Back in middle school, when I was about 11 or 12, I developed a really bad case of eczema.

At first, it was pretty mild, but the doctor in Alabama misdiagnosed my condition and gave me creams that actually made my eczema worse!

Talk about a goof up.

As the eczema spread, I remember being embarrassed to wear short-sleeve shirts to school for fear of my class mates finding out about my condition.

By the time I got to Denver, the eczema was out of control. My thighs, trunk, and arms were covered with patches of irritated skin. It was summer time and we were temporarily living in an apartment.

One day, my brothers and I went down to the pool to swim. Now, if you know anything about eczema, then you know that chlorine is enemy #1. It is not your friend.

As I swam, I ignored the pain. Just having fun was distraction enough. But when I got out, the burning started.

Do you know what it’s like to have a persistent burning sensation over a large percentage of your skin?

An hour after I left the pool, I was in so much pain that I was in tears. My mom tried to help, but there wasn’t much she could do.

On the bright side, that experience caused my mom to seek out a truly qualified dermatologist to help. When we visited him, he identified the problem immediately. “It’s eczema,” he said.

He knew because he had suffered from eczema, too.

He prescribed three things:

• One lotion for my entire body, every morning and night.
• Another lotion to be applied to each individual eczema spot, every morning and night.
• An Aveeno oatmeal bath or Balnetar tar bath every day.

I followed a daily regimen of creams and baths for more than a year. And, thankfully, the regimen worked. The eczema disappeared, and I’ve been basically free of it ever since.

Now what in the world did this experience teach me about marketing? I’ll tell you…

Marketing Lesson #1: Empathy

To this day, I’ve never met a doctor more empathetic to what I was going through than my dermatologist. Since he had suffered from eczema and other skin conditions himself, he had genuine concern and a genuine desire to help me get better.

I could just feel it.

Empathy is probably one of the most effective yet under-employed “ingredients” in successful marketing. If you can genuinely empathize with your customers, they’re going to feel it.

And when there is genuine empathy, trust goes through the roof — and your customers will do almost anything you ask.

I trusted my dermatologist completely. If he had told me to go bathe in a mountain stream every day, I probably would have done it.

Marketing Lesson #2: Consistency

A year of twice-daily creams and once-daily baths? Are you kidding me?

It would have been very easy to not follow the regimen my dermatologist prescribed. It would have been easy to do it halfway or give up altogether.

But I stuck with it, and it paid off.

The same is true in marketing. Many times you can out-profit your competitors just by doing the simple things that count, like consistent follow-up.

You’ve heard that before, right?

“The fortune is in the follow-up” and “Most people buy after 7 points of contact.” That kind of stuff.

The commonality among these maxims is consistency. Consistency is the key.

And just like empathy builds trust, so does consistency. Put them together and you have two key ingredients for marketing success.

Ask yourself, “How can I convey more empathy in my marketing? How can I be more consistent in my marketing and follow-up?” Chances are the answers you come up with will pay off in spades.

-Ryan M. Healy

P.S. Speaking of consistency, I’ve subscribed to Terry Dean’s Newsletter for more than two years now. Every month his newsletter shows up like clockwork.

If you’re looking for solid business advice at an affordable price, you should check it out. Here’s my personal review of Terry Dean’s Newsletter.

There is a huge dichotomy in advertising.

• On the one hand you’ve got the pressure to perform: to make your advertising as profitable as you possibly can.

• On the other hand you’ve got the pressure to be ethical: to be as honest as possible in your advertising.

Last week I raised the issue of using fake scarcity to drive more sales. Many people said they disagreed with such a deceptive tactic and would fire any client who did such a thing.

Not to muddy the waters too much here, but the issue of honesty in advertising is very complex. In fact, it seems dishonesty in advertising is accepted as a matter of course!

So, since I already brought up the issue of fake scarcity, let’s turn the lens of scrutiny toward…

Fake Stories

When I asked my mastermind group how they would handle dishonest clients, the responses were very interesting. Not one of them was the same. And yet each person seemed passionate about his position.

Daniel Levis mentioned how John Caples’ most famous ad was an imaginary story. You know, the ad that begins, They Laughed When I Sat Down at the Piano But When I Started to Play!~

The story in this ad is completely fictitious. Some may say it is dishonest. Is this okay? And how is it any different than the fake weight loss stories and fake body building stories published on “flogs” these days?

Maybe the difference is in class, style, and sophistication. If you tell an imaginary story framed as a real story… and you tell it believably enough… does that make it okay?

Fake Endorsements

Or how about TV commercials with paid actors and actresses giving fake endorsements of products? This is extremely common.

The “perfect” house wife comes on screen, kids in the background: “Ever since I started using Product X, cleaning up even the messiest spills has been a breeze. After all, I need all the help I can get!”

