The one sentence that'll close the deal...and get you dating!

A few weeks ago I found myself playing those ridiculous cat and mouse games with a car salesman.

The car was great. It had everything you could ever want in a new vehicle. Leather seats, a smooth ride, lots of room. They even had a special deal where they would throw in a Sirius Satellite radio system with a full year's subscription.

Long story short - I loved the car. I wanted it.

But with any purchase that big, you have to weigh your options. Am I going to be satisfied with this car? Am I getting the best deal possible? Do I even need a new car?

As much as I was ready to drive off the lot that day, I still had to tell the salesman that I needed to think about it.

So as I left, I got to thinking. This guy just let me walk right out of the showroom. He offered me no more incentives and did nothing to try to convince me to buy that particular car on that particular day.

What a horrible mistake he made. All that commission, right down the drain.

On my way home, I decided to stop at one more dealership. I figured - hey, I'm already out.

Well low and behold there was the exact same car. The exact same color, model-even price.

So I sat down and talked with the salesman. This guy was good!

I went through the whole song and dance again. Got him to a price that I was completely happy with. The same price the last guy had offered me, actually.

The only difference here - I left that lot with my new car.

After I told Ron (my salesman) that I wanted to take some time to think about it, he decided to walk me out to my car. On the way, he told me that he'd be more than happy to accept the deal we had made at any time. No pressure. He would give me the same great car, with the same leather seats, smooth ride, lots of room and the Sirius satellite radio system and subscription as long as the car was still on the lot.

Hmmm. That's true. It really is a great car. Everything I want. The right price. What was there to think about? I knew I'd end up getting it anyway. So I sat in my old car for about 2 or 3 minutes, walked right back up to the office and told Ron, "Alright-let's do this."

You know, I would've been more than happy to buy the same car from the first dealer. But the fact is, when I left, the salesman did nothing to convince me that this was the car for me.

Sure, I already knew it - but with any major purchase there's always a little bit of doubt. And that doubt needs to be dismissed as much as possible before the purchase is made.

I'm sure you've been there a million times before.

Well, when you're writing your personal ad, or rather, writing TO a woman, you have to do everything you can to convince her that she should date you.

In the last two articles, we reviewed the first 3 letters of the S.C.O.R.E. system.

S -- Subtly sell yourself in the headline and lead

C -- Connect with her through descriptive words

O -- Offer her a dream first date by showing her (specifically) where you want to take her

Using this information, we took what was a poorly-written and ineffective personal ad, and turned it into a winner.

Today I'd like to review with you the next letter of the S.C.O.R.E. system - 'R.'

R - Reinforce that you're the only one she should pick

Much like my recent vehicle purchase, you're ad is acting as a sales pitch.

It may not come across that way - but that's the point.

You're actually selling yourself here, without her really seeing it that way.

Just like Ron was reinforcing my desire for my new automobile on our way out of the office.

He was subtle, wasn't pushy and reassured me, in an indirect way - that this was in fact the car for me.

So let's take a look at our ad so I can show you how we're reinforcing that you're the only one she should pick.

Because let's face it. Although there are millions of single women on these sites - there are also millions of men.

But don't worry. Using the S.C.O.R.E. system will make you shine above all those other duds!

***************************************************************************************

Headline: Have you ever tried the $60 Challenge?

What if I told you that you could dine at the city's most luxurious restaurant (I'm talking five-star rating) for just $30? You'd call me nuts, right? Well, it's not only possible, but I'm willing to prove it by taking you to the city's finest anonymous French bistro, right on the Harbor. I have a reservation for this Saturday night and I'd like you to be my teammate to help me with my challenge. The idea is to budget ourselves 60 bucks for a five course meal -- and see if we can pull it off! And I'm not talking just a quick bite at a local diner either. I'm talking about a five-star restaurant, spectacular food, a couple of glasses of chianti and intriguing conversation. Interested? If this idea sounds familiar, they have a similar show on the Food Network. But I'm sure we can one-up them. So what do you say? Will you be my cohort for the night?

Now with one sentence, I'm accomplishing our goal of reinforcement. Can you identify the sentence?

It's, "But I'm sure we can one-up them."

You see, up until this sentence, you're dazzling her with this idea of an amazing date. She's envisioning the date and imagining how great it is. She's impressed with your creativity and confidence. This is the date she wants to be on. And she knows it.

But - there's still the possibility that there is someone even better out there. Someone who could rival your date. Well, that maybe true-but you don't want her to go looking for that guy. You want her leaving your profile having contacted YOU. And feeling confident about that decision.

Like I said, your profile at this point has sparked some serious interest on her part. But before you end your ad, you want to just reinforce how amazing your date with her will be.

What's this? WE can one-up them? He's seriously into this date. And he's seriously into including me. Not only does he want to impress me-but he wants my involvement.

Women want to feel special. That's no big secret.

By saying that "WE can one-up them," you're already predicting the success of the date. Yes, the possibility of a great date sounds nice. Even enticing. But the realized success of the date that you're implying is the deal closer. (Confidence IS an aphrodisiac!)

Don't let her leave that car lot without a purchase!

Reinforce that you are the only one she should pick - and you will be.

Stay tuned for next week's article where I'll take you through the 'E' (Excited. Get her so excited at the end of your ad that she e-mails you right away).

Happy Scoring!

Jack Conway