Do you have problems selling your products or services? It may be because you didn't construct an explanatory paragraph that sells.
An explanatory paragraph is basically like a long product story that encapsulates what you offer, what problems you solve, how you can make their lives better, and what they need to do to buy it. You can use examples of explanatory paragraphs in websites, sales pitch, brochures, email signatures, social media bios, etc.
Explanatory paragraph works like magic in getting your clarity of business and finding what is missing in your narrative of products to your customers. Once made concisely, all the doubts and fear in your customers’ minds will be clear. The customers will see themselves in the narrative of the paragraph.
So what is your magical paragraph going to do??
Identify or Establish who your customer wants to become (Their hopes & Aspirations)
Identify what they want ( something that will get them there)
Define the problems holding them back (focus on the biggest problem)
Positioning you as their guide (with doses of empathy & authority)
Share a plan they can use to solve their problem (which includes your product).
Bring them in- Call them to action.
Create a vision or big picture for their lives
Now use the below free fill-in the blanks template explanatory paragraph with your product & business in mind.
At______________[your company name] we know you are the kind of people who want to be______________[aspirational identity. What kind of person do they want to become?]. In order to be that way, you need_____________________[As it relates to your product, what does your customer want?]. The problem is______________[What’s the physical problem holding them back?], which makes you feel______________[How is that problem making them feel?]. We believe______________________[Why is it just plain wrong that anybody should have to deal with that problem?]. We understand______________[Include an empathetic statement]. That’s why we______________[Demonstrate your competency/authority to solve their problem]. Here’s how it works____________________________[What’s your three-step plan-Be the guide : step one, step two, step three]. So______________[Call them to action-How they can get it], so you can stop______________[What negative thing will happen or continue to happen if they don’t order?Negative thing you are saving them from] and start____________________[What will their life look like if they do place an order?].
Repeat, refine & trim the fill-in-the-blank process until it comes down to basics.
The beautiful thing about thinking through and writing an explanatory paragraph is that we can deconstruct all your business according to the sentences in the paragraph; helping us focus on points that matter.
There are many ways to go about writing explanatory paragraphs. One interesting way I write is by using the perspective of “Via Negativa”. Instead of asking what will make customers buy, invert the question by “what will not make it buy”. What are the barriers & obstructions that the customers face in converting your product?
For example:
List down the top 10 reasons why someone would not buy or do business with you?
It seems like an easy question but it is hard to get to the core of the problem. Sometimes you know the answers, most of the time you have to go out and talk to your customers or target audience day in day out. Feedback is like a superfood for your business.
After talking to customers, if you get some excuses and reasons why they won’t buy. Then we are coming to a step closer to solving the problem.
List down all the reasons & excuses for not buying from you. Trim it down to 5 top reasons.
Some may go like:
How will you guarantee the quality?
Your product is expensive
How long is the process going to take?
How do I know it’s safe?
I haven’t tried it before
I heard some negative reviews
The good news is that once you know these excuses, you know you can address these points and provide solutions up-front next time a customer comes across your business.
For example, “Your product is expensive” can be pre-answered by “We give the best in class artisan handcrafted product with a sustainable organic supply that lasts a lifetime”
“Is the process complicated” can be mitigated by “We will guide you the process step by step and also provide with a dedicated executive so that we never have to worry again”
“I have never tried it" by “Here's a free sample and we have 10,000+ customers which include notable industry clients like X, Y, Z”
Once you have your sentences ready, you can integrate that in your explanatory paragraph on “Here how it works & steps” sentences.
Once the paragraph is constructed; explanatory paragraphs on websites can get you a better SEO ranking. As such paragraphs are long and text-heavy, one can break it down into sections for better readability and user experience. Your One-liners and Taglines can also be deconstructed by picking out the Problems, Solutions & Results from the paragraph.
Whether you use it as a paragraph or not, the process of constructing it will definitely reveal the hidden clarities in your product that you didn't think before.
