What do you want?

That’s the big question that propels us through our days and nights, making the choices most likely to lead us to the land of smiles and contentment.

Many of these decisions are conscious, driven by ToDo lists (to accomplish goals), Common Sense (not walking into traffic blindfolded) and, of course Fear (don’t forget to pick up dinner or you-know-who will go ballistic).

But countless choices are made split-second in the subconscious.  Ducking an incoming snowball is an easy example.  But the invisible decision to act on the offer in a radio commercial might be impossible to empirically identify and document.  Sure, some radio listeners will actually “Call now!” when you tell them to “Call now!”  But many others will call later, or simply lower one wall of resistance to your message so that the next time they hear your commercial, they’ll be ready to say “Yes!”

It all starts by pairing YOUR wants with THEIR wants.

You might start by answering the all-important question: “What’s the one thing you want a radio listener to do when they hear your radio commercial?”

• Visit your website?
• Buy a new Chevy this weekend?
• Call a toll-free number?
• Vote “YES” on Proposition 75?

Once you identify that, you can focus all of your energy on structuring your advertising message to elicit that response….by matching what YOU want with what THEY want.

Focus on the single most important benefit likely to make someone stop their day to heed your call to action, mindful that’s not the activity the listener had in mind when he or she switched on the radio.

One helpful tactic is to ask your current customers for the single buying trigger or benefit that made them customers.  When you get a clear consensus don’t let your ego or clever copywriters clutter the message with ancillary benefits or tertiary selling points.  Remember, you only have 150 words in a 60-second commercial to close the deal.

Test different delivery systems for the message (straight read, testimonials, humor, personality endorsements) and stay true to the buying triggers.  Dangle a powerful offer and present an urgent call to action.

Above all, don’t let “creativity” hijack your message at the expense of tangible results. Focus on what you want and how you can get what you want by giving the listener what they want.

Mark Lipsky is the President and CEO of The Radio Agency. Please follow The Radio Agency’s Blog “Sounding Board” by subscribing to the email or RSS links above.Visit our website TheRadioAgency.com