He covers the same techniques that one hears of repeatedly in copywriting. He concentrates heavily the following six:

• Reciprocity (I scratch your back, you buy my stuff)
• Scarcity (One hour sale, and then it comes off the market!)
• Liking (I like you, so I’ll buy your stuff)
• Authority (I trust you, so I’ll buy your stuff)
• Social proof (Everybody else is buying your stuff, so it must be good)
• Commitment/consistency (You’ve been consistent in everything so far, so I feel I can buy your stuff and trust you to deliver)

What sets Influence apart from other books that cover these topics is the scientific approach and the depth. He goes well into the subtexts and history of human behavior so you come out on the other side with a much deeper and intuitive understanding of each of these sales/copywriting techniques.

He describes case examples in very entertaining ways, which makes this a very readable book – so much that you forget you are reading a scholarly approach. Moreover the lessons learned here will still embedded in your actions.

I first heard about How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling from uber-copywriter John Carlton in one of his interviews about the craft. My ears always perk up when these guys discuss the books that taught them how to be brilliant copywriters. I mean, since I don’t have the 2 grand or more to spend on John’s rare courses, I can at least spend a few bucks on the things that taught him. He mentioned this book as being very valuable to his development as a writer.

Which is funny, because it’s not a book about writing. It’s a book about selling (i.e. persuasion).

Well, you hear often enough that copywriting is:

“Salesmanship in print”

Remember that, and you’ll be way ahead of the game. If you can sell, you can copywrite. In fact, it’s probably more important that being able to write. After all, you just need to write well enough to express yourself the way you would when you sell. You don’t need to be Thomas Pynchon.

Frank Bettger was a contemporary of Dale Carnegie, and he also liked to keep his books short and to the point. This is a very easy read. And that’s a good thing, as you will want to reread it regularly, until it’s second nature.

Each chapter is summed up at the end with a few words, as in the following:

“First sell the appointment. Second, sell your product.”

He was talking about the need to concentrat on getting your foot in the door before even thinking about selling your product. Converted to copywriting talk, that means you need to expend 100% of the first part of your copy in getting the attention of your prospect. Don’t try to sell in the headline. Just capture interest in the headline, enough that they will keep reading to the part where you sell your product. Get their attention.

All of this stuff is readily adaptable to writing. For a few bucks, you can’t go wrong. Don’t take my word for it. Don’t even take John Carlton’s word for it. Take Dale Carnegie’s word:

“I have read every page of this book. I can recommend it with enthusiasm. Talk about walking a mile to get a cigarette—when I started out to sell, I would gladly have walked from Chicago to New York to get a copy of this book, if it had been available.”

John picks apart the greatest ads in the history of copywriting, ads that ran unchanged for decades they were so good. Ad that were…shudder…based on a swipe file.

In other words, if you want to save a lot of time writing copy, swipe something.

But there is an art to swiping that most copywriters understandably don’t want to discuss. John, though, is not afraid to shatter the illusion of unique brilliance and creativity. He explains in great detail how to swipe and make something your own. How to create brand new winning ads using this shortcut.

He analyzes the greatest sales copy know, that written for the Wall Street Journal, and explains how the author turned that famous advert into his own…by swiping an earlier advert of someone else.
Click Here!“>
Take a look at the sales page here….and see if you want a copy for yourself.

If you are serious, you need to read everything he offers. I know plenty of top copywriters who devour all of his products. He’s that good.

I’ll give you two links. Visit both.

This is to the sales page for the Ultimate Desktop Copy Coach. When you buy it, this will be your bible, and will never be far from whatever you are working on. Read it through.

DISCOVER THE ULTIMATE DESKTOP COPY COACH HERE

Don’t buy unless you are 1000% sure that this is what you want. I only say this because i am sure you will be after you read his free stuff – and that’s the second link. Follow this link to his blog and pore through his archives. The free stuff alone is worth more than any other copy coach out there charges hundreds of dollars for. In fact, you will want to print most of it out and read it several times.

The free stuff is here.

There is so much good stuff in the link above, I may not see you for a while. Dig in!

See that picture there on the left? That Joe Vitale, of “The Secret” fame, hanging on tightly to his real secret – a guy named Bob Bly. As much as I hate to post Ogilvy again, the late great adman said, “I don’t know a single copywriter whose work would not be improved by reading this book. And that includes me.”

Bob Bly is still cranking out winning books about copywriting, but this should be the first on your shelf.
He is a down to earth guy, no fluff and no over the top promises or hype. He has years of solid experience going way back, and has simply transferred his brilliance to the internet in recent years.

The book is very nuts and bolts, and an ideal book to get any copywriter started.

He soon made his way to New York & found his stride in advertising, where he specialized in mail order, selling everything from trench machinery to fertilizers, books & raincoats, stocks & bonds, and services.

Within a short period of time Collier placed hundreds of millions of dollars into the pockets of those he worked for. He then branched out on his own in 1925 to author & sell a series of self-help publications called “Secrets of The Ages”. A million dollars worth were sold by mail order within just the first six months of release.

To put Robert Collier’s phenomenal success into perspective, consider the fact that one hundred million dollars in sales in the 1920s, would amount to a billion dollars in sales today, with inflation taken into account.

Robert Collier is the acknowledged “Father of direct marketing .”

He single handedly marketed billions of present day dollars worth of goods & services with nothing but the words in his marketing materials.

