Let’s face it…

There are times when I have a big deadline coming up and I need to crank out copy ASAP.

(In fact, one of my retained clients is famous for creating “last minute” projects).

Anyway…

So, there are many times when I forget a very important maxim when it comes to writing copy:

You Have To Write Like
People Talk, And In Short Sentences.

They say you need to write at a 6th-grade level when it comes to writing copy.

Short. Sweet. To the point. No fluff or filler.

I know there are a lot of copywriters who plug their copy into Microsoft Word and judge the grade level of their copy.

However, I don’t use Word, but there’s another tool that I use.

It’s called Hemingway Editor and it’s a really neat tool. You can check out their site here: Hemingway Editor.

Here’s a video that describes it:

What’s great about Hemingway Editor is it checks your copy and makes sure you’re not writing long sentences.

It also checks to see if you’re using a lot of adjectives and other “fluffy” language.

And it recommends where you can shore things up and create copy that’s short and to the point.

This is a tool I use a lot, and is helpful as a quick “double-check” for my copy.

Do I use it as gospel. 

No, I don’t.

There are times when the tool flags a sentence as “too long” when it’s only one word too long.

I tend to ignore those.

But I use it as a good double-check if I’m in a hurry and my sentences are getting a little too long.

Then, I can run my copy through the tool and make any adjustments.

That said,

I’ve Been Doing This For 15+ Years, So I Know How To Make Sentences Short And Punchy

But, like anyone, there are times when I need a little assistance.

Oh, one more thing…

I highly recommend purchasing the actual app that’s only 20 bucks.

Sure, there’s the free version you can use when you go to their website.

But you’ll want to ultimately spring for the real thing.

Very helpful, and I highly recommend it.

 

 

It all started last Thursday. I was sitting at my computer texting a friend and suddenly I get an email pop into my inbox.

“You’ve Just Deposited $4500 To Freelancer.com”

Now, freelancer.com is a site I used to outsource jobs on occasion. But I only hire people to do small $30-50 jobs…not $4500 jobs.

It became apparent that someone had control of my freelancer.com account and was siphoning money out of my Paypal account. I frantically logged into Freelancer.com and saw the money was indeed deposited without my knowledge…

…then, all of a sudden, a fake job was posted in my freelancer.com account. The email popped through and, at this point, I was wondering what the heck was going on.

Then I realized what was happening: this crook was going to have somebody big on this fake job, award the job to the fake bidder, and siphon the money out of freelancer.com…

…where I’ll probably never see the money again!

To make a long story short, it was determined that someone from Nigeria and Atlanta, GA were simultaneously hacking into my network and taking control of my computers.

I have 6 devices connected to my network and they probably had all my passwords, everything.

However, all is good now. I paid a company recommended by Google to disconnect these rogue hackers and secure my network. I then bought an industrial-powered firewall to protect my network so it won’t happen again.

Then it got me thinking: I wasn’t planning on spending 4 figures that day when I woke up that morning. But since I was undergoing immense PAIN at the point of sale, my price objections were minimal.

So here are three tips I learned you can implement for your business.

1) Position Yourself As A Problem Solver

When the network guys sold me on removing the hackers, cleaning up my network, and securing all my devices, I couldn’t make ANY serious transactions on any of my devices including editing my websites or buy anything for fear these hackers could get access to my accounts and passwords.

Now that’s pain.

The quote they gave me for cleaning and securing my network and devices was high. But the pain of NOT taking action (not being able to do any serious business on any of my devices without wondering who else is peering into my network) was waaaaay higher.

So think of how you can position yourself as a problem solver in your business. And amplify the pain your prospect will go through if they don’t take action on your offer.

2) Always Have A Deadline

The network guys sold me an industrial firewall that would protect me from further intrusions. They told me I could easily get my own firewall, but they said my computer would remain open to hackers if I didn’t take action right away.

So there was urgency and a deadline in this offer. I couldn’t just wait and “think about it”…I had to take action now if I wanted to be protected.

After going through the hectic process of calling PayPal to reverse all payments and frantically changing all my passwords, I didn’t want to go through this again. So I didn’t have time to mull things over or “think about it”….I needed to decide right here.

