October 11, 2025

The 12 “Rs” of Powerful Motivation according to Gary Bencivenga

Legendary copywriter Gary Bencivenga maintains a list of marketing maxims that you probably would benefit from checking out.

I like all the ones I’ve seen, but the 11th maxim really stood out to me:

Know your market or you’ll have no market.

It’s really good, but my fave section is this:

The 12 “Rs” of Powerful Motivation

  1. Recognition: fame, honor, exclusivity, popularity, status, etc.
  2. Refreshment or relaxation: leisure, fun, having more time, freedom from worry, etc.
  3. Regrets to be avoided by acting now.
  4. Rejuvenation: looking or feeling younger, fitness, longevity, health, having lots of energy.
  5. Relief: from pain, shame, guilt, resentment, annoyance, or difficulty of any kind.
  6. Religion: or any passionately held set of beliefs in any area of life, whether spiritual, professional, personal, political, financial, etc. One of the most often overlooked benefits is how a product or service reinforces someone’s most cherished values and beliefs.
  7. Remuneration: the making or saving of money, advancing one’s career, increasing success, gaining financial independence, etc.
  8. Respect: enhancing someone’s image in their family, social circle, community, organization, career, professional standing, etc.
  9. Results: specific, measurable improvements in any area of life.
  10. Revenge: this is another often-overlooked emotional benefit, yet is the powerful psychology behind such famous headlines as “They laughed when I sat down at the piano … (subhead) but when I started to play … ”
  11. Role performance: this is another powerful motivator frequently overlooked. We all want to perform better in our roles in life—spouse, parent, friend, boss, marketer, etc.
  12. Romance: this includes attraction, beauty, sex, adventure, flirtation, curiosity, travel, stimulation of any kind. We all fancy ourselves as romantic souls. If you can help your prospects imagine the newness, charm, and stimulation of romance in some way, you’ll strongly tempt them to escape the humdrum of their ordinary daily routines.

Gary is more from the B2C world, so you might feel that some of these don’t apply to B2B sales.

But don’t be so sure.

Yours,

—J

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