    I think there are better approaches than being insulting. AN displays a certain naivete which is common to technically-skilled types (“it’s all about the technology”).

    Clearly, it would be coup to be “the designer who fixed Bob Bly’s site and made him lots more money.” It’s not stupid to approach you (since you’re well known and would be a great reference client), but I would think “give and get” is a better (initial) strategy.

    Speaking of which, have you thought about placing the e-mail sign up (a) above the fold, and (b) on every page? A recent article by Anne Holland gives evidence that these are two easy and effective techniques for list building. Of course, that assumes you want to build your list, which may not be the function of bly.com

  4. Justin Hitt said:

    I have 15 of the ugliest websites in the world … I only know this because I’ve been the subject of message boards, personal notes of concern from designers, and even well meaning advice from “experts” … but as long as they keep pulling, I don’t care.

    Could they pull better with fancy graphics, pull down menus, and “design elements” … perhaps, but I’m too busy testing copy to try anything more than a single graphic or headline change. Testing is the only determining factor of what works and what doesn’t.

    Bob, I just wrote your “Never give unsolicited advice …” quote on an index card and stuck it to my monitor. It’s priceless. A critical insights for any freelance or professional who sells their talent.

    To criticize a prospective client is bad practice, it’s better to approach a client neutral on what they are currently doing, then use a (paid) consultation to outline the specifics. I use an inquiry letter, soft sell article, or sales letter to open the door for an appointment.

    Anyway, Thanks for such an insightful resource.

    Sincerely,

    Justin

  5. Bob Bly said:

    Mike: the primary purpose of http://www.bly.com is to serve as online inquiry fulfillment for prospects interested in my copywriting services — not to build the list — which is why the sign-up box is lower down. I also want potential clients to inquire about my services, which is why I have a Need Great Copy burst at the top.

  6. Dianna Huff said:

    Bob,

    Have been loving your posts of late. 🙂

    I’ve had potiential clients call me to say, “We need a new Website.” My question: “Why?” Reply, “Ours sucks.”

    My next question always is, “How do you know?” You need to look at your analytics, analyze your traffic and page downloads, determine if people are finding you via the search engines, etc etc etc. If people are calling you from your site and saying, “Let’s talk” then your site is working — no matter how “sucky” the design.

    Personally, I try not to go negative with clients/prospects. If I see a site needs something I will often say, “Have you considered X?” Most of the time, they know they need something but haven’t gotten around to fixing the problem.

    Dianna Huff

  7. Kevin Hillstrom said:

    I think we marketers should view our relationships in a similar manner to the way we view our friendships.

    Would we criticize and demean our friends (“your jeans look awful”), then provide them with a solution (“I’ll take you to the mall to get you new jeans”)? Maybe we do that from time to time. But if we did that consistenly, what kind of base of friends would we create? We’d have friends who are either very thick skinned, or we would have friends who depend upon us for their needs. Either way, we wouldn’t have the friends we want to have.

    So, yea, you can get people to purchase by insulting them. Long-term, my guess is that a customer base is built that doesn’t reflect the kind of customer you want to have.

  8. AN (user) said:

    First of all, I am sorry, but I did not mean to insult Robert or sell him anything.

    Here is what did I write: I believe that bly.com can be improved. Especially the homepage.

    I wrote this as a user. Not as a designer. And I never wrote that I will fix or do something else for fee or for free. Did I, Robert?

    Maybe I am wrong, but I would ask visitors to answer the following questions:

    1. For example: turn off the graphics and open bly.com homepage. You won’t see the menu. Is this good for user? Users often turn off graphics, especially when they want to increase the download speed or decrease traffic. Are graphic menus and imagemaps good for search engines?

    2. And if I click on the menu links before I see the subscription form (because it is under the fold and people do not always read the whole text from top to bottom) — does this increase the probability of using that form?

    Now I’d like to repeat: I am sorry, I did not mean to insult Robert or sell anything.

    Respectfully,
    AN

  9. Bob Bly said:

    AN: I am going to be up front with you — I don’t even UNDERSTAND your comments. More to the point, it is a bad idea to give unsolicited criticism, especially without asking questions about the site and its goals. This site has literally helped me make millions of dollars — and prospects submit the form at least one per day, even though I do not actively drive traffic to the site. BTW, the form link is NOT just below the fold, it is als in a blue burst at the upper right of the screen — “Need great copy?”

  10. Laura Bergells said:

    I love this blog/post!

    I often consult with ad agencies and marketing firms…and usually their creative directors or senior designers will tell me something like, “It is amazing that our owner hired you an internet marketing consultant. Your site is really ugly. Let’s talk about having our firm fix it for you.”

