Sales Letters

[marlon]

Hi,

I saw the thread about Paul Myer's product that's caused quite a stir and rightfully
so.

I just wanted to add something for newbies here who are struggling to learn how to write a sales letter that's worth a darn.

The HARDEST sales letter you'll EVER write is your first one.

It's like pulling teeth.

The second hardest letter you'll ever write is your second one.

But if you practice and do it enough, sooner or later you'll be spittin' out sales letters like the best of 'em. It does get easier. That's my word of encouragement.

The other thing is that you learn to write great letters by studying great letters. It's such a simple thing. But a lot of people never do it. I buy plastic crates that stack and throw sales letters in there to read on a rainy day. Sometimes I go through and pick out the best of the best and put those in another crate.

Then I go through those and pick out the best of the best of the best and put those in a shiny silver box with a latch. And THOSE are the ones I got to for inspiration in a time of need.

In any event, Paul deserves all the props he gets here on this forum and more. He's gotten me out of a jam more than once with his knowledge and contacts.

I sent an email to my list not long ago about Paul and how he saved me from the world's most famous neo nazi spammer. But that's a whole 'nuther story.

Best wishes to all,

Marlon Sanders

[David Maschke]

So you don't use your own software?

[Paul Myers]

David,

So you don't use your own software?

Do you use a map to find your way around your own neighborhood?

Back in 2003, IIRC, I heard Marlon answer a question during a panel Q&A session in San Antonio. He rattled off the opening of a salesletter - headline, intro and bullet list - off the top of his head. Sounded like he knew the product, and it would have outsold most of the letters I've seen from professional copywriters.

One of the things you learn after a while in this business is that people who've mastered a subject or skill will make tools for those who haven't. To do that well, you need to be several steps up the ladder from the people you're teaching, and you don't, by definition, need or use the same tools.

There's a reason I call him The Professor.


Paul

[jasonl70]

Originally Posted by David Maschke

So you don't use your own software?

OMG - do you know who Marlon Sanders is??

[David Maschke]

OMG - do you know who Marlon Sanders is??

It was a joke. Of course I know who Marlon is. Anyone who has been in IM for ten minutes knows who he is. The guy can write a salesletter that just cannot be unread all the way through.

I'd be a lucky man if I had 1/100 of his talent.

Dave

[marlon]

Hey,

Been thinkin' about a new sales letter software product

My new product will be called: "Paul Myers Brain In A Box" and you just punch in your
keywords and it spits out a letter just like Paul would write it....

You add in incorrect grammar and really long words, talk about USP, moving parade, marginal network of the customer, sprinkle on a dash of ego and...

Presto chango....

You get a Jay Abrahamized sales letter.

Take the copy. Hire a very good looking actor. Add in an ocean.

You get a Frank Kern sales letter.

Take the letter. Hire an actor who is kinda stiff.

Stick the world's largest aquarium behind him.

You get a John Reese sales letter. Oh, add in some hot babes for him.

Take the letter, put the house out in the woods. Add in hiking trails.
Make it informal and folksy. Split it up into blog posts.

You get a Jeff Walker letter.

Take the letter. Make it even more down home spun. Add in some flavor.
Pop in a few recipes. Make it a big JV and a seminar. Now you got a Willie
Crawford letter.

Put it on audio or video. Make it bold, strong and opinionated yet entertaining.
Now you got a John Jonas letter.

Add hot bullet points. Take out all photos. Throw in killer bonuses. Stick on an extremely high trafficked forum, and you got an Allen Says letter.

Cut the letter in half. Drop the price. Remove all inflection. Make it very nichey. Make the concept something no one else has thought of. And you got a Dr. Mike letter.

Make the letter 3X as long. Sizzle up the headline. Throw in a super duper flashy front end. Add in smoking hot models. Throw in a celebrity or two. Toss in pictures of people no one ever heard of. Punch in dollar figures that boggle your mind. Add in even bigger names with celebrity appeal. Spice it up even more. Now triple the price. Tack on a coaching program pitch or two. Put in the upsell for the newsletter. Now you got a Yanik Silver letter.

