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Old August 15, 2018, 11:05 AM
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GordonJ GordonJ is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: West Palm Beach, FL
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Default How is your memory?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Dien Rice View Post
Hi Gordon,

It's a great offer!

I think copywriting is one of the most valuable skills you can possess in today's world...

I remember, many years ago, I couldn't write to sell ice cold lemonades in the desert... Then I experimented. I started out as an affiliate, selling affiliate products online. I found out that asking a question in my text often got a response... Then I learned more...

While I'm perhaps not the "Prince of Print" or "King of the Clicks" - I can make a sale...

I think you're offering people an opening to independence...

Best wishes!

Dien

Please get into my DeLorean, and we'll do a little time traveling. Back to Cuyahoga Falls, the Sheraton Suites, lunch with the Net Guerrilla, and Phyllis' house...

I showed you ads I had written, the full page ones which appeared in the USA TODAY, some Direct Response letters, and Self-Mailers I had done for a supplement company, several display ads...you and Rick were the only two people who saw my entire body of work, UP TO THAT POINT.

You also saw some of the catalog sheets, for jewelry, and the ad for the TITANIC, and the Egg from our artist friend in TX. Remember?

Well, in that box of memories, I had a little mailer about a piece of jewelry, a good luck charm, and also a piece about THE MONEY TREE.

The good luck charm was of an Astrological nature, and I've mentioned Annie Hershey here before, a most gifted astrologer.

And you know the history of Ben Suarez, eh? What with Gary Halbert telling Ben he should sell astrology stuff, much to Ben's chagrin and dismay, but having had 5 years of failure and almost as a last ditch effort, Ben DID get into astrology...

And the rest is history. Now, in my best Paul Harvey voice, the rest of the story.

Ben wasn't the only person Gary advised to get into astrology, and he knew I was already selling jewelry, and I was on a list receiving the stuff from the American Astrological Association (Society) at the time, he knew, because he had rented the list.

What I did, was to locate those little tiny one man/woman marketers, like Annie Hershey, and many were running ads in FATE and other arcane, and astrological magazines...and found if they were selling something.

Ben did BREAKTHROUGH work with Astrology Today, although he got to a point where it was almost a forbidden subject...he distanced himself from the whole astrology market (at least publicly) and evolved SCI into a giant marketing company.

Well, I've worked with some very small companies, writing, and even developing products and one of the greatest assets I acquired during my time at SCI/AMCH was the meeting of and learning from their BUYERS.

The buyers at both companies were amazing. Their offices full of trinkets, samples and catalogs of products from around the globe. As a Creative Marketing Professional, I was able to come up with ANY idea, and then run to the buyer to see if it was available or could be made.

From that, we'd get costs and using the whole 7 STEPS and NPGS process and running it through the software, I could determine if it was a worthwhile (profitable) project to pursue. In most cases, SCI was interested in six figure returns.

They were not interested in making a paltry 10 to 25k dollars. BUT I WAS.

Today, we might call it "moneyball", hitting the singles until they add up to get us into the big game.

In 7 STEPS TO FREEDOM II Ben relates the story of how, at that time the AAA (astrology group) was the 400 pound SLOW MOVING gorilla, and he, with nimble feet and quick decision making slew the Goliath, and then became one.

By the time he recruited me to come to work for him, he had grown into the 800 pound sluggish, too many chiefs, layers of layers of people (1200 employees at the time)...and with so many divisions competing to get into the 'pipeline' with their hundred thousand dollar projects, it was hard to miss the opportunity a small time operator had, if he assumed the early Ben role, one of a hungry Entrepreneur, looking for some base hits.

While most of SCI was focused on doubles, triples and HOME RUNS (TITANIC), I was looking to get on base.

As the liaison in the NPGS department, I was tasked with talking to scores of people who submitted ideas and even finished projects, inventions and books to SCI per their submission process. I spoke to dozens of these people. MOST were not appropriate for what SCI was doing, but if any sounded decent, I kicked it upstairs to my Executive Directors and let them make the call. I don't think any project from the public was picked up at that time.

But what I heard on the phone was this: people had invested time and money into their projects, and most were pie in the sky inventors who thought they had the next big thing EVERYONE would want. NO.

But a few had a decent idea, but bad product.

And I discovered many of the momma and poppa guys, like Annie Hershey and Fran Renner (hypnotist) had this knowledge and information which could be turned into products.

And MARKETED via Direct Response Advertisements, which I would write.

There was a lady in Winterville, Joe Hammer introduced me to her, a professional and one of the first DREAM ANALYSTS, with a degree in it, who I spoke to about bringing out a product. She passed, because as a professional, she didn't see it as being very professional. Well, the idea didn't go to waste, I found other people who WERE interested in selling a dream interpretation course, and others who wanted to develop their own product lines.

Then we started SowPub, and although we both have been transparent in our business dealings, neither one of us, thankfully, have ever shared ALL that we are doing. I've been in on some of what you were doing, much of it over my head as far as Physics consulting, and stocks and all that.

And you have known SOME of what I've done, with a focus on my small reports, and all that jazz.

I've been a voice opposed to the whole COPYWRITING as a Biz-Op for over two decades, now I may be sorry I didn't cash in when I could have, offering courses and training and all. Or have at least been a better affiliate.

To me, that would have involved too much time.

As a copywriter, although I really never have called myself one, for the off beat, little known, micro-niches I've never had any competition, BECAUSE, they (new copywriters) buy into the HYPE, all that sitting at the beach, scribbling on a yellow legal pad, and having someone pay you THOUSANDS of dollars for your work.

So, I was surprised to see the 46,695 listings for Copywriters (yesterday, maybe even more today???)...

Who have probably invested a combined millions of dollars into their Biz-Op Copywriting education and are making what?

Consider this, just at Upwork, I found a handful of copywriters who have made over 100k dollars, a few over 200k, and when you look at their timelines, these people have been at it since 2012, or at least 3-4 years. Hopefully that is only a small portion of their income from writing copy.

And I know of only a handful, very small hands (think POTUS), of writers who have been playing "moneyball" for years. Decades.

NONE of them advertise or solicit work on Upwork, Freelancer, Warrior, or anywhere else, almost all work they do today comes via referrals.

So, this whole concept may be more of a personal rant about writing copy as a Biz-Op, albeit, in reality I have very little interest in what other people do or want to do.

But, and THERE ARE SEVERAL PEOPLE AT THIS FORUM, and you know who you are because you've talked to me...

Several people who are WASTING and Squandering their time and talent by NOT having something for sale...TODAY.

If I can sell people magic charms, money trees, good luck horseshoes (wonder if I could sell used and refurbished Whoreshoes??)...

then you can bring your ideas to the market and find success and freedom, or you can join in with 46,695 others in an overcrowded pool of drowning in competition when in reality, you don't have any.

But keep dreaming of hitting it over the fences, I'll be watching from first base, OK?

Oh Dien, Do you remember the downtown? As it was? Today a totally different town. Come visit again.

Gordon

Last edited by GordonJ : August 15, 2018 at 12:10 PM.
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