Who knows how this intrusion took place. I’m supposed to get a report in a couple weeks with details how it happened and who did it. But it was a good lesson regarding the promise of removal of pain in marketing.

So how are you going to tell your prospect how your product or service is going to solve the pain that’s going to keep them up at night. If I wouldn’t have taken action, I would not have felt secure on my own home network.

classical rockI caught the vinyl record bug about several months ago.   And my pocketbook shows it.

I’ve probably spent about $5000 on records over the past 6 months.   From classical to rock to electronic.   I like all kinds of different music and decided to graduate from downloading songs from iTunes.

I probably go to my local record store to take a look at the new releases and used vinyl probably 2-3 times a week.  You never know what new release or deals you can get from people who turn in their record collection.

However, somehow, they are failing to extract more money from me in the following fashion:

 1)  They’re Not Sending Me A Physical Newsletter.

Sure, they’re posting new releases on a blog.  But for high-value customers like me who seem to spend more money than the usual patron, a physical newsletter would remind me of good deals, used records that have just arrived into the store, and the latest audio equipment.

 2)  They Don’t Have Me As Part Of A Continuity Program.

Continuity is gold in marketing.   Just as the electric company, your local cable company, and your cellphone provider.   There’s nothing like having income siphoning into your bank account on a regular basis.

They should have me in a special membership where they bill me, say, $100 or so every month.  And, in return, I’ll get 20% off the in-store price for that $100.

I buy about 4-5 records per month from that place anyway.  I would want to join so I can get the 20% off deal, and they get residual income every month they can count on.

There could be other benefits of the membership program.  I don’t go to a lot of their local concerts, but perhaps 20% off concert tickets.  There is one I’m mulling over attending this weekend, and getting 20% off the concert ticket might make me take action.

 3)  They Don’t Have Promotions That Make Me Want To Flock To The Store.

They do have something called “Record Store Day” twice a year, but that’s a national event amongst indie record stores across the country.  The only thing they have is something called “Vinyl Tuesday” where I get $5 off any used vinyl if I buy $25 worth of new vinyl.

Zzzzzzzzz.  Sorry, that’s not going to get me out of bed in the morning.

However, if they had a “Buy 2, Get One Free” deal, then I’ll be all over it.  Give me something cool or irresistible that’ll motivate me to get in my car and schlep downtown to the store!

 4)  They Don’t Recognize Their Top Customers.

With all the money I’ve spent at that place, it would be nice to get a phone call, a handwritten “thank you” card, or entrance into some VIP club that’ll motivate me to keep spending and doing business with them.

Now I know this blog post may seem like I’m “entitled” to special treatment because I frequent this particular record store a lot.

But the truth is this:  any business can benefit by segmenting their customers and treating their best customers like royalty.

They’re the ones that spend the most money with you, so it would behoove you to treat them differently than customers who only have bought from you once or twice.

Just a little more special treatment from this record store would make me think twice about ordering a record from Amazon if I could find it in this store…and, instead, asking the store to special order the record for me.

They better be glad they’re the only decent record store in Boise.  Otherwise, a competitor could easily come down and swoop me away.   And my hopeless and insatiable vinyl habit would be enabled elsewhere.

Conclusion

How are you treating your customers? Do you segment high-value customers from your run-of-the-mill “one-timers?” This is how you “fence in your herd” and prevent other competitors from swooping in…as Dan Kennedy calls it.

 

In my last blog post,  I talked about what you need to do to really get good as a copywriter. And one of those tips was that you need to read one good ad per day.

I had a lot of people ask me…

“But Kevin, where do I find good ads?”

Well, good news. I’m going to answer that in this post.

1) Go to Google Adwords And “Stalk” Other Businesses.

This is killer. Basically what you do is go to Google and enter some key search terms related to the market you’re going after. So, for example, if you’re going after the fitness market, you’ll enter search terms like “How to lose weight” and Weight loss tips”.

You then enter them into Google and check out the ads on the side of the page. Chance are, over 2-3 weeks, if you see the same ads, then they’re probably making enough money to earn a profit.

Then you more than likely have a “control” on your hands. A control is basically a marketing piece that has been determined to get the highest response for the business.

2) Buy Other Products In Your Marketplace.

