Kevin Rogers

Studs Terkel died yesterday.

Can’t say it was a shock… The man was 96, and not one for “taking it easy.”

His nagging curiosity and scrappy stance on civil rights, human rights, and our American right to free speech made life much tougher than it could of been. Especially for an accomplished journalist, author and radio host. One example was his refusal to stay quiet about Joe McCarthy, and how it lost him a television show back in the days when hosting one made you an instant celebrity.

Still, Studs Terkels fingerprints are all over the best programs on public supported media like PBS and NPR. Show like “This American Life” on NPR are a modern take on the same simple theme Studs made a 70 year career of; giving a voice to the American working class.

He had that rare ability to ask anyone, no matter how meek (or radical) they appeared to be, a deeply personal question about incendiary subjects like race and poverty without them feeling intruded upon. In fact, most were glad he’d asked. Not because he wore a press cap, but because he truly wanted to know.

“The best copywriters are great reporters…”

That ability to cut through the rehearsed and rehashed statements people instinctively give strangers about a hot topic—those PC words that serve as a layer of protection against exposing their true selves… The ability to get real people to open up and give their true feelings and opinions… is something every great copywriter shares with those true grit reporters like Studs Terkel, Jimmy Breslin, and Mike Royko.

It’s the knack for digging out those feelings, opinions, gripes and war stories that arm the skilled copywriter with the delicate emotional triggers that sell a product. He knows he’ll never get the juice talking to the CEO. So he walks downstairs and talks to the salespeople who spend five days a week looking into the eyes of prospects… the assembly line workers who wear the smell of the product home at night… the customer service agent who knows what smooths over the disgruntled customer, and keeps them from abandoning loyalty at the drop of a red tag discount.

Ask Carlton or Bencivenga… read Caples or Hopkins or Ogilvy… and they’ll all tell you: Discover those things from those people and you’re writing inside a copy goldmine.

Studs Terkel leaves behind more than just a model of how to get at the facts, he leaves behind a treasure chest of research you can use right now. Pick up any of the books listed below and you’ll get a rare insight to human emotion. What drives us, derails us, and just plain pisses us off. Sure the books were written decades ago, but human emotion doesn’t evolve very quickly - especially here in America, a young country where people pride themselves on keeping with the ideals of their forefathers. These are the people you write to every day… reading his books will help you understand what they need to hear.

Regardless of the outcome on Tuesday. We’re entering a brand new time in America, and change will happen fast. The smart marketers will get a head start on the new culture by examining our history… everyone else will be caught in a costly game of catch up.

Here’s to your future.

Anybody else got it bad for January Jones who plays Betty Draper on AMC’s Mad Men?

Esquire magazine featured her in the “Women We Endorse” section of the November issue. The 139 word description by Luke Dittrick of what makes her so “endorsable” is an excellent case of capturing seemingly intangible aspects of a product (in this case a woman) and making them very real, relatable, and resonant.

Here it is:

She doesn’t live up to her name. It’s like calling a show poodle Spike. She’s long-limbed, light-tressed, delicate: a princess, not a pinup. When her character on Mad Men, the quietly suffering Mrs. Don Draper, is told she’s a ringer for Grace Kelly, you have to agree. Like Princess Grace, she has a first-glance foundation of classic prettiness and a second-glance trick of ratchetting up every element of that beauty until she’s just unattainable enough that you really want her — waking up next to you, making you breakfast, greeting you when you get home. But it’s the third take that does it. Those barbiturate eyes initially come across as spacey, but in distress they reveal something sharp, lethal, like a hidden shiv. When those eyes narrow in anger, that’s when you know this is more than a fling.

I spot 3 good copywriting tactics in that short piece…

1. The Joe Sugarman truth tactic: “She doesn’t live up to her name. It’s like calling a show poodle Spike.” He starts by removing what he perceives as a barrier (her name) to how he wants you to think about her.

2. The 3rd party endorsement: “When her character on Mad Men … is told she’s a ringer for Grace Kelly, you have to agree.” The writer uses the consensus of others (fictional characters no less) to make you quickly accept the comparison to Grace Kelly… much more powerful than simply saying: She reminds you of Grace Kelly.

