>> Do any of these ever puzzle you?
Have you ever worked out the meaning of life?
Nor me. But I often answer less important questions because people keep asking them.
Here are three I received the other day. Perhaps one will interest you.
The first was from James Oevermann, an optometrist in Houston.
He wanted to know if what I advise can be applied to his profession.
So here’s what I wrote.
Anything that is good can be sold with good copy.
And all copy starts with a good brief – just as a successful trip starts with a good map.
How are you better, different or worse than your competitors? That’s where your thinking must start.
And where must you end before you start writing or indeed planning your campaign?
With the answer to this question:
“To whom are you offering what ultimate benefit” – Irving Wunderman.
James liked the reply and invited me to lunch when I’m next in Houston. I haven’t been there for 41 years, but who knows?
Another question came from a very dedicated gentleman named Syed Hayat:
Drayton,
It’s definitely wonderful to tell the truth, but just because one is speaking the truth, if the product is bad, it won’t be consumed right? Help me out here please as I thought I’d ask you this.
– Syed.
And my response?
Nothing kills a bad product faster than good copy.
That was said by the late Bill Bernbach, voted Advertising Man of the 20th Century ahead of David Ogilvy.
Lastly, my new Young Bird you may have seen me mention has been tackling her first job for us. And I just reviewed her first draft.
It’s to sell a cosmetic product, or maybe I should say a health remedy, for women. It’s very good for your hair, made in Scandinavia.
Since I have very little hair indeed – the mere word depresses me – and we’re not women Gerald and I gave her the job. She thought it would take her seven days.
I said, “No it won’t. You could probably do it in three days.”
Lo and behold! Within 24 hours, she came back with some draft copy.
I read it with considerable relief and a beady eye. Then said, “This is very good, but you must look at the length of your sentences. Too many are short. You need variety in sentences. That’s the technical job you’ve got to concentrate on.
Then I said, ” Make sure that your copy fits in with the formula I’ve relied on for years, which is A-I-D-C-A.”
That is Attention, Interest, Desire, Conviction, Action – AIDCA.
You must gain attention, get interest, create desire for what you’re offering, convince people you’re telling the truth, and then go all out for action.
I should be kicked, because she had pretty much got all those elements in there already. Do you always include them? Most emails I get seem completely ignorant of them.
After drafting this I’m off to see my Korean dentist. Last time I went I told him one of the things I’d sold was dental equipment.
I was astonished at how expensive it was, but I really don’t care what anybody sells, we’ll have a go.
You may prefer the familiar, but we love it when we’re presented with an entirely new challenge. You’d be astounded by the bizarre products and services I’ve sold over the years.
Not long ago, we started writing copy for terrariums. And I once wrote a mailing to sell playground equipment. It ran without a change for years and years. So I was my own worst enemy. The client never asked for anything else.
So there you are. These are the sort of questions that people ask me.
But I’m telling you all this for a selfish reason – a very simple one.
I’ve noticed that if I keep on rabbiting away to you out there, some of whom I know and some of whom I don’t, one or two of you throw a bone or two our way in the way of work.
And even if you don’t do that, one or two of you think “My goodness, this old coot Bird talks a lot of sense. Maybe he can save me a few nightmares – even help me make more money. I wonder if there’s any more where that came from”.
And the answer to that is, simply, yes.
Probably the best source – which I’ve mentioned before – is my book How To Write Sales Letters (and emails) That Sell. And as I’ve said before, the man hailed by McGraw Hill as America’s number one copywriter – Bob Bly – said two things about this.
First, “This is the best book on the subject I’ve ever read, and I’ve read them all.”
Later he added an even greater compliment.
“I was flipping through How to Write Sales Letters That Sell, which I hadn’t looked at in some time, and was struck by how good it is. Everybody talks about the letter books by D***y H***h and D*nK*****y, but yours is far and away the best of the bunch.”
So there you are.
Why don’t you grab a copy? Choose the PDF,or the signed, limited edition paperback.
Best,
Drayton
