Last year, I was strolling down my street…

When a cardboard box in a front garden caught my eye.

It was one of those boxes people leave outside their house to get rid of unwanted stuff like DVDs, books and crockery, usually with a “FREE” sign on it.

(This one actually read ‘HELP YOURSELF’, which turned out to be appropriate.)

I don’t normally see anything of interest in these boxes but on this occasion I spotted a book called The Expectation Effect by David Robson.

It’s about how your beliefs about what is likely to happen in your life influence what DOES actually happen.

I thought it might be useful, so I picked it up.

Like all incoming books, it was added to the ‘to be read’ pile (which is almost taller than me right now), which meant I didn’t get around to reading it.

That was, until an old business associate mentioned the book to me last week.

“Have you covered this in your newsletter before?” he said. “I reckon people would love it!”

So I dug it out, gave it a read and – hey presto – the book that I believed would come in useful has actually come in useful.

Which only goes to prove that there’s something in it.

How the Expectation Effect Works

The idea in Robson’s book is that your beliefs, anticipations and predictions are more powerful than you assume.

Take, for example, the famous ‘placebo effect’.

Believing that a pill will heal an illness can result in your condition getting better, even when that pill is a fake.

The reverse applies to the ‘nocebo effect’…

If you are convinced that a pill will cause serious side effects, it’s much more likely that you’ll experience those symptoms.

Positive expectations lead to positive outcomes!

While negative expectations lead to negative outcomes!

This is why ‘mindset’ is such a big topic in the world of self-help.

Now, I know that some people roll their eyes at the word ‘mindset’ and assume it’s all mumbo jumbo.

But there’s a wealth of evidence to support it.

And it’s largely down to how your brain and body work together.

As you go through daily life, your brain filters the sensory input based on what it expects to see.

You then behave according to those expectations, even if you don’t consciously realise it.

For instance, if you walk into a room and expect the people in there to dislike you, you will notice more negative cues – like body language and facial expressions.

As a result you will feel disliked – and the way you respond to them because of this feeling (through your own body language) could actually MAKE them dislike you.

But if you entered that same room expecting everyone to like you, you’d notice their positive cues. So you’d respond to them in a warmer way that they will reciprocate.

The same goes for your approach to major projects (like a home business).

If you expect success, you’ll behave more confidently and apply yourself more diligently…. so that success becomes more likely.

But you anticipate that it’s going to be a struggle, you’ll perceive more difficulty in the challenge, making the process a lot tougher.

You might even give up, saying, “Well, I KNEW this would happen!”

In reality though, it was a self-fulfilling prophecy!

Okay, so there’s an obvious lesson here….

A shift in your mental expectations can have tangible results in the real world.

But the reason I want to share this today is not to help you improve your own mindset.

Because you can use this same principle to encourage more people to buy your products or services.

The Selling Power of Anticipation

Whenever you have something to sell, you’re going to need sales or marketing copy.

Product listings and descriptions… sales promotions… website content…. Social media posts… online adverts… webinars.

Whatever the format, you need to get across to the target customer what your product can do for them in real terms that they will understand.

So you need to communicate the immediate benefits they’d enjoy from all the different features of your product…

For example, a home business digital planner might save them time, reduce stress, and get them to their goals more easily.

But you also need the customer to imagine how much better their life would be as an outcome of using your product in the longer term.

For instance, that digital planner will help them become a successful entrepreneur who enjoys financial freedom and plenty of time to spend doing what they love.

What you’re doing here is shaping the expectations of your target customers.

This will then shape their behaviour.

They are more likely to buy or subscribe (because they believe that good things will happen)…

And they are more likely to invest themselves in your product by using it, enjoying it and recommending it to others (because this is what they anticipated).

Let’s take a look at some specific ways you can do this.

Paint a Mental Picture

One of the most important things you can do is get the reader to imagine themselves using your product successfully.

A classic example is the famous sales promotion for the newsletter International Living, which began like this:

“You look out your window, past your gardener, who is busily pruning the lemon, cherry, and fig trees… amidst the splendor of gardenias, hibiscus, and hollyhocks.

The sky is clear blue. The sea is a deeper blue, sparkling with sunlight.

A gentle breeze comes drifting in from the ocean, clean and refreshing, as your maid brings breakfast in bed.

For a moment, you think you have died and gone to heaven.

But this paradise is real. And affordable.

In fact, it costs only half as much to live this dream lifestyle… as it would to stay in your own home!”

The copywriter is placing the reader in a future reality, where they’ve read the newsletter and used its advice to retire abroad.

As much as possible try to show your customer what their life will be like when they’ve benefited from your product.

Make a Promise

Don’t assume that the reader is automatically going to know what they’ll get out of your product – even if it seems obvious to you.

So spell it out as specifically as you can.

For example, let’s say you’ve created a digital course about de-cluttering your social media.

The customer needs a clear expectation of the positive outcome. So you could say something like:

“You’ll reduce the time you waste on social media, lowering your stress and anxiety, and allowing you to achieve your goals and enjoy better relationships with friends and family.”

This way, you create a set of positive expectations in the reader that makes them more likely to buy.

Preview the Outcome

Try to show customers evidence of the end result before they even start.

Examples include testimonials, case studies and stories of real people who are using your product…. or it could be that you use your own results.

To make this tangible, try charts, screenshots, product mock-ups, before/after photos or video demos.

This creates a mental template in the buyer’s mind of what they’re going to get in the end.

When they believe that the ultimate result is genuinely achievable, they’ll be more tolerant of any small obstacles and hiccups that occur.

This means they’ll be more likely to commit themselves, rather than throwing up their hands in despair.

Ease Negative Expectations

Almost always, your reader will approach your offer with some doubts and concerns.

If these aren’t addressed in your sales promotions, you’ll find that they either won’t buy your product…

Or they’ll buy it but carry their negative expectations into their use of the product, making them anticipate problems before they begin.

This increases the risk of refunds and poor feedback.

So you need to overcome these fears and worries in the copy.

For example, you might reassure them that “this will be surprisingly easy”, “there are no tech skills needed,” or “this works even if you’re a complete beginner.”

When you reduce the potential problems of your product in the reader’s mind, the process of using your product will feel physically easier and less stressful.

An Expectation Checklist

No matter what you sell…. digital products, affiliate offers, courses, newsletters, or print-on-demand….. it’s worth using this quick checklist before you do any marketing.

Ask yourself:

• “What do I want my customers to expect? Start with smaller benefits like ease, speed, pain reduction, stress relief, fun and enjoyment. But also think of the big picture life outcome – for instance, success, wealth, happiness.
• “How can I present that expectation in my copy?” Think about a clear specific promise you can make, along with a picture you can create in the reader’s mind of what life could be like in the future for them.
• “How can I add credibility to this expectation?” Find evidence that proves what you are promising is genuinely possible, so that you can further cement this belief in your customer’s mind.

With these three elements in place, you’ll create a highly persuasive marketing pitch that could trigger sales.

Please let me know if you’d like me to offer more advice on techniques like this.

Always happy to share…