3. Making the reader imagine how life could be if he had the product: “– waking up next to you, making you breakfast, greeting you when you get home” Works better in this case if the reader is already familiar with the subject, but the crush is a safe assumption for any man who watches the show.

Bonus writing lesson: Ultra-specific description: “Those barbiturate eyes initially come across as spacey, but in distress they reveal something sharp, lethal, like a hidden shiv.” I didn’t see “hidden shiv” coming to describe a woman’s eyes, but it certainly makes an impact.

It’s difficult to balance right and left brain dominance when writing copy - the task requires bold play on both sides. So, I try to make some time each day to write purely right brain about things that move me. Even if it’s just a few words, it reignites passion and lights the pathway to more effective writing.

Either that or it’s a good excuse to stare at January Jones and call it work.

Quick follow up to the last post about scarcity mindset. You’ll recall the restaurant owner who whined to the St. Petersburg Times that the Rays amazing and improbable post-season success may be bringing thousands of new visitors to downtown, but it was only hurting his business. He cursed the game-time ghost town his upscale eatery had become. Then went on to announce, “We’re a polished lounge, we don’t promote the television.”

Of course, anyone with a drop of salesman’s blood in their veins who read that immediately cried out: Drop your label and hoist your sail! This mighty wind of fortune is fleeting at best.

Well, apparantly he listened to someone with good sense (I’d love to think it was me via my comments to him on the newspaper’s website-but I doubt it)… because I received a new ad in my inbox announcing that Cafe Alma would host “Luxury Suite” Word Series parties for Games 1 and 2… get this… On The Big Screen!

Yay! I hope he sold the thing out and made a bundle. But I promise he at least faired much better than when he crossed his arms and turned his back on the crowds gathering for the ALCS last week. Maybe I’ll contact the guy and ask.

Anyway, I love when people turn into smart marketers overnight. It restores my faith in man.

Have great weekend everyone, and Go Rays!

Two “unrelated” stories in today’s St. Petersburg Times show the difference between biz owners who understand how to take advantage of a major news event, and those that would rather do nothing but whine and ask, “Where’s mine?”

This is a great lesson in marketing with big news headlines. Something very few biz owners are comfortable doing, but is a crucial factor in how your business is seen in the eyes of your current and prospective customers. I urge you to read both stories (they’re short) and see how a difference in attitude (regardless of the size of your biz) is the difference between reaping huge rewards and feeling lost and left out.

Quick background: In case you hate sports or somehow haven’t heard, the Tampa Bay Rays are in the midst of a historic run for the pennant, and maybe a World Series title. This is a team who last year (and most of last decade) had the worst record in baseball… whom currently have the lowest salary in baseball… and are not just beating teams with all the money and talent, but CRUSHING them.

The Rays play in St. Petersburg, FL (where I live) in a lousy dome called Tropicana Field. The majority of locals are transplants from the north and midwest who brought their team loyalties with them in the move. So, until a couple months ago, Rays games were typically filled with fans of opposing teams - or empty seats.

Needless to say, this improbable “worst to first” run has created the Rays bandwagon to bust an axle. Everyone is jacked, and downtown is alive with celebration like every game day is New Years Eve… creating a bonanza for any downtown business owner with an ounce of salesman’s blood coursing through his veins.

But, of course, it’s rare that small biz owners embrace even the mildest marketing concepts - let alone come up with creative ways to cash in on tens of thousands of people walking past your storefront. On restaurant owner even cursed the games, saying he caters to a more refined crowd, but even they are at home watching the game instead of eating in his restaurant.

Wow. Business thinking doesn’t get any more backward than that.

Here are the 2 stories. They speak for themselves. I’ve got my ideas about how these businesses could be taking advantage of the situation, but first I’d love to hear what some of you would do in this situation to drive traffic into your biz and cash in on this opportunity.

Some downtown businesses say Rays’ success has hurt business - St. Petersburg Times

Winning Rays fans keep Dunkin’ Donuts cooking - St. Petersburg Times

If you pay attention to marketing products these days, it’s easy to become callous to all the free content videos being released by the experts to generate hype for upcoming product launch.

