"Words That Sell" by Rick Bayan is one of the best books any small business owner can own.
Written in 1984, it's a collection of words and phrases you can use to promote and sell your product or service. Divided into sections based on the type of language most effective for different situations, the author gives more than 6,000 suggestions for "power words," words that carry more weight and emotional energy to encourage and compel readers to take the next step.
As we're building our conversational conversions skills, and writing in a way that avoids jargon and corporate-speak, and instead is conversational and personal (even if the message is going to hundreds of people), Words That Sell is the perfect companion to add more direct language into the message.
Why You Need This More Than an Online Thesaurus
It might seem like this should have been obsoleted in the mid 90s with any Internet-connected device offering word suggestions, but the true benefit is the way it provides a curated list of suggestions on physical pages.
It's long been known that adding a physical dimension to learning builds deeper connections and improved retention, so finding these words by flipping through a physical collection, purpose-built for the skill we're trying to learn, becomes an amplifier to the process.
Understanding the strategy of conversational conversions using power words first is essential before deploying a tool to generate ideas, because you still need to pick which one you'll use.
Can't AI Just Do It Better?
As with many things today, AI can be a game changer, but the best results will come from using it to augment your skills rather than as a replacement.
When you know you're looking for a conversational message addressing the reader individually, relevant to where they are in their journey and giving them an easy next step, all you need to do is pick the most appropriate.
Once you understand the "why," AI tools like ChatGPT can help with the "how" by quickly generating variations. Try including more power words in your message by using a prompt like this:
"Words That Sell by Richard Bayan is a copywriting book that suggests more persuasive words and phrases to trigger emotional responses in readers. I'm writing a message to a potential client, so based on the lessons from that book, can you give 5 improved versions of the following message..."
