Business Lyceum
e-Letter
Practical
Instruction in the Arts and Sciences of Making Money
JUNE 2000
Greetings & Salutations:
Nearly 20 years ago, I was a guest panelist at a seminar about
"Writing for Profit." -- All day long, the speakers
had told the attendees all about how to submit their written
works to editors and publishers ... what to expect in a publisher's
contract ... how to prepare a writer's proposal ... primarily
focusing on how to "sell" what the attendees had written.
At the end of the seminar, a panel of five "successful
writers" ... including me ... was introduced, with a list
of each writer's works and their individual accomplishments given.
The first few questions from the audience were nothing more
than a rehash of some of the information provided during the
day. Then, a young man stood-up in the back and said ...
"All day long, you've been telling us how to sell
our written works - but - how do you learn how to write to begin
with?"
After the other panelists finished recommending English composition
classes; espousing the merits of good grammar and syntax; and
advising him to "just keep writing, you'll get better,"
it was my turn.
My answer was ... as usual ... short and to the point ...
"Read!"
Then, I had to explain what I meant.
If you want to be a Science Fiction writer, read every science
fiction short story and novel you can find. Immerse yourself
in the type of writing you want to do. Spend 80% of your
time reading and 20% of your time writing "sequels"
to the stories you have read.
Today, the young man who asked the question is a highly-paid
writer ... with a host of articles and books to his credit. --
Last time I spoke to him, he thanked me again for my simple advice.
With that said, I am now going to answer those of you who
have persisted in asking me ...
How To Write Better Ad-Copy
Right now, you're probably thinking, "Now he's gonna
tell us to read all the books we can find on copywriting."
Wrong, paperback-breathe! -- The first thing I'm gonna tell
you is -- after you've read all those copywriting books for general
knowledge; like learning English composition, grammar and syntax
-- throw away those books and ...
Read The Ads!
That's right. -- If you are going to write an ad to sell your
"fancy-dancy fishhooks," gather together every ad you
can find that offers fishhooks, fishing lures, fishing poles,
or, even, fishing boats. -- Read them ... reread them ... and
read them some more. -- Don't even try to do any writing.
Just read the ads!
Again, you're probably thinking, "That's old hat.
Everybody tells us to keep a swipe-file of ads offering products
similar to our own, then use those ads to write our own ads."
Wrong, again, copycat-litter-breathe! -- If you only use your
swipe-file to makeup copycat ads, you will be committing ...
The Biggest Mistake Made By Beginning Ad-Copywriters!
Unfortunately, most beginning ad-copywriters take a successful
ad ... offering a product similar to their own ... and simply
change a few words in the headline, rewrite and rearrange the
paragraphs, maybe put in an extra "bonus" of some kind,
and try to use it to sell their product.
Think about it! -- That would be like copying "Moby Dick"
by changing the whale to a great-white buffalo ... moving the
action from the ocean to the great plains ... and making Captain
Ahab a Buffalo Hunter with a missing arm. (Don't laugh.
It's been done ... starring Charles Bronson, if memory serves.)
-- No matter how well done, it would still only be an imperfect
imitation.
In the business opportunity field, one of the most successful
ads of all time was Joe Karbo's "Lazy Man's Way To
Riches" ad. -- Can you imagine how many times that
ad has been adapted, rearranged and enhanced to sell someone
else's opportunity information? -- Some of the adaptations may
have had some success but, just a few weeks before he died, Joe
Karbo himself lamented to me that none of his copycat-ads; copycatting
his own ad, had ever been successful.
Do the same thing I told the young would-be writer to do to
learn to write, spend 80% of your time "reading" ads
offering products similar to your own. Then ...
Spend 20% of your time writing "sequels"
to those ads.
The dictionary says a "sequel" is "A literary
work complete in itself but continuing the narrative of an earlier
work."
Where most of the ads that just copycatted Joe Karbo's "Lazy
Man's Way To Riches" ad were failures, or only had limited
success, over the years I have written no less than five "sequel"
ads that produced significant revenue for me. (One of them
is the ad for my "How To STRIKE IT RICH" book.) --
I never tried to "copy" Joe's ad, just continue his
narrative to a different conclusion ... my product.
Use your swipe-file the same way. -- Read and reread those
ads until you have a complete story of the similar products being
sold. Set those ads aside and don't even think about looking
at them while you write your own ad. -- Don't try to "copy"
the ads you've read ...
