Posted by:
Gary Bencivenga
September 20, 2007
Issue #235
Dear Marketing Top Gun:
If I were on my deathbed about to wheeze my last breath, and you asked me to sum up in a single sentence the most important marketing secret I could bequeath to you before I kick the bucket (or bedpan), here is what I would whisper in your ear, hopefully without giving you anything contagious.
It’s a 9-word sentence I first read in the book Reality in Advertising by copywriting genius Rosser Reeves. He said that he had learned it from a legendary copywriter whom he didn’t name. This one sentence made fortunes for Reeves’ clients, as well as my own, and for scores of other marketers wise enough to apply it rigorously, as I hope you will.
Ready?
Bend close now as I whisper. Oops, let me raise myself up a bit first. OK, here goes …
(more…)
Posted by:
Gary Bencivenga
August 23, 2007
Issue #211
Perhaps the most effective
selling strategy ever discovered
Dear Marketing Top Gun:
When I was a young, inept copywriter, I felt acutely ashamed of my lack of skill. I craved respect in my craft yet reeked of mediocrity. I was determined to better myself by learning from the best.
That’s easier to do in New York City than just about anywhere else on earth because so many outstanding people in every field work in New York.
Reaching beyond my grasp, I applied for a job with the legendary copywriter and direct marketing agency boss Tom Collins. My interview with the great man took place in his office, after hours.
I can still see him now, so friendly and courteous to a copy cub so beneath his level. Leafing through my portfolio, he politely searched for something encouraging to say about my mundane samples. Finding nothing to compliment in my headlines, he plowed into body copy.
As he read, I glanced around his office and stared out his window, feeling that my future as a copywriter loomed as dark as the New York night. I had been rejected for other jobs with other masters, and the pattern was about to repeat.
Sure enough, he told me in a very considerate way that I wasn’t ready to make it in his agency. “Maybe sometime in the future,” he said, as he closed my portfolio and handed it back.
(more…)
Posted by:
Gary Bencivenga
July 19, 2007
Issue #181
Dear Marketing Top Gun:
The 7-letter word is SCAMPER.
Never heard of the SCAMPER secret?
Top Gun, that’s what I’m trying to give you in these Bullets, little secrets for exploding response you’ve never heard elsewhere, instead of the same old, same old.
This one is a real beaut. It will singlehandedly let you generate more breakthroughs than you ever imagined, and you’ll do so with an ease that will make others think you must have dropped your hair blower into the tub and zapped your brain to a higher level.
SCAMPER is an acronym created by Alex Osbourne, the father of creative problem solving.
Each letter stands for something simple you can do to get a fresh take on anything – a headline, offer, product, market, layout, anything. It instantly gives you 11 easy ways to multiply your number of new solutions.
Whenever you’re trying to solve a marketing problem, just start playing with each of the capitalized words in the following list:
(more…)
Posted by:
Gary Bencivenga
June 7, 2007
Issue #145
A little-known secret
for instantly accelerating your success
in marketing or any other activity in life.
Dear Marketing Top Gun:
Today I bring you a rare Silver Bullet, a secret so powerful, it can work a profound change in every area of your life, including marketing.
I learned it from Edward De Bono, regarded by many as the world’s top authority on creative thinking.
The secret is remarkably simple. In the next 60 seconds, it will empower you to open your eyes and see the world in a new way. It will let you uncover many of life’s treasures hiding in plain sight, and can be used to obtain anything you desire far more easily.
I call it…
(more…)
Posted by:
Gary Bencivenga
May 3, 2007
Issue #115
Dear Marketing Top Gun:
Just as a rising tide lifts all boats, there are some strategies and core personal beliefs so powerful, they will help you succeed brilliantly in all of life, including marketing.
Today I share such a treasure. It's a rare Silver Bullet, with enormous power to change your life, make you happier and leverage your success as a marketer, writer or salesperson.
I learned this secret (at least it was a secret to me), from the great Napoleon Hill, author of the self-improvement classic, "Think and Grow Rich," inspired by the principles of business genius Andrew Carnegie.
The Secret Is This …
Every adversity carries within it the seed of equal or greater benefit.
If, in the grip of defeat, discouragement or heartbreak, you look for that seed and nourish it, you will lay the groundwork for great triumph.
(more…)
