Did you see Ryan Healy’s goo-roo “smack down” a while ago?
It caused quite the broo-ha-ha.
You can read it by clicking here.
And recently, someone asked me this about it:
QUESTION: Ben, you are always talking about the “goo-roos” but you never name any names. I am curious about why?
BEN: I think it took mucho cojones to do what Ryan did.
And he did what he thought was right.
But I would probably never do anything like that, even if I was inclined to “out” someone or had the time and energy to do the homework it takes to do the deed any justice.
Why?
Two words:
Benjamin Franklin.
You see, Benjamin Franklin was America’s first millionaire, a world-class entrepreneur, and a master of persuasion (he was one of the most effective diplomats who ever lived).
He probably had plenty of “dirt” on people.
Probably could have ruined all kinds of peoples’ careers.
And probably had the opportunity to “out” his fair share of corrupt politicians, diplomats and other “dignitaries.”
But he never did (from what I can tell, at least).
In fact, according to one of the biographies I read about him several years ago, he hardly ever said anything negative about another person (no matter how despicable or depraved the person was).
Just wasn’t his bag, I guess.
And, as a result, he was trusted, believed and confided in by most everyone he ever met.
Anyway, like BF, I choose not to name names, either.
Instead, I’m more of a “fruit inspector.”
When I smell some rotten goo-roo fruit, I examine it and show others how to tell if it’s rotten for themselves.
It’s up to you if you want to pluck it or not.
But naming names?
It’s just not my bag, either.
Ben Settle
P.S. To learn how Benjamin Franklin “judo flipped” vicious gossip to his advantage when persuading people to listen to him and act on his ideas (including hostile leaders of enemy countries) check out page 38 of “Crackerjack Selling Secrets” at:
I ever tell you about my biggest “ah ha!” copywriting moment?
It was about 4 years ago.
And I was writing a sales letter for Ken McCarthy’s copywriting info product. And even though I learned a lot of cool stuff inside the course, probably the most valuable lesson was the one I learned while writing the ad.
What was the lesson?
That your ad is NEVER tight enough.
You see, most ads are way too wordy.
They just blather on and on… taking forever to make a point, cramming way too much (irrelevant) information in and, as a result, lose sales.
Usually lots of sales, too.
And this one (seemingly “sleepy”) lesson about the importance of writing super tight copy Ken taught me (by rejecting my early drafts) has been worth just as much as all the copywriting courses and books I’ve studied.
Which brings me to the point:
The cool free copywriting resources Ken’s giving away.
Every year Ken holds his famous System Seminar which brings together the world’s best Internet marketers, copywriters and testing experts for a giant “brain dump.” And this year’s lineup includes two legendary “old school” marketing & copywriting masters:
Bob Bly and Drayton Bird.
These are the “best of the best” copywriters/marketers today.
And to give a demonstration of the kind of info they’re teaching, Ken interviewed them both… and is now giving the interview away free.
To grab it, just shoot on over to:
And no… this is NOT an affiliate link.
I just really want you to have this info.
Ben Settle
P.S. For more 100% prime “Grade A” Ken McCarthy copywriting secrets
check out his Copywriting Grab Bag interview. In fact, one customer (Courtney Houde) told me he’s listened to it over a dozen times… and STILL listens to it about once per week now (he got it about a year ago).
And you know what?
He credits listening to that interview with Ken for helping him go from working the late shift at Subway (literally) to being the in-house copywriter for one of the Internet’s top info publishing companies.
Not too shabby, is it?
Here’s where it’s at:
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I have to come clean about something.
It’s a tad embarrassing to admit.
But the lesson within is so important, I really have no choice.
Anyway, here’s the scoop:
Lately, I’ve been getting some praise about the emails I send out. And in many cases, from people saying, “that one got me Ben, I HAD to buy…” or something like that.
Sounds like a good thing, right?
Well, not so fast, Jethro.
For one thing, I have had MANY more email failures than big successes. And, I can think of at least two cases over the past 6 months where my lack of email communication skillz has kinda made me sound like a jerk or an idiot (or both).
The first was back in October.
I had just finished a long stretch of ads (about 7 in a row) for a client and, upon the last one I asked something like, “Is this the last one?”
Sounds innocent enough, right?
That’s what I thought, too.
