| What downside could there be to owning a cherry-red Porsche 911? And what does that have to do with creating compelling advertising copy? Clayton Makepeace has the answer in his essay today. --------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended-------------------------------------------------- "The First Major Shift in Business Thinking Since the 1937 Publication of Think and Grow Rich" Michael Masterson's New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Ready, Fire, Aim, lays out a completely new approach to business and life. It's the blueprint that helped Michael go from pool installer to self-employed multimillionaire before his 40th birthday. And it's so practical and sensible that anyone with an average intelligence can use it to make their first $1 million... $50 million... $100 million... or more! Find out more here...
"Don't be a cynic and disconsolate preacher. Don't bewail and moan. Omit the negative propositions. Challenge us with incessant affirmatives. Don't waste yourself in rejection, or bark against the bad, but chant the beauty of the good." Ralph Waldo Emerson The other day, a guy -- a real sad sack -- left a post on my blog. Said he's been a copywriter for decades but has not been very successful at it. It's not his fault, of course. It's the world's fault. More specifically, it's the direct-response marketing world's fault. And to get even more specific, it's ultimately the fault of our prospective customers. See, our Sad Sack realizes that prospects will not respond to a depressed, negative, cynical salesperson. After all -- if you're interested in buying, say, a new sports car, the last thing you want to do is consider all the possible negatives of owning one. We want the salespeople we deal with to be upbeat -- excited, even -- about the products we're contemplating buying. And since copywriters are salespeople in print, that means he'd have to become (horror of horrors!) enthusiastic about the products he's selling. But enthusiastic sales copy -- which our Sad Sack refers to as "hype" -- is beneath him. He wouldn't dream of lowering himself. Frankly, there are so many things wrong with his post on my blog, I couldn't begin to address them all... For one thing, our Sad Sack -- our holier-than-thou cynic -- obviously has no idea what the word "hype" really means. "Hype" is short for "hyperbole" -- which the Encyclopedia Britannica defines as "... a figure of speech that is an intentional exaggeration for emphasis or comic effect." Wikipedia says that hype is "... a figure of speech in which statements are exaggerated... and is not meant to be taken literally. Some examples include: 'He has a brain the size of a pea'... 'I'm so hungry I could eat a horse'... 'If I've told you once, I've told you a million times.'" By eschewing the use of hype in his sales copy, is he telling me that he is opposed to saying, for example, "I could eat a horse" unless he had substantiation proving beyond a doubt that he does, in fact, have the digestive capacity to process 1,200 pounds of horseflesh at one sitting? Of course, not. That's not what S.S. is saying. He's saying that being enthusiastic about the benefits a product brings to people's lives -- writing high-energy sales copy about those benefits -- is somehow immoral. Because he didn't just fall off the turnip truck. He knows all too well that there are plenty of negatives associated with every product you can name. And you know what? He is 100 percent correct. -
Big Macs tastes great -- but they'll make you fat and raise your blood pressure. And if you eat them every day, they will probably wind up killing you with a heart attack or stroke. -
A Porsche 911 is a blast to drive -- but it doesn't get great gas mileage, virtually guarantees you'll get speeding tickets, and could ultimately kill you in a fiery crash. -
Even puppies have a downside. Sure, they're cute, funny, and adorable. But they will chew your slippers, poop on the carpet, barf on the couch, and hump your Aunt Tilly's leg. And, yes, McDonald's, Porsche, and the dog pound are all notorious for their failure to mention the downside in their advertising. They spend their ad budgets emphasizing every benefit and suppressing every drawback. Which, to our moralistic Sad Sack, is unacceptable... completely beneath a person with his lofty ideals. Obituary Writer Needed "And so," said Sad Sack, "I guess I'll just have to accept the fact that I'm not going to be very successful." To which, I was tempted to respond... "No, you're not going to be a success. At least not in the sales biz. "If you, in your heart of hearts, hate being advertised to... if you incessantly bitch about the amount of junk mail you receive... if you hate spending your money on anything but the bare necessities... and if you assume that everyone with a product