Entrepreneur Days Photos Identify Entrepreneurs Who Helped the In Search of Heroes Program Become a Reality » Heroes Copywriter David Garfinkel

“Momentum: Why Statues Never Win Foot-Races, And How Motion Leads to E-Motion… Which Leads to Action” by David Garfinkel

biomans — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 08:12:02 +0000

Consider the humble hoola-hoop.

Sitting in a garage by itself, it’s little more than than a large ring of plastic.

Put around the waist of a person who’s willing to set it in motion, the hoola-hoop is a wonder to behold.

Just as long as…

… the hoola-hoop wearer keeps moving in the direction that makes the hoola-hoop spin.

So it is with copy. Have you ever thought about it?

Most people don’t. That is why their copy is so perfectly clear… and explanatory… and dull.

Dull doesn’t do it… not when you’re trying to get prospects to take action, that is.

Here’s a tip you may have never fully realized before:

Good copy is not: … static… lethargic… motionless.

No. Good copy is: … dynamic… energetic… kinetic.

In simple words, that means copy is in motion.

It starts in motion… and because it keeps going, right to the last word, it has momentum.

When people perceive or imagine motion, they get emotional. Think movies. Think a rousing, stemwinder speaker. Think of a large bear coming out of nowhere, running straight towards you.

Emotion: Fear

Motion: Running to safety

You don’t need to scare people like a bear to get them emotional and prompt them to action. But you are well advised to get them to picture motion in order to emotionally motivate them to take action.

Here are some ways:

* write descriptive language to get your prospect to imagine using your product or service.

* talk about the actions taken by you, your company, or your client (if you’re writing copy for someone else) that were necessary to bring the product or service to market

* ask the prospect to take the specific action you want them to take

Notice I do this, at the end of every post on this blog, because the action I want you to take is to subscribe to my World Copywriting Newsletter.

I write, “To subscribe, click here.”

Does it work?

Of course!

But not just because I ask for action. The other reason it works is because I follow the same principles myself that I just outlined for you.

Remember: If you can keep their brains in motion, their hearts and fingers will follow.

David Garfinkel is one of the best copywriters on the internet and was a speaker at Armand Morin’s Big Seminar Series and Carl Galletti’s Internet Marketing Super Conference. You can learn more about his books and training courses by clicking the links below.

David Garfinkel is founder of the World Copywriting institute and is considered by many people to be the best teacher of copywriting in the world. The stated mission of the World Copywriting Institute is to “eradicate copywriting illiteracy in the world.” Jay Conrad Levinson, author of the world’s best selling series of marketing books, Guerrilla Marketing, says, “David Garfinkel is the best copywriter I know.” Sign up for David’s free World Copywriting Newsletter. and you get a free one-hour downloadable teleseminar on copywriting. Also visit David’s World Copywriting Blog:

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“Rhythm: Why A Cadence And A Meter Make Your Message That Much Sweeter” by David Garfinkel

biomans — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 08:13:52 +0000

This weekend, lazily surfing the tube, I fell into the charms of an infomercial.

(They work especially well when you’re drowsy, you know… )

This one was for the Magic Bullet, an ingenious little blender/chopper/mixer system that makes dips, shakes, sauces and more in 10 seconds or less!

This morning having coffee, I distinctly remembered what I saw and heard. The reason was…

… the particular way they demonstrated the product.

One of the hosts of this show would pour the ingredients for (for example, salsa) into the clear glass container, turn it upside down, screw it onto the base, and as they used it, say,

“… and in one… two… three… seconds… you have your chunkly salsa!”

… pressing the “bullet” down in the same rhythm as the words were spoken: “one… two… three.”

Why did I remember that?

Because we remember rhythms!

I was talking to a friend this morning, and he said this reminded him of an infomercial about a rotisserie where the slogan was “Set it… and forget it!”

My friend pointed out that the host on this show got the studio audience chanting these words: “Set it… and forget it!”

Brand advertisers have known for years about the power of rhythmic phrases… and you can find examples of this in many other areas of persuasive speech.

But the same thing works in copy… albeit at a more subtle level.

Put a rhythm in your words, and you get a great effect.

One of my clients says the the right hemisphere is the “rhythm section” of the brain, and I believe this is true.

I also think that the right brain is the gateway to the unconscious… where feelings are stored and generated, and buying decisions are made.

So pay attention to the “beat,” and you’ll be pleased with the results.

Don’t make your copy scream “remember me!” Let your rhythm do it for you.

