He’s your target customer – person most likely to buy what you have to offer. He is person responsible for your paycheck. He pays your rent and feeds your kids. Or at least, he will, once you convince him to buy from you.

But to convince him, you have to know him. Intimately.

I know, I know – this is elementary stuff. Marketing 101. But you’d be amazed how many people are in business without a clue about who they’re selling to. Even if you have a pretty good idea about what makes Mr. Prospect tick, you could stand to learn more.

Because better you know him, better you know how to sell to him.

Dig deep. Get way down into his psyche. What are his core beliefs? What are his fears? What keeps him awake at night? What kind of person does he really want to be? (That one is actually far more important than who he actually is. Can your product or service help him be that person?)

Your headline is like an ad for your ad. It is responsible for getting attention of your prospect and enticing her to read what you have to say. If it succeeds, your marketing has a chance. If it fails, your marketing is over before it ever began.

So how do you create that heart-stopping headline? First off, there’s one thing you don’t do: Use your company name all by itself. You’ve got one shot at grabbing your prospect, and shouting your own name at her isn’t going to do it.

Think about it: as a living, breathing member of human race, your prospect listens to one radio station: WIIFM (What’s In It For Me?) Until you answer that question with a benefit that reaches down to her very core, your name just doesn’t matter to her.