Everybody knows these “TV testimonials” are fake, the stories completely made up, the “families” patched together from the most attractive people on the set. It’s quite possible the actors and actresses in these commercials have never even used the products they’re promoting!

And yet I don’t see anybody complaining about this particular genre of dishonest advertising.

Real Ad, Fake Story

Here’s another example. I’m a subscriber of World Net Daily’s Whistleblower magazine. On the back cover of the November 2009 issue there is a full-page ad put out by Swiss America to advertise gold.

The headline reads: “Our retirement account has tripled in the last 5 years…”

Underneath the headline there is a picture of a happy couple in their 50s. It is obviously a stock photograph to support the headline.

Now, the headline is dishonest on two levels. By saying “Our retirement account has tripled,” they’re implying that this really happened to a certain couple. I’m fairly confident that this is not the case.

What’s more, the price of gold has tripled from 2004 to 2009. Which means that for the headline to be true, this couple would have had to have had 100% of their retirement account invested in gold. Again, not likely.

But I don’t look at the ad and get angry. I actually get kind of interested. Hey! Maybe I should be investing in gold! I start to think. On that level, the ad works.

But How Far Is Too Far?

My point is this: We see LOTS of dishonest advertising every day. But we don’t think of it as being dishonest. We accept it. We may even approve of it.

So what then makes one dishonest ad okay but another one not okay? Are we going to label John Caples a liar for telling a story that wasn’t true, but could have been? Where do we draw the line?

In other words, just how far is too far in advertising? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think.

-Ryan M. Healy

I don’t know what exactly happened, but my mailbox is filling up with catalogs faster than I can get rid of them.

It’s really unbelievable.

I actually threw away a number of them before I realized how many I was getting… and decided it would make a good photo opp for my blog. Check out my current collection of holiday catalogs (about 2 weeks’ worth)…

A Sampling of Holiday Catalogs I've Received in Fall 2009

Given how many catalogs I’ve received, I’ve got to believe it’s a good time to be a catalog copywriter… or even a catalog merchant.

I got my start as a direct response copywriter writing copy for a hybrid catalog/Internet company. The annual catalog prompted many of the sales; incentives drove customers to place their orders on the web site.

Personally, I really enjoy catalog copywriting. Every block of copy is an exercise in brevity.

A year ago, I would have passed you on to Jay White so you could join his Catalog Copywriting Secrets membership site, but it hasn’t been available since February 2009. And there’s no indication when it will be available again (if ever).

In the mean time, just take a look at some of the company names on these catalogs and keep the catalogs you get in the mail. This will give you a good place to start.

You never know… it might be worthwhile to ring up some of these catalogers and see if they have any overflow work for freelancers.

-Ryan M. Healy

So here’s a difficult question I’ve been pondering for… oh… about the last four years.

Where does a copywriter’s responsibility end and a client’s responsibility begin?

In other words, how responsible am I for the things I write to sell a client’s product?

Here’s the thing…

As a freelance copywriter, I’m largely dependent on clients for the accuracy of my advertising. They tell me about their product… what makes it unique… how much it costs… and why they believe people should buy it.

I rely on the accuracy of the information the client provides (and the accuracy of my research) to write the most persuasive copy I can possibly write.

Trust is a key component of the client-freelancer relationship. I trust the client to provide me with accurate information; and the client trusts me to give my best effort to sell.

But along the way I’ve discovered that some clients are less honest than others.

For instance, I’ve known a client or two who has been willing to use fake scarcity to drive sales. They either falsify the number of units sold or the number of units available.

Either way, it’s a technique I’m not personally comfortable using… but at least two of my clients have had no qualms about it.

How responsible am I for that? And what should my response be once I discover what’s happening behind the scenes?

• Confront the client?
• Turn a blind eye?
• Drop the client altogether?

One time, when I was asked to reduce the inventory counter by more units than we had actually sold, I pushed the issue.

“But we only sold X units, right?” I said.

“Yeah, I know I’m being dishonest,” he replied.

So I know from experience that some clients feel no remorse about telling “little white lies” if it drives more sales.

Me? I feel a pang of conscience every time I’m witness to such blatant manipulation. Yet I still don’t know exactly how to handle it.

Confrontation seems not to work. And the idea of firing a client over such tactics has at various times felt a bit like overkill, not to mention financial suicide. (Like everybody else, I have monthly bills to pay.)

My point in writing this is not necessarily to provide any clear-cut answers; it is to open up a dialogue and see what thoughts you have about this issue.

Because if you do any client work — especially in the field of advertising — chances are you will encounter some of the moral dilemmas I’ve alluded to here.

Would you do me a favor? Leave a comment below and let me know what you would do if you found yourself working with a client who was using dishonest marketing tactics. How would you react?

Thanks!

-Ryan M. Healy

Next on my hit list of “DR copywriters to interview” is Kevin Rogers, direct response wordsmith, consummate funny man, and “head honcho” of John Carlton’s stable of copywriters.

