Posted by:
Daniel Levis
March 17, 2010
Issue #886
Dear Web Business-Builder,
When I was coming up as a salesperson back in the early nineties, one of the teachers who had a profound impact on my development was a gentleman named, J. Douglas Edwards.
J. Douglas was the coolest character in the world. He had a tough exterior … a little cocky and abrasive – picture Alec Baldwin in that classic scene in Glengary Glen Ross – but also a huge soft spot in his heart for anyone who carried a bag.
One of the cassettes I listened to about three million times – and burned deep into my consciousness – was a little ditty entitled, “Questions are the Answer.” And in personal selling – in any kind of persuasion, really – questions really are the answer.
Successful persuaders are masters at asking questions.
Why are questions so important?
Well, the obvious answer is they give you information. They tell you what the person you’re trying to persuade really wants.
But J. Douglas taught me that questions are much more than that …
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Posted by:
Bob Bly
March 16, 2010
Issue #885
Business-to-business copy persuades readers by giving them useful information about the products being advertised. The more facts you include in your copy, the better.
When you have a file full of facts at your fingertips, writing good copy is easy. You simply select the most relevant facts and describe them in a clear, concise, direct fashion.
But when copywriters don’t bother to dig for facts, they fall back on fancy phrases and puffed-up expressions to fill the empty space on the page. The words sound nice, but they don’t sell because the copy doesn’t inform.
Here’s a four-step procedure I use to get the information I need to write persuasive, fact-filled copy for my clients. This technique should be helpful to copywriters, account executives, and ad managers alike.
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
March 15, 2010
Issue #884
Dear Business-Builder,
Oh – hi. Could you hang on just a minute? You caught me smack-dab in the middle of counting my blessings …
OK – so lessee here … I’m blessed with an amazing woman … an ideal mom for my kids … and the perfect business partner.
… And I pray they never meet.
(OOF! No fair slugging the copywriter, Wendy – I was only kidding!)
In addition to being the perfect match for me, The Redhead has decorated our lives with two astonishing kids: My 16-year-old daughter is blindingly brilliant, drop-dead gorgeous, an amazing equestrian, and the most considerate, loving and most self-sufficient teenager imaginable.
My 15-year-old son is a little Einstein, studly, staggeringly creative, has a steel-trap memory, is a fearsome nose guard and defensive tackle and – when he’s not making quarterbacks wish they’d taken up knitting instead of football – just might be the single most affectionate human being to ever grace the planet.
I live nearly a mile high in a quaint little town in the eye-stabbingly green Smokey Mountains, surrounded by 100-mile views of hardwood forests. There’s no crime to speak of and never a traffic jam. Winters are mild and summers are cool.
Work? Couldn’t be much better. ResponseInk is kicking butt and taking names – with a gaggle of strong direct mail controls and web promotions for clients … a bunch more being written and designed … hand-picked clients who are a ball to work with … and a long list of great companies vying to get onto our creative schedule.
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Posted by:
Paul Maxey
March 12, 2010
Issue #883
- What’s the fastest way to build a million-dollar promotion from scratch, regardless of your experience?
- How can you dramatically enhance the quality of every promotion you create?
- What’s the easiest way to crank out more copy, more quickly and accelerate your income?
- How can you level the playing field and write kick-butt copy practically from day one?
- What’s the most effective tool for beating the blank page?
Dear Business-Builder,
It’s your swipe file, of course.
Short of keeping Clayton in your hip pocket (effective perhaps, but I don’t think Wendy would approve) or on speed dial, it’s the smart copywriter’s way to riches.
Every professional copywriter keeps a swipe file – a collection of proven direct response promotions – and for good reason. Building a swipe file is easily one of the most powerful things you can do to advance your career as a copywriter.
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Posted by:
Troy White
March 11, 2010
Issue #882
Fellow Business-Builder,
As you may remember, I was up for a Business Oscar this year and had asked for your vote.
The good news?
You were a HUGE help and helped contribute a large number of votes.
The bad news?
I didn’t win.
Again.
You may recall, I was nominated in 2009 as well, and got my butt kicked by a multi-billion dollar Canadian Airline. This time around I got my butt kicked by a smaller, surprisingly aggressive local retailer.
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