or service to sell is a scam artist... "There is an excellent chance that you have chosen to pursue the wrong career. "Don't get me wrong. You can still make a decent living as a writer. But please -- for Buddha's sake -- get out of the marketing game now. There are plenty of writing jobs for negative, cynical people. "You may wind up writing obituaries for the rest of your life -- but, hey, at least you won't starve!" Free Your Mind and Your Arse Will Follow In retrospect, I shouldn't have ignored Sad Sack's post. Because he makes a point that simply isn't being made enough by copywriting coaches today. See, those of us who have made it in this business tend to be very positive people. We're optimists. We believe that the products we promote really do bring value to our prospects' lives. That makes us happy -- enthusiastic, even -- when describing that value. On balance, though, we also understand that in today's increasingly skeptical world, optimism and enthusiasm must have a foundation. Our sales copy must be credible -- and, therefore, based on real, provable, easily demonstrable facts. So while it's true that just about anyone can learn the rules for creating fair-to-middlin' sales copy, not everybody has the proper belief system, mindset, or temperament to be a successful salesperson in print. But couldn't the same be said for pretty much every field of human endeavor? The simple truth is... If you think you're a victim, you will always be a victim. If you search for reasons to be depressed or to quit trying, you will find them. If you justify your failure by blaming it on others, you will find plenty of people willing to exploit you by ustifying your depression... confirming your victimhood... and commending you for your failure to give it your all. A couple of years ago, a woman told me she could never make it in this biz because she was a female. Years earlier, a guy told me he'd never make it because he was black. Guess what? Neither one of them made it. Meanwhile, my friend Carline Anglade-Cole -- an African-American female copywriter -- is driving a Mercedes, living in a 6,500-square-foot mansion, and making $800K a year. [Ed. Note: Ready for some more tough love? Every year at Early to Rise's Info-Marketing Bootcamp, we bring in experts like Clayton Makepeace who know what it takes to be successful. As an attendee, you might have to face some hard truths -- but if you're really serious about starting and growing your own business, you'll thank them for it. Bootcamp takes place in November. But we're already offering you the chance to "reserve" your spot -- and sign up for special VIP access and privileges. Go here to find out more. Master copywriter Clayton Makepeace publishes the highly acclaimed e-zine The Total Package to help business owners and copywriters accelerate their sales and profits. Claim your 4 free moneymaking e-books -- bursting with tips, tricks, and tactics that'll skyrocket your response rates -- at MakepeaceTotalPackage.com.] -----------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended ---------------------------------------------------- Secrets of Self-Mastery and Spiritual Power You're invited to join a FREE teleconference featuring Dr. Srikumar Rao. Dr. Rao, who has taught at Berkeley, Columbia University, and the London Business School, as well as Reuters, Citicorp, Google, and many other companies, has decoded and distilled the wisdom of the ancients. And he's turned these teachings into practical techniques you can use today to end the frustration, boredom, and complacency in your life. Sign up for this FREE teleconference -- and begin your journey to fulfillment -- here.
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Delmar, MD --------------------------------------------------Highly Recommended -------------------------------------------------- Live a Very Comfortable "Retirement" Lifestyle... Today He works just a few hours a day from a cottage in the backyard. He takes a break whenever he wants. And he can always make time for his kids. His neighbors think he's a retiree... because he never seems to be working -- at least not at the type of work they're familiar with. In short, he spends his days how he wishes. But he makes around $300,000 a year. Find out who "he" is -- and what, exactly, he's doing -- here.
Today's Words That Work: Eschew To eschew (es-CHOO) -- from the French -- is to abstain or keep away from; to shun or avoid. Example (as used by Clayton Makepeace today): "By eschewing the use of hype in his sales copy, is he telling me that he is opposed to saying, for example, 'I could eat a horse' unless he had substantiation proving beyond a doubt that he does, in fact, have the digestive capacity to process 1,200 pounds of horseflesh at one sitting?"
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