This is probably the best way to get an idea of “what’s working now” in a market. Just buy their product and wait and see what mail they send you.

Like the Adwords example above, if you see the same online sales page or mailing over and over again, then, chances are, you have a control in your hands.

Some good companies you should buy from include Agora, Rodale, and Boardroom. These companies spend millions of dollars per year testing direct mail and trying to beat other copywriter’s controls. Even if you’re not in their respective markets, you still need to be on their mailing lists.

3) Buy A “Swipe file” Of Winning Ads.

There are many places you can get past winning ads you can study. Some good places include GKIC.com and even Amazon.com. A good book to get is Million Dollar Mailings by Denny Hatch.

You can also purchase sales letter templates as well.   Here’s a book I just wrote that give away my 11-point sales letter template: Effortless Sales Letters.

4) Hit The Library.

Another strategy you can use is to go to your local library and look up the past 6-12 months of periodicals in your favorite niche. Go back and study them, and, if you see the same ad over and over again, then it’s more than likely a control.

For example, if you’re in the business opportunity niche, you’ll want to subscribe to Small Business Opportunity magazine. What are the big magazine or trade journals in your marketplace?

5) Subscribe To Newsletters.

Many companies will advertise in their print newsletters—both free and paid. This is a good place to look for ads you can “steal” and put in your swipe file.

Conclusion

I want to finish up this list with two very important points:

Critical Point 1:  Do not ignore marketing that’s not in your specific industry.

One of the biggest mistakes most people make is sticking with what everybody else is doing in their market. Frequently, some of the best ideas for copy come from what other industries are doing.

You’ll get a huge heads-up on your competition when you start collecting ads that are outside on your industry. I have a file cabinet full of ads from health and investing—niches I don’t plan on entering or writing for any time soon.

Critical Point 2:  Don’t discount non-controls.

These are marketing pieces that you only see once. You can still glean a lot of ideas from them.

I still collect ads that aren’t controls, but have a special section in my filing cabinet for ads that could be controls because they appeared over and over again.

Ads that only appear once don’t necessarily mean they “sucked” or didn’t make money for the prospect. Perhaps one ad only got a 6.2% response and didn’t beat the control that got a 6.3% response. The ad that lost is still a pretty darn good ad—and worth studying.

The only place I would ignore this point is with online advertising. Due to the ability to get traffic at the snap of a finger, it’s possible to test ads in a matter of days—or hours.

So I would wait and see if you see the same ad over the span of a couple weeks before adding it to your collection to make sure you have a winner.

Follow these steps, and you’ll have to go to Office Depot to get a new filing cabinet and it could sever your relationship with your mailman due to all the mail you’re getting.

But you’re getting an invaluable marketing education that’ll make the copy you write zero into your target market and motivate them to buy your product/service.

I’ll occasionally get an email from a subscriber or customer asking how to get started in copywriting and how to get good fast. Of course, I’ll reply because I want to help people out, but I thought it was time to put everything in a blog post I can just refer to people who ask.

So here it is.

1) Read All The Classic Copywriting Books

Notice that I didn’t say “one or two” copywriting books. I said ALL of them. While there is a lot of information that will repeat when it comes to persuasion and sales, you’ll learn different tidbits here and there that’ll boost your ability to write copy like a pro.

I would read these in this order:

  • Scientific Advertising/My Life in Advertising – Claude Hopkins
  • Tested Advertising Methods – John Caples
  • Breakthrough Advertising – Eugene Schwartz
  • Ogilvy on Advertising – David Ogilvy
  • The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell
  • Influence – The Psychology of Persuasion – Robert Cialdini

When I discovered copywriting in 2005, I went to amazon.com and bought all these books in one fell swoop. It only cost me about $100 bucks—money I barely had as a poor graduate student. But those books literally changed my life as they launched me into the world of freelance copywriting.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, “Hey Kevin, that’s a lot of reading!” Listen, if you want to really get good at this, you need to put in the necessary hours and time to learn the basics. If you read one of these books per week (that’s about 1-2 hours a day), you’ll get through this list in about a month.

So turn off the boob tube and start reading, bucko.

2) Read One Good Ad Per Day

This is something I started doing 8 years ago and never looked back. Of course, sometimes I miss a day, but I have pretty much stuck with this for the past several years.

