Kevin Rogers

Hey Warriors,

I wrote a review of the SWS for my blog and someone suggested
I post it here to help people decide if the program is right for them.

Full disclosure: I'm an instructor in the system and I work closely
with John. But, I'm also one of you, so take it for what it is.

Everything I said is true (and no animals were harmed in the writing
of this review.)

Also, I've removed my affiliate links to stay within the rules. But if you
want to see my pitch for choosing me as your coach, check out the
classified link in my sig.

NOTE: The only way to be assured you'll get the coach you want in the SWS
is to order through his or her link. So, if you want say, Tina Lorenz or
Mike Morgan as your coach, be sure to seek out their promotion.

Here's the review:

“Dude… between you and me… is Carlton’s Simple Writing
System REALLY all it’s cracked up to be?”

That’s the question I’ve been asked by countless
friends, colleagues, entrepreneurs and freelancers of
all skill levels. Usually in a hushed, “I won’t tell
anyone…” sort of tone.

As a coach in John’s SWS since the first virtual
classroom opened last summer… as well as a trusted ally
on many recent projects for Marketing Rebel…

I understand why people ask me for the truth about the
system.

And I’m in tune with the part of them that half-wishes
I’ll say…

“No, it sucks. Don’t waste your time.”

There’s a comfort in discovering the Emperor is naked.
It relieves you from the nagging need to learn what
he’s teaching. One less thing to fear missing out on.

I get it… and I hate disappointing my friends… but
there’s just no easy out on this one.

The Simple Writing System really is all it’s cracked up
to be.

Yes… it really is the exact 17-point checklist John
Carlton developed over his 25 years of writing control-
crushing sales letters responsible for so many million
in sales.

Yes… the same simple — but lethal — playbook he uses to
methodically turn around sputtering marketing campaigns
for panicked entrepreneurs who were sure they had it
all figured out.

And yes… as much as some hate to hear it…

… skipping this opportunity to learn John’s system DOES
put you at a (potentially HUGE) disadvantage going up
against anyone who already knows it.

That’s especially true if you’re a freelance copywriter
striving to get a leg up over the competition — and
justify raising your price.

For a freelancer, being coached in this system by a
top-tier copywriter will finally put to bed any
questions you have about your own skill level.

If you’re the kind of freelancer who prides yourself on
writing original sales messages and not just swiping
what “seems to be working”…

… then SWS is the ultimate foundation for building ads
that dominate the competition. (Your best clients will
settle for nothing less.)

That’s because the 17-steps John lays out in the videos
and workbook are a safety net checklist to make sure
you never miss a crucial element in your sales piece.

This is critically important because shirking any one
element in a sales message could mean the difference
between knocking it out of the park — or a big ‘ol,
back-twisting whiff.

True… the ad you’re writing won’t always require all 17
steps of the SWS… but skipping over the elements it
DOES need will cost you big.

And as you know… the competition for every sale online
today is fierce.

Half-ass ads won’t get you by anymore.

The same is true if you’re a business owner or
entrepreneur.

Whether you write your own sales messages, or hire it
out to freelancers, having this checklist floating
around your noggin will let you know instinctively if
you’ve nailed your message…

… or if the copy you’ve just paid for is worthy of the
price.

Now… about Carlton.

The next thing people want to the truth about… is if
John really gets involved in the teaching. Or if this
is his system in name only?

Fair question again. (We’ve all seen the big name gurus
who slap their names on third-rate trash they had no
hand in creating).

My half-joking response to this question is: Be careful
what you ask for.

John is not only active in the forum (he greets every
student personally) but he’s been known to blow a few
minds with what to him is “casual advice.” Let’s just
say lesson threads tend to stretch out when the boss
man chimes in.

(often inducing the best, head-slapping “A-HA”
moments.)

There’s also a popular “student lounge” area in the
forum where John’s been known to pop in on discussions
and go deep.

Truth is… Carlton’s not kidding when he says he’s most
passionate about teaching these days. And that spirit
permeates the entire faculty.

It also leads to some fierce competition among the
teachers.

I’m probably NOT supposed to tell you this…

But, John and Stan are good at pushing people's
buttons. (Especially writers with fragile egos.)

