Three Big Questions To Ask A Copywriter

THREE BIG QUESTIONS TO ASK A COPYWRITER BEFORE YOU CHOOSE ONE

First read:
1) Is Experience REALLY the best Teacher?
2) From previous blog: Will The Real Dan Kennedy Style Copywriter Please Stand Up?
I promised you a way how to tell the difference between someone who truly writes like Dan Kennedy and someone who claims they do. I also said the answer will stun you!

Everyone knows that to be in advertising and copywriting you need to be creative. Right?Um! Dan Kennedy disagrees! On p5 of 63 Killer Marketing Secrets The FIRST thing Dan Kennedy tells us about marketing is: BEWARE CREATIVITY.

It is interesting to note that much of the advertising that wins the awards and the approval of the advertiser (that’s you) …. fails miserably in selling anything. Most marketing purposes can best be served by sticking to the proven basics, rather than relying on the current creativity fads.

3) Read the blog: Boys, Bikes & Boards
I conclude: You see, my attitude is different. To me, the end of the job is not delivery and payment, I focus beyond that into the mind, buying motives and hidden persuaders of customers and clients to get RESULTS of sales.This is another great secret why I can get results that very few can.

SO, when you look for a copywriter, DON’T look for
a) experience
b) creativity
c) those who look to please you as buyer instead of your customers.

Hire someone who:
a) Who has proven bottom line RESULTS from their copywriting.
b) Who has an expensive marketing library and relies on TRIED, TRUE & TESTED Methods of the Multi Millionaire Marketing Masters, (i.e thousands of hours experience of others), not their own creativity.
c) Those who look beyond writing copy that looks good to please you. Look for someone who will grill and interrogate you in depth about your customers and what makes you unique and better than your competition.

BUT WAIT THERE’S EVEN MORE … I expect there are very few copywriters with all three requirements. After I do your project and we gain trust, then if you want to dramatically increase your bottom line …as in doubling or quintupling your income … please read Marketing Billionaire, Jay Abraham's question: Is Your Marketing Like A Diving Board or The Parthenon?

Bill Oliver (B.Bus)
Sales Writer/Marketing Coach

Boys, Bikes & Boards!

BOYS, BIKES AND BOARDS … OR HOW A BLACK BELT KARATE MASTER CAN SMASH THREE BOARDS IN ONE CHOP… and what has this got to do with copywriting?

One Saturday, three ten year olds dressed in jeans, T-shirts, sneakers and caps, were playing and riding their bikes around a large, now-vacant lot where the old homestead had fallen apart with age. Around the cement pad were well worn bicycle tracks and skid pans as this was a favourite leisure for many kids in the middle class neighbourhood.. One of their favourite pastimes was jumping their bikes over a four inch wide plank. There was a lull in the conversation as they stood around with nothing to do.

Billy got excited: Hey! See this old piece of board. I bet I could ride the length of it without falling off.
Bobby was dubious: I bet you can’t!
Betty, the tomboy grinned. She knew something! You try first, then I’ll do it.
Billy squinted his eyes and placed his tongue in “concentration” position. Slowly as he could, he stood on his pedals, held his handlebars tight and wobbled along the board. To the cheers of Bobby & Betty, he fell off!
Next was Bobby’s turn. He gripped his handlebars so tightly, his knuckles turned white. He slowly made his way along the board. It was only 12 feet long, but it seemed like a mile. His body flushed with anger and disappointment as he fell off too.
Much to the two other boys astonishment, Betty started riding in the other direction: They laughed: She’s running away. To their astonishment, she stopped and turned around. Nope! watch this! Betty looked BEYOND the plank to a brick pylon. With determination and a grunt of effort she accelerated to full speed. There was a double thud as her wheels mounted the plank. In a second it was over. She had done it! She had ridden the whole length of the plank without slipping to the side.

Before I apply what we can learn, let’s consider the Karate Master breaking three boards in one chop. This does not only take strength, it takes focus. Let me explain.
The secret, is to look to a point BEYOND the three boards.