You’ll pick up something in every ad you read that’ll stick in your subconscious and, when it comes time to write copy, you’ll be able to “pull it out” at the right time. I don’t know how many times I’ve been in the middle of writing an ad and, all of a sudden, I’ll get ideas drawn from an ad I read 2-3 years ago.

Your ability to sell your prospect when it comes to either selling your own product/service or other people’s products as a freelancer improves when you have as many “inputs” as possible…

…and this only comes when you read a LOT of ads.

But you have to make sure the ads you read are REALLY good. You’ll want to read from proven winners (or controls) that have actually made money. Not every campaign is going to work, and you don’t want to learn from someone else’s “dud” ad.

So you’ll want to start collecting winning ads from magazines, newspapers, and books. Regarding magazines, in general, if you see the same ad over and over again, then, chances are, they’re probably making money for the prospect. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be spending money on ads in the first place.

3) Handwrite Good Ads

This is a very painful exercise. Not only is it tedious, but you’ll find yourself suffering from writer’s cramp—as I did. But, rest assured, this one exercise could allow you to get good fast in no time.

This requires handwriting good ads. That’s right, with pencil and paper. This works because, via writing, you basically ingrain the way the copywriter uses his/her words, phrases their sentences, and slips in psychological triggers and techniques that motivates their prospect to take action right now.

This must be done with pencil and paper—not on a computer. I still do this once per week—usually on weekends. Consider this to be “weight training” for your copywriting skills. Sure, it’s not pleasant and you’ll get tired and exhausted, but you’ll come back stronger and better afterwards.

4) Just Write!

I don’t believe in writer’s block. I believe once you start writing, you’ll start to get momentum and ideas will start coming to you.

Here’s what I do when I sit down to write copy and I don’t “feel like it” or have a block regarding what to write.

I set a timer for 10 minutes. I then sit down and start writing. When the 10 minutes is up, I then ask myself, “Do I feel like continuing, have the energy, etc. to keep writing?”

For me, there are optimum times during the day that I write. I am a morning person. But, invariably, when I start his 10 minute process, I feel like I have enough momentum to keep going.

Sometimes you just need to get the ball rolling, and the ideas will just come to you. However, it does help to have a framework from which to operate.

For example, I have ingrained 11 steps into my head regarding how to write a sales letter. This is something I’ve been doing for years, and it helps me organize my thoughts while I’m writing.
I also have templates/formulas for writing postcards, emails, newsletters…you name it.

Don’t Skimp On This Stuff!

Finally, this is something you cannot do just once and be done with it. These are habits you need to ingrain into yourself if you want to get good at writing copy.

I attended a seminar a month ago and Greg Renker, co-founder of infomercial giant Guthy-Renker, said he reads all of Joe Sugarman’s books every summer. I mean, the guy probably makes million dollars per year and could retire if he wanted to, but he’s still reading and learning.

Heck, I believe you need to get good at writing copy even if you don’t write copy yourself. That’s because you’ll be able to sell your product/service better. Because copywriting is basically a person-to-person sales pitch transferred to paper or video.

Do these 4 steps and you’ll get good in no time. Going through an organized course or having a mentor can accelerate your learning as well.

So what would you rather do—spend time improving your ability to sell your product/service and learn the most valuable skill in the world, or waste 2 hours playing Candy Crush or watching Jersey Shore?

The choice is yours.

I want to share with you my #1 method for getting copywriting clients. It’s a method a small number of “newbies” utilize and it could be a gamechanger for you.

Ready?

It’s going to live events.

Now I’m not talking about free events…or events where you can pay a $97 deposit and get your money back 4-5 weeks later. I’m talking about events where you have to pay at least $500 or so to attend.

Here’s why: events are where you get to “press the flesh” and meet people. Most people who go to events are serious about their niche or profession—to the point that they’re willing to invest money and time to grow.

And as a copywriter, these are the best people to do business with. This also applies to any other niche as well.