“Every Copywriter Needs To Know This!” by David Garfinkel

biomans — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 20:20:47 +0000

“It is not sufficiently recognized – especially by the critics of advertising – that romance in its broad sense is the most wanted product in the world.”
– James Webb Young, quoted in How to Write a Good Advertisement by Victor Schwab

This is so important, and many copywriters think there is no romance — in selling tractors, or office machinery, or scientific measuring devices, or software.

But those copywriters are wrong. Listen to what Vic Schwab has to say:

“Some products are literally bursting with romantic and emotional connotations. Then it is wiser to stress the glamorous ideas assocated with them – to feature the fancies and subordinate the facts, using the latter only to buttress the copy when and if necessary.”

Remember, “romance” doesn’t just mean “love.” Or “sex.” It means fantasy of all type… excitement, danger, bliss, victory, dreams come true.

Believably (and legitimately) draw the connection between what you’re writing copy about and this broad definition of romance, and watch your banker and your accountant get very lovey-dovey with you.

“The Disappointment Dimension” by David Garfinkel

biomans — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 21:18:43 +0000

How Customer Complaints Can Make You A Fortune:

Yesterday I went shopping for luggage. This has become an annoyingly familiar experience. I go through suitcases, roller-bars, what-have-you, in record time.

Am I harder on my luggage than other people?

I don’t think so.

Here’s why:

First, a little background. I thought of all the stores I had been to before, and the problem was either

a) low-quality luggage, or

b) too expensive for the value

A friend had recommended I join Costco (box store, huge selection, giant quantities) so I thought this might be a good time to check them out.

I did, and I found an “Executive 26-inch Expandable Trolley” for about half of what I would pay for a discounted TravelPro (which I like, and I own a carry-on, but I think they’re overpriced).

OK… to the point about complaints and disappointment:

I need two: one for me and one for products. (I’ll be bringing about 35 pounds worth of information products as sales table display units to a conference I’m speaking at later this week).

Right on the front of the little brochure attached to the suitcase were the words “U.S.A. Cordura® by DuPont® Ballistic Nylon” (made in the U.S.A. to military specifications)”

Inside the brochure:
“Full honeycomb memory frame construction made of lightweight, industrial strength ABS composite material for maximum durability and strength.”

On the back of the brochure:

“U.S.A. Cordura® by DuPont® Ballistic Nylon, invented by DuPont, was originally developed for bullet-resistant, military applications…”

Hmm… seems to me a LOT of people have trouble with luggage that doesn’t go the extra mile.

My disappointment: On my last trip, the pull-out handle that you use to drag the luggage around, wouldn’t pull out. And then one of the zippers snapped off.

It wasn’t cheap, by the way, but it was something I bought at the last minute from an adventure-travel-goods store that really wasn’t in the business of providing rugged or long-lasting luggage. (Unfortunately, this one wasn’t a TravelPro… but anyhow, that’s the way the story goes… )

So… here’s the major point of all of this:

If you KNOW what your customers are upset about… ESPECIALLY with what they’re getting from your competitors… and you can HIGHLIGHT a solution to that problem in your copy…

… it will get a lot of frustrated people to gratefully buy what you have to offer.

It did me.

“Common Sense Consensual Marketing” by Michel Fortin

biomans — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 14:44:32 +0000

Listen to the Interviews of the Leading Entrepreneurs in the World Who Are Heroes That Are Pursuing Their Dreams With Every Ounce of Strength and Faith.
—————————————————————————————————————–
Michel Fortin is a direct response copywriter, author, speaker and consultant. His specialty are long copy sales letters and websites. Watch him rewrite copy on video each month, and get tips and tested conversion strategies proven to boost response in his membership site at http://TheCopyDoctor.com/ today.
—————————————————————————————————————–
One of the things most if not all Internet marketers come across at least once in their lives is “spam.” Whether they’ve used it, contemplated it, rallied against it, or received it, the deceptively appealing nature of unsolicited commercial email as well as the gut-wrenching, mind-numbing, nerve-racking person-hours it takes to manage spam makes it the most detested form of online marketing. But the question remains: Why is it still being used?

It’s Like a Drug
Today, while driving to a client in my consulting practice, I listened to the audio version of one of my favorite books, “The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” by Al Ries and Jack Trout — the fathers of positioning. One of their laws struck me in a way it has never struck me before, for I realized, now that I am online, how much these laws apply to Internet marketing as well. It also struck me because the book was written in a time when email was relatively unknown and “WWW” was thought of as an acronym for some new sports organization.