In this interview, Kevin opens up about the challenges he faced getting started as a freelancer, how stand-up comedy helped him become a better copywriter, and the three commonalities among copywriters who experience fast success as freelancers.

Exclusive Interview
with Copywriter Kevin Rogers

Ryan Healy: When did you first become interested in freelance copywriting and how did you make the transition to being a self-employed freelancer?

Kevin Rogers: I was first introduced to direct response by a guy named Chris Tomasulo. He’s a brilliant marketer. The company I was VP of at the time hired him to consult. We struck up a fast friendship.

He knew I liked to write and turned me onto Carlton, Halbert, Fortin, etc. He was also a Dan Kennedy Gold Circle (or whatever it’s called) member, so we would listen in on the monthly calls together. It was a quick education in direct response. Plus we were running offline campaigns for the company, so I was getting to see the results of DR first hand — which is priceless.

I quickly developed the dream of becoming a freelancer. I read Carlton’s blog religiously. His stuff really hit me in the gut.

So I bought the AWAI course, even did the rote lessons and sent in the restaurant letter (hilarious to read now), but I was sort of clueless as to how to make the transition to working freelancer.

Then, by a fluke, I found out an old comedy friend, Vin Montello, was also studying the Masterson course. I couldn’t believe it. So we re-connected. He was already getting clients and mentoring under guys like Mike Morgan and David Garfinkel. He was very generous in sharing what he’d learned. Helped me get good fast. And turned me on to my first clients. The rest is hysteria.

RH: I’ve always heard it’s good to have face-to-face sales experience before transitioning to direct response copywriting, but I’ve never heard that it’s good to have experience as a stand-up comedian. How has your background in stand-up comedy helped you in your copywriting career?

KR: Ha. Good question. I wouldn’t recommend it for everyone, but there are several important crossover skills.

In a way, stand-up comedy is the ultimate face-to-face sales job because you have to close them on every joke.

Live comedy taught me how to capture and keep the attention of people who don’t want you to have it. There’s very little difference between drunks in a nightclub and distracted Internet surfers as far as attention spans go.

You have to grab them by the collar and shake them out of their “zombie state” as Carlton calls it.

I wrote a couple of guest blog posts for John about the similarities between stand-up and copywriting. (“Two Copywriters Walk into a Bar” and “The Art of Bombing”)

RH: When we last talked, you mentioned you now head up John Carlton’s “Stable of Copywriters”. How did you meet John? And how did you become his “head honcho”?

KR: Well, I’d kind of gotten lucky by knowing Tomasulo and Montello, so in the case of Carlton I was determined to create my own “luck.”

I mentioned that he was the guy I studied early on. Then as I began writing fulltime I developed a problem…

I fell into this trap where I was in constant “catch up” mode with my skills. I was starting to land some good clients and like any good freelancer I was eager to over deliver.

So, every time I would read a really insightful copywriting article on say, Clayton Makepeace’s blog (usually something by Daniel Levis) I felt like I HAD to add this new tactic into my current letter or I’d be cheating my client.

In a way it’s a good problem to have because it means you’re writing every day and honing your craft… but it can also drive you insane.

So, I made a decision to study only ONE copywriter and cut everything else out. Just focus all my energy on one top guy, and learn his methods so well that if I got stuck on something, it would be as if I could tap into his brain and find the solution.

That guy for me was Carlton, of course.

Call it “law of attraction” or whatever, but I studied John so intensely that, once we met (which became inevitable) it was like we were old friends. From there, the working relationship flourished and now we actually are good friends. It probably helped that we have a lot of common interests in music, comedy, etc.

The experience taught me how to create a calculated approach to getting inside someone’s head. Then if you are compelled to approach them, be sure to do it with the intent of offering them something useful. They already know they can help you, the question is: how can you help them?

RH: Out of curiosity, how does somebody go about becoming a “stud” in Carlton’s “Stable of Copywriters”?

KR: We’ve just begun actively recruiting new writers into the fold. Basically, unless you’re already in John’s world, the only way in is through the Simple Writing System. (John’s personal formula for writing sales copy proven to work best over his storied 30-year career.)

It’s a great system and if our team doesn’t already know a writer well, having them complete the course is the best way we can be sure they know enough to write a good letter — and that they’ll be on the same page with us.

That doesn’t mean everyone who goes through the course is qualified, but it lays a foundation for us to work from with new writers.

We’re hoping to create opportunities for writers at all levels to hook up with clients of all needs and budgets. Our goal is to take talented writers who can hit their deadlines and perform like pros and work them up through the ranks and connect them with high-level clients.

We’re looking for the win-win-win. John’s not interested in creating a factory of cub writers. But he is interested in helping good writers connect with good clients. That’s the simple premise of the Stable.