How do I apply this to copywriting and coaching?
You see, my attitude is different. To me, the end of the job is not delivery and payment, I focus beyond that into the mind, buying motives and hidden persuaders of customers and clients to get RESULTS of sales.

This is another great secret why I can get results that very few can.

Bill Oliver (B.Bus)
Sales Writer/Marketing Coach

Copy That Looks Good vs Copy that SELLS!

HOW DO I TELL THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN COPY THAT LOOKS GOOD AND COPY THAT SELLS?

This is not the answer you want but I’m going to be brutally honest!
You can’t tell just by looking at it!

The difference is more often than not in RESEARCH regarding the client .
Many full time copywriters will be strong on asking you what you want to please you, to impress you, to bend over backwards to get your ratings. That’s fine BUT…I ask you MANY questions about your clients, their needs, their desires, their demographics & psychographics if you know them. I ask “WHAT DO THEY SAY?”

Depending upon the nature and size of the project, I will ask you up to 87 questions in a Marketing Diagnostic. The more completely, honestly, accurately, and in depth you can answer the questions, the more effective your sales copy will be. By the way, these are questions formulated by Jay Abraham, Brad Sugars & Bob Bly who says:

Successful direct mail focuses on the prospect, not the product. The most useful background research you can do is to ask your typical prospect, “What’s the biggest problem you have right now?” The sales letter should talk about that problem, then promise a solution.
I don’t just presume I know. I take the seat of a student and LEARN from you.

I ask you questions recommended by such masters as Jay Abraham, Brad Sugars or Bob Bly such as:
a) Who will buy the product? (What markets is it sold to?)
b) What is the customer’s main concern? (Price, delivery, performance, reliability, service maintenance, quality efficiency)
c) What is the character of the buyer?
d) What motivates the buyer?
e) What is their one greatest fear? … or greatest fears
f) How many different buying influences must the copy appeal to?
The Product:
a) What are your products features and benefits? (Make a complete list.)
b) Which benefit is the most important?
c) How is the product different from the competition’s? (Which features are exclusive? Which are better than the competition’s?)
d) If the product isn’t different, what attributes can be stressed that haven’t been stressed by the competition?
e) What technologies does the product compete against?
f) What are the applications of the product?
g) What industries can use the product?
h) What problems does the product solve in the marketplace?
i) How is the product positioned in the marketplace?
j) How does the product work?
k) How reliable is the product?
l) How efficient?
m) How economical?
n) Who has bought the product and what do they say about it?
o) What materials, sizes and models is it available in?
p) How quickly does the manufacturer deliver the product?
q) What service and support does the manufacturer offer?
r) Is the product guaranteed?

Bill Oliver (B.Bus.)
Sales Writer/Marketing Coach

INFORMATION: Is it Important Who Brings It?

The evening of Sunday, 31st May 1942, was dark and cloudy over Wartime Sydney Harbour. The signature of an inward crossing was recorded on an indicator loop at 8 p.m. It was made by Midget Submarine No. 14, but at the time, owing to the ferry and other traffic over the loops, its significance was not recognised. Approximately fifteen minutes later Mr J. Cargill, a Maritirne Services Board watchman, sighted a suspicious object caught in the anti-torpedo net near the west gate. He and his assistant, Mr W. Nangle, investigated it in a skiff, and reported it to Yarroma (Lieutenant Eyers) at about 9.30. Apprehension that the object was a magnetic mine deterred Yarroma from closing it. She reported "suspicious object in net" at 9.52 p.m
Source: http://www.awm.gov.au/encyclopedia/midgetsub/doc.htm

Those 4 words “suspicious object in net” from a watchman of no great rank were brief, but saved Sydney from a deadly attack from Midget Submarine No 14.
Whether this information came from an unranked seaman the first day on the job or an Admiral of 50 years service, the value of the information was the same! What this means to you, it does not matter whether the marketing information comes directly from a Multi Millionaire Marketing Master such as Jay Abraham, Dan Kennedy, Joe Vitale, Brad Sugars or Peter Sun ...or me ... it is just as effective!