Not me… I love ‘em. See, because the market is so jaded right now, we’re in a cycle that demands marketers give away high-quality, actionable content to convince prospects that their product is the real deal. There’s actually more science behind it than that, but it’s still a trend and there’s no telling how long it will last.

That’s why I watch at least the first minute of every free content video that comes out. If it’s fluff, hey- it only cost me a minute, no big deal. But, more often than not, I find myself leaning in and taking notes. I’ve snatched up some incredibly valuable lessons and techniques from marketers who’ve already stood where I’m headed. So, it seems foolish not to pay attention.

The latest free content video series to get me scribbling notes like a courthouse reporter after a guilty verdict is John Carlton’s series of videos for his “Simple Writing System“. John is taking the most successful marketers to task on what made their biggest promotions pull so well… and the secrets these guys are revealing go beyond anything they would normally “give up” if they had time to think it over. But the live webinar feel adds a hot seat aspect that inspires even the shrewdest marketer to divulge the naked truth.

Now, it’s no secret that John Carlton has been a huge influence on my writing and career. I study everything “Carlton” I can get my hands on, and I talk about the lessons I’ve learned from him often in this blog. You might say I’m something of a Carlton aficionado…

But these videos contain something I’ve never seen before; John Carlton breaking down million dollar sales copy on a live webinar with the marketers behind the campaign.

So, you not only get John’s perspective of what made the copy work… you also get to hear the backstage details of just how well they worked, why they were chosen, and what was thrown away before they got to the good stuff - all from the marketer’s themselves.

Legends like Rich Schefren, Mike Filsaime, Eben Pagan and more.

These guys all credit Carlton with helping them become better copywriter’s by taking the confusion and guesswork out of the process. None of them consider themselves writers, but they’ve all made multiple millions with their copy. Proof that effective copywriting doesn’t have to be mad science, just the right formulas executed correctly will make your prospects respond exactly how you want them to.

I just finished watching the webinar John did with Marketing superstar, Mike Filsaime. They not only go through Mike’s breakthrough “Butterfly Marketing” salesletter that sparked a million dollars in sales over 5 days… but Mike goes deep into his sales technique - something he honed as a top producer in the automotive industy. Some great examples of how basic face-to-face sales techniques work like gangbusters in print, if you know how to apply them.

This one’s a 2 parter, and I learned  ton from it.

Mike Filsaime’s “Butterfly Marketing” letter was one of those I’d never gotten around to really reading and absorbing before… John’s interview with Mike caused me to do that, and I have to say I learned a lot.

Copywriters love to argue about what constitutes hype in a sales letter. Some break it down to the simplest idea that hype is “any promise you can’t back up…” or flip that statement to say, “If you can prove it, it isn’t hype.” But, I think it goes beyond that and the Butterfly Marketing letter is a good example of how to persuade without over-hyping.

If you scroll past the enormous list of testimonials and get to the body of the letter, you’ll see Mike backing up his idea of salesmanship he talked about on the call with John.

The glaring difference between this letter and so many you see in the IM niche, is that Mike lays out his argument logically, explaining some very simple but convincing philosophies that allow the reader to come to his own conclusions… rather than force feed thoughts into his head.

I might not agree with every choice Mike has made in the copy, but there’s no doubt everything he’s done has it’s reason. Look at the visual examples (the butterfly effect, the Lucy sketch) that stick in your mind long after you’ve read the page.

I also love that he didn’t let the common idea that your sales letter has to stay within a 6th grade reading level in getting across some of these theories. (The box explaining the butterfly effect contains a few college-level words, like “perturbations”). When done correctly, intelligent writing will empower the reader, rather than alienate him.

I highly recommend you watch the videos on this blog, and the rest to come. Here’s the link again…  and no I’m not an affiliate for this product (in case for some reason that would bother you).

Grab all this amazing free content while the trend is hot!

Best,
Kevin

I’m too “in the bubble” with my current letter to inspire something relevant this week. But, if you haven’t read over this list of “What Every Good Marketer Knows” by Seth Godin, you should (my 10 favorites are in bold).

