While I feel that these reports are necessary to get great results from all of your catalog marketing efforts, there are several things that come first.



Before you can start writing powerful catalog marketing copy, you need to clear your head and get in touch with what I feel are the most powerful marketing principles you can learn. Marketing principles that have served me well?

It all starts with your attitude? You need to be excited about what you are doing! Excited about your product or service! Remember, if you aren't excited about what you are doing, your prospects won't be either. And you can't get someone to buy from you while you are putting them to sleep!

Enthusiasm is contagious. Most of selling is based on emotion. I don't care if you have a business-to-business website, don't fall into the trap of being stuffy. You still need emotion to sell no matter what you are selling and who you are selling to!

Over the years I've written tons of copy for the Lifestyle Fascination Catalogs. Most of the products were great, electronic gadgets I would want to own, and I was enthused with these products. But I still remember the day I was sitting at my desk looking at the photo for the Queen Ann end table with a top that was a clock face. It seemed dumb, and looked impractical and downright ugly.

So, assuming that many other readers would feel the same way, I had to put extra effort into countering any possible objections and finding all positive aspects I could. I played up the emotions with things like friends and neighbors being impressed with their good taste and the uniqueness of the product. I was able to turn my own attitude around so that I was enthused before I wrote the copy. By the way, they sold well!

While we are talking about selling, my opinion is you can't sell anyone! I hate to be sold, and I'm sure you feel the same way. Since we can't sell anyone, let's stop selling and figure out how to get someone to buy our products.

I hate sales people knocking on my door and calling me on the phone. But I remember two that got through to me and made me susceptible to buying. One day someone knocked on my door and I was greeted by his cheery attitude as he exclaimed that he was ?The friend I haven't met yet!?

And then there was the phone where the salesman started off being very friendly and I had the impression that it was an old friend calling. By the time I realized it wasn't an old friend, I was already in that ?call from an old friend? mode and I was wide open to buying something. This guy was good and did a good job. You have to be sincere to pull this one off.

So we need to sell by not selling! We need to come across as a friend. We do this by being friendly, using friendly emotional copy that addresses their needs, not ours. Now that their defenses are down, we can relate on a one-to-one basis and show that we care about them. Then show how our products will meet their needs.

People like to buy from friends. Show them we are friendly, be helpful and show a photo of who they are dealing with so they know there's a person standing behind the product. Be someone they can relate to with your friendly copy, by showing you are a real person who cares about them and being sincere.

Once you have this concept of writing catalog copy that has the feel of a letter from a friend, you are ready to tighten it up with the ?Mail Order Millionaire Copywriting Secrets? and ?Mail Order Millionaire Copywriting Words? available on my website.

Good luck my friend,

Gil Carlson