Posted by:
Carline Anglade-Cole
August 26, 2008
Issue #488
Man, I really goofed!
I mean, I recently made a DUMB mistake – and it cost me over a thousand bucks!
But thanks to knowing an amazing secret, I was able to recoup my loss and even save face.
What’s the secret?
Knowing the POWER of the written letter!
Here’s what happened …
I made plans to fly to Washington, D.C to pick up Alexis, Paris and Elliott – my nieces and nephew so they can spend some of their summer vacation with my family.
I would fly up early Tuesday morning, meet their folks at the airport, scoop up the kiddies and fly back to Atlanta the same afternoon. Simple, right?
Well … not really. Turns out I made a big mistake – and I didn’t find out about it until the very last minute.
But wait.
The theme of this article is the power of a letter. So, let me allow the letter tell you what happened …
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Posted by:
Gary Bencivenga
August 19, 2008
Issue #484
Dear Marketing Top Gun:
My friends, star marketers Alex Mandossian and Yanik Silver, recently paid me a compliment by calling me, "The world’s greatest living reason-why copywriter."
I consider it such high praise because my mentor, David Ogilvy, was in my view the greatest reason-why copywriter of all time. In fact, when asked by a reporter if he was a strong proponent of "reason why" advertising, Ogilvy responded, "Is there any other kind?"
Thinking of Mr. Ogilvy (or "D. O.," as we staffers at Ogilvy & Mather called him) has prompted me to once again offend every English teacher whose classes I endured, and inspire everyone else who speaks the King’s English to cringe, by penning another of my infamous poems, this one entitled …
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
August 18, 2008
Issue #483
Dear Business-Builder,
The great investor Warren Buffet has a net worth of about $62 billion. That’s sixty-two thousand million dollars.
If your net worth is $10 million, Warren is 6,200 times richer than you.
If you’re worth $1 million, he has 62,000 times more money than you do.
If your net worth is $100,000, Mr. Buffet is 620,000 times richer than you are.
There are people whose businesses grow a hundred, maybe even a thousand times or more faster than yours does. For every new customer you attract, they attract 100, 1,000, maybe even 10,000 or more.
There are people who look, feel and perform ten, twenty, even thirty years younger than you do …
Who have far greater success in love and relationships (OK – maybe just in sex) than you do …
Who live better for less, have greener lawns, clearer skin, more hair, thinner waists and smaller butts, better-behaved or more successful kids, more friends or are more successful in some other area of life than you are.
Sorry – but you know it’s true. And no, I’m not trying to depress you – just trying to make a very important point.
So let me ask you: WHY do you think all those people are doing so much better than you in so many different areas?
Are they all thousands of times smarter than you?
Do they work thousands of times harder?
Are they thousands of times luckier?
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
August 12, 2008
Issue #479
Dear Business-Builder,
Sorry about yesterday. We returned from our ten-day vacation Sunday night and frankly, I’m still jet-lagged.
San Fran was outstanding. We stayed downtown and I swear I feel like we walked every square inch of it. And Chinatown. And Fisherman’s Wharf. And the Marina District. And Haight-Ashbury.
I’m pleased and somewhat relieved to report that the Pacific Ocean is still right where it was last time I saw it. No lower; no higher. And that Alioto’s still serves the best clam chowder I’ve ever sunk a spoon into.
The redwoods were grand, Carmel was charming and Big Sur — despite the recent fires there — was breathtaking, Hearst Castle was amazing but frankly, a little sad. Probably the gloomiest house I’ve ever seen.
Santa Barbara seduced all of us and our three-night stay at Raffles L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills was interesting. Didn’t really see any celebrities in the bar, but James Woods did hop out of his car just as we hopped into ours.
And of course, three days of revisiting my old stomping grounds in South Bay and Hollyweird and the “V.I.P. Behind the Scenes Tour” of Universal Studios were a blast.
Now, I just need a vacation from my vacation.
But before I hit the sack, here’s some stuff I’ve been thinking about that I hope will help …
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
August 4, 2008
Issue #473
How to write better sales copy, faster.
Dear Business-Builder,
Short one today.
As you read this, I’m up to my eyeballs in what’s commonly known as “Family Time.”
Last Friday, The Redhead, my 15-year-old daughter and my 14-year-old son surrendered our dignity to the Department of Homeland Security … clambered into four First-Class seats on a Delta jet in Atlanta … endured the 4 ½ hour non-stop to San Francisco … rented a dorky minivan (aargh!) … and after a couple of days of sightseeing, began slowly winding our way south.
So far, we’ve spent one night in Atlanta, two nights in San Francisco and we bunked last night in Menlo Park. Today, we’re doing The Redwoods, Santa Cruz, Monterey and tonight we will collapse, exhausted, I’m sure, in Carmel.
Tomorrow, it’s on to San Luis Obispo and not one, but two tours of Hearst Castle … the next day, Santa Barbara and the beach. Then, it’s three nights at Raffles L’Ermitage in Beverly Hills.
If you need me, I’ll be in the bar. And if I know me, I’ll be nursing a double Grey Goose on the rocks.
So, since none of this has actually happened yet (it’s still last Tuesday, my time), and since I have a ream of copy still to do for my clients and another ream to finish up for my own products PLUS a webinar to prepare for my beloved EasyWriters Marketing Club (membership: Closed!) before I head out …
I’m going to cut right to the chase …
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