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-   -   Write a promotion for your ideas. (http://www.sowpub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=10935)

GordonJ March 12, 2021 11:24 AM

Write a promotion for your ideas.
 
It is pretty much my standard operating process...to have you write a promotion FIRST for any idea you might have for a product or service.

Why?

It helps you flesh out the idea more fully. Write out a simple promotion, or even a letter to Aunt Jane or Uncle Fred, or Cousin Lou...anyone in your target market.

Tell them what you have to offer, why they should buy it from you and why they should do it now.

It is one of the first things I have everyone do when they contact me for help with their product development.

Gordon

Dien Rice March 13, 2021 10:10 AM

Re: Write a promotion for your ideas.
 
Quote:

Originally Posted by GordonJ (Post 41697)
It is pretty much my standard operating process...to have you write a promotion FIRST for any idea you might have for a product or service.

Why?

It helps you flesh out the idea more fully. Write out a simple promotion, or even a letter to Aunt Jane or Uncle Fred, or Cousin Lou...anyone in your target market.

Tell them what you have to offer, why they should buy it from you and why they should do it now.

It is one of the first things I have everyone do when they contact me for help with their product development.

Hi Gordon,

This is definitely a great idea!

By the way, here's how I remember reading Ted Nicholas would do things...

(Open to corrections!)

He said, imagine you had God-like powers, and could provide anything within your product... Then write your promotion (before you've created the product)...

You've probably promised more than you could deliver. Now, pare it back to something you can fulfil...

Then create the product, which fulfils the promises in your promotion...

At least I think that's what he recommended!

I think the idea was to get as close to giving them the ideal product, but then pared back to what you can realistically deliver...

Best wishes,

Dien

Cornell March 19, 2021 01:39 AM

Going way back with Bill Myers
 
Going back to the mid 90's Bill offered a workshop to be held in Arkansas for newsletters...and I jumped at the opportunity.

One of the first things he had everyone do was to write a promotional piece (as Gordon is suggesting here) for the newsletter they were wanting to publish. At the end of the time frame given he called each person to the front of the classroom and silently read their work...then critiqued them aloud. Some were pretty brutal.

When my name was called I walked up and handed my copy to Bill...he looked me straight in the eye and then read.

With bated breath I waited not knowing what to expect. After completing the read Bill looked at me and said 5 beautiful words - "Shannon said you could write" (Shannon being Bill's wife at that time), and handed me back my copy.

The result of that workshop and Bill's words...it started my writing career.

GordonJ March 20, 2021 12:35 PM

Best lesson I learned from Bill Myers was...
 
How to make a lot of money? Bill had a method. It worked.

Sell what you are LEARNING how to do.

Simple. Succinct. SUCCESSFUL!!

From his Direct Mail Bootcamps to the Black Box and the many NEWSLETTERS he produced over the years...Bill would learn how to do something and video his learning process, so, he created products as he actually DID THEM. Or he would buy a product and show you how to use it, like a GreenScreen or something.

He was ahead of the times, and VIDEO, now more than ever, is still one of the best ways any us could profit from.

I think his PROMOTIONS were some of the best copy written, and once he distanced himself from the Direct Marketing crowd, it got even better, creating the VEND O MATIC and simple copy to sell a myriad of products.

Gordon




Quote:

Originally Posted by Cornell (Post 41719)
Going back to the mid 90's Bill offered a workshop to be held in Arkansas for newsletters...and I jumped at the opportunity.

One of the first things he had everyone do was to write a promotional piece (as Gordon is suggesting here) for the newsletter they were wanting to publish. At the end of the time frame given he called each person to the front of the classroom and silently read their work...then critiqued them aloud. Some were pretty brutal.

When my name was called I walked up and handed my copy to Bill...he looked me straight in the eye and then read.

With bated breath I waited not knowing what to expect. After completing the read Bill looked at me and said 5 beautiful words - "Shannon said you could write" (Shannon being Bill's wife at that time), and handed me back my copy.

The result of that workshop and Bill's words...it started my writing career.



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