RH: So tell me what an average day looks like in the life of copywriter Kevin Rogers? Do you work a standard 9-5… or are you one of those night owls who doesn’t get fired up until about 10 p.m. at night?

KR: No. I’m in total dad mode. Up at 6 or 7 AM with the kids. I try to write first thing in the morning before the biz stuff takes over my brain. Ideally, I break up my day in to 3-4 hour shifts. I go to the gym 3 days a week so I don’t become decrepit from sitting at my desk all day… otherwise I take a walk, go to a bookstore, or have lunch with my wife to break up the day.

We’re an old-fashioned, dinner-at-the-table family. So after dinner I goof around with the kids (6 and 3). We read books before bed. Then my wife and I get to chill out for a while. Unless there’s a deadline wreaking havoc with my mind, in which case I’m back out here till all hours.

(Wow, that was boring! I should’ve made up something juicy about volunteering with the SWAT team or wrestling alligators in my spare time.)

RH: Since you live in Florida, you’re one of a few copywriters who could actually write copy on the beach if you wanted. Do you ever write copy seaside? What do you most enjoy about living in Florida?

KR: My favorite Florida activity is wrestling alligators, Ryan… a lot of people don’t know that about me. It’s just a hobby, but I find it very empowering — and great exercise.

RH: You recently mentioned that copywriters who succeed tend to succeed very quickly. When did you first notice this pattern, and why do you think it works this way?

KR: This just hit me recently while talking with Chris Haddad. He and I started around the same time and he’s also come a long way in a short time. Same with Vin Montello, David Raybould and others I know.

That’s not to say you can’t make it work after a slow start, but there’s a certain combination of skills that the guys I mentioned bring to freelancing that make the difference.

The 3 biggest ones are:

1. Sales experience.
2. A passion for writing.
3. Balls.

That 3rd one applies equally to several women as well, like Tina Lorenz and Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero. You have to know what you’re worth and demand your fee. If you can’t do that you’re in the wrong biz.

See… I learned this lesson the hard way with my comedy career. Back then I didn’t get the biz side of it. I was just thrilled to get paid enough to make the next gig. Getting paid anything to drink beer and tell jokes seemed like the crime of the century.

But my good friend, Billy Gardell (a very successful actor and comic) held out for headlining gigs way back in the day. He would go paint houses to make rent if he had to, but once he decided he was a headliner, there was no way he was taking anything less. And it paid off, quickly.

I didn’t have that level of confidence back then. Billy and I had parallel stand-up careers up until that point. Then he went on to a great acting career and I languished as a club act until I quit.

I don’t regret how it turned out, but it taught me a great lesson. You’ve got to learn to say “no.”

RH: Since you’re the team lead for a group of up-and-coming copywriters, I have to imagine a lot of copy crosses your desk. How do you spot a rookie vs. an experienced copywriter? What mistakes do you see over and over again?

KR: Another good question. I can usually spot a rookie in the headline. Actually, I shouldn’t say “rookie” because new writers can be very good out of the gate…

… I’ll say I can spot “a copywriter who isn’t doing their homework” by the headline…

… simply by this fact: a lazy writer’s headline tells me what they think I want to hear, while a diligent writer’s headline tells me what I need to know in order to keep reading.

Sometimes “lazy” writers just haven’t learned the difference yet. That’s why for the Stable we vet them through the SWS.

There are 17 steps in the Simple Writing System… “Headlines” is step 10. There’s a fair amount of “sales detective” work to be done before you can write your headline.

RH: What’s been your biggest challenge as a freelancer, and what have you done to overcome it?

KR: I guess I covered this in the earlier question about how I met Carlton. Feeling like I needed to incorporate every new tactic I came across was my biggest writing challenge.

Gary Bencivenga gave me a great goal. He said read one control ad a day and dissect what makes it work so well… then challenge yourself to add one thing that would make it even better.

I won’t pretend I do this every day. But when I read great copy, I take it apart and look for some way I could improve it. Looking for “even better” is a good mental habit to have in place when I write my own copy.

The other challenge was a couple of dry spells early on when I wasn’t sure where the next client was coming from. The money swings can be like a high-stakes poker game in that first year. But it evens out pretty quickly if you stick with it.

RH: If you were to add your two cents on “The State of Internet Marketing in Late 2009,” what would you say?

KR: That’s a broad topic. I think the “new media” will continue to find its way. Guys like Andrew Lock and Travis Miller & Jimmy Vee are doing really creative things with web video. It’s fresh and very effective for their businesses and their client’s businesses.

What people need to remember is the basics of salesmanship apply to any scenario. New mediums don’t reinvent the sales process, they just create new ways to deliver them.

I recommend freelancers study what top marketers are doing with video and learn to write scripts using the proven dynamics of direct response copywriting. There’s a growing demand for good sales video scripts.

RH: What is the best book you’ve read during the last 3 months? Why did you like it?

