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Posts Tagged ‘Bret Thomson’

How To Deal With Blood-Sucking Leeches Disguised As Wanna-Be Clients

June 17th, 2011 | Bret Thomson

Trevor

A Tribute Post For
People Fed Up With
Freebie Seekers

G’day

Tell me… be honest… was I too harsh with this guy?

Email correspondence pasted below.

Think big. Be different

Bret Thomson

——————————————

From: Trevor Mulldane
Sent: 26^th May 2011 10:48am
To: Bret Thomson
Subject: Urgent copywriting project

Hi Bret

I saw you speak at a conference last year and I thought I’d give you a chance to write sales copy for my company.

We are launching an exciting piece of software for social media in two weeks time. We have two other copywriters submitting copy for this project. We will spilt-test your sales copy against the others to see which converts best. If your copy is successful, we will then let you write for our future projects. We are happy to pay you for future projects, however this project is just a test to see if you qualify.

Please submit some recent copy samples for me to review ASAP. Also, include your prices for writing a sales letter. Send your samples and prices to my assistant Sharon (Cc’d in this email) by C.O.B tomorrow, then she will send you the project brief.

We will need your first draft by next Friday June 3^rd.

Trevor

—————————————–

From: Bret Thomson
Sent: 26^th May 2011 11:21am
To: Trevor Mulldane
Subject: Re: Urgent copywriting project

Hi Trevor

Thanks for thinking of me, but I’m busy enough right now without writing copy for free.

Re prices: I don’t give out prices without my potential client filling out a essay writers detailed questionnaire and phone interview. This is the first step of my essential researching criteria.

I’m happy to send this to you anyway, as it will surely benefit you.

Good luck with your project.

Kind regards

Bret

—————————————

From: Trevor Mulldane
Sent: 26^th May 2011 11:36am
To: Bret Thomson
Subject: Re: Re: Urgent copywriting project

Bret

I don’t have time for quizzes or games.

And frankly, your short sightedness surprises me. You could make a lot of money later on, once this product goes big.

I only contacted you because I saw you speak from stage and you essay writer sounded like you knew what you were talking about. Maybe I was wrong?

Send me your current copy examples anyway, and if I think your work is up to scratch, I may give you another chance.

Trevor

————————————–

From: Bret Thomson
Sent: 26^th May 2011 11:57am
To: Trevor Mulldane
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Urgent copywriting project

Hi Trevor

I have to apologise. I didn’t realize we had met. I have to be honest… I’m a little confused. Are you sure it was me you saw speaking on stage?

Because I can’t remember wearing a t-shirt that read, “Feel-free-to-screw-me-over-and-I’ll-kiss-your-ass-for-free”.

Amazing coincidence though… because just this morning I sprung out of bed hoping someone would give me an “opportunity” to exchange my years of experience of writing million-dollar sales copy – for nothing!

Ohhh, sorry, my bad… you did say I may get paid later for a future job. Wow, thank you Mr. Scrooge (so generous).

Next week I had organized a special camping trip with my three sons for some long-overdue father-and-son time… Let me just text my boys and cancel the trip so I can work on your project for free. Oh joy…

Bret
www.BretThomson.com

P.S. If you ever need your house painted (for free)… or help moving heavy furniture, please make sure you ask me first. What an honor that would be.

—————————————

From: Trevor Mulldane
Sent: 26^th May 2011 12:05pm
To: Bret Thomson
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Urgent copywriting project

I will over look your smart-ass attempt of being funny and give you one last chance to be a part of this.

You obviously have no idea how much money this software launch will make.

Send me recent copy examples and prices ASAP or we will move forward without you.

Trevor

—————————————

From: Bret Thomson
Sent: 26^th May 2011 12:28pm
To: Trevor Mulldane
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Urgent copywriting project

Hi Trevor

I’m sorry. Thanks for giving me a second chance for you to suck the bone marrow from my copywriting soul.

As requested, here are my most recent copy examples:

“They All Laughed When I Sat Down To Write Copy For Trevor
Because He’s Too Tight To Pay…”

“Give Me Just 3 Hours Working With Trevor
And He’ll Happily Milk Me As Dry As A Camels
Arse In A Sandstorm – Guilt Free – Guaranteed”

“Who Else Wants To Sell Their Soul To A
Knob-Jockey That Blatantly Exploits Talented
People To Selfishly Line His Own Pockets?”