Take the letter. Cut it in half. Make the dollars even bigger. Throw on 10 upsells. Add on a free strategy session. Put in some stuff about A9, videos and article marketing. And you got yourself a vintage Matt Bacak letter.

Call your post "sales letter", throw in big names so people will comment, make it spicey, add your url for Google love at the end, put in a dash of humor.

And you have a good solid backlink for Google...

Ya'll take care,

Marlon

[eholmlund]

Originally Posted by marlon

Hey,
My new product will be called: "Paul Myers Brain In A Box" and you just punch in your
keywords and it spits out a letter just like Paul would write it....

You add in incorrect grammar and really long words, talk about USP, moving parade, marginal network of the customer, sprinkle on a dash of ego and...

Presto chango....

You get a Jay Abrahamized sales letter.

Take the copy. Hire a very good looking actor. Add in an ocean.

You get a Frank Kern sales letter.

Take the letter. Hire an actor who is kinda stiff.

Stick the world's largest aquarium behind him.

You get a John Reese sales letter. Oh, add in some hot babes for him.

Take the letter, put the house out in the woods. Add in hiking trails.
Make it informal and folksy. Split it up into blog posts.

You get a Jeff Walker letter.

Take the letter. Make it even more down home spun. Add in some flavor.
Pop in a few recipes. Make it a big JV and a seminar. Now you got a Willie
Crawford letter.

Put it on audio or video. Make it bold, strong and opinionated yet entertaining.
Now you got a John Jonas letter.

Add hot bullet points. Take out all photos. Throw in killer bonuses. Stick on an extremely high trafficked forum, and you got an Allen Says letter.

Cut the letter in half. Drop the price. Remove all inflection. Make it very nichey. Make the concept something no one else has thought of. And you got a Dr. Mike letter.

Make the letter 3X as long. Sizzle up the headline. Throw in a super duper flashy front end. Add in smoking hot models. Throw in a celebrity or two. Toss in pictures of people no one ever heard of. Punch in dollar figures that boggle your mind. Add in even bigger names with celebrity appeal. Spice it up even more. Now triple the price. Tack on a coaching program pitch or two. Put in the upsell for the newsletter. Now you got a Yanik Silver letter.

Take the letter. Cut it in half. Make the dollars even bigger. Throw on 10 upsells. Add on a free strategy session. Put in some stuff about A9, videos and article marketing. And you got yourself a vintage Matt Bacak letter.

Call your post "sales letter", throw in big names so people will comment, make it spicey, add your url for Google love at the end, put in a dash of humor.

And you have a good solid backlink for Google...

Marlon freakin Sanders!!

This is the best WF post of the day. Love it.

[jasondinner]

that was great

marlon and paul just dropped bombs. LOL

And I was laughing my ass off too!

Thanks Guys

[Adaptive]

I buy plastic crates that stack and throw sales letters in there to read on a rainy day. Sometimes I go through and pick out the best of the best and put those in another crate.

Then I go through those and pick out the best of the best of the best and put those in a shiny silver box with a latch. And THOSE are the ones I got to for inspiration in a time of need.

Marlon, I wanted to particularly thank you for that picturesque little mini-movie. I can just picture the commercial break coming up at the cliffhanger when you get to the shiny box latch...

Regards,
Allen

[marlon]

Man,

I WOULD have a freakin' commercial break to sell that shiny box o letters
if it weren't for copyright laws.

There's no pitch here. I wuz just having some fun.

But yeah, it WOULD be the perfect set up, eh? I'm too scared of getting sued for
selling a collection like that. There are some primio letters in my little shiny box.
The best of the best of the best.

Marlon

[Bert Ritz]

You cracked me up, Marlon!
Hit it right on the head!
Thanks!

[Kevin AKA Hubcap]

Originally Posted by marlon

Hi,


I just wanted to add something for newbies here who are struggling to learn how to write a sales letter that's worth a darn.

The HARDEST sales letter you'll EVER write is your first one.