Law number 11, the law of perspective, states: In marketing, “The long-term effects are usually the exact opposite of the short-term effects.” Al Ries illustrates this law with sales promotions and the way they work — and work against you. While sales do help to increase business in the short-term, in the long-term the effect wears off and, like a drug, one has to inject more price based incentives to keep the volume at a certain level. Ultimately, a discount driven company will see its business inevitably decrease. As Ries points out, “Sales tend to educate consumers over time never to buy at regular prices.”

Sex, drugs, money, and crime are all typical examples in which short-term gains can lead to long-term losses. But these hedonistic-like marketing approaches are not limited to sales promotions. With the Internet comes along another — this seemingly unstoppable barrage of unwanted commercial email called “spam.” Obviously, spam is effective and very profitable since, if it wasn’t, it would have stopped haunting our inboxes long ago. However, in addition to the potential infringement of new business-related laws, the negative consequences of spam with regards to long-term profitability far outweigh the short-term advantages.

Credibility is Crucial
A business’ most important asset is its credibility — and more so online, for the Internet lacks the human element. (By the way, it is this very lack that often makes spam so attractive if not addictive, as some people tend to forget that people receive the mail, not computers.) Nevertheless, credibility in the faceless world wide web is like oxygen in its offline version: It’s critically important and inescapably essential. Therefore, a more profitable, long-term solution is the creation of one’s own opt-in mailing lists or the use of others that are opt-in, responsible, and targeted.

Consequently, ezines are growing with astonishing fervor. Beyond the fact that they help build trust and credibility, ezines help you to stay in constant touch with your prospects. People want to get to know you. And the level of value they attribute to their purchase from you is — as unrelated as it may seem — inextricably tied to the level of trust they place in you.

Sure, short-term band-aid solutions can produce good results. Sales and profits can be made with spam (or without the need for prospects to know you, for that matter). But like drugs, these solutions are only short-lived, which is why they must be continuously repeated in order to remain viable let alone profitable — hence, the reason why spammers keep spamming.

Knowing you is the basis of any long-term business success. If you’re in it for the long haul and if you want to remain profitable for a long period of time, then consider the converse — short-term losses versus long-term gains. In other words, don’t spam. Find ways to stay in contact with eager, interested, and consensual prospects. Publish your own ezine. Buy or rent targeted opt-in lists from reputable mailing list brokers. Get linked on as many other sites as possible. Most important, advertise in ezines… It’s your surest and safest bet.

Needless to say, it is commonsensical that, if you sell a product online that helps to make life easier for your prospects, don’t market your product in a way that negates or contradicts that very point. Use responsible email marketing strategies. The pitfalls of spam marketing will, in the end, cost you much more than some of its more respectable alternatives.

“Humor in Copywriting” by David Garfinkel

biomans — Fri, 21 Apr 2006 15:19:21 +0000

Does Copy Have to Follow The “Airport Rule” — That Is, No Jokes?

Last night I spoke to the Laugh Lovers Toastmasters Club in Oakland, California. It was poignant for me because the club was founded, in another format, by a friend of mine who is no longer with us on this Earth, the legendary John Cantu.

Robin William, Dana Carvey, Paula Poundstone, Margaret Cho and many other comedy superstars of today got their start at Cantu’s Holy City Zoo, a comedy room on Clement St. between 5th and 6th Avenues in San Francisco. Today the space is occupied by a fierce Irish bar called The Dogs Bollix.

I was invited to speak last night to commemorate Cantu (he went by his last name), and in dredging up memories, I thought of a story he told me once from his days as a carvinal barker.

Besides being a great humor resource, Cantu was also a very skilled salesman. Rare combo, don’t you agree?

He used to sell the Veg-o-Matic, and he also sold a super-absorbent cloth called the Shammy. On tables at County Fairs. A real pitchman of the first water.

When selling the Shammy, Cantu would give examples of how you could use the product.
One piece of advice he would give his prospects:

“And if you have a Golden Reliever at home… oops, I mean a Golden Retriever… “

That would get a laugh, and that would increase sales.

While this great friend of mine was alive — and I miss our wide-ranging conversations so much! — he and I would talk about how most advertisers totally blow it with humor in sales copy (Cantu also wrote killer radio commercials, and had a lot of expertise selling over the telephone).

Now, throughout advertising history, there are legendary disaster stories about how humor has made copy reduce sales. Alka-Seltzer. Isuzu. I’m sure you can think of a few.