—————————————–

From: Trevor Mulldane
Sent: 26^th May 2011 12:34pm
To: Bret Thomson
Subject: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Urgent copywriting project

Bret

You obviously don’t have the brains or maturity to comprehend the scope of what we are doing.

I only work with professionals, not idiots like yourself.

Trevor

——————————————-

From: Bret Thomson
Sent: 26^th May 2011 12:39pm
To: Trevor Mulldane
Subject: jection

Hi Trevor

I am so mature.

You’re not – times a hundred!

No, wait… a MILLION!

—————————————

From: Trevor Mulldane
Sent: 26^th May 2011 12:42pm
To: Bret Thomson
Subject: Re: jection

I’m not even going to give you the pleasure in responding.

—————————————

From: Bret Thomson
Sent: 26^th May 2011 12:44pm
To: Trevor Mulldane
Subject: Re: Re: jection

But you just did.

————————————-

From: Trevor Mulldane
Sent: 26^th May 2011 12:46pm
To: Bret Thomson
Subject: Re: Re: Re: jection

Fuck off.

————————————–

So again… was I too harsh?

Go ahead and leave a comment below – don’t be shy 😉

Think big. Be different…

Bret Thomson

Why Pro-Copywriters Get Paid The BIG BUCKS!

June 10th, 2011 | Bret Thomson

Do you want to know the real difference between a “pro” copywriter and an average “wanna be” copywriter?

OR why some sales letters or ads cause an absolute traffic jam of sales compared to the “ho-hum” sales material that doesn’t even get read?

Sure, there may be a different skill level in the writing but I’m not talking about that. No, I’m talking about The Reason why certain copywriters get paid the BIG BUCKS!!!

Wanna guess?

OK, let me tell you…

“Researching.”

Yuck. It’s an ugly word right? But it’s in the researching stage that you come up with the big idea! The hook! Or the twist!

It’s where you come up with the “X” factor that’ll make phones ring and credit cards swipe faster than a western gunslinger!

Trust me. Breeze over this part and you’ll definitely leave a mountain of cash behind.

So put on your sleuthing hat and dust off the old magnifying glass because…

You’re about to become a sales detective!

Something you may not know is… in a lot of cases pro copywriters will spend 75% of their time researching and only 25% writing!

It’s that important!

WARNING: Beware of the dangerous trap that unsuspecting business owners and entrepreneurs fall into!

And that is…

They “ASSUME” they know what their client wants!

WRONG!

You’ve heard it before… ASSUME (or ASS-U-ME) means making an ASS out of U and ME.

Do you want to become a marketing expert overnight? Then ask your clients what they want. Duh! Pretty simple right?

Here’s a BIG distinction you need to imprint in your brain:

“You are not your client”

To help you Uncover More Copy Gold Than A Prospector During The 1800’s Gold Rush I’ve put together a list of what to look for in your detective researching time:

Who is your ideal client? Can you picture a real person?
What are their needs, wants, fears, frustrations and objections?
What is their age, sex, hobbies, interests, income etc?
What is their typical day is like?
What conversations they are having in their own mind?
What is the story of the product or service you are selling?
Is there a story of a successful customer or client?
What is your personal story?
What are the feature and benefits you are offering?
What are the motivating factors?
What are the emotional triggers?
What are your competitors offering?
What has worked and what hasn’t worked in the past?

Believe me – that list could go on forever!

And lucky for you…as a valued reader…I’m going to share the exact copywriting questionnaire that I use to suck all of this important information out of the clients I write copy for.

But first, stay tuned for my next post where I’ll show you…

The TOP 4 Ways to Learn More Than An Eavesdropper At A Gossip Convention!

Think big. Be different…

Bret Thomson

Hello From Bret!

May 5th, 2010 | Bret Thomson

Dear Friend

Geeez… if I made a buck out of everyone asking me this…

“Bret, when are you putting up your website?”

By now… I’d be laying back, feet up, cocktail in hand, sunbaking on the front deck of a luxury yacht sailing around the Greek Islands!

Okay – in truth? I’d probably have around $36 – but here’s my point…

From what started out as a ‘seemingly’ small decision to give my business a BOOST – turned out to be a major lifestyle shift! Totally in my favour. And guess what?

Believe it or not… but it’s in your favour too. Keep reading to see what I mean…

“So What am I talking about?”