    Of course, they are talking about design only. Not business goals. Not programming. Not copy.

    They seem to want to implement a design school ideal for what they think is “pretty”. Not effective. Not informative. Just “pretty”.

    What they **usually** have in mind is a six-page, billboard-type website with lots of Flash. So if I ask them questions about how many visitors they get to their own gorgeous sites — and what their conversion rate is — they stare at me blankly. The look seems to say:

    “Stats? We don’t need no stinkin’ stats! We’re pretty! Isn’t it obvious? It’s all about image! Style! Impression! Our phones will ring off the hook for our creative vision any day now!”

    The irony! This kind of “start with the insult – ignore the goals” hubris is part of the reason why I am paid to consult with the agency in the first place!

  11. SpongeBob Fan said:

    Seems to me there is actually a happy-medium between “design school” and generally bad web sites, ads, brochures or whatever.

    Full disclosure — I am an advertising person, so I come to it with that bias, if it can be called that. The fact is that a-n-y outreach effort should address both the concerns/needs of the business … and of the reader/user.

    There is a lot of be said for good design. Not unnecessary bells & whistles, never that! The fact is that people see so much good design that they do make judgments, without necessarily even knowing it, about poorly-organized information.

    This IS NOT about Bob’s site – I just had to stick up for the good designers who actually do add A LOT to the sales effort. It’s not just the words. It’s not just the design. It’s the marriage that can make a real difference, IMHO.

  12. SpongeBob Fan said:

    Quote from above:
    “I have 15 of the ugliest websites in the world … I only know this because I’ve been the subject of message boards, personal notes of concern from designers, and even well meaning advice from “experts” … but as long as they keep pulling, I don’t care.

    Could they pull better with fancy graphics, pull down menus, and “design elements” … perhaps, but I’m too busy testing copy to try anything more than a single graphic or headline change. Testing is the only determining factor of what works and what doesn’t.”

    I guess I keep thinking about this subject because of the last line. If testing is the only determining factor of what works – and I believe it is – why not test design too?

    It’s not as easy as testing copylines, I understand that. But design matters. It didn’t used to on the web, but – more and more – it does.

    And no, I’m not a designer. And a web site doesn’t need to be fancy. At all! I HATE flash. As a web surfer/shopper, I HATE sites that are beautiful BUT slow and WAY TOO complicated. Wynn Resorts — this means you! But I do like organized information. There are so many both good and horrible web sites out there now that I tend to move away from the ugly ones figuring that if they can’t get their site in order, how easy will they be to do business with? I don’t have time to think ugly through. It’s sort of like a store that way. Wal*Mart is great, I’m sure. I prefer Costco ’cause I’m more comfortable there.

    {This is absolutely n-o-t about any individual web site. It’s the general idea that has me thinking.)

    Thanks for the always-thoughtful blog, Bob.

  13. Robert Stover said:

    Bob and company…

    I kid you not, I have a client/friend that does website design. Occassionally he’ll see a viable concern with what he believes to be a terrible website (terrible in his world is poor function – not design). He’ll pick up the phone, get the president or owner on the line and pretty much tell them, “your website sucks”. He’s very blunt. And for some reason they will listen a while, answer his tough questions, then ask him how much he’d charge to help them. Go figure.

    Perhaps people are more welcoming of insults in areas of expertise that they are really unsure about. To insult a Marketing Master on something marketing related invites counter attack (or an excoriating blog post!). Whereas, if someone comes to me and says, “hey, your diet sucks” I’m slightly less offended?

  14. guerra said:

    Du musst ein Fachmann sein – wirklich guter Aufstellungsort, den du hast!

  15. valentino rossi said:

    L’information interessante que vous avez! I’am allant revenir bientot.

  16. bianchi said:

    Lavoro eccellente! ..ringraziamenti per le informazioni..realmente lo apprezzo: D

  17. federica said:

    Great site! Good luck to it’s owner!

  18. bici said:

    Ich fand gute und wichtige Informationen – dir zu danken.

  19. membership said:

    ooo! it’s one of the best sites ever! 🙂

  20. stipendio said:

    Interessieren. SEHR interessant! 😉

  21. gang said:

    The information I found here was rather helpful. Thank you for this.

  22. irpef said:

    Du musst ein Fachmann sein – wirklich guter Aufstellungsort, den du hast!

  23. transex said:

    Lavoro eccellente! ..ringraziamenti per le informazioni..realmente lo apprezzo: D

  24. carrelli said:

    Nice site you have!

  25. ministero said:

    i’am really impressed!!

  26. moglie said:

    i’am really impressed!!

  27. verbi said:

    Interessare, molto interessante. Come avete fatto questo?

