You know theyre there.

Lurking deep within your prospect perhaps so deep she doesnt even know she feels them are emotions related to what you want to offer her. If your marketing can resonate with them, get them all churned up so they can stimulate some action, its a good bet that shell buy what youre selling.

But if you misfire, your effort will be ignored. Even worse, you could trigger her sales resistance, making it that much harder to sell to her in the future.

So how do you go about deciding which emotions to trigger?

Youve Got To Know Me To Sell Me

Its an old, old mantra, but you just cannot sell to a prospect that you dont intimately know. Educated guesses may help you get lucky once in a while, but consistent wins only happen when you know what youre doing.

Just who is this person youre pitching to? Dont stop with demographics theyre only the beginning. Two 55-year-old white women in the same suburban neighborhood may well have completely different lives. One may be a fanatical environmentalist, while the other listens to Rush Limbaugh.

What are your prospects core beliefs? The fundamental things she believes to be true? What is she skeptical about? What is she ashamed of? What kind of person does she wish she could be?

It Takes Detective Work

It will take effort on your part to find the answers to these questions. And it cant be done overnight.

But where do you look for the answers?

Start with what you know. If you have a mailing list, see what other companies have used it. What are some of the other products or services this target has bought? Are there any publications that mail to this list?

Go to the bookstore and look at the best selling books on subjects related to your offer. Buy them and read them. Get any and all newsletters and magazines on the subject and do the same. Pay special attention to the advertisements how are others targeting your prospect?

If youre targeting a professional group, read their trade publications and attend trade shows and conferences.

Dont stop until you have a full image of a living, breathing human being. Then spend some time meditating about that human being. What is she thinking? What is she already saying to herself about the problem your offer will solve?

NOW you have a good idea of what shes feeling. And you can use that knowledge to help Mrs. Prospect become Mrs. Customer.