My professional library consists over 20,000 pages and over 160 hours of Audio-Visual. When I research my 32 page index of chapter headings and search on my e-library, with your specific business in mind, you have the Methods of the Multi Millionaire Marketing Masters working for your success! These methods get exceptional results for small business through to big business. They increase cash flow almost immediately by using little known and overlooked techniques. This specialised information is not available from your City Library, nor freely available over the Internet, but it is at your disposal as I distil it from my comprehensive specialised professional library. When you give the go ahead for me to help sell your services or products, I first ask do a marketing diagnostic and then dive into:
a) thousands of case studies, of successful businesses, usually in your industry.
b) hundreds of the most tested and proven attention getting headlines ever,
c) piles of the most income generating sales letters of all time.

I have $000’s worth of material so can apply Methods of The Multi Millionaire Marketing Masters.
Jay Abraham: Marketing Billionaire who’s clients line up willing to pay $5,000.00/hr and $40,000.00/day. He asks: Is Your Marketing Like A Diving Board or The Parthenon?
Read seperate blog entry

Dan Kennedy: Magnetic Marketing including Magnetic Sales Letters (copies of his most successful letters)

Joe Vitale: Hypnotic Writing. I have a swipe file of 92 of his most successful sales letter formulas.

Brian Keith Voiles: How To Quickly & Easily Create Ads & Sales letters Which Practically make People Line Up and Beg You To Take Their Money! He may be the highest paid copywriter ever.

Claude Hopkins: Scientific Advertising,

John Caples: Tested Advertising Methods – Pioneer of split testing

Corey Rudl: Generated $40,000,000.00 … yes, that FORTY MILLION DOLLARS … over the internet. No-one else has ever generated that JUST in internet sales. He gives DETAILED results of what works and doesn’t in email.

Peter Sun: 361 Best Headlines Ever Written. Also: 78 FREE And Low Cost Ways To Ad At Least $17,000 or 27% To Your Small Business Profits in 90 Days.

Richard Hodgson: The Greatest Direct Mail Sales Letters of all time.

Bob Bly: Copywriting for the Business Market.

Brad Sugars: CEO of Action International (coaching)

NOTE: The best copywriters THINK LIKE A BUSINESS PERSON so think in terms of the client’s CUSTOMER/CLIENT, rather than just the client.
These Multi Millionaire Marketing Masters get real RESULTS.


Just a few more details on these:
1) Jay Abraham: Considered by many as the ultimate Marketing Master. Jay Abraham to Marketing is like Elvis to Rock. Jay commands $A5,000.00 per hour. http://www.abraham.com/

2) Peter Sun - Here’s his story: “I work less than 4 days a week from a dream home on the Gold Coast, hidden on 9.25 tranquil acres, surrounded by nature. I live there with my 4 daughters. I only have one permanent staff. I have sold over $7 million worth of information products in 5 years. I have banked as much as $103,000 in a single week at 85% profit margin. And, I charge as much as $3,000 per hour to consult to businesses. In the past 2 years I have taken over 6 months off to travel” From Peter’s webpage: http://www.petersunmarketing.com/

3) Brad Sugars is 30ish, with a net worth around $100 million, mainly from applying strategic marketing principles to business. Brad grew up on the South side of Brisbane, started Action International coaching franchise & has his International Head Office in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. http://www.action-international.com/


DO THE HEADLINES, SALES LETTERS AND ADVERTISEMENTS IN MY LIBRARY WORK?
Here are some testimonials from people who have applied the methods I will apply to your business so you can get similar results.