  28. mattino said:

    Was kann ich sagen? Wirklich gute Arbeit erledigt mit dem Aufstellungsort?

  29. donne said:

    ooo! it’s one of the best sites ever! 🙂

  30. amore said:

    I’ll be BACK! 🙂 😉

  31. assunzioni said:

    pagine piuttosto informative, piacevoli =)

  32. avril lavigne said:

    L’information interessante que vous avez! I’am allant revenir bientot.

  33. iene said:

    Great site! Good luck to it’s owner!

  34. massaggi said:

    mmm.. nice design, I must say..

  35. unghie said:

    Grand emplacement! La conception est merveilleuse!

  36. milionario said:

    I’ll tell my colleagues about your page..!

  37. emulator said:

    I’ll be BACK! 🙂 😉

  38. tesine said:

    Interessare, molto interessante. Come avete fatto questo?

  39. uomo said:

    Dein Aufstellungsort verdient nur gute Woerter. Danke.

  40. mamma mia said:

    9 su 10! Ottenerlo! Siete buoni!

  41. video xxx gratis said:

    mmm.. nice design, I must say..

  42. cartoon said:

    Was kann ich sagen? Wirklich gute Arbeit erledigt mit dem Aufstellungsort?

  43. tesine said:

    La buona visione del senso!

  44. trentalia said:

    work’s done the way it must be..! ^^

  45. jahoo said:

    Nice site you have!

  46. gogle earth said:

    i’am really impressed!!

  47. lpaidvhpae said:

    Hello! Good Site! Thanks you! nslmbsjram

  48. Claudio Bonker said:

    Rather entertaining many thanks, I believe your visitors could possibly want significantly more content articles similar to this carry on the superior perform.

  49. replicawatchus2013.com said:

    Even a knowledgeable professional on high-class feet use cannot tell the change between a unique Christian Louboutin and the replica because they are made just right with nice design and excellent information replicawatchus2013.com http://www.replica-watchesshop13.webs.com

  50. Jacinda Tichnell said:

    I have not checked in here for some time because I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are good quality so I guess I¡¦ll add you back to my daily bloglist. You deserve it my friend 🙂

  51. Colin Bergami said:

    I actually prize your function , Fantastic post.

  52. jewelry brandon fl said:

    Quite effectively stated, your website says it all about that certain topic.”*”:,

  53. click here said:

    Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The words in your post seem to be running off the screen in Ie. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with internet browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the issue solved soon. Many thanks

  54. Full Content said:

    I am not certain the place you are getting your information, however great topic. I must spend some time learning more or understanding more. Thank you for fantastic info I was searching for this info for my mission.

  55. elegant prom dresses said:

    If you suffer typically the marvel of your body appearance it’s not thus fantastic, in basic fact, it will be totally extraneous.

  56. nuvagenic said:

    continue with all the the wonderful operate on the website. I really like it. Could possibly use some a lot more updates far more often, but im positive you got better issues to perform , hehe. =) brown vs board of education

  57. bail bondsman san antonio said:

    This web-site is really a walk-through it definitely would be the data you wanted regarding this and didn’t know who to ask. Glimpse here, and you will undoubtedly find out it.

  58. discount oakley sunglasses outlet said:

    All engagements will need not culminate in marriage. Some engagements get broken resulting from several reasons pave set engagement rings. On such occasions, ought to the lady give the ring back to the man? In most cultures, the lady will need not return the ring. In case the lady is the one particular who breaks the marriage off, the man has the freedom to ask for its return. He may also opt to let her maintain the ring.

  59. inventati.org said:

    Hello there! This post could not be written much better! Reading through this post reminds me of my previous roommate! He continually kept preaching about this. I’ll send this information to him. Fairly certain he’ll have a great read. Thank you for sharing!

  60. windows 8 said:

    This will likely be a terrific internet web page, could you be involved in undertaking an interview about how you created it? If so e-mail me!

  61. Selling My House said:

    This can be an incredibly incredible potent resource that you are providing and you simply present it away cost-free!! I comparable to discovering websites which view the distinct worth of providing you an excellent mastering resource for zero cost. We really dearly loved examining this short article. Be thankful!

  62. trap beats said:

    Just bookmarked your weblog. Usually enthusiastic about reading about this particular subject. Sort regards.

  63. rumah minimalis said:

    Just want to say your article is as astonishing. The clarity in your post is simply nice and i could assume you are an expert on this subject. Fine with your permission let me to grab your RSS feed to keep updated with forthcoming post. Thanks a million and please continue the enjoyable work.

  64. candy crush said:

    You need to be a part of a contest for one of the finest websites on the web. I am going to recommend this site!