And in all the “below the radar” sales Web sites and direct mail letters that pull in the big bucks, humor is so rare as to be seen as an endangered species of communication.

The conclusion Cantu and I came to is, humor for humor’s sake — that is, to get attention for the copy itself — was a sure-fire losing strategy.

But what worked so well with the Shammy could work in any piece of copy (spoken, as a pitch or delivered as an ad, Web site, sales letter, or email).

What Cantu did, perhaps not deliberately, but instead intuitively, was make fun of the problem that the product was promising to solve.

When you can render an annoying problem in your customer’s life as a little less overbearing, by poking fun at it, you stand a chance of making a few more sales. Doing so is a way of creating empathy.

Now this can backfire. If you ridicule and dismiss a real and serious problem too cavalierly, you can end up looking crass and uncaring. And that doesn’t usually help sales.

So, it’s a fine line; it’s still risky to use humor in copy. Like a comedian trying out a new line in front of a tough crowd, you can still bomb.

But at least you have the possibility of using humor, productively, in your copy, with this strategy.

Just don’t read these last three paragraphs out loud at an airport. You might end up speaking one of those no-no words (hint: it begins with a “b”)… and these days, there’s nothing funny about pranks at airports, no matter how clever you are.

“Creativity: Why Your Next Million-Dollar Idea Is Right Under Your Nose — Or Else, Behind It” by David Garfinkel

biomans — Mon, 17 Apr 2006 20:08:39 +0000

In a few hours, my new friend Mike Lamb will interview me for his Moneyroom Internet radio show. Mike comes from the world of “real radio” — he was a major-market DJ in several cities — and I’m excited about the whole thing!

As I prepared for the interview, I dug deep into my memory and thought about what led me to where I am today. The most amazing thing I discovered was the powerful effect of the creative process has had across the broad span of my life.

Everything builds on everything else. What I’m doing today, and why I’m particularly suited for it, for example, traces back to age five when I created “The C&D Company” with my best friend Chris Soulen. I don’t know what we were selling, but, it does let me say I’ve been a business owner for 46 years!

In writing copy, not only does everything build on everything else, but, you can ethically and profitably use simple creativity to shortcut the time and effort needed to come up with the words that sell.

Am I saying you build your life the same way you write your copy? Well… a life has far more to it than even the best piece of killer copy… but… in a sense, I am.

Because…

… one thing builds on another in copy, and when you get the right combination, 1 + 1 = 3.

At least.

For instance, if you are as “seasoned” as I am, you may remember the old ad campaign (I think it was in the 1960s) for Avis Car rentals:

We’re Number Two… We Try Harder

From what I remember, those six words wrung a lot of money out of the market for Avis. Even to the point (and this is just a rumor I’ve heard, but it’s very probable), Avis continued to use the “We’re Number Two… ” slogan after it overtook Hertz and was in fact Number One in its marketplace…

… just because those words worked so well.

I’m indebted to Gene Schwartz, author of Breakthrough Advertising, for explaining how this particular bit of creativity worked. He called it “emotional math.”

The idea is that when you have two phrases that together leave a lot unsaid between them, you get people thinking… and if you can get them thinking in the right direction, that can turn into a lot of business.

You see, there’s brilliance in that phrase, because it would make sense that the number-two player in a business would try harder, since they need to in order to reach the top spot.

And wouldn’t you rather rent your car from someone who’s trying harder? Don’t you expect you’d be treated better? Given extra accommodations when you needed it?

In fact, wouldn’t you expect the rates to be more competitive, the cars to be cleaner, the selection to be wider?

All of those are things a customer might think, just from those six words.

Now, here are two important points for you to consider as you begin to expand your own creativity:

Creativity doesn’t need to be exotic or unique. In fact, the best creativity comes from the unusual combination of fairly mundane or familiar elements. “We’re number two” is hardly a stroke of genius; “we try harder” doesn’t sound like that much, either. But put together in the way that they were, those words were an oil gusher for Avis.

It’s all under your nose or behind it (in your brain). Creativity doesn’t need to take place anywhere else, although it can. But it doesn’t have to. You can find things right on your desk, or in your car, or from your car radio, or in your newspaper, or in a conversation with a loved on, or in your memory bank… and put them together in different combinations.
A lot of your potential for using your creativity to write better copy is shifting from the view that the world is a fixed place, set in its ways, with limited opportunities…

… to the more proactive view that the world is a treasure chest of ingredients, and you have the right and the power to recombine those ingredients so as to make money!

