Page 135 - Hypnotic Writing - How to Seduce and Persuade Customers with Only Your Words

HYPNOTIC WRITING
smarter than that. Frank Perdue of Perdue Farms stated that over 80 percent of all advertised products fail because the ads treat the consumers like fools.
People want facts and benefits and solid ideas. Joe Karbo wrote a book titled The Lazy Man’s Guide to Riches. The book sold well and people still talk about Karbo’s advertising. Karbo’s long, wordy, personal ads were riveting. They motivated many people to buy his book.
But over 40% of his customers asked for a refund! Why?
Because Karbo didn’t deliver. He created a powerful letter based on fluff. People fell for it. But nearly half asked for their money back. And nearly all of his customers never bought from him again.
Yet people still think Karbo (his name reminds me of karb-age) was a success. They are dazzled by the glittery writing and blind to the fact that the ad didn’t get what it set out to get: results.
This happens even today. Major advertising firms are given awards even for their creative ads. Even when those ads didn’t make a dent in sales. For example, people really love the Isuzu advertising. It’s been rated as clever and creative. Yet the cars don’t sell. Which means the ads don’t work! So why are we ap- plauding them?
A friend of mine told me my copywriting and letter-writing skills are so good he felt I ought to take some rocks out of my driveway and sell them as “lucky stones.” He said people would buy them if I write strong enough copy to sell them.
That’s a belief I am objecting to. Not only is it unethical to do what my friend suggested, I also think it is cruel. And from a realis- tic business stance, the idea is a dud. You may fool a reader once, but ultimately you’ll lose him for life.
Robert Collier, the legendary copywriter who wrote The Robert Collier Letter Book, blew it once, too. He wrote up a powerful sales letter to market a series of books he hadn’t even written yet. He wanted to test the product before he created it.
Collier made history. His letter brought in nearly a 100% re- sponse. People wanted his books! Collier had to write night and day in order to write those books and fulfill all the orders.
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