  65. snort this said:

    You really make it seem so easy together with your presentation but I to find this matter to be actually one thing that I believe I would by no means understand. It seems too complex and extremely vast for me. I am taking a look forward on your next publish, I will try to get the cling of it!

  66. Skcaptions said:

    Nice post Thanks, Here’s The Best Collection Is Instagram Captions. There Are So Many Instagram Captions Here Read More

  67. Venkateshh said:

    https://svapps.in/services
    https://svapps.in/about
    https://svapps.in/home

  68. outsourcing training said:

    Worked as a Senior SEO & Digital & Social Media & Graphics Design & cpa & Drop shipping & Video Editing And Youtube & Web Design And Development & Affiliate Marketing trainer at BITM (BASIS Institute of Technology & Management) since 2014-2018. Successfully completed 50+ SEO batches, 20+
    Affiliate Marketing batches and 30+ workshop on Freelancing under SEIP (Skills for Employment Investment Program).
    visit us: outsourcing training in bangladesh

  69. Captions said:

    Chicago I’m thankful for my struggle because without it I wouldn’t have stumbled across my strength.

  70. office setup said:

    Thank you so much admin for sharing such useful information with us. You are doing amazing work keep it up, keep sharing the good article with us. I wish you all the best for the upcoming comment. I have also a few links which might be useful for user I am sharing those links here.

  71. office.com/setup said:

    Thanks for sharing excellent informations. Your web-site is very cool. I’m impressed by the details that you have on this site. It reveals how nicely you understand this subject. Bookmarked this web page, will come back for more articles. You, my pal, ROCK! I found simply the information I already searched all over the place and simply couldn’t come across. What a great web-site.

  72. mcafee.com/activate said:

    I’m really impressed about the info you provide in your articles. I must say am highly overwhelmed by your whole story. It’s not easy to get such quality information online nowadays. I look forward to staying here for a long time.

  73. petdoc said:

    Thanks For Sharing the Best Information.

  74. Corwin said:

    puppies for sale,pug puppies for sale in oregon,pug puppies for sale in az,pug puppies for sale in va,pug puppies near mepugs for sale,pug puppies for sale,pugs for sale near me,cheap pugs for sale,pug puppies f 10 years, quite an experience. We do not consider ourselves concerned with earning money. All our Pug puppies are raised at home in a family/friendly environment making our Pug puppies completely at ease with other pets.pugs for sale,pugs for sale near me,cheap pugs for sale,pug puppies for sale,pug puppies for sale near me.
    https://pugslandbreeder.company.com

  75. robert said:

    https://savannahbengal.company.com/

  76. Ndure Shoes said:

    Shop from a wide range of Mens collection from Ndure. Shop from a wide variety of shoes for men, Mens chappals, sandals, sneakers, sports wear, loafers, slipons and boots from Ndure. Our shoes are made from best quality material that is durable. Shop from a wide range shoes color and style. At Ndure, we have a fashion for each one of You.
    Buy of Mens collection from Ndure. Shop from a wide variety of men shoes, Mens chappals, sandals, sneakers, sports wear, loafers, slipons and boots from Ndure. Our shoes are made from best quality material that is durable. Shop from a wide range shoes color and style. At Ndure, we have a fashion for each one of You.
    Shop from a wide range of men shoes online in Pakistan, Mens chappals, sandals, sneakers, sports wear, loafers, slipons and boots from Ndure. Our shoes are made from best quality material that is durable. Shop from a wide range shoes color and style. At Ndure, we have a fashion for each one of You.

  77. BabyBoxShop said:

    Boys gifts are tailored for the adventurous and playful spirit of young gentlemen. Explore a range of gifts that capture the imagination and nurture their interests, ensuring a world of joy and discovery.

  78. BSNS Consulting said:

    Social Media Agency Pakistan, BSNS Consulting understands the power of social media in modern business. We craft compelling social media strategies that drive engagement, build brand loyalty, and foster meaningful connections with your audience. Elevate your social media presence and stay at the forefront of your industry with our expert services.

  79. TipTop Enrichtung said:

    A Barbershop Bedienplatz is the workspace within a barbershop where haircuts, shaving, and other services for male clients are carried out. This area typically includes a chair, mirror, and tools.The Barbershop Service Station is the heart of every barbershop, where skilled barbers work their magic to create fresh looks and maintain well-groomed appearances. This dedicated area is thoughtfully designed for both the barber’s convenience and the client’s comfort.

  80. Bug Zapper said:

    There are several power options for bug zappers, including electric, battery-operated, and solar power. In example, rechargeable bug zappers offer a variety of charging choices to accommodate various outdoor conditions.

Leave a Reply