KR: I just finished I’m Dying Up Here: Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-up Comedy’s Golden Era. By William Knoedelseder. It’s all about the L.A. stand-up comedy scene in the mid-seventies, when an appearance on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” could literally make you a star overnight.

You get to see guys like Letterman, Leno and Richard Pryor as club comics, plus all the drama that took place around the Comedy Store where so many legends got their start.

Really fun read if you like comedy. It was a refreshing change of pace from all the biz stuff I usually read.

My favorite book on writing in the last year was Writing Tools by Roy Peter Clark. Every writer should own that book.

RH: What one daily habit has contributed to your success more than any other?

KR: Learning when to STOP working. No kidding. And once again I have to credit Carlton for this. I used to pride myself on working 10-12 hours a day. John warned me that if I kept that pace I would eventually burn out. And there is no guarantee you’ll ever return from a true burnout.

I hadn’t considered that before. Ironically, when I forced myself to work less hours I got more done. It’s a theory you hear but can’t believe until you force yourself to do it.

RH: Where can people learn more about you?

KR: I think they just learned more than they ever wanted to know about me, but I do have a blog that I’m pretty proud of at The Copywriter’s Edge. I’d love if your readers joined my notification list. I’ve only promoted one thing in 2 years, so they won’t get pestered… but I’m not very structured in my postings, so that’s the best way to see new posts.

They can also look for more guest posts from me on John Carlton’s blog.

Also, I’ll be appearing every Tuesday night in December at the Biff Burger out on Highway 12. I share the bill with all you can eat Buffalo wings and speed metal karaoke. Hope to see you there!

******

If you enjoyed this interview with Kevin Rogers, you may also enjoy the interview he did with me. It’s less about copywriting and business… and includes a few personal details I haven’t shared before about my life and beliefs.

Check it out here: 12 Questions with Top Copywriter Ryan Healy

-Ryan M. Healy

Heads up…

I’ve got a few more posts in queue and will be publishing them soon.

But it’s been a while since I asked you what questions you’ve been wrestling with. With that in mind, what questions do you have about writing sales copy for the web (or direct response copywriting in general)?

Just type your question below in the comment box. Or, if you’d rather, shoot me an email at rhealy@gmail.com.

I’ll be reviewing every question and will choose the best ones to answer in new blog posts.

Thanks!

-Ryan M. Healy

Today I’ve got a special written interview with Ben Settle — 12 questions, 12 answers, and a goldmine of valuable information for copywriters, marketers, and online entrepreneurs.

In addition to being the most committed member of our meet-when-we-feel-like-it mastermind group (he actually gets the “shakes” if we don’t meet every month or so), Ben is one of the strongest copywriters I know. He’s consistently writing stuff that makes me scratch my head and say, “How does he do that?”

And, lucky for both you and me, Ben graciously agreed to a really in-depth interview. I’ve published all 12 questions and answers below. I think you’ll see Ben tells it like it is and doesn’t hold anything back.

If you like the interview, please Tweet it, Stumble it, Digg it, bookmark it, etc. Thanks!

Exclusive Interview: 12 Questions
with Copywriter Ben Settle

1. How did you first learn about the field of direct response copywriting?

I stumbled onto it by complete accident.

What happened was, my wife and I had spent a couple years slugging it out in MLM with zero success.  Complete and utter failures in every way.  We spent so much money on leads and products and got into so much debt we couldn’t even afford to live in a real apartment or house.

Instead, we lived in a little two room office.

Not our finest hour, let me tell ya.

Anyway, it finally dawned on me this MLM thing was not working and something had to change.  I still remember it like it was yesterday.  It was about 3 am, I was laying there on the floor (we didn’t have a bed or anything, the joys of office living) plagued with insomnia and praying to God to tell me what to do.  My wife and I had only been married 9 months.  She left everything she knew and everyone she loved 2,500 miles away to marry me and look where I had gotten her?

I felt like such a loser — with a capital “L”.

So I got up and started looking for something to read.  There was a book by Joe Vitale called “The 7 Lost Secrets Of Success.”  It is about an old school advertising man named Bruce Barton.  I started flipping through it and read a story about a man Bruce helped during the great depression.  Apparently this guy was in sales and had a reputation for writing sales letters, in particular.  So Bruce took the guy to the window and said something like, “Take a look at all those buildings out there.  Why don’t you write them a sales letter selling them on hiring you?”

I don’t know what it was, but that story grabbed me.

And everything just seemed so clear — writing sales letters.

From there I ran into the usual suspects like Dan Kennedy, Gary Halbert, etc and haven’t looked back since.

2. Once you decided to become a freelance copywriter, how did you get your first clients?

After stumbling onto Gary Halbert’s site I saw a newsletter he wrote that immediately caught my eye (for obvious reasons).

The title was: “Why Multi-level Marketing Sucks.”

