Dan Kennedy’s tip is to think of all the reasons someone can
possibly notbuy your item. Whatever they might say, address it in
some convincing way. For example:
Not enough money? Offer a payment plan or send it with no
payment required up front.
No need for the item? List the various ways your prospect might
use it.
No belief in you? Offer testimonials, a guarantee, and anything
else you can think of to prove your case.
I admit I’m doing a type of psychic mind reading act when I
practice this second step, but I also confess that this is one of the
biggest reasons my letters are so successful. I’m constantly reread-
ing my letters, asking myself, “What is the reader asking here?” I
then address it.
Far too much copy doesn’t give enough information. I love buy-
ing stuff from catalogs and off the Internet. But when the catalog
description doesn’t answer all my questions, I don’t buy. My friend
Winston Marsh, Australia’s famous marketing guru, says that when
people are thinking about buying, they become information
junkies. They want long copy. They want answers. My job is to an-
ticipate their questions and answer them.
That’s my second secret.
I PLUG IN HYPNOTIC LANGUAGEThis is where I shine. What I do is read my writing with my famous
Swipe File at my side. I look for places to replace a phrase with a
hypnotic statement.
You’ve already seen some of this at work earlier in this book. I
often go through a letter a dozen times, reading it over, looking for
places I can rewrite into a hypnotic statement. The Swipe File is my
crutch and secret weapon here. I think anyone serious about writ-
ing persuasively needs to have the Swipe File. I’m not telling you
that because I wrote the Swipe File (with Larry Dotson). I’m telling
you that because it’s the truth.
My Three Biggest Secrets