What Every Good Marketer Knows:

• Anticipated, personal and relevant advertising always does better than unsolicited junk.
• Making promises and keeping them is a great way to build a brand.
• Your best customers are worth far more than your average customers.
• Share of wallet is easier, more profitable and ultimately more effective a measure than share of market.
• Marketing begins before the product is created.
• Advertising is just a symptom, a tactic. Marketing is about far more than that.
• Low price is a great way to sell a commodity. That’s not marketing, though, that’s efficiency.
• Conversations among the members of your marketplace happen whether you like it or not. Good marketing encourages the right sort of conversations.
• Products that are remarkable get talked about.
• Marketing is the way your people answer the phone, the typesetting on your bills and your returns policy.
• You can’t fool all the people, not even most of the time. And people, once unfooled, talk about the experience.
• If you are marketing from a fairly static annual budget, you’re viewing marketing as an expense. Good marketers realize that it is an investment.
• People don’t buy what they need. They buy what they want.
• You’re not in charge. And your prospects don’t care about you.
• What people want is the extra, the emotional bonus they get when they buy something they love.
• Business to business marketing is just marketing to consumers who happen to have a corporation to pay for what they buy.
• Traditional ways of interrupting consumers (TV ads, trade show booths, junk mail) are losing their cost-effectiveness. At the same time, new ways of spreading ideas (blogs, permission-based RSS information, consumer fan clubs) are quickly proving how well they work.
• People all over the world, and of every income level, respond to marketing that promises and delivers basic human wants.
• Good marketers tell a story.
• People are selfish, lazy, uninformed and impatient. Start with that and you’ll be pleasantly surprised by what you find.
• Marketing that works is marketing that people choose to notice.
• Effective stories match the worldview of the people you are telling the story to.
• Choose your customers. Fire the ones that hurt your ability to deliver the right story to the others.
• A product for everyone rarely reaches much of anyone.
• Living and breathing an authentic story is the best way to survive in an conversation-rich world.
• Marketers are responsible for the side effects their products cause.
• Reminding the consumer of a story they know and trust is a powerful shortcut.
• Good marketers measure.
• Marketing is not an emergency. It’s a planned, thoughtful exercise that started a long time ago and doesn’t end until you’re done.
• One disappointed customer is worth ten delighted ones.

• In the googleworld, the best in the world wins more often, and wins more.
• Most marketers create good enough and then quit. Greatest beats good enough every time.
• There are more rich people than ever before, and they demand to be treated differently.
• Organizations that manage to deal directly with their end users have an asset for the future.
• You can game the social media in the short run, but not for long.
• You market when you hire and when you fire. You market when you call tech support and you market every time you send a memo.
• Blogging makes you a better marketer because it teaches you humility in your writing.

Make it a productive week!

If you troll marketing message boards like Michel Fortin’s Copywriter’s Board (it’s for sale is you’re interested) or the Warrior Forum you’ll see hundreds of posts asking which are the best books for learning marketing and copywriting. The response is always the same list… a good list, but always the same.

So, today I’m offering up a book on the art and science of copywriting I’ve never seen mentioned, probably because it deals primarily with print ads (but so did any author on the subject before 1990, and they get mentioned plenty)… and most visitors to these forums are focused on the ‘net.

Or it could be that this book is standard reading in college advertising courses, and I’m one of the few geeks whoever bothered to attent a university to learn about writing and advertising.

Regardless, its a great book.

If you love great print ads, direct response or branding campaigns, and want to learn what makes them that way, you’ll really dig this book. It’s called “The Copy Workshop Workbook” by Bruce Bendinger. Aside from the copy insight, there are lots of great stories and interviews with legendary copywriters in the book.

My favorite is from Bud Robbins. He tells a great story about digging into your product to find the one thing (even when you’re sure there is nothing) that makes your product stand out. Otherwise known as your product’s unique selling position (USP).

Read the story now, and then think about your own product… whether you own it, or have been hired to write about it… and what it is your potential customers don’t yet know that could make the difference.

——–

Back in the sixties, I was hired by an ad agency to write copy on the Aeolian Piano Company account. My first assignment was an ad to be placed in The New York Times for one of their grand pianos.

The only background information I received was some previous ads a few faded close-up shots . . . and of course, the due date.

