If you’d like to know how someone with little or no experience at writing copy can beat the pants off anyone they go up against — even seasoned pros who have been at it for years — then this article could very well change the way you write copy forever.
Let me ask you a question: Do you know who Gerry Spence is?
Gerry Spence — love him or hate him — is probably THE best trial lawyer who has ever lived. His courtroom “miracles” dwarf anything created by Hollywood or TV, and he has never lost a criminal trial in all his life and hasn’t lost a civil trial since 1969.
In fact, he’s so amazingly effective at what he does…a leading member of the defense bar once accused him of “hypnotizing” a jury, and tried to get a judge to ban him from using such “trickery” in the court.
What exactly was it that makes him so all-fired persuasive and powerful at arguing?
Well, according to Gerry’s book, How To Argue And Win Every Time, the real “magic” behind his success has nothing to do with hypnosis, mind games or tricks of any kind.
No, according to Gerry, the real “magic” behind his success is nothing more or less than superior preparation.
And guess what?
Superior preparation is what separates the men from the boys in anything in life — law, politics, sports, academics and…yes…copywriting and selling.
In fact, according to the late, and brilliant copywriter Eugene Schwartz, preparation is what lets a copywriter with little or no natural talent beat the pants off a veteran copywriter with 30 years of experience under his belt.
If you out-prepare your competition — and have more “ammo” for your ad than he does — then, unless your competition gets lucky or pulls some kind of “super headline” out his hat, chances are you’re going to win.
It’s that simple.
Plus, when you prepare so much that you have 50, 75 even 100 pages of material to draw on for your promotions, most of the anxiety of writing an ad vanishes. Dozens and dozens of ideas for your ad — like headlines, bullets, offers, guarantees, opening paragraphs, etc. — will pop into your head day and night, on “auto pilot.”
While your competition is spending all their time raiding their massive swipe files for ideas and inspiration, your only real concern is catching all your ideas on paper so you don’t lose them.
And while your competition frantically tries to “stitch” their ads together — using other people’s ideas and work — you’ll churn out fresh, original ads. Ads that don’t sound like everyone else’s. Ads that make people think, feel and desire to buy from you.
There’s no magic to it.
If you out-prepare your competition, this will happen. It’s as automatic and reliable a “law” as gravity.
If you don’t believe me, then try it with your next promotion. Insist on having an extra 30 days tacked on to your deadline and use those 30 days to do nothing but research and preparation.
Doing so will change the way you write ads forever, and give you an unbelievable edge over your competition.