It's like pulling teeth.

The second hardest letter you'll ever write is your second one.

But if you practice and do it enough, sooner or later you'll be spittin' out sales letters like the best of 'em. It does get easier. That's my word of encouragement.

Best wishes to all,

Marlon Sanders

This also goes for most other skills/activities. Learning HTML and trying to put up my first website literally took days but now I can have a sight up in 20 minutes.

Kevin

[Steven Fullman]

Originally Posted by marlon

And you have a good solid backlink for Google...

...and a most amusing tale.

Fan-bloody-tastic post.

[Micheal Perkins]

Marlon Sanders!

I'm seeing the scene from Wayne's World with Alice Cooper where they're saying, "We're not worthy, we're not worthy."

[Ken Strong]

Isn't he the guy that started Kentucky Fried Chicken? No, wait...

[George Wright]

Paul and Marlon in the same thread talkin out of the box and to think I was going to bed. Something (a little voice) said George Check the WF forum before you turn out the lights.

I'm sure glad I did. Now I'll have sweet dreams.

nite all.

George Wright

[VegasVince]

Yo Marlin...."Where's My Money!"


xxx Vegas Vince
Legend

P.S. Yeah...I've been around long enough to remember one of the greatest email headlines ever written...and I suspect Mr. S made seriously bling with that one.....so good it was legalized extortion. lol

[Joshua N. Rabon]

Originally Posted by marlon

Call your post "sales letter", throw in big names so people will comment, make it spicey, add your url for Google love at the end, put in a dash of humor.

And you have a good solid backlink for Google...

Ya'll take care,

Marlon

Yuze a Baaaad Mutha(shut your mouth)
I'm just talking bout Marlon Sanders

[David Maschke]

"It's called point-and-click marketing."

That is the best line ever in a sales letter. Who can stop reading after a line like that? It is so subtle you don't even know you read it. Talk about the greasy slides.

Your stuff, Marlin, is in OUR swipe files.

Dave

[Ryan700]

Originally Posted by marlon

Hey,

Presto chango....

You get a Jay Abrahamized sales letter.

Take the copy. Hire a very good looking actor. Add in an ocean.

You get a Frank Kern sales letter.

Take the letter. Hire an actor who is kinda stiff.

Stick the world's largest aquarium behind him.

<snip>
*Do people still use <snip>?*

Call your post "sales letter", throw in big names so people will comment, make it spicey, add your url for Google love at the end, put in a dash of humor.

And you have a good solid backlink for Google...

Very funny. Now I just have to go to the archives and read what everybody's talking about. And learn something?

[marlon]

And how did you forget. I'm a little tired today but I'll give this a shot:

Ray: Take the letter, make easy, make it smooth, make it friendly, make it me-to-you, make it sell. That's Ray.

Carl Galleti: Take the letter, add a great headline, leave the audio out, put in great bullets. You got a great Galleti letter.

Bob Bly: Take the letter, throw in a big idea, add credibility, make it toned down and respectable, put in a dark blue background, add some book covers. Oh, stick in a sidebar with a lot of big corporate names. Then toss in a sprinkling of big named endorsements.

John Carlton: Write a headline about a dude with 1 leg. Start with the craziest story you've EVER heard in your life. Stack on eyebrow raising bullets. Juice up the bonuses.

Michel Fortin: Add in a highly specific headline, grease up your chute, layer on the testimonials, dab on web savvy techniques, use that golden triangle thingy. Out pops a Fortin letter.

Clayton MakePeace: Bring on the dancing bears, the outrageous quotes, the magalog, pictures, sidebars, testimonial boxes. Get your wallet ready.

red-hot-copy gal -- Take the copy, fire it up, add some sizzle, sprinkle on a touch of feminine magic.

Gary Halbert -- Stick a picture of a scantily clad girl at the top but with a genuine look that makes you believe she's somehow real. Start off with a simple but incredibly intriguing headline. The kind you can't stop reading. Begin with a bang up story about hookers, cocaine and the Florida Keys. Slide your way into the bullets and make every one to die for. Hit 'em with the testimonials then stack on 10 bonuses. After the order, give 'em the slickest stick letter you've ever read that makes you feel like a million bucks then gets you to spend another million for the lifetime subscription.