The Account Executive was slightly put out by my request for additional information and his response to my suggestion that I sit down with the client was, “Are you one of those? Can’t you just create something? We’re up against a closing date!”

I acknowledged his perception that I was one of those, which got us an immediate audience with the head of the agency.

I volunteered that I couldn’t even play a piano let alone write about why anyone should spend $5,000 for this piano, especially when they could purchase a Baldwin or Steinway for the same amount.

Both allowed the fact they would gladly resign the Aeolian business for either of the others, however, while waiting for that call, suppose the deadline was attended to.

I persisted and, reluctantly, a tour of the Aeolian factory in upstate New York was arranged. I was assured that “we don’t do this with all of clients” and my knowledge as to the value of company time was greatly reinforced.

The tour of the plant lasted two days and although the care and construction appeared meticulous, $5,000 still seemed to be a lot of money.

Just before leaving, I was escorted into the showroom by the National Sales Manager. In an elegant setting sat their piano alongside the comparably priced Steinway and Baldwin.

“They sure do look alike,” I commented.

“They sure do. About the only real difference is the shipping weight-ours is heavier.”

“Heavier?” I asked. “What makes yours heavier?”

“The Capo d’astro bar.”

“What’s a Capo d’astro bar?”

“Here, I’ll show you. Get down on your knees.”

Once under the piano he pointed to a metallic bar fixed across the harp and bearing down on the highest octaves. “It takes 50 years before the harp in the piano warps. That’s when the Capo d’astro bar goes to work. It prevents that warping.”

I left the National Sales Manager under his piano and dove under the Baldwin to find a Tinkertoy Cap d’astro bar at best. Same with Steinway.

“You mean the Capo d’astro bar really doesn’t go to work for 50 years?” I asked.

“Well, there’s got to be some reason why the Met uses it,” he casually added.

I froze. “Are you telling me that the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City uses this piano?”

“Sure. And their Capo d’astro bar should be working by now.”

Upstate New York looks nothing like the front of the Metropolitan Opera House where I met the legendary Carmen Rise Stevens. She was now in charge of moving the Metropolitan Opera House to the Lincoln Center.

Ms. Stevens told me, “About the only thing the Met is taking with them is their piano.”

That quote was the headline of our first ad.

The result created a six year wait between order and delivery.

My point is this. No matter what the product or service, I promise you, the Capo d’astro bar is there.

© The Copy Workshop Workbook, 2002.

An unexpected bonus of sitting in with John Carlton and Stan Dahl at their Hot Seat event last week in Chicago was spending the day with Dean Jackson.

Copywriter’s Board members know Dean from his awesome 60-Minute Naked Truth Sales Letter Starter - If you need to laser-focus your sales message in one hour or less, filling out this simple form is an awesome way to do it. it’s become a trusted road map for me to keep me going in the right direction as I write a letter.

So, it was cool to get a chance to thank Dean for that killer tool, and talk a little bit deeper about ways to use it. We discussed the top 10 objection section where you list your reader’s reasons for not buying the product…

This is an excellent gauge for making sure your letter answers the questions and covers the objections as they come up. But Dean took it a step further, saying he uses it to squash reader objections BEFORE they come up… and put a positive spin on it whenever possible.

The off-the-cuff example he gave was if you are writing about a hair product and you know one objection would be, “I have dry hair, so it probably won’t work for me.”

Rather than announcing “It even works on dry hair!” or worse, saying, “You’re probably thinking this won’t work on your dry hair…”

Simply mention “This unique formula is perfectly balanced to leave all types of hair moist and manageable.”

(I’m paraphrasing from memory there, but I think I captured the gist of his example.)

So, take your copy to the next level by using positive benefits to squash objections without being too obvious.

Thanks again, Dean.

Anybody serious about marketing success studies other marketers - a lot.

Some attend seminars, others prefer private study, and the most determined seek personal attention from the best mentors.

And none of it is worth a thing until you turn it into cold hard cash.

There are legions of “serial learners” out there who attend every seminar, buy every study course, and go through coaches faster than NFL in a feeble attempt to disguise their fear of action as “preparation.”