And in it, Gary described a way to get clients where you don’t collect an up front fee.  Instead you are basically “investing” your time and abilities in someone else’s product in exchange for a cut of the sales.

That seemed logical to me since I had no real experience.

So I found this business-to-business email based forum type thing where people just sent each other offers.  Back then this kind of thing was more widespread as we didn’t have the mass spamming problem we have now.  And I offered to write ads for people for no fee, just 5% of the sales.

Which, looking back, was really stoopid.

But even so, I got about 4 or 5 clients out of it, learned how to dig in and write ads, deal with clients and some of the other realities (good and bad) about freelancing.

I then used those ads as my portfolio on Elance.

From there, I got a couple gigs and made some money.  Eventually, I ran into my friend Michael Senoff and we did some projects together and things took off from there.

3. You send out an email 5 days a week to your subscribers. How do you generate so many good ideas to write about?

They’re just everywhere.

I’m always thinking about emails in the back of my mind and am, I suppose, receptive to them. It’s like an antenna and I’m just looking for anything that can be turned into a fun and interesting read for people.

A lot of it comes from pop culture.

Like, for example, movies, TV shows, comic books, something I read on yahoo news, etc.  I also draw on real life.  Everything is an email — from my dog pooping, to the movie I just watched to the latest adventure with a clueless business or customer service department.

It’s not always peaches and cream, though.

Sometimes I can’t think of anything. When that happens I consult a folder on my hard drive where I am always logging random thoughts, ideas, phrases, news headlines, etc.  From there I can usually find something to talk about.

The key for me is to remove all pressure.

I don’t really buy this whole “gun to the head” mindset thing.

I’m not knocking it as I know some people who thrive on it.  But it doesn’t work for me at all.  If someone put a gun to my head and told me I HAD to write an email, or an ad or perform in any way, I’d probably just tell ‘em they might as well blow my brains out.

Because it just ain’t happening, Bugsy.

Instead, I give myself permission NOT to write anything.

I have a goal, yes.

But whether I make it or not is cool either way.  Usually, that results in a lot easier writing and flowing forth of ideas.

4. I often think of you as the “John Carlton” of our Mastermind Group. How have you developed your style — and what do you do to continue becoming a better copywriter?

While I am extremely flattered you’d call me that, I’m not even in the same ballpark as John Carlton. I’m not even in the league or even the same sport as him.

That dude can dang near make his keyboard turn water into wine.

I look at his ads and just think, “How in the hell does he DO this?” He’s taken copywriting to a level I can’t even begin to fathom.  One of the true greats and someone who really does deserve to be called a “guru” (IMHO).

Anyway, now that I’m done kissing John Carlton’s ass, I’ll answer your question.

I focus on two things:

The first is writing almost every day via emails, etc.  I generally send out 5 per week, sometimes 6.  Other times I may only send 2 or 3.  But usually I write something every working day.

The second thing is always studying my market.

It’s ALL about the market.

The writing truly is secondary.

If you know your market like you know your best friend or whatever, the writing pretty much takes care of itself.  You know what they want to hear, how they want it presented and what their hot buttons are.

It’s probably not as “sexy” as the writing.

But it really makes a big difference.

5. My first exposure to you was when I somehow found myself on your “Private Details about Ben Settle” page. (This was before you had a blog.) And I gotta tell you, I read the whole thing right then and there and decided I had to get in touch with you somehow. What were you thinking when you sat down to write that “bio”?

I was inspired by how Michael Senoff did it on his site.

He told some of the highlights of how he got in business and the events that shaped his life and ideas and business philosophies.  So I sat down one day and just started writing, starting with how I took my wife away from everything she knew and loved and dumped her in a two room office 9 months later.

That then led into writing about some other things.

Like, for example, how I found my first clients, some of my business philosophies and spiritual beliefs and why the best “luck” is the kind you make for yourself.

It all just kind of brain-farted out.

6. How badly have you been “screwed over” by a client, and what did you learn from that experience?

The worst was a well-known (pretty much a household name, or used to be, anyway) asset protection company out of Nevada.  One of those companies that sets up Nevada corporations for people.

I was kind of a fan of the company.

And I wrote the owner a letter offering him the same percentage (no up front fee) deal I originally started out with. He called me back and we got along (he is an old school direct marketer and perfectly understood what I was talking about).

Anyway, all was good until a few days later.

I got a call from some lady at the company telling me the owner, who understood direct marketing, retired and now his daughter was in charge.  They were putting together a committee and all this other corporate nonsense and wanted updates with the ads, etc.

I was still kind of new to the whole thing and went with it.

However, a pit in my stomach told me not to.

Something was big time wrong.  And I just knew it.  When I was talking with the owner all was cool.  But I didn’t know his daughter from Adam.  And this whole committee approach was really annoying — especially since they didn’t pay me anything up front.

Well, I sweated over the ad and sent it in.