It sounds so simple.

It is.

Go ahead. Try it. You’ll see.

“The Vital Importance of Y-O-U: How The Third Line of Stupid “Knock-Knock” Jokes Can Put More Money In Your “Pocket” by David Garfinkel

biomans — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 08:12:53 +0000

It cuts across all forms of personal communication: writing copy; speaking; face-to-face selling; chit-chat at the grocery store; even lookin’ for love at the local saloon.

It’s the need to put yourself in the story. To shed anonymity. To let people know who YOU are.

It’s powerful.

When you don’t do it, you’re weak; and most people writing copy leave this part out. O shame! O missed opportunity! O self-sacrifice!

Because putting personal information in your copy, the right way, will add tremendous power to your copy and…

… increase your response rate and profitability by a wide, wide margin.

On Friday I was recording an exciting new product here in the San Francisco studio, with Working Solo guru Terri Lonier, who was in town from New York. I’ll tell you more about it later this fall.

One section of our new product, naturally, was about copywriting. We were discussing how important it is in a sales letter to introduce yourself and at least summarize your relevant credentials early on in your copy.

Terri and I both shook our heads as we remembered all the Web sites we have seen that don’t appear to be run by, or connected to, people. There’s no mention of any human on them anywhere.

Of course I’m reluctant to do business with any company like that, unless someone I know and trust can vouch for this faceless, nameless entity.

Yes, we live in a very impersonal world. But no, we don’t sell or buy that way.

People buy from people. It’s always been that way; and there’s a very good chance it will continue to be that way stretching out into the future, as far as the eye can see.

Now, to put this in perspective, your copy is not, and never should be, all about you.

Because it’s all about your customer. And what you have to offer can do for your customer.

But remember… as your prospective customer is reading your copy, he or she will come to say (silently or out loud): “Who’s saying all this stuff to me? Who are they, anyway? Why should I believe them? What gives them the right to say these things?”

That’s real. You may not like it; you may not even believe it, yet.

But suppose for a moment that it were true, and introducing the person or people behind the business really would help your copy increase its results.

What would you say? How would you say it? How would you make it seem conversational, authentic, relevant?

The correct answers to those questions will put you in a higher tax bracket. And make your customers much more comfortable doing business with you.

You. Yes, you. Y-O-U!

“Spelling, Grammar and Cash on the Barrelhead Whether ’tis nobler to be word-perfect… or happy!” by David Garfinkel

biomans — Sat, 18 Mar 2006 08:20:00 +0000

My friend Craig Perrine and I were talking yesterday, and Craig told me about someone who had visited his Web site and sent him back a report card.

It’s hard to send red marks through an email, but this well-meaning visitor told Craig about the misspelled words and grammatical mistakes on his site.

And, the dude had the audacity to remind Craig to never begin a sentence with the word “and.”

Probably without realizing it, the well-meaning visitor entered a dialogue that has been going on for decades – between direct marketers and guardians of proper usage, punctuation and the language as a whole.

You might wonder which side of the fence I’m on, on this issue.

How’s this for your answer:

Both.

No, it’s not that I don’t know how to take a stand. I have very strong and definite opinions.

But I do pick my battles these days. And this is not one of them.

However, it’s an important point — if for no other reason, because it comes up so much — and that is why I’m writing about it today.

First, my fence-straddling:

My background encourages perfectionism. I once worked for the world’s largest publisher of business information, McGraw-Hill, as a magazine editor; later as a field correspondent; and ultimately as a news bureau chief.

As a New York editor, I was very clearly told that any copy leaving my desk had bloody well be free of errors. Condition of employment.

Before that, I had been a French major in college. I even spent a year studying in France. If there’s one language, and culture, that doesn’t look kindly on spelling or grammar mistakes, that would be the language and culture of France.

And we could talk about the house I grew up in… but this is a blog, not public psychotherapy.

Now, truth be told, I like good grammar and correct spelling. But I don’t think they’re the end-all and be-all, especially in sales copy.

As for the other side of the coin, fault-free writing does not necessarily lead to breaking the bank with your results.

To give you a couple of examples, I’ve recently been doing some work in the business-opportunity field, where companies use pre-programmed email autoresponders to turn cold leads into warm prospects.

When you look at these autoresponders, you could easily get the impression that the people who wrote them went out of their way to make spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, leaps of logic and other stupid faux pas.