I’ve probably attended 15 events in my 3 years as a freelance copywriter. And I’ve probably made whatever money I spent on travel/hotel/food/registration at least 10x over and over again. Here are some examples:

  • One client I met at a conference hired me for a retainer that has brought in at least $120,000 worth of copywriting work during the past 2 years.
  • And a chance “run-in” at the elevator in the hotel lobby led to a $12,000 project for one of the largest direct mail publishers in the country.
  • Also, a referral from someone I met at a seminar last year led to a $17,400 copywriting gig I completed in a couple weeks.

I probably credit 90% of my income to meeting people at seminars. Here are several tips that’ll allow you to get the most out of live events.

–Go to events where registration is $500 or above. In general, the more expensive the seminar, the more qualified the prospects. I’m going to a weeklong event in June that cost $10,000, but I know I’ll get that investment back in social capital/clients/networking. I’m not saying free events are a waste of time, as I’ve met several solid clients at free events.

–Don’t go to events just to get work. It’s hard to explain: potential clients can almost smell the desperation when you attend just to get work. Just take it easy and make getting to know people and learning about your niche the #1 goal when going to an event.

–Sit in different areas of the seminar.  It gives you a chance to get to know more people.

–Make it all about the other person. Almost every copywriting gig has come from the other person inquiring what I do for a living. And when I tell them, they tell me, “Hey, I’m looking for a copywriter!” In other words, keep the focus on the other person. Some questions I like to ask is, “What do you do?” and “Is this your first (insert seminar)?” Keep it simple.

–Don’t get dismayed if the other person doesn’t mention that they have work. Remember, you are building relationships. One client I met at the GKIC SuperConference 2 years ago will more than likely hire me for a project in the next month or so. You never know when the work will come.

–Don’t be one of those people that shows up at the seminar to accost participants during breaks—without registering for the seminar yourself. Some people will show up at seminars and hang out in the lobby, outside the ballroom doors, etc. without registering themselves. This makes you look cheap. C’mon, at least buy a ticket to the event!

–Make sure the event attendees consist of your target audience. Most of the copy I write is for small business owners and entrepreneurs. So I make sure the events I attend contains this clientele.

–Don’t badger the “gurus.” They get hounded by everyone and their dog at seminars. Unless you happen to run into them at a networking event, stick with the people who are sitting in the audience. It depends on how accessible the “gurus” or speakers are at certain live events.

Another thing: you don’t have to be a copywriter to benefit from LIVE events. Getting to know people in your industry for networking, sharing resources, and even finding potential business partners happens with lightning speed when you attend live events.

If this was helpful to you, please leave a comment below:

Kevin

Boy, this really ticked me off!

Recently, a business colleague referred a guy to me for some copywriting work. I love referrals because when I talk with the potential new client, it’s an easy sale to close. Our mutual acquaintance has already primed the prospect by talking about my work and what a nice guy I am. 🙂

When I called this referral, I quickly discovered he had no intention of hiring me for copywriting – he had something much more sinister on his mind…

See, he had heard about me – how I used to work for Russell Brunson at DotComSecrets, how I write for GKIC and Dan Kennedy – and he determined that I must be “well connected” in the info and online marketing business – a business he wanted to “tap into”.

Now, normally when I speak with a potential client for the first time, I ask them all about them, their business, and what their copywriting needs for the project are…you know, I build trust and rapport (the foundation of any business relationship!)

But this guy didn’t even let me get that far because he began interrogating me on how he could get connected with Russell…did I have a direct phone number, what’s the secret to getting past the receptionist, would I talk to Russell for him…

…Seeing where this was headed, I politely declined to provide any information and wrapped up the conversation…no need to spend any more time with him.

A couple of weeks later, he was at a seminar where I was speaking. Once I finished, he approached me and, again, began asking me for “insider” information on Russell and GKIC. Though there were other people waiting to speak with me, he had no intention of letting this “face time” end. Professionally annoyed, I wished him well and moved on to the others who were patiently waiting their turn.

In contrast, a year or so ago, I happened to meet a guy in Starbucks. On several occasions, we had noticed each other working there in the middle of the day, whiich opened up a light conversation about “you must be a freelancer, too” and “what do you do?”

His name is Tyler and he is a marketing guru that focuses on graphics to promote products (not just your average graphic designer!)

Our first few conversations were very short and we shared just basic information. Our meetings in Starbucks were just “by chance” and it took several times of chatting for us to have enough information to determine we could help one another in our businesses and even provide referrals.