This new owner chick was just clueless.

She tried picking it apart and it was obvious (even to a newbie like I was) she had no clue what she was talking about.  And after asking her some questions, the REAL truth came out — she didn’t really understand the deal I’d made with her dad. So I spent all this time writing a sales letter on pure commission, on their deadline, for someone who never had any intention of ever running it in the first place.

Still, it was an extremely valuable experience.

I learned 1.) Never deal with a client who doesn’t understand direct response marketing and 2.) Always, Always ALWAYS trust your gut.  I believe God designed our minds and bodies and spirits to sense danger and when things are “off.”

It’s like a geiger counter seeking out toxic people and danger.

Ignore it at your peril.

7. Gary Halbert is famous for claiming that “All clients suck!” Do you agree with this statement? Why or why not?

I think it’s both incredibly genius and incredibly stoopid at the same time.

I think it’s genius because I know what Gary Halbert was up to after talking to Doberman Dan Gallapoo recently.  Doberman Dan used to work with Gary and he told me it was Gary’s way of getting clients.  It was the ultimate take away.  People go crazy when you tell them they cannot have something.  Gary would (according to Doberman Dan) spend a lot of time in seminars telling people not to bother even thinking about hiring him, he’s not taking clients, doesn’t want to deal with clients and leave him the hell alone.

The result?

He’d often have a line of people practically writing him checks on the spot!

So in that sense it’s genius.

On the other hand, if you don’t have Gary’s posture and positioning and reputation for writing big winners, it’s absolute stoopidity.

If you can’t walk the walk then don’t talk the talk.

And besides that, your clients are paying for your car, your house, your kids’ college and all the toys you play with.

So why not treat them that way?

Frankly, anyone who outright resents the people who write their paychecks, ought to pick a more compatible career.

Like, for example, as a government bureaucrat.

8. Who is your #1 role model in the copywriting field? Why do you look up to this copywriter more than all others?

I’d have to say it’s a tie between Gary Bencivenga and Gary Halbert.

I learned a LOT about using drama, story-telling and structuring an ad from studying Gary Halbert.  At the same time, I learned all the really cool mental game about overcoming skepticism, proving my claims and the exact psychological process people go through when buying from Gary Bencivenga.

When I merged it all together, my response starting taking off.

Especially in the more competitive niches like self defense and golf.

9. What’s one thing you wish knew about copywriting before you got started?

That it’s all about the market first, and not the tricks and tips.

Most copywriting is about the fireworks — the “killer” guarantees or the “cool” headlines or whatever. When, in reality, it’s your market that matters most. What do THEY think?  What do THEY want?  What are THEIR hot buttons?  What do THEY find cool (as opposed to what other copywriters find cool)?

It’s not as glamorous as the sales choke holds and magic phrases.

But it’s far more important.

10. What is the best book you’ve read during the last 3 months? Why did you like it?

Ken McCarthy’s “The System Club Letters.”

Not only have I read it over the past 3 months, but I’ve read it (almost non-stop over and over) for the past year and a half.

Maybe that sounds like overkill.

All I can say is there’s a lot going on in that $20 book.  A lot of solid tips and fundamentals that are lost in all the big guru fireworks displays. Plus, each chapter is bite-sized — easy to read, digest and implement.

11. What one daily habit has contributed to your success more than any other?

Writing daily emails.

I’ve more than doubled my productivity, write probably 5 times faster than I used to, get more ideas with less strain, have attracted lots of cool marketers to my site, bonded myself with my list in ways I never dreamed possible before and, in a lot of ways, it’s been therapeutic.

There’s something about writing that does that.

It clears the cobwebs, helps you formulate your ideas and thoughts, and lets you get things “out” like if you were paying a psychologist.  I think I heard Stephen King say something like this in the past, and now I finally know what he means.

It also keeps me thinking about my list 24/7.

How can I serve them?

How can I help them?

What can I say to them to brighten their day?

What do they WANT?

12. Where can people learn more about you?

They can find me at www.BenSettle.com.

And, if they sign up for my daily tips, they’ll get a free eBook with 30 powerful and entertaining selling tips they can use for whatever they sell and for whatever media they use (face to face, phone, copywriting, emails, blogs, etc — it’s all about selling in the end no matter how it’s “dressed”.)  Not blatant, endless pitches, either.  I usually link to something I sell, but the vast majority have value whether your click anything or not.

Also, as I mentioned earlier, my email tips are daily.

If you don’t want a daily tip, then please do us both a favor and don’t sign up.

Otherwise, you’ll probably just end up complaining and I’ll have to send you over to: www.byebyelardass.com

******

If you enjoyed this interview with Ben Settle, you may also want to check out the interview I did for him. He grilled me with 12 tough questions and, seeing as we’re good friends (and he answered my questions), I was obliged to respond in kind.