Like:

“It’s not hard. just show people the savings they can enjoy and get paid.. Can you handle that??
If yes, then take that next step and let’s get going… You deserve a vacation dont you?”

“Make a Fortune while Traveling to Exotice Hot Spots…”

Hey — not major errors, but so far from word-perfect, we won’t even go there.

And yet, these are sales messages that just happen to be making the people who use them, thousands upon thousands of dollars.

Now, these are not isolated examples. I have one friend, a copywriter and entrepreneur, who is wildly creative and yet points out every typo in everything of mine he sees.

He’s as successful in business as anyone I know. Let’s just say, “mega-successful.”

And I’m always glad to get his feedback. I know he’s trying to help, and he does.

I have another friend who writes million dollar sales letters, who keeps getting pulled off his own projects with irresistible offers from other big-name marketers.

He can’t get the difference between “your” and “you’re” right.

One friend, a best-selling author and frequent media guest. I’ve never seen her make a typographical error, even in an email.

Another friend, also a best-selling author, who teaches prospective authors how to get published. Can’t spell her way out of a paper bag. Well, she can… but not all that well.

So, what’s the answer? Does spelling matter? Does grammar count? Will your copy sink if your syntax stinks?

I think it’s all about what’s behind what you write.

Atrocious spelling and illiterate sentence structure won’t necessarily pry dollar bills out of your prospects… but…

You can make mistakes — plenty of them — and still make a fortune.

If…

You understand what people want, how they talk about it, and how to offer it to them in an appealing way.

There’s an ancient understanding among those of us who sell with the written word:

A good offer with imperfect copy will far outdo an inadequate offer with copy that would get an A-plus from the English teacher.

I have one client who has made millions before and is building new empires today.

He hired me to mentor him in writing copy. It cost him a lot of money and he has put in a tremendous effort.

His copy’s gotten pretty darned good. His spelling is for the birds.

So I told him, maybe he should hire a proofreader.

Or maybe not.

See, he knows what people want… knows how to offer it to them, in an appealing way, and with integrity. So it’s good for them and profitable for him.

He’ll make money either way. Plenty o’ money.

I hope this gives you some things to think about… and a renewed sense of hope if you can’t spell your way out of a paper bag.

“High Bidder” by David Garfinkel

biomans — Thu, 16 Mar 2006 08:11:22 +0000

Fortune Magazine Names Meg Whitman, ebay CEO, as the “Most Powerful Woman in Business.”
What This Means to You as a Marketer and Copywriter…

Congratulations to my San Francisco Bay Area neighbor Meg Whitman for receiving this honor.

Not only is it a major achievement for her, but, since ebay is a totally Internet-based company, it’s a landmark event for the Internet business community as well.

I was editor of a very expensive printed and mailed newsletter during the dot-bomb era called “What’s Working Online,” and it was all I could do, as a direct marketer, not to end nearly every story with the assessment: “This company is a joke.”

With $3.2 billion in projected revenues for 2004, ebay is no joke.

But when you look at how ebay makes its money…

… you realize that its success is proof positive of something I have been saying for a long time:

The Internet is a direct-marketing, direct-response medium.

And companies’ fortunes will live and die online by the quality and sales effectiveness of their copywriting.

Lord knows we have enough negative examples to fill several books… and indeed those books have been written.

But now we have the first of many positive ones: ebay.

Postive in that the whole business model, at the foundation, is based on copywriting.

Here’s why I say that:

You can put the same item up for sale on ebay, with the same pictures, and with

a) a neutral, wimpy or skimpy description, you’ll get a modest amount of money,

b) but with a winning, desire-inducing, action-stimulating, feeding-frenzy-causing description, you’ll get a much larger sum of money.

The difference? The description.

And what is the description? It’s copy. Plain and simple.

Headline.

Benefit statements.

Bullet points.

Proof of claims.

Call to action.

So here’s my call to action to you: whether you want to be the next most powerful woman (or man) in business… or you just want to make a few more bucks on the Internet (or elsewhere)…

… sharpen up those copy skills.

Starting now.

There’s a new literacy today. No federal programs supporting it (except the one that prints small green bills with pictures of dead presidents on them). No commissions studying it (except the dispersed aggregate “commission” known as “the marketplace”). No statistics officially available (but you would find those statistics in the closely-guarded sales conversion numbers of Web sites with good copy).

What is this new literacy?

It’s copywriting literacy.

For your own economic future, make sure you get some.