The more we talked, the more he shared his expert tips on how I could use graphics to promote my new product that was in development. I could tell he knew his stuff and, when the time came, I hired him to create the covers for “Effortless Sales Letters.”

I’ve also referred my own clients to him because I completely trust him and his work now.

So, what did Tyler do that the first guy didn’t?

To begin with, Tyler built rapport with me. He did not ask me for anything. He let our professional relationship gel over time, knowing that each time we met, a little more information would be revealed and confidence would build.

Then, Tyler gave me value. He gently shared his expert tips for my product without being pushy or even asking me to hire him to do the graphics work. I appreciated his insight and that got me thinking about hiring the work out rather than using canned, free artwork (which is what I might have done on my own since I’m not a graphics expert).

And finally, when Tyler did suggest I hire him, he didn’t ask for any “favors” in return. He didn’t come across as a “user” like the first guy did. By the time Tyler and I were ready to transact business, I knew, liked, and trusted him.

So much so that I’m now referring all of you to him! His name is Tyler Archer, he is a very talented designer, and you can find him here: Tyler Archer

Be sure and tell him I sent you!

In this post I’m going to reveal to you where most copywriters and marketers fall short when it comes to writing copy.  And that’s this:

Telling what their product or service is going to DO for them!

Nobody purchases a “make money online” course just to make money online.  Money is just a stack of paper.  What they’re really buying is what the money is going to DO for them.

It’s all about the benefits.  What money is going to DO for them.  For example, having more money is going to allow the prospect to pay the bills.  To get rid of debt.  To take care of that car payment.

Money will also give them more freedom.  If you have $2 million dollars in the bank it will absolve a lot of stress and the actions you would take in life would be a lot different than if you were $40,000 in debt.

See where this is going?  It’s very important to illustrate the benefits of your product/service.   And here’s how I do it:

I use “word pictures” in my copy.   You don’t want to TELL them how they’re going to benefit, you want to SHOW them.  I was rewriting an existing sales letter last week and the previous copywriter just TOLD then what they’re going to experience when they go to a particular seminar:

“You’re going to experience a lot of certainty and autonomy in your business.”

Blah.   That’s OK, but it’s better to say something like this:

“Imagine being able to predict how many clients you’ll be able to attract 6-12 months from now—instead of waking up at 2 in the morning with a cold sweat…wondering how you’re going to make payroll next month?” 

See how this is much more compelling?  I’m SHOWING them the benefits of the product…instead of TELLING them.

Here’s another little secret: Very often people don’t want to make money just to make money.  Perhaps they want to annihilate a competitor…or perhaps they want to show up that in-law they see every Thanksgiving who secretly wants them to fail.

I was at an Unleash Your Power Within seminar last weekend (Tony Robbins seminar) and a member of Tony’s team was pitching their Business Mastery course. He didn’t just talk about “making more money”…he talked about having the ability to take care of their family and to NOT spend time working 18 hours per day at a computer.    This was very effective and pulled at the heartstrings at males in the audience.

Here’s another example: Dave Dee of GKIC was pitching the Ultimate Lead Generation Machine last fall in front of 1000+ people on a Google Hangout.  He talked about the usual benefits of the course: more leads, more business, and more sales.  But orders literally started pouring in when he said the following (paraphrasing):

“Imagine what it will be like to take your kids to the soccer team, go on a night out with your spouse, or hang out with friends and be “mentally present”…and NOT worry about your business?” 

So think about how your prospect is going to benefit from your product/service the next time you write a piece of copy.  Never assume the prospect will “get it” or “figure it out” for themselves—you have to SHOW them how they’re going to benefit.

Doing this will put you head and shoulders over your competition and other copywriters.

Take care,

Kevin Hill

 

So I am going to Tony Robbin’s “Unleash Your Power Within” event in Chicago next month. I purchased tickets a couple weeks ago via his website–right before the next price hike hit for registration.

I paid $695 for a “General Admission” ticket. However, the next day after ordering, I got a phone call from a rep from Tony Robbins with “important information I need to know before I go to the event.”

