Gary Halbert saint or sinner?

Hey Mike;


> "The risk of insult is the price of clarity." ["The Wizard of Ads" p 12.]

> Roy Williams adds, "To be clearly understood, one must speak the simple,
> essential truth as plainly as he is able. While many of those listening will say
> "Such refreshing candor! So bold and direct!" others will say, "He is
> tactless, blunt, rude, insensitive, and unrefined."


Very great excerpt from an equally great book. BUT... like all things in life, you must remember that while the truth is often blunt and even rude.... this does NOT mean that all blunt or rude things are true. A very important difference.



> Gary's great at what he does because he is a
> master at eliciting the emotional response.


Yes, indeed, he is at that. Just lookie at the forums these days.


> Go visit any of those web sites trying to
> sell a variety of Internet marketing
> products from traffic builders to search
> engine optimization. Much of the copy has
> absolutely no emotional appeal. It's deadly,
> dull and boring.


I'll second that. And third it... and fourth too, if you want. I've lamented long and loud about people who have ZERO writing talent trying to put 50 paragraphs on a page and expecting anyone but their mother to actually READ it all. ; )


> If nothing else it's good theater.


Maybe I've been in marketing too long to see it that way. I've been in marketing since about 1978, before the "kid" in the story was even a gleam in his daddy's eye. If my kid (who is 21, by the way) acted that way, I'd take her out back and smack her upside the head. (Not literally)

Bad manners are bad manners, whether you're having a temper tantrum because someone didn't like your idea - or whether you're breaking a promise in full public view. Bad manners are not ballsy, or good theatre, or much of anything except bad manners. For those who recognize them as such, anyway.

But then.... it's a scenario that's not new in the entertainment industry. I believe it was Madonna that quipped "There's no such thing as bad pr!"

She should know... she's been making waves since her "Like a Virgin" stunts... or maybe before.

With all the posts I've seen across several forums, if there is one thing that letter DID do, it definitely did stir up some attention.

And if you're still reading along... here's food for thought. If I was instructing a one legged man on how to start a foot race, I wouldn't tell him where to put his second foot. He doesn't have one. Common logic has to prevail.

Yet, so many of the "pros" with DM (direct marketing) background profess on one hand that "no one" can write like they can... and on the other hand, tell people that they way to success is to write a killer sales letter.

Most people can't write their way out of a wet paper bag, much less write a truly GOOD sales letter. There *are* other ways to sell, and to sell well. Go - look at Microsoft.com. Do you see a sales letter with line after line of happy sappy bullets on the main page??

Like, man, how dumb is Gates? Doesn't he even know how to make money on the Internet?

: )
Linda

P.S. I'll be out back plucking the chicken. [ref; p 12, Wizard of Ads]