To be clear, this is not a potshot at Google. I like Google for most things. In fact, I like their gmail service, I love their search engine, and, a few of their other services I use in business. I wonder where the web would be without Google?

(SIDE NOTE: It’s really not cause for wonder if you buy into the “100th Monkey theory.” If you want to see how learning works in autonomous communities, check into it. My neighbor, Peter, shared it with me…very interesting.)

Today, I got my first offer from Google Offers. Here’s a screenshot of the email:

If you get Groupon or LivingSocial deals, you’ll notice this looks like a far less effective version…we’ll see how they do, but, I think Google blew it.

Here’s a screenshot of a LivingSocial email:

Here’s a screenshot of a Groupon email:

Do you see the BIG difference?

Google Offers is plain, boring and they’ve made an error in assuming that the reader/recipient of the email is only interested in the actual deal itself, not the copy or entertainment value.

People are inherently bored and the copy in the Groupon and LivingSocial give folks some value beyond the offer. When people are bored and wanting to be entertained (it’s why YouTube is one of the most successful sites on the Internet – it’s all about entertainment and the lookie-loo phenomenon), they will choose the copy-laden and more exciting looking emails, at least based on my research and what I’ve proven over the years of honing my chops in direct response marketing.

Stories sell. Period.

Deals, in the manner which Google Offers presents, are just that, a deal. There’s no value beyond that, no picture created in the mind of the prospect. No hook into “getting” that thing, that special offer. No entertainment value.

And, if I’m a merchant, I want my story out there. It’s more powerful and creates, as Dan Kennedy calls it, a “category of 1,” meaning, you can sell in a vacuum, vs. just competing on price and raw “offer or deal power.” It’s also far better when your goal isn’t just to get a customer but to create a relationship and build a customer for life (the ultimate goal of every smart business owner).

Speaking of DK, price and profits, get his latest book, co-authored by Jason Marrs at Amazon.com. It’s titled, “No B.S. Price Strategy: The Ultimate No Holds Barred, Kick Butt, Take No Prisoners Guide to Profits, Power, and Prosperity

Click below to get your copy…