[marlon]

Other than your own style, who's style do you prefer most when you think of writing a fresh sales letter?

Hey,

Well, I don't write copy enough anymore to feel my letters are that good. Most of 'em are kinda flawed due to lack of practice.

Everyone will disagree on this one (already HAD that discussion on the copy board here) but personally I loved Michael Masterson's Master's Course (Vin didn't really get that much outa the basic...but he didn't have the Master's thing I bought). I also bought some dvd's of Michael's speeches. IMHO the man is brilliant.

Haven't seen Clayton's $7500 deal. I'm sure it's top drawer. Clayton is one of the best in the world. Eugene Schwartz still reads fresh as the whiff of bread being cooked in a bakery on the streets of Amsterdam.

I think copy is personal. I've splained things to my staff and had 'em not get it. Then gave 'em Carlton's notebook and told 'em to read it and they came back all excited.

Kennedy's stuff is great to learn how to do a seminar that sorta gives specifics but not really and in the end makes you convinced you need to hire the guy because it's all too complicated to do yourself. He's a master of selling.

I've given staff Yanik's massive course too. It's very thorough.

I see the genius in what Michael Masterson teaches.

But any copywriter should read Gary's old newsletters...for all their brilliance...insanity...stories.

One of the greatest pieces of copy I've ever read is his letter about the passing of his good friend Dennis Haslinger. I can't even possible explain what an amazing letter that was.

Marlon

[Steven Fullman]

Originally Posted by marlon

Awesomeness...

Marlon

Cheers, Marlon.

Now, where can we buy your amazing formula again?

Please?

Steve

[Paul Myers]

Marlon, dude, you've forgotten out host!

Know your audience so well that all you need is three lines telling them what the product is to get them to the page. When they get there, make it nothing but testimonials and an order button. Then sit back and watch the counter beg for mercy. That's an Allen Says salesletter.

Put in a picture of an elephant's butt, an outrageous headline about kissing it, enough pictures of the product to feel like you already own it, and enough energy to make you stand up while reading it, and you've got a Marlon Sanders letter.

Wrap it in a suit, stretch it out Texas-style, have it throw candy into the audience and do ninja kicks while delivering jaw-dropping content, and you've got The Professor - live and in person.


Paul

[wordwizard]

Just found this thread. You really nailed them, Marlon!

Thanks for the laughs and the lessons too.

Elisabeth

[Stallion]

Originally Posted by marlon

Hi,

I saw the thread about Paul Myer's product that's caused quite a stir and rightfully
so.

I just wanted to add something for newbies here who are struggling to learn how to write a sales letter that's worth a darn.

The HARDEST sales letter you'll EVER write is your first one.

It's like pulling teeth.

The second hardest letter you'll ever write is your second one.

But if you practice and do it enough, sooner or later you'll be spittin' out sales letters like the best of 'em. It does get easier. That's my word of encouragement.

The other thing is that you learn to write great letters by studying great letters. It's such a simple thing. But a lot of people never do it. I buy plastic crates that stack and throw sales letters in there to read on a rainy day. Sometimes I go through and pick out the best of the best and put those in another crate.

Then I go through those and pick out the best of the best of the best and put those in a shiny silver box with a latch. And THOSE are the ones I got to for inspiration in a time of need.

In any event, Paul deserves all the props he gets here on this forum and more. He's gotten me out of a jam more than once with his knowledge and contacts.

I sent an email to my list not long ago about Paul and how he saved me from the world's most famous neo nazi spammer. But that's a whole 'nuther story.

Best wishes to all,

Marlon Sanders

This is great advice. I need to start going out and reading more sales letter. I think I've technically only read one from start to end.

I hope you're right about how writing these letters gets easier as you write more. My first one was a nightmare and I'm still twisting and tweaking it to get it to work.