Saturday, January 24, 2015

Are You An Innovator or An Imitator?



Dear Biz Wiz Friend ‘O Mine,

Today I have a special treat for you . . . sorta like a “getting off to the New Year on the right foot” prize . . . with no strings attached. But first a quick word from our sponsors—just KIDDING. 

Hey, a little humor never hurt, right? Hell, who am I kidding anyway . . . I AM the sponsor and damn proud of it.

Ok on a slightly more serious note let’s crack open this issue and get to point of why I’m here . . . Helping you build that bridge taking you where you want to be.

So I’ve been doing a LOT of thinking about my biz and helping my clients rake in serious dough and I asked myself, “Am I an innovator or an imitator?” 

The proud truth is that I’m a bit of both! I consider myself steeped in solid principles of mail order and direct response marketing. I’m been taught by some of the best of the best direct marketers, copywriters and sales professionals on the planet. And I’ve single handedly engineered a few hybrid strategies that have produced serious windfalls for myself and my clients.

But pure original strategies . . . well, naw not entirely. You see, when I was a youngin my daddy told me time and time again, “Son if it works, don’t fix it!” But like most of us at that age, I wanted to know how things worked. I had a really curious habit of tearing apart curb treasures like discarded bikes, lawn mowers, even appliances. 

Heck, some of them I could actually put back together without help! And even more amazing is that I got them to work again. But that’s another story for another day.

Those lessons from my childhood helped greatly as I began my mail order marketing adventure some 25 years ago. This ‘tearing stuff’ apart mindset showed up just in time when I first started learning how to write sales copy. I still do it today.

In fact mail order legend and owner of Wilshire Book Company Melvin Powers dedicated an entire chapter of his course, How To Get Rich In Mail Order  on how to copycat successful mail order operations.

The idea is to find successful mail order businesses see what they are doing then copy their operation. Dive in and see how they handle marketing, customer service, how long it takes to receive your order and of course pay close attention and take notes on your findings. There are no secrets in the mail order business. 

Likewise I challenge you to grab a sales letter, landing page or your favorite direct response ad that’s a proven winner and dissect it. Tear it apart and look at all the constituent parts, headline, body copy, offers, proof elements, guarantees and the close. Examine it and see why it’s a winner. Then adapt these principles and elements to your sales copy and promotions.

As far as being an innovator that’s fine as long as you understand the solid principles of successful direct response marketing first. And if you are not steeped in what works then study the marketplace. Imitate and model successful mail order and direct response companies.

A great way to locate successful direct marketing firms is to get on the mailing lists of catalog firms like Duluth Trading Company, Stauer, and Omaha Steaks. These guys are online as well so check them out for great ideas (and products). I have ordered from them and have never been disappointed (no I am NOT an affiliate).

You can also check out The National Directory of Catalogs published by Oxbridge Communications. Though no longer available in print format it is available in electronic form. Check your local public library for availability or visit http://www.nmoa.org/catalog/mailorderdir.htm for details. And while I’m thinking about it, consider becoming a member of the National Mail Order Association. I’ve been a member for quite some time and found it be very beneficial. Lots of great paid and free resources. So check ‘em out.

Another great way of learning the biz of DM is reading good books on the subject. Most of these books are still available just Google  and you’ll easily find them. Here’s a few of my favorite books on direct marketing:

Successful Direct Response Marketing Methods by Bob Stone. Bob is considered one of the founders of modern direct marketing. A must read for anyone who wants to learn direct response marketing.

Ogilvy on Advertising by David Ogilvy. This is not so much a nuts and bolts on direct response advertising per se rather it contains lots of gems on advertising that sells. A nice history of some of advertising’s greatest practitioners too. 

How to Get Rich In Mail Order by Melvin Powers. One of the first guides I studied when I started my mail order business in the early 1980s. This is a great book (and course) on running a successful mail order business. Lots of helpful examples, illustrations and ads included in the book.

Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples. This book is chocked full of ways to write, improve and test your advertising. Caples wrote the famous “The Laughed When I Sat Down at The Piano . . .” ad. 

Scientific Advertising and My Life in Advertising by Claude Hopkins. These books were written way back in the 1920s but the ideas are just as golden today. If you could on read on book, this would be it. Pure gold!

Ok. That’s it for today. Already you’re armed and dangerous. So study up and kick some butt in your marketplace!

Oh, I almost forgot about your special treat I promised at the beginning of this article. It’s a special report about power persuasion. And you owe it to yourself to get this free report as fast as you can . . . IF you have ever struggled to get total cooperation, influence and respect from your clients (and friends, family for that matter).

It’s a very short report but contains some very, very powerful information. If fact if put into the wrong hands, things could get . . . well, very ugly! But I trust you’ll handle this life-changing information with the upmost of care and use it to do good things like increase your business or persuade something to do the right thing and so on . . .

It’s your for the taking by going to my website at http://emettemassey.weebly.com/power-persuasion.html

Happy Hunting!
Emette E. Massey






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