Let me explain: It was the day when I decided to learn the art of “Emotional Direct Response Copywriting”

And look, at the time; I didn’t exactly wake up in the morning and think, “Hey, you know what? I’m bored, so I might start learning a whole new skill today”

You gotta be kidding – Far from it – in fact, after 15 years of slogging away for a boss, managing a multi-million dollar business, babysitting (opps, I mean ‘managing’) 15 staff, running sales teams… making my boss RICH!

Plus – on the home front – trying to be the best Dad I could be to my three gorgeous boys (my little best mates) as a single father. (More on that later)

Then, 18months of trying to get a new business concept off the ground! Unsuccessfully… although not a regret! So yeah… you could say… I wasn’t really busting out of the seems excited to learn a whole new skill from scratch. But here’s what happened…

In what amazed even the most seasoned marketing and copywriting guru’s in Australia, I humbly went from zero, just writing my own copy, to having a line up of some of Australia’s greatest marketers and entrepreneurs knocking at my door – cash in hand – begging and pleading me to write copy for their business!

Weird??? – Damn right – Very weird I thought – Considering that this all happened in just the first 6 months!

But what happened in the following 6months was even a bigger shock!

Was it beginners luck? Well, that was a safe theory early on, but after months and months of continuous successful letters, emails and ads that were getting unprecedented response rates AND sales… Well… that theory wore pretty thin.

So why the sudden mass attention to my copywriting? Well, it obviously wasn’t my good looks or charm, nor a long list of testimonials to refer to. You wanna know what it was?

The answer is simple.

“Results”.

No smokes or mirrors – No B.S – No Hype – just good ol’ fashion black and white, rock solid measurable results.

Can’t argue with the truth right? And get this…

I thought – It’s time to have a red-hot shot for myself!

I decided to put my “new found skill” into action for my own business. I mean after all… I had already helped dozens of other business owners make blistering profits, over and above what they had ever expected. So now it was my turn!

A good mate of mine, Andy, over a couple of glasses of red, decided to go 50/50 in an offline direct mail business.

Cut a long story short – I took a product that was selling for $498 and re-wrote the copy to my standard; added a few extra steps and components; then put it to the test. Here’s what happened.

I was able to sell the exact same product for $1497 (3 X the price) PLUS! I out sold every other distributer in other states by more than double! – Often triple!

Amazingly – My sales letter had a 22% sales rate. Unheard of in the direct mail business. We made $125,000 in 4 months, starting from scratch!

DAMN! This stuff really works!

And then the unthinkable happened…

BANG! Out of the blue…

The business was gone! The guy who owned the rights for the product ended up selling out to someone who wanted all of the marketing rights. No big deal.

So I re opened my doors and started writing copy for other people. And just like last time – the results were staggering! I was writing copy for some of the greatest marketers in Australia AND exceeding their expectations (not an easy feat I hear)

And then “the phone call” – the call that every copywriter dreams of…

It was Mal Emery – easily the country’s No.1 Emotional Direct Response Marketing genius Aka: Australia’s Millionaire Maker.

He’d seen the copy I was punching out, and little did I know, was secretly keeping track of my successes.
In Mal’s own words… “I realized that Bret was the guy I wanted as my personal copywriter. His pure talent will make me a lot more money than I would have to pay him”

Sounds good to me. So he gave me an offer too good to refuse… and as they say, “The rest is history”.
So what’s that got to do with you?

Here’s the scoop. Sure… I’m pretty busy with Mal’s stuff, but occasionally I do take on the odd job for people here and there.

The last guy that snuck into my schedule needed my help to fill a seminar room to a cold list. I whipped out a “guns-are-blazing” sales pack and here’s what happened…

He got a 12.5% take up rate off the first letter! That’ll probably net him around $100,000 in 2days.

Anyway… I’ve gotta fly now… if you wanna touch base with me and see if I can help you, then email me now at info@thecopywritingsystem.com – give a quick overview of your project and then I’ll decide if we go the next step.

So what is the next step anyway?

Good question. I have a copywriting questionnaire that will help me (and you) get inside the head of your client – because then (and only then) is when the ‘magic happens’ with copy.

Anyway, keep an eye out for some emails from me. I plan to share some hot copy tips that anyone, anytime, anywhere, can simply implement immediately into their marketing strategies that will dramatically BOOST response.

Worth reading – stay tuned!

Bye for now