So they’ve developed an evil plot to guarantee every
teacher will over-deliver big. They award prizes for
best results on student feedback surveys.

These prizes are nothing major, mind you. Just cool
gadgets, ergonomic office chairs, etc.

But you wouldn’t believe how heated the competition
gets over a freakin’ iPod Touch.

I won’t mention any names… but Mike Morgan and Harlan
Kilstein (whoops) fight like school kids on a
playground over these awards.

Funny thing is… any teacher in there could probably afford
to pave their driveway with iPods… but we all covet this
prize like it’s the last one left in the world.

Of course, the dollar value of the prize is irrelevant.
It’s what it represents that matters.

Being acknowledged as a great teacher from the guy who
taught you is a big honor.

(And you won’t find many people to disagree that John
IS the best copywriting teacher you can have.)

By the way, I wouldn’t feel right mentioning which
teacher won the prize for best overall feedback (with
OVER 100% satisfaction rating)…

But I'm typing this on an iPod Touch!

The Simple Writing System at-home mentoring session
went on sale Monday and begins October 1.

Oh yeah…

One more thing no one ever believes…

… is that John never has plans to do more of these. But
it’s true.

These mentoring sessions are a ton of work, and
assembling the staff of busy marketers to coach them is
a minor miracle every time.

So it really is a one-at-a-time proposition. This truly
could be the last. There’s just no way to know.

Kevin

bethrobinson

I agree that the course is everything that is promised. The coaching is FANTASTIC and worth the price IF you can make use of it.

I regret buying SWS in the Spring because of my own situation, not because of the course itself.

You need to have time. I didn't have enough. I had too much more invested in the other big time drain I had then to put SWS as my top priority, no matter how much I wished otherwise.

You need to have a business idea that you're going to be working on. It can be something from scratch or someone else's business, but it needs to be robust enough that you'll be able to look at the market needs and it needs to be something you're interested enough in that you'll keep writing. I kind of picked something that I was thinking about doing but there just wasn't enough passion behind it to carry me forward past the time constraints that I had.

If you have time and an idea then you'll get SOOOO much out of this course and a lot more mentoring than you'll see in a free forum environment.

Kevin Rogers

Hi Beth,

You bring up a really good point about having a project in mind when you come into the mentoring.

Most who go through the mentoring find the 2 months plenty of time to get through the course at casual pace. And it definitely helps to know what you want to write about first.

Many of the students are biz owners promoting their products or services, so they have that part solved.

However, I'm recommending any freelance copywriters who enter the mentoring to plan on working copy for an existing client... or to use a product in a niche they'd like to get attention in.

This works better than say writing the landing page for your own copywriting services. Not that you won't end up with a great page, but what clients really want is killer samples of work you've done for other clients.

This is the way to get (or add) a letter you're very proud to show.

Kevin

bethrobinson

Kevin, 2 months would have been great - if it hadn't overlapped completely with 6 weeks of the capstone class for my MBA. Any other class and I could have done both but there was a LOT more work in that final one.

Two classes, a full-time job, and a toddler just meant something had to give for me. If you're only doing one major class during the time frame, then it should work.

If I had already had copywriting clients instead of trying to do my own IM niche scheme, or even known someone with an active small business who would let me pick their brain for an hour or so a week, then it would also have been much easier.

Kevin Rogers

Wow. That's quite a load, Beth. Life can get in the way sometimes. Not sure if you're schedule's any lighter these days... but you know you can rejoin the mentoring at a significant discount, right?

https://m190.infusionsoft.com/saleform/niothnat (NOT an aff. link)

There's a number of marketers you sign up every time just to take their latest promotion through the paces. Very smart.

Or if you're a strong self-starter you can set schedule and go through the exercises on your own. The videos are very thorough.

Anyway, I wish you the best.

Kevin

garyk1968

Hi Kevin,

Thanks for your valuable input, its appreciated. I'm on the fence hovering over the 'buy' button!

I've done copywriting in the past traditionally for businesses that I have owned and friends that also run bricks and mortar businesses. I dont find its something that comes naturally and I have studied it long and hard reading all the past masters such as hopkins, collier and sackheim. I find when I need to write copy I have to get the 'mindset' back by going back over material to get a feel for it. I wonder if a course like this might help me to keep the mindset and perhaps help me to consider doing more copywriting as its something I do enjoy.