Check it out here: How to Get Lots of New Clients in Hard Times

-Ryan M. Healy

I got more traffic to this web site last month (October 2009) than any other month since I started writing this blog.

Part of the reason for this is I have some truly great people in my social network. And they have graciously shared and linked to some of the posts I’ve written in the last month. (If that’s you, THANK YOU!)

And then I realized… I don’t believe I’ve ever formally invited you to connect with me on the social networks I’m active on. So without further adieu (all links open in a new tab or window)…

• Ryan Healy on Twitter
• Ryan Healy on Digg
• Ryan Healy on Delicious
• Ryan Healy on StumbleUpon
• Ryan Healy on Disqus
• Ryan Healy on YouTube
• Ryan Healy on LinkedIn
• Ryan Healy on MyBlogLog
• Ryan Healy’s Facebook Fan Page

If you are active on any of these social networks, please connect with me.

What’s in it for you?

No promises (obviously), but I do try to reciprocate when I know somebody has helped me out. So I’ll Stumble or Digg an article of yours… or leave a comment on your blog… or retweet something you share.

In other words, I try to pay attention and respond to people who engage me — and help them out when I can. It’s just good netiquette.

Furthermore, I’ve found that when you’re online, there is strength in numbers. The larger your network, the more influence you have… and the easier it is to attract new readers, subscribers, etc.

With that in mind, I look forward to connecting with you on the Interwebs! ;-)

-Ryan M. Healy

Another issue of Five on Friday — issue number 13, in fact, on the eve of Halloween! Now there’s a coincidence.

Not to worry though… no tricks here, only treats. Enjoy!

Website Redesign Pulls in More Sales? – by Michel  Fortin

I love test results. And while Michel doesn’t reveal any actual sales figures or conversion rates in this post, he does let you in on a little secret that most copywriters and online marketers don’t know. Must read.

How to Outwit a Den of Thieves – by Martin Howey

The Internet in many ways is still the “wild, wild west” of the business world. Here Martin exposes the dangers of doing business on the Internet and what you can do about it.

Beware of Copycat Credibility – by Brendan Regan

Is it really possible that building credibility the same way everybody else does can actually hurt your credibility? This is the argument Brendan puts forth in this brief but fascinating article. (You know what? I think he’s right…)

8 Reasons to Have a Membership Site – by Robert Plank

Ever wondered why you should not have a membership site? Robert gives you 4 reasons. Every wondered why you should? Robert gives you 8 reasons. (I also love how Robert uses scarcity to get comments on his blog.)

A Simple Way to Write Your First Sales Letter – by Ryan Healy

I’ve just started writing articles for Charlie Cook’s “Marketing for Success” blog. The articles I’m submitting are not published anywhere else, so I’m linking to the first article here in case you missed my “tweets” about it. In this post, I share a super-simple way to write your first sales letter. Retweet it if you like it!

Have a safe Halloween and a wonderful weekend.

-Ryan M. Healy

Here is what my morning looks like:

I wake up between 5:30 and 7:30 a.m., get dressed, go downstairs and make coffee.

Except for Wednesdays, of course. If it’s a Wednesday, I’m on the road by 5:45 a.m., headed to Panera Bread where I’ll buy coffee instead of make it.

Coffee is one of those great rituals (addictions?) that makes the writing life just a little more enjoyable. And although I’ve tried on more than one occasion to curb my coffee intake, I’ve finally reconciled with myself that between two or three cups of coffee a day is okay.

Confession: I’m kind of picky about my coffee. Too weak is terrible; too strong is okay. Not a fan of Folgers et al., but I love Starbucks’ Kenya, Rwanda, Cafe Estima, and Ethiopia Sidamo blends.

Every once in a while I try a different coffee and really enjoy it. For instance, my friend John Thomas from Georgia once sent me a bag of Indian Monsooned coffee beans, which is very distinct. I now associate it with Watchmen, because I was reading that book at the time.

But this post is not all about coffee and copywriting (a.k.a. “coffeewriting”)… it’s about the magic of routine.

Coffee and writing are part of my routine. I expect it every day. And that expectation helps me stay disciplined and productive day after day after day.

Dan Kennedy has publicly said that he spends the first part of every day writing. Uninterrupted. On page 64 of No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs, he writes:

First, I write for at least one hour every morning, virtually no matter what. The first hour of my morning, sometimes 5:00 to 6:00, often 6:00 to 7:00, occasionally 7:00 to 8:00, I write. At home, on the road, doesn’t matter. Weekdays or weekends, doesn’t matter. If I am under a tough copywriting deadline for a client, I’ll give the hour to that task. Most days, that first hour goes to my own books, tapes, and newsletters.

I believe this is one reason Dan Kennedy has had so much staying power: his daily routine.

What do you do every day that helps you succeed? What healthy routines do you have that boost your productivity? Identify them… and celebrate them.

-Ryan M. Healy