If you think that might be you, do yourself a favor and stop now. Make a pact with yourself to never buy another course, attend another seminar, or hire another coach until you’ve exhausted every bit of knowledge you’ve already paid for.

Don’t worry about the gurus, there will always be plenty of “serial learners” to keep them well fed. But it doesn’t have to be you. An believe it or not, they don’t want it to be you.

I can’t speak for all “gurus” of course, but the ones I know and have spoken with would much rather coach 100 action-takers and create success stories… than feel like they’re putting their wasted time on top of your wasted money because 90% of their members, attendees, or students won’t do anything to turn the marketing gold they provide into personal wealth.

You may think if you were a guru you’d love to have hundreds of people pay you thousands of dollars for advice they never take - but that attitude almost ensures you’ll never be paid for advice.

Just like some people’s definition of a “dream job” is one where you get paid well to do nothing. Wrong. In reality, the guilt of workers who feel like they’re “getting away with something” is a leading cause of anxiety in the workplace. While those who feel “overworked” but compensated accordingly are among the happiest, studies show.

One thing I find surprisingly common among “gurus” is a real instinct to be generous with their knowledge. And that generosity comes from a desire to see others succeed. So, to offer your knowledge and have so few act on it is understandably frustrating.

Sorry to burst any bubbles of cynicism to the contrary. And don’t worry, you’re money will always be good at the coaching club ticket window, but know that your coach is hoping you’ll do something with what you buy. Because one major success testimonial is worth more in overall sales - and sanity - than hundreds of seminar seats filled with lead asses.

Make a plan. Put on blinders. Demand success.

That’s how you get off the sideline and into the game.

Don’t you deserve to play?

Chicago - Nine people sat around a glass conference table inside the Gretch Boardroom of the Hard Rock Hotel; 3 marketing magicians responsible for countless millions in sales, 5 hot seat participants who paid $2,500 each to have their business plans cracked open and scrutinized like mollusks in a science lab - and me.

I’ve had my share of big winners and high converters, but this was marketing royalty in action. I was here to listen and learn.

A minute earlier, in the elevator up to the boardroom, I could hardly recall what had lead to this moment. I just knew I wanted to meet the man whose work I’d studied so intently for the last year - and, like some strange and immediate law of attraction fulfilled, suddenly I was shaking hands with a true marketing legend, John Carlton.

He was flanked by his business partner, Stan Dahl, himself a brilliant marketer and consultant (he was traveling the globe cluing in Fortune 500 companies at 27), and another copywriter/marketer I’ve long respected, Dean Jackson.

I’d read, watched and listened to so much Carlton stuff leading up to this moment that being in the room while he held court felt natural. However, it turned surreal the moment he said, “Kevin, do you have anything to add to that?”

I did. And later when John said, “Good input today,” I felt a little like Michael Corleone shedding his Marine stripes for Dupioni silk in The Godfather.

The marketing insight flying around that boardroom was nothing short of incendiary. Success exploding information you always assume exists, and hope you can buy, but will never know until you do. Perhaps I’ll leak out some details in future posts, but for now it stays under my hat. (No way I’m risking rep points after just one day in the club.)

But, I will tell you this: If you ever get a chance to sit in a Carlton hot seat (they’re rare) - do it. He and Stan are overly generous with the good stuff. Everyone who paid to sit in that room yesterday had several major (audible) AHA! moments. And they’re all action-takers, too, so there’s no doubt their small investments will be earned back - quickly and often.

Later, we had steaks at Harry Caray’s and John, Stan and I made our way down Wabash Ave to Buddy Guy’s Legends blues club.

As we entered the small club, Buddy Guy himself was seated at the end of the bar. The guitarist who Eric Clapton calls, “The Greatest Alive,” coolly watching over his domain just like any other small business owner… except for the procession of awestruck fans lined up for a chance to shake that supernatural right hand.

Turns out, as Carlos Johnson announced, yesterday was Buddy’s 51st anniversary in Chicago. So, after some rally from the crowd and prodding from the band, Buddy Guy made his way to the mic and sang an impromptu medley of “Hoodoo Man Blues” and “Love Her With A Feeling.” The room felt electric. We all knew we were witnessing something great - and rare.

For me, it was a perfect end to a legendary day.