I have done 3-4% on mail-outs cold and as much as 7-8% when doing, as Jay Abraham calls it host-parasite mailings. I run adwords for myself and others and can often get 7-11% CTR but I still feel I could acheive much more.

So I guess I'm asking is this a blueprint, perhaps the reason why i have to delve into numerous copywriting books to get 'mindset' is because I dont have a systemised, structured approach to writing copy.

I would love to hear your input on this.


Regards


Gary

Kevin Rogers

Hi Gary,

This is a good question. Let me trouble you with a quick story...

A little over a year ago I was just beginning to feel confident about my copy skills. I had scored a couple #1s on ClickBank, I had some happy clients, work was flowing... but I had a problem.

Because I was fortunate to have some early success as a freelancer, I was feeling the pressure to know everything. So, every time I'd read a great post by a copywriter's blog or somebody laid out a tactic here on the WF that made an impact on me...

... I felt like I HAD to put it into action immediately. Otherwise I wouldn't be as good as I could be and I'd lose my edge.

Now... because I was relatively new and still learning a lot with every letter I wrote, this sort of panic happened pretty often.

It was driving me nuts. I had serious information overload, and rather than make me better it was stifling my progress.

(And suffocating my confidence.)

So, I made a decision that literally changed my life.

I decided to choose just ONE great copywriter to study -- and completely shut out everything else.

My thinking was... rather than bounce around from one random source to the other like a poodle on hot sand... why not focus that energy into learning everything I can about the way ONE great copywriter goes about his work.

I wanted to get so deep inside this writer's head that when I came upon a problem in the writing, I could imagine him sitting next to me describing exactly how to solve it.

The writer I chose, of course, was John Carlton.

So, I unsubscribed to all the lists, I backed away from the boards, and I dedicated one hour every day to studying my one source.

I read everything he wrote, studied everything he taught, I listened to calls where he was interviewed... anything I could do to get inside his head.

I got so obsessed that my wife could practically recite John's philosophies and tactics as well as I could... just from hearing me babble on about him.

(Did I say quick story? Sorry.)

But it was worth the trouble. After about a year of intense study... I not only could conjure John's voice to help me solve complicated copy scenarios... but I "law of attractioned" myself into his world where a very natural friend and working relationship took shape.

THEN... after all that, John shows me his "Simple Writing System" which perfectly lays out John's exact system for writing copy (everything I had dedicated the last year of my life to learning) into 17 easy steps.

So, if I had just slacked off for a year, I would've had the whole thing handed to me in a nicely bound workbook and 9 videos.

Because that's what this is, Gary. It's a system that removes all the guess work and need to "get in the right head" from writing killer copy.

It's really that simple, it really works that good. And once you've been through it a couple of times, you'l probably find, like I did, that the steps become instinctual.

I still keep the table of contents next to my laptop whenever I write. I never have to wait around for inspiration anymore. It's a process.

The coolest part of having a process is being freed up to get creative. you don;t have to fret about losing your way. You can go nuts on an idea, and the system keeps you from getting lost.

Sort of like copywriting GPS.

Sorry for the long winded answer, man. I get a little excited over this stuff.

I hope I answered your question. And I hope to meet you in class, if it's meant to be.

Best,

Kevin

ccIowa

Boy, do I wish I had known you could get the coach you wanted by purchasing through their link.

As a consequence of not having this inside information I got a coach who was so bad it ruined the experience for me.

I watched what was going on with some of the other coaches and the difference was night and day.

As I recall Kevin was one of the best coaches in the group. I was jealous of the people who got him.

So, if you are going to invest in the SWS take it from someone who has been through the program... I strongly urge you NOT to waste your money on the self-study version. You will never get it in the self-study version.

Then if you are going to anti-up for the more costly coaching version make sure you get the coach you want by purchasing through their link.

Very frustrating to now discover I could have worked with someone like Kevin when I got someone about one step above worthless instead. Even worse when this dude is supposed to be a top copywriter. It felt like he went out of his way NOT to help people. And was much more interested in insulting people instead.

