I’m going to forego the copywriting advice for today’s post and give you some really cheap business advice that’s wonderful in helping you land clients.

Because while copywriting is important, and while yes, it is a big part of the equation in getting people to reach out to you, it’s still only part of the equation of landing a sale.

Especially the kinds of sales we love… which are worth thousands of dollars.

So here’s the advice:

Take your prospects out for coffee. Or tea. Or hot chocolate.

Whatever their choice of beverage is, just make sure it’s a hot drink.

Why?

Because we’re such judgmental and non-logical beings that a warm beverage actually has enough power to make us feel warmer towards each other.

Maybe that’s why Christmas time memories of drinking hot chocolate around a fire are so fond? It wasn’t all the magical family love and going to church on Christmas Eve after all?

Maybe not.

“Hot and cold stimuli light up an area of the brain related to trust and cooperation,” says Roger Dooley in Brainfluence. (Seriously, if you are in business in any capacity and don’t own a copy of this book, buy one now.)

“Interestingly enough,” he says, “the warm beverages affect not just our perceptions of other people but our own behavior as well. According to Bargh, ‘Physical warmth can make us see other as warmer people, but also cause us to be warmer—more generous and trusting—as well.’”

So when you sit down to have tea with a person, unless one of you is a total ass, you’re going to automatically like each other more.

(Ok Dooley, consider it noted for all future dates—business or romantic.)

And to take it even further, caffeine boosts short-term memory. So tea and coffee automatically give you an even bigger boost towards someone liking you and absorbing everything you say.

So take someone out for tea.

It’s less than $5 and they’ll like you more.

But what if you can’t meet in person?

Yes, you can still give someone that warm, friendly hug in a cup by warming up your own behavior… and, of course, with your copywriting.

And so yes, I get it. A lot of your business is done online too.

Until this year, 100% of my business was done exclusively online and the vast majority of it still is.

But since I can’t control the environment another person is in when I set down for a phone or Skype call with a prospect – I try to create that feeling as much as I can.

Here’s how:

If we’re having a call, I push for Skype. And I turn the camera on. 

Which means putting in my contacts instead of these old, ugly brown glasses, getting dressed, and combing out my hair instead of leaving it knotted.

I also set myself up in a quiet environment with a warm-feeling backdrop (my living room works well for this), and if I have the time, I make a hot drink for myself… so at least my behavior is warmer and friendlier.

So all of that helps take care of a warmer-feeling conversation, but what about the small talk banter that usually happens when you meet in person while you’re deciding what to order and getting used to the other person’s presence?

Because that stuff really helps us relax around each other and get comfortable before we talk about topics like buying and selling, which are naturally a little uncomfortable.

It’s a little less easy to control, but there are some things you can do to accustom the person to your presence and your voice beforehand.

Like video. Or an audio podcast.

I’ve started recording myself on video so people can check me out and “get to know me” before we have a call, so they feel more comfortable knowing what to expect voice and personality-wise.

I got this idea because I saw bloggers I adore use video as a core part of their blogging strategy. And it makes me feel way more comfortable with them. Even if I’ve never met them in person, I feel like I just know we’d be BFFs if we were stuck in a room together.

So if you have bloggers (or vloggers) you love to death even though you haven’t actually met them in person, take note of what they do in their blog posts, videos, and emails to make you love them and start to mimic those strategies as a way to build up that small-talk banter rapport with your target audience.

Here are some ideas:

• Tell an embarrassing story to kick off an email sequence.
• Show them some of the backend of your business to establish transparency and trust.
• Record yourself on video so they “know” you via your voice, look, and mannerisms.
• Use podcasts (your own or someone else’s) to make your voice more familiar.
• Be open about sharing your own journey in figuring out life & business. Show your own vulnerability first so people feel better about opening up to you.