Write a "sequel."
Let your ad-copy continue from where the other ads ended.
If you aren't happy with your first results, do it all over
again ... read the ads again ... set them aside again ... write
your "sequel" again. -- Keep looking for more and more
ads offering similar products to add to your story line ... immerse
yourself in those kinds of ads ... to the point of drowning in
ad copy. Then, lay those ads aside and write your "sequel"
ads.
As your "sequels" get better and better, your income
will get bigger and bigger.
Now, I'm gonna tell you ...
The Greatest Unwritten Secret to Successful Ad-Copywriting!
Although I have read literally thousands of books, booklets,
reports and articles about ad-copywriting, I don't recall ever
reading the "secret" I am about to tell you.
When you write your "sequel" ads ...
Use The Words In Your Ad To
Attract The Kind Of Customers You Want To Keep
The best way to explain what I mean is by illustration. --
Here are two different headlines for an "opportunity"
ad ...
Earn $10,000 Per Month
Get $10,000 Per Month
It may appear, at first reading, that both headlines offer
the same type of opportunity - but - read them closely.
The first headline begins with the word "Earn."
-- To the reader, that means some "job" or "work"
must be performed in order to "earn" the $10,000 promised.
Compare that to the second headline which starts with the
word "Get." -- That leads the reader to believe that
little, if any, "work" is involved in "getting"
the $10,000.
Believe it or don't ... the readers don't even realize that
they are making that subtle distinction. Their reaction
to the headline is ingrained in their "subconscious."
Using the word "Earn" you will attract the kind
of customers who don't have a subconscious aversion to work.
-- Using the word "Get" you will attract more people
who are looking for something for nothing ... by "getting"
their share of the "free lunch" that might just exist.
Which brings me to an observation about ...
Ad-Copywriting Books
Over the past 20 years, I have watched an ever-increasing
proliferation of books about ad-copywriting. Unfortunately,
all too many of those books are just compiled from older, well-written
books on the subject - but - with one BIG difference.
The compilers of those books believe that, in order to "sell"
something, you have to "trick" the buyer into
buying. So, they take legitimate advertising techniques
and read into them an implied deception. In effect, the
assorted fools who compile books corrupting viable advertising
principals lend credence to the journalistic attitude that advertising,
by its very nature, is evil.
Although I am adamantly opposed to book burning ... any book
about ad-writing that espouses any use of misleading words, deceptive
phrasing, fictitious or nebulous testimonials, meaningless hype,
or the egregious use of meritless guarantees belongs in your
backyard incinerator, not in your business library.
If you have to "trick" your customers into buying
from you, neither you nor your product deserve anything other
than my contempt.
Will you
be the next Mail Order Millionaire? -- click here
Comments, etc.
Attendee Darryl Dean says:
"Tell everyone that the Internet is now FREE for everyone
in the USA, courtesy of Bluelight.com and K-Mart. They can pick
up the FREE CD-ROM for FREE Internet at your local K-Mart store."
Okay -- I told everyone.
Attendee Tim Yarbrough observes:
"I think your observation that the Internet is a 'buying'
place and not a 'selling' place is right on point! I have noticed
that most of the information being sold on the internet, as far
as what hits my box, is about how to market on the internet.
I only know two people who I can verify that they are making
excellent $'s on the Web-ONLY approach and they have unique products.
"I appreciate the plug for sellers and finders in the
Southeast. I am in the process of closing 300K of energy deals
this week. One of my finders is going to pick up fees from two
of those jobs that total over $6500 and he introduced his contact
to the only guaranteed and insured energy management program
in this part of the country."
Glad the plug helped. That's what I'm here for.
Over 99% of what you have read, or heard, about making money
on the Internet is pure, unadulterated Horse Manure! By
and large, it is nothing more than one big confidence game with
the blind leading the blind ... the blind one in front is making
a fortune selling tons of 'how-to-get-rich-on-the-Internet' horse
manure to the blind mooches following them. Then, some
of those blind mooches, in turn, break away from the blind pack
to make their own fortune on the Internet by doing the same thing
(selling more tons of the same 'how-to-get-rich-on-the-Internet'
horse manure to the blind mooches who will follow them).
