Remember Janus of Roman mythology? He is depicted as having two faces or heads, each looking in the opposite direction. The concerns of the one face differed from the concerns of the other. Business buyers similarly have a dual personality, and business-to-business copywriting must address both the business needs and the personal needs of the buyer.

Years ago, as a newly minted sales rep, I was mystified. I would meet with end users and managers and present clear, compelling information on a product or service. During my sales calls, I shared my arsenal of sales materials - white papers, sell sheets, and ROI worksheets that assured thousands of dollars in savings. In some cases it was clearly the best business decision for them to buy the product. They appeared interested. They would nod and agree.

Then they would file it away.

They would literally put the sales materials aside in the never ending pile on their desk, or worse yet, tuck it away in the dark recesses of their file cabinet. Maybe, at some future time, they would act on it.

What had I missed? Something else was at stake other than their bottom line. It was their ego. Their “fears.” Their concern for self preservation. In my selling efforts, I was not addressing their personal concerns, needs and interests.

And neither was the sales copy on many of those sell sheets and case studies and worksheets.

Effective B2B copywriting addresses the duality of the business buyer. It must anticipate doubts and address them. With today's shrinking personnel, could they be worried that they do not have the staff to implement the new system or product? Show them how others have worked it into their available staff hours. Do they prefer to “play it safe?” Detail powerful reasons to step out of their comfort zone. Is the opinion of others in their organization of utmost importance to them? Show how the purchase will make them shine.

By creating B2B copy that addresses both faces of "Janus," your sales reps and distributor reps have persuasive arguments at their fingertips, and are better able to address both the business and the personal needs and conerns of their customers.  The net result?  What every sales manager and sales rep wants to hear . . . more closed sales.