Collier wrote down all of his
marketing systems in this one amazing book.

It is the most sought after book on sales and marketing in the history of direct marketing.

Whenever you use Collier’s formula, you instantly capture the attention of your readers and sustain their avid interest paragraph after paragraph. Even using it haphazardly can automatically amplify your readers’ hidden desire … until the only logical choice for them is to buy!

He got a lot of mileage out of his copywriting formula … selling books, stocks and bonds, jewelry or commodities such as raincoats, fertilizers, trench machinery, handkerchiefs or even coal by the carload … and more.

It’s true that he had a magic gift with words, but fortunately for the rest of us, his copywriting formula doesn’t rely on writing talent to make it work.

The formula works just as well for copywriters who are starting out, as it does for the seasoned veterans who earn seven figures annually.

Currently, Robert Collier’s letters are the jealously guarded secrets of the marketing elite, both online & off. The best of the best freely admit to his massive influence on them, while charging a princely sum to teach you their secrets – which are his secrets.

This Book Will Instruct You…

· About tested selling phrases and how they can be used to turbo-charge response. Starts on page 328.

Here’s the Formula in a nutshell: “No matter what product or service you write about, you must first find out the ‘mental conversations’ your prospective customers are having about your offer.”

This simple formula made Robert Collier the “father of direct marketing.”

That’s exactly why successful marketers turn to The Robert Collier Letter Book and why you should too.

Fact is, The Letter Book is ready-at-hand on the bookshelves of many of the world’s top copywriters such as Gary Halbert, John Carlton, Joe Sugarman, Ted Nicholas, Dan Kennedy and Bob Bly (just to name a few).

When you implement its proven wisdom, you’ll be using the most powerful psychological advertising strategies known. The very same secrets the legendary Robert Collier used to pen some of the most lucrative sales letter campaigns of all time!

Why do modern day marketing giants like Jay Abraham, Dan Kennedy, Ted Nicholas, Drew Whitman, Yanik Silver & Joe Sugarman (I could go on & on) pour countless hours into the study of Robert Collier’s letters? Simple. Because they conceal magic!

They contain hidden secrets. And this manual points them out for you in living color. Use them to quickly drive costs out, & sales in.

The book is an ageless classic that’s packed with the timeless principles that Collier used to build many business empires. Best of all, these ideas are as original, fresh and compelling today as they were when he invented them!

Eugene Schwartz was a master of market manipulation, and routinely wrote sales letters and ads that pulled in millions of sales.  He has a very pragmatic and hard working approach, and his advice is not just valuable to copywriters. Any CEO or small business owner could hugely benefit from reading this book through. It will put money in your pocket.

Schwartz believed advertising could not create real demand, but could channel existing demand to any product. He give the example of weight loss. There is a “mass desire” in the marketplace to lose weight, and so there is a demand for weight loss products. Good copy captures the driving desire behind that demand, and channels it to a particular product.

He goes into detail in this book about the structure of an ad, and its building blocks – including headlines.

This is another book that is found on every top copywriter’s bookshelf – and every smart CEO’s as well.

The only problem is that this book is too popular. There is an almost cultish demand for the book, especially since it’s not that easy to find. If copies are available on Amazon, they sell for as much as $300. You can check the Amazon link below.

One recent option is a site that sells the PDF version for $25 at http://eugeneschwartz.co.cc/

Otherwise pop on over to Amazon and see if you can find an affordable copy!

His entry into advertising was marked by a client who had only $500 to promote the opening of a hotel. Ogilvy took advantage of cheap postcard rates and sent an “exclusive” invitation to as many local addresses as he could. The hotel opened to a packed house.

This book will teach you everything you need to know about making smart, memorable and targeted ads. His writing style is fun to read, and filled with insights. And that’s a good thing, because you will benefit each time you reread this fabulous book.

Buy Ogilvy on Advertising from Amazon Now!

Tested Advertising Methods brings you the marketing genius of John Caples, who made fortunes for companies over his 40+ years in advertising. David Ogilvey called this the most useful advertising book he ever read, and based much of his stellar career on Caple’s marketing principles.

Caples writes in a down to earth, and very easy to read style. Yet, these simple sentences are filled with gold nuggets for a career copywriter, or even for someone who is just writing sales letters or promos for their own product.

A full 4 chapters are devoted in detail to crafting headlines. And detailed approaches are described for building your sales pitch. John Caples lived until 1990, and saw his concepts blossom in the direct marketing field.

Most newer editions have been updated by Frad Hahn, with some useful comments.

Buy Tested Advertising Methods at Amazon Now!

This is on the shelf of every living star copywriter. And each of them reads this book religiously. You should read it often as well – until it becomes second nature. This book is 80 years old, and not one bit of it is dated. As you read, you will see where all the marketing gurus picked up their info. They are all simply rephrasing this book. A few excerpts:

1-There is one simple way to answer many advertising questions. Ask yourself, “Would it help a salesman sell the goods? Would it help me sell if I said them to the buyer in person?”

2-The best ads ask no one to buy…The ads are based entirely on service. They offer wanted information.

3-Use pictures only to attract those who may profit you. Use them only when they form a better selling argument than the same amount of space devoted to print.

There are a few places where this very special book can be picked up. It can be had as a bonus to people who buy the 4 book set of Long Lost Marketing Secrets offered by Yanik Silver. Take a look at his offer here.