I love the group Radiohead... One of my favorite songs by them is "Creep" in which the chorus builds up to what I believe to be one of the most powerful lines ever to have been written into a song: "I wish I was special... so very special."

Feeling "Special" is part of our human nature... Who doesn't like to feel "special"'?

You know - that "special" treatment...the one that makes you feel like you stand out from the rest.

Perhaps you have paid a considerably higher amount of money to have access to the V.I.P. section of some place or event.

Maybe you like to travel first-class, or you are the proud member of a "special" platinum, diamond, or whatever kind of card/membership that allows you that "special" access to something that the rest of the "common" people don't have.

While we are on the subject, here's a million-dollar question:

WHY would anybody pay twice the money for a plane ticket on the same crappy flight, given that it only allows you to sit in a slightly bigger seat, entitles you to a mediocre meal and a few glasses of cheap wine and oh, yes, how could I forget, the absolutely fantastic privilege of being one of the first passengers to board and unboard the plane? (By the way, when you do the math, you probably aren't costing the airline more than aprox. $15-$20 more than the average economy-class passenger, yet, you are leaving them about twice as much profit!)

The answer is simple: because it makes you feel S-P-E-C-I-A-L! (some readers may bark back and justify this expense by saying that First class makes for excellent networking opportunities but honestly - deep down inside, it's all about that "special" feeling.)

Before you reach out for the scissors to begin cutting your American Airlines Platinum card, let's take a look at the whole concept of feeling "special."

People love to feel "special." They always have, and they always will...

In today's modern, automated society, everything from multi-million dollar transactions to basic grocery shopping can be done by using and interacting with a machine.

Because of this, the comfort and feeling of "specialness" that interpersonal communication brings to an individual is dramatically reduced and, in some cases,practically lost(notice that your ATM receipt looks EXACTLY the same whether you go to make a $10,000 deposit or a $20 withdrawal.)

The examples of how our modern society is losing the "human" essence in its various ways of interaction are virtually endless. Regardless, it is simply human nature for a person to desire to be treated and addressed as an individual, preferably as a "special" individual, and not simply as one more "subject" or "component" of a huge, nameless mass.

The whole process of "dehumanization" that the electronic media has brought to society has led people to feel lonely, neglected, simply "un-special."

That's why, if your goal is to have people purchase from you, the very first thing you should do is ESTABLISH A WARM RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CLIENT.

This relationship has to be as close, trusting and comforting as possible...

After all, people that land on your web site are very likely to have a problem and are looking for a solution to it. The last thing they want to face is the fact that they are just as stuck, lost or confused as EVERYBODY ELSE.

People want to be greeted by someone who cares for them, someone they can trust. They want to feel like their particular problem is "unique" (even if deep inside they may know it isn't.)

In short,they simply want to feel "special," because they feel that they DESERVE your attention... And they do. After all, they are going to give you their hard-earned money in exchange (regardless of the amount.)

In order to establish this trusting, comforting, "human" relationship with your potential clients, make sure to collect their contact information and then keep in touch with them via PERSONALIZED emails (we will discuss this process in detail in an upcoming posting.)

Address your recipients by name in your messages (i.e. instead of beginning with "Dear friend" write "Dear Jim".)

Structure the emails in the same way you would write a letter to a close friend instead of the format you would use to address a large group of strangers.

Add some personal touch and flair, some elements that will make the potential client who is reading it feel like you care and that you are ready and willing to help.

In other words, make every potential client FEEL "SPECIAL." Let them know YOU care about helping them solve their problem. Let them know you can BE TRUSTED.

In closing, take a moment to read your own newsletter and communications with fresh unbiased eyes. Then "put yourself in your potential client's shoes" and honestly answer: "what kind of a person would send me this type of message?"

The answer may be "creepy."