-- All of us ol'time direct marketers have tried our hand at
the electronic beastie and come away with scorched fingers -
but - we all knew that someday, somehow, someone (probably one
of us) would actually figure out how to really, truly & honestly
make a fortune on the Internet. -- It happened! -- My long-time
friend Dean F.V. DuVall seems to have conquered the electronic
beastie. In his own words, "Today, I can drag
my still-pajama-clad self to one of our computers - at 6:00 in
the morning - or at noon, if I decide to sleep in - and before
the day is over KNOW that I can, starting from scratch, earn
an honest $5,000 to $10,000 or more! Period. And
then, tomorrow, do it again. Then the next day, do it again.
Then the next day ... " -- How does he do it? --
I dunno! But, if'n ol'Dean says he does it, I would be
willing to bet my bippy he does it. -- Anywho, as Dean is wont
to do, once he conquered the electronic (Internet) beastie, he
put together a complete, detailed course to teach other people
how they can do it too. -- His course is titled, "DAX
Superior Cyber Cash Generator!" And, according
to the info I got from Dean, the "DAX Superior Cyber
Cash Generator!" will teach you "exactly
how to make a MILLION DOLLARS (or more) Per Year (for real) with
virtually no cash investment. -- That's all I'm gonna tell you
about it ... except it ain't cheap. -- For all the awesome details,
Dean needs your mailing address & the DAX# below. -- Contact:
DEAN F.V. DuVALL, Sr., DAX #701884, P.O. Box 14, Williamston,
MI 48895-0014 -- FAX: (517) 655-5208
Q&A
Q: Attendee Erick Starren
asked:
"I am working on your "Own Your Own Mailorder Business"
and am studying-up on Press Releases. This is a new
field for me. -- My question: The library books I have studied
all use telephone numbers for the Point of Contact. I work
full-time and cannot use my employer's number for my personal
business. Nor can I afford an answering service.
All I can offer for a Point of Contact are a P.O. Box and E-mail
address. Is this acceptable to editors, or does the absence of
a telephone number make it not worth doing? -- Thank you."
A: Using a P.O. Box as a contact
address is "now" acceptable. As a matter of fact,
even the biggest of companies now use P.O. Boxes due to the ease
and speed of mail access.
Instead of an answering service, you can use an "answering
machine" - but - make your message sound like "voice
mail" instead of an answering machine. -- Instead of saying,
"I'm not at home right now," say, "This is Eric
Starren. I am away from my desk. Please leave a detailed
message at the tone and tell me when would be the best time for
me to return your call. Thank you."
That should oughta do it.
Well ... that's it for this month. -- In order to make every
issue responsive to YOUR needs, please send me your questions;
or tell me what sources or resources you need to build your business;
or give me any thoughts you want to share with your fellow members.
Believe it or don't ... I ain't a mind-reader. -- If'n you
doesn't tell me what you need, I may never touch upon the information,
sources or resources you need.
This is your publication for you to use to your benefit ...
I am just your moderator.
Until next month, keep well ...
J.F. (Jim) STRAW
Ad Writer to the Stars
Thought For The Month!
Here's one for Alan Greenspan:
"Production is the only answer to inflation."
-- Chester Bowles
But, remember ... the Internet "produces" nothing.
Can you stump the old master? -- Betcha can't!
Over the past 40 years (man and boy), I have made bundles
of money in direct selling, service contracting, wholesale merchandising,
entertainment (I was a professional Trumpet player, vocalist
& Radio Announcer), freight forwarding, import/export, retail
merchandising, warehousing, real estate, electronics manufacturing,
finder's fees, closeout merchandising, financial brokerage, business
consulting, steel fabrication, gold and coal mining, offshore
banking, mailorder, writing, and publishing. -- That being the
case ...
No matter what business you're in ... whether you're just
starting, well on your way, or at the top of the heap ... I've
probably been where you are, done what you are doing. -- So ...
Anytime you have a question about 'how' to do something
in your business - or - if you have any comments about
anything I've said in issues of this e-Letter; or if you want
to add your 2 cents worth ... just "ask" me or "tell"
me.
Send your Questions, Comments or 2 Cents Worth to ...
with "Question" - "Comment" -
or, "2 Cents Worth" in the SUBJECT.
If I, personally, don't have an answer to any question you
may ask, I will contact some of the professionals in your field
of endeavor (I will probably know one or more personally) to
get the real 'skinny' for you.
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Copyright - 2000, J.F. (Jim) Straw. All rights reserved.