Testimonials from people who applied these methods from Jay Abraham:

1) Runs Circles Around Competition! "Your advice is the most valuable material I have received in quite a while. It supports my CPA and Harvard MBA and will allow me to run circles around my competition." - H.D., New York

2) Seminar Idea Brings In $1,600,000.00 For Company! "The seminar concept you gave us has already earned a gross $1.6 million with at least another $800,000 in the next eight months. On top of that, your philosophies now pervade every marketing strategy we make." Chris Newton, Managing Director, The Results Corporation, Brisbane, Australia

3) Attorney Can't Handle All The Business! "The referral system that Jay taught me is so disarmingly powerful. In fact, it produces far higher quality prospects and clients than I used to handle Now we get so many calls, people actually have trouble getting in on the lines. All of this happened in the middle of what is supposed to be a terrible recession John Preston Attorney California

4) Carpet Man's Sales Go Up 12% First Month! "That hour of advice... it immediately boosted January sales 12% by working 'the back end' and reselling to our existing customers. We expect this to be a real gold mine in the future!" Tony Meraz Carpet & Upholstery Restoration

5) (I love this one!) Reduces Employees 37% And Triples Business! "I went from 52 employees and eight offices down to 33 employees and four offices and I am doing at least three times the business as I was doing before and I am enjoying life and fishing and I probably have more time to myself." James Nevins, Hearing Audiologist.

Testimonials from people who applied these methods from Peter Sun. This group mainly sell Peter’s marketing packages to business – they apply the Methods of course.

1) As far as our success goes, well, in our first week our sales were NZ$1,100. The next week we did $1,800 and by the third week we sold $2,250 worth. Our best week so far, after six of active 'direct marketing' was last week when we sold just over NZ$6,000. The profit on those sales is over $3,000 ... in just one week! (Now do you believe me it works!!)

2) In the last 6 months I have increased my income by over $7,000 a week just by applying some of the ideas you have given me. This last month, my business posted a profit of over $36,400. That's an increase of over $19,000 in the last 3 months, directly due to applying your marketing ideas in my business. The thing I like the most is that your marketing ideas are accountable. You can test and budget up front, and almost predict how much profit you are going to make before placing ads or mailing letters.

3) Working from home, being close to my family, together with my husband was one of our life's goals. Watching my 14 month old baby carrying the boxes to the courier (the box was almost bigger than he was) almost made me cry with joy.

Testimonials from people who applied these methods from Brad Sugars:
1) A Tourist Park: “One idea and sales are up 285% over this time last year”
2) A Hydrobath business: “Sales have increased 340% in the last 6 months”
3) A Builder: “We used your headline idea and got 1,250% increase in response to our ads”.

Just supposing you won a brainstorming/master-minding session at the head of a 10 person round table with the most successful advertising minds and copywriters that have ever lived; the individuals who have created in excess of $100,000,000.00 (yes, that over one hundred billion dollars) of sales writing for clients like you.

Imagine at the table are
i) Yourself,
ii) Jay Abraham,
iii) Dan Kennedy,
iv) Joe Vitale,
v) Brian Keith Voiles,
vi) Brad Sugars,
vii) Claude Hopkins,
viii) Corey Rudl
ix) John Caples
x) Peter Sun.

How much would that be worth? Given that Jay Abraham’s clients line up with eager anticipation write cheques for $5,000.00 per hour or $40,000.00 per day, then you are looking at worth well over $20,000.00.

When you start me on your marketing project, that’s exactly what you get; tried, true and tested principles, concepts and Methods of the Multi Millionaire Marketing Masters.

Bill Oliver (B.Bus)
sales Writer/Marketing Coach
(who applies Methods of the Multi Millionaire Marketing Masters to YOUR business.
Expect the same results.)

So Why Does My Sales Copy Get Such Phenomenal Results?

1) On p4 of Scientific Advertising, Claude Hopkins writes: The best (advertising /copywriting people) we know have been house-to-house canvassers. They may know little of grammar, nothing of rhetoric, but they know how to use words that convince. There is one simple way to answer many advertising questions. Ask yourself, "Would it help a salesman sell the goods?" "Would it help me sell them if I met a buyer in person?" A fair answer to those questions avoids the countless mistakes. But when one tries to show off, or does things merely to please himself, he is little likely to strike a chord which leads people to spend money.