Actually I feel so strongly about this I would say if you can't get the coach you want going into this program then don't make the investment. Too risky!!! The program doesn't just cost you money it takes a LOT of time too.

affmrktng

I would love to take this coaching but it is way beyond my income level right now. DARN

crudenbay

I was in the Spring program, and it was a great program.

My coach was Mike Morgan. What I liked about Mike was that he pushed and prodded and didn't let me off the hook until I got it right. It's amazing the difference between what you first think is good, and what you end up with.

Some tips:

1. It's an 18 step process. Make this your top priority for the two months...get ahead of the game fast!

2. Your coach isn't online everyday. Sometimes they are away for a couple of days. Don't hang around waiting for them. Move along to the next step and do your best on it, while you wait feedback on a prior step.

3. Be prepared to be "wrong" for several iterations of a step. Your coach is pushing you because he knows what he is doing! You'll come out of this thinking at a much deeper level than before. And you'll also realize that your first attempts at writing are rubbish, even though you think they are good.

4. Visit the other classrooms. I picked up a lot of tips from seeing the advice other coaches offered.

5. Read John's advice to other students. Some great nuggets there also.

Hope that helps,
Frank

Hope that helps,
Frank

garyk1968

Thanks for the comprehensive response Kevin I do appreciate it.

Just one more thing and then I promise not to bug you! I often need write copy that isn't just a sales letter or promotion but something to move me to the next step.

Let me explain, at the moment I have a product prototype that I would like to licence to the major player in my sector. They are billion dollar global empire and I need to write a letter not to sell something but just to get me an appointment, can I learn persuasive copy without a compelling offer?

And finally do you cover more advanced things such as nlp, hypnotic language patterns, social proof etc in any of the techniques?

Many thanks


Gary

Kevin Rogers

Hey Gary,

No bother at all. I love this stuff.

In regards to being persuasive without the need for a compelling offer...

... that's one of the cool things about John's system -- and why there are 17 steps, when most stop at 5 or 7.

A few of the steps are things that won't directly appear in your sales piece, but are crucial to the direction of your message.

Take your example of an introduction letter with the goal of scoring you an interview with a major player in your industry.

You don't need many of the traditional sales letter elements like bullets, a hook, offer, etc. in a piece like that. You'll want to keep to the point of why they NEED to meet you without scaring them off with a pitch.

We know they get a stack of similar letters like this every week, so you've got to pass the A/B pile test, get by the gate keeper and onto the player's desk.

To accomplish this, you will use many of the steps that appear in traditional sales letters to create reader momentum and send them down that "greased slide" toward action.

But, in this case, it really boils down to one crucial step...

#12: The Simple Basics of a Great Sales Message.

This step is a check point in your copy to make sure you've covered the core essentials of your message. Which is:

Here's who I am.
Here's what I have for you.
Here's why it's important in your life right now.
And here's what I want you to do next.

(You may have heard Frank Kern talk about using a version of this step as the basis for the record shattering StomperNet letter that banked multi-millions in just days.)

So, to answer your question, Gary...

Yes, that's the endless benefit of having this system at your disposal: It applies to any situation where persuading your prospect to take the action you desire creates a mutually prosperous outcome.

A common frustration for entrepreneurs is that they KNOW what they're offering will improve the lives of those who use it... but rising above the deafening chatter of empty promises that cause decision makers to ignore EVERYTHING just to survive the day...

... is very tricky.

NLP, hypnotic language and the rest are all rooted in the basic persuasion tactics that make up the foundation of the Simple Writing System.

Once you have this stuff down, you can practice more complex pattern all you want -- with less risk of spinning off the rails.

But, at the end of the day, I've found the best results come from keeping it simple. Even the most well known NLP practitioners swear by John's system.

Hope that helps, Gary.

As you may have discovered, the doors have closed for this session. All the classes are full.

However, I'm needling Stan (John's biz partner) about opening up a few more seats in my room. If he agrees, I'll be announcing it to my list and may take out another classified ad here on the WF.

If you're interested, keep an eye out. It's gonna be a good time.

All the best,

Kevin