But it turns out I gave the exact OPPOSITE impression than what I intended! You see, I was genuinely asking if it was the last of the 6 or 7 ads we’d discussed. But it sounded to him as if I was saying, “I hope this is the last one, I don’t want to write any more ads for you.”
Yikes!
A second example:
Just yesterday I sent an email to someone else I work with in another venture. I used a term that, where I grew up at least, is a very common figure of a speech.
But, that’s not how it read at all.
In fact, it read like an insult! He even suggested I should have probably read it a few times before pushing send.
And he was right.
I should have been more careful.
The point?
Email is like a surgeon’s knife.
It can be used for good, and to help grease the skids of your business (and personal life — it’s how I met my wife).
And it can also be used to cause damage, too.
So be especially careful with it when communicating sensitive info, where 100% clarity is a must.
Or, in those cases, just use the phone, instead.
Ben Settle
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Got a bizarre little marketing humdinger for you today.
Check this out:
Recently, I was listening to an Internet radio show about supernatural events happening around us all the time, whether we realize it or not.
Some of these accounts were spiritual in nature.
And some were urban legends.
One of the urban legends was about the so-called “black eyed children.” These kids have jet black eyes (no iris or pupil) who’ll ask you for a ride home or to come inside your house to use the phone. And according to the legend, when you encounter these little punks, you get a feeling of pure evil, like you know on some level they’re a threat to your life. And, when you refuse to help them, they get very aggressive and insistent, almost to the point of violence.
But here’s the thing:
So far, nobody has let them in the car or house.
And, furthermore, they reportedly cannot even ENTER your car or house unless they’re “invited” — implying a relationship to the old vampire, ghost and demon legends.
Creepy little buggers, aren’t they?
Anyway, here’s the point:
We’ve got a bit of this online these days, too.
Except, instead of being black eyed children… what we got is black eyed marketers.
You’ve seen them, haven’t you?
Goo-roos who come a-knocking on your door (via email) or have some goon in a boiler room call you up.
They may even seem “normal” at first.
But soon, they give you that “icky” feeling. Like you just KNOW whatever they’re selling is NOT in your best interest. But, since they’re so persuasive (they know all the goo-roo tricks) you’re almost tempted to let them in your wallet…
Hey, the black eyed children may be a myth (or maybe not…)
But the blacked eyed marketers definitely ARE real.
They WILL eventually come to your door.
And, if you let them, they will EAT you alive.
I wouldn’t let ‘em in if I were you.
Ben Settle
P.S. The best way to protect yourself from BEM’s is to know how to sell, so you will already know you don’t need their watered-down, over priced junk. For 101 selling secrets used by history’s most successful sales, marketing and advertising pros just stroll on over to:
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Not long ago “it” finally happened.
I’d heard about “it” happening to copywriters before.
And, especially to the bigger name copywriters, like John Carlton, Dan Kennedy, Gary Halbert, Gary Bencivenga, etc
Anyway, what is this “it” I speaketh of?
Someone swiped one of my ads almost word for word.
But here’s the ironic thing.
Even though the “perp” swiped my ad… and did it for an ad competing against mine in the same market (a blatantly unethical no-no)… it didn’t make me angry at all.
In fact, I found it kinda amusing.
Why?
Because even though the swiper thought he was being “clever”… he missed the whole point of what made the ad successful and swiped all the wrong parts.
It was just a complete mess, too.
His headline missed the emotion mine targeted, his sales argument lacked any trace of fire or passion (as they say in Hollywood terms, he “phoned it in”), and it was such a hatchet job nothing read smoothly or organically.
It was just cut, paste, smooth over, pay me my fee, Mr. Client.
Yikes.
You know, that’s the big problem with swiping.
Copywriting ain’t about the words.
It’s about the market.
The best prose won’t mean jack if you get the market dynamics wrong (or ignore them altogether, like this swipemeister did).
Anyway, it really was kinda funny.
I mean… there are few things so amusing as a two-bit thief so lazy all he can do is rip off the spare change laying on the kitchen table… instead of taking the time to find the rolls of $100 bills stuffed in a safe in the wall.
I guess it’s true what they say after all:
Crime really doesn’t pay.
Ben Settle
P.S. To see how some of the highest paid copywriters on the planet write their sales letters, emails and other ads, simply ska-daddle on over to ye old copywriting shoppe at:
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