For a time I was just that: a house to house canvasser. The CEO of Roofshield, [the leading roofing company at the time] wrote in a reference: “Whilst in our employ, Bill was found to be an excellent [house to house] canvasser and would have been one of the best ever employed by our Company.” They also employed the best, so I was arguably the absolute top house to house canvasser in the whole of Australia at the time. And if house to house canvassers make the best advertising/sales copy writers, you can expect my sales writing to get better results than any other for the price.

2) In p257 of Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples, he writes: "People [including buyers and advertising industry peer group] tend to vote for so called “clever” ads in an opinion test. However simple ads usually beat “clever” ads in a sales test. The ads. that win awards in the advertising industry are not the ones that generate the most sales!"

3) Let me tell you a story. When I was 13, My father and mother had a friend in their social set, a large and gregarious man, a solicitor names Angus. One day I remarked, not out of any hurt or bitterness, but just as an observation: Angus is false Mom! She objected strongly. Three years later, she worked as Office Manager to Angus. She came home from work one day, most annoyed and disappointed. “You know, you were right. Angus is definitely false!”
I do not know why, but for some reason since I was young, I had insight into people’s innermost motivations. I have since honed the skill to razor sharp so my copywriting taps deep emotions, unearths secret fears, highlights hopes and ultimately … gets people to respond to your offers!

4) For 35 years I have been in business for myself, either self employed or as a coach-sales writer. You see, I DON’T THINK LIKE A WRITER, I THINK LIKE A BUSINESS OWNER LIKE YOU. Consequently, when I write copy for you, I am ever mindful of your customers and clients as if they were my own.

5) Don Hauptman, author of the famous mail-order ad, Speak Spanish Like a Diplomat! says that when he writes a direct-mail package, more than 50% of the work involved is in the reading, research and preparation. Less than half his time is spent writing, rewriting, editing and revising. Recently a client hired me [Don Haupman] to write an ad on a software package. After reading the background material and typing it into my word processor, I had 19 single-spaced pages of notes. How much research is enough? Follow Bly’s Rule, which says you should collect at least twice as much information as you need - preferably three times as much. Then you have the luxury of selecting only the best facts, instead of trying desperately to find enough information to fill up the page.

6) I have a library of:
a) hundreds of the most successful headlines ever written,
b) over a hundred of the most successful sales letters ever written; probably over 200.
c) thousands of Case Studies in every industry imaginable so I can apply the Methods of the Multi Millionaire Marketing Masters.

When I work for you, I don’t try to be “creative”. I apply TRIED, TRUE and TESTED principles. Do you want “creativity” or “results”?

Bill Oliver B.Bus
Sales Writer/Coach

Is Experience REALLY the best teacher?

IS EXPERIENCE REALLY THE BEST TEACHER?
They say: “Experience is the best teacher.”
I wish! If only that were true! The truth is, most people DON’T learn from experience. Here’s a more realistic definition.

EXPERIENCE: “Doing the same thing, the same way, for a long time!”
So what do you want? – “Experience” or RESULTS?

Speaking of results, would you like to look at mine?
See the post with the results of my last 12 campaigns!

After investing OVER $10,000.00 into learning how to get you sparkling results in advertising, sales letters, flyers, brochures, lead generation, joint ventures, sales scripts … in fact, any sales copy that gets RESULTS, I am confident I can get RESULTS like no other

Marketing billionaire, Jay Abraham has written me up in his 502 Incredible Case Studies. I am Case Study #27. I QUADRUPLED the incoming leads of my client’s business. Nothing would thrill me more than to get the same results for you.

Given that chewing gum magnate, William Wrigley said: Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted. The trouble is I don't know which half, then 90% success is extraordinary. That’s why I usually offer THREE different approaches, or better still, as Jay Abraham recommends an entire marketing strategy using his Power Parthenon, then you can test, test, test to see which gets best results. Remember that a simple change in headline can make a 400% difference in results. Is it worth the risk?

THEREFORE: Learn from experience... but let it be OTHER PEOPLE's experience.
That's why I bring you tried, true and tested Methods of The Multi Millionaire Marketing Masters.