I knew there would be a pitch coming…or some kind of an upsell. I really enjoyed being sold…and since I do this for a living, I always like to learn from other salespeople. And Tony Robbins has some of the best salespeople out there.

Anyway, after the rapport-building stage (he asked me where I was from…we immediately bonded since we both have Idaho ties) he then pitched the “VIP” upgrade.

Oh…here comes the pitch”…I thought to myself. I was happy with my “general admission” ticket until he commenced to tell me that the VIP attendees get closer to the stage where they can see Tony in person…instead of way back in the “general admission” area where I would more than likely need to watch him on a screen.

“No big deal” I thought to myself. But then he got me when he said this:

“When you go to a ballgame or a concert, you have a better experience when you’re sitting up close to the action…then you are in the “cheap seats”, right?

“The people that are closer to the action have more “energy” and are generally more enthusiastic. I mean, you’re paying all that money to come–so why not have the best experience possible?”

This is what sold me. I have been to concerts and ballgames where I was both in the “cheap seats” and the front row. And I had a infinitely greater time when I was closer to the action. Unleash The Power Within” is basically like a rock concert from what other people have told me.

Basically what he did was use an analogy I would relate to…that I would agree to…and say “Yes” to…to make me believe that I would have a better experience at the event if I sat closer to the stage as a VIP member.

The VIP upgrade was an extra $300 which I gladly paid. We’ll see on July 22nd when I fly to Chicago and see if the $300 upgrade was worth it.

So when pitching your product or service, always use analogies you know your prospects will “agree” with in their minds so you can get them to believe what you want to believe. You want them to always be saying “Yes” in their minds…and in person if you’re doing a face-to-face presentation.

Here’s another example:

When selling coaching programs, I always mention that even professional athletes like Peyton Manning, Phil Mickelson, and Tom Brady need coaching…even though they’ve been playing their particular sport their entire lives.

Almost anybody will agree to this in their heads…most people have watched a sporting event in their lives. That gets my target audience to say “Yes “in their minds–since I want my prospect to believe that coaching is important and they need it…which is critical to the sale.

Stories are very powerful too. The Tony Robbins salesman could have told a story of one attendee who sat in General Admission and had a “so-so” time…and the next time he/she came to the event…they sat in VIP and had a better time. This would have had an equal effect.

So think of stories and analogies you can use to get your customers, clients, or patients to “believe” what you need them so they’ll buy from you.  Nothing shady about this, by the way. It’s best to use stories and analogies most people can relate to…everyday stuff that has more than likely happened in their lives.

I hope this helps you sell more in your copy.

Kevin Hill

“The Professor of High Response”

P.S. I’m looking forward to doing the “firewalk” too. 🙂

Most of my copywriting work comes through referrals and people who come across my website.  Also through meeting people at seminars.

However, lately I’ve been testing some direct mail campaigns to targeted lists within my industry.

The portion of the letter I’m going to show you was part of a mailing sequence.  It was the 3rd letter I sent out to these people, and it got the biggest response from any of the previous mailings.

Here’s the top of the letter:

pencilmailing

And here’s why it worked well:

  1. The letter had personalization.  The previous letters I sent out were just “boilerplate” letters with no personalization at all.  I took the time to personalize each of these letters this time around. You simply cannot beat having the prospect’s name screaming at them at the top of the letter.
  2. I send an obvious “grabber” in the letter that prospects couldn’t miss.  Some marketers will send out a penny, aspirin, or other grabbers that aren’t really discernible through an envelope when they come in the mail.  This one included a pencil and a pencil sharpener that made it obvious there was something in the envelope…thus guaranteeing a high open rate.
  3. Most of the mailing included testimonials.  I included a testimonial sheet with specific results I was able to get with other clients. It’s always more powerful to have other people brag about you then you can about yourself.

The first two mailings did “OK” (got my costs back basically) but this one brought in 9x the money I invested in the mailing.

Would you like me to send you the entire mailing?  Simply leave a comment below, and I’ll send it to the email you entered in the form below.  That way you can see how I “tied in” the pencil grabber into the mailing.

And while you’re at it, if you can “like” my Facebook page here, that would be great.  You can see it here: Kevin Hill Copy.   it’s work in progress, but it’s a start.

Thanks!

Kevin Hill

“The Professor of High Response”