Parroting For Research And Translating This Across To Marketing Online

by Alex on October 30, 2009

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Parroting for information…

I’ve been reading up on techniques for extracting information from people in order to let conversation flow as freely as possible. It appealed to me after a meeting not too long ago where the client was very subdued and almost unhelpful due to the fact he couldn’t communicate effectively what it was he was trying to achieve from search engine optimisation.

One method of overcoming this kind of person is to employ the ‘parroting‘ technique which simply involves repeating what the person says in such a way that it invokes them to elaborate on what they just said. Effectively, you are putting the ball back in their court. Subconsciously the natural reaction is to answer the question… For example:

So, what is your main service?
… Well, selling fireplaces.
Oh, Fireplaces?
… Yes, we sell a wide range of fireplaces from iron to marble.
Wow, marble fireplaces are the expensive ones right?…
… There’s two types actually, the marble ones and the marble effect ones and we sell both…
So you specialise in marble fireplaces?
… Well we actually specialise in iron fireplaces, but we do sell marble fireplaces too in addition to chimineas.

Immedietely more information has been extracted. It’s important not to overuse the parroting technique or else you risk looking like an idiot. Instead, subtly tease the technique in conversation being sure to ask other questions too.

How can this translate across to marketing online?

Ultimately in any venture you have, you need a desired outcome. If we simplify any business (online or offline) down, we have the following:

  • An audience with a need.
  • A product or service that satisfies that need.
  • A method of selling that product or service.

Marketing online through a sales page requires compelling copy as a minimum, if you haven’t yet moved to video, that will do the selling for you. The rewards can be huge, afterall hitting it right can make you website a 24/7 selling tool. The difficulty is in getting to that stage!

Parroting can help achieve this by simply challenging the questions posed by your audience. By identifying the triggers that make people buy your product, you can begin to ask the questions that your client would. For example if you’re selling a garden lamp, what would your audience ask? Perhaps they would ask if it’s solar or battery powered, whether it’s waterproof or not, the wattage and probably a few others. Once you’ve established the questions they ask, you can begin to answer them through copy, using the parroting technique to repeat the questions going on in the subconscious. Take this example from STA Travel, who sell insurance by asking (and answering) the question of common thought for you (thus parroting the visitors subconscious):

Parroting Technique In Online Marketing

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{ 1 comment }

Chris Moran 10.30.09 at 1:19 pm

Nice writing style. Looking forward to reading more from you.

Chris Moran

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