Dec 04

After
writing that first letter, I started writing sales letters for
financial products on an almost assembly-line basis. I wrote them
for coin dealers, Agora Publishing, KCI Publishing, Phillips Publishing,
and others. These were companies that mailed tens of millions
of sales letters a year.

It
was such an easy gig for me, I could almost sleep through all
of the "work" I was doing.

But
That Was Soon To Change!

One
day (when I was living in Oakwood Garden Apartments in Burbank,
California) I read a sales letter (it would turn out to be the
first of many) written by a man named Gary Bencivenga. As I read
that letter, my heart sank.

His
sales letter was so well crafted, so impactful from a sales point
of view, I knew if I had to compete against this guy, it would
no longer be like shooting fish in a barrel.

This
guy was good! In fact, he wasn't just good, he was unbelievably
good!

Throughout
the years, Gary created a steady stream of some of the best sales
messages ever written. But I think even beyond his outstanding
writing ability, his understanding of human psychology is truly
exceptional.

Gary
recently sent a Christmas message to all of his subscribers and
it touched my heart so much, I am (with his permission) reproducing
it here. Don't start reading it thinking it is simply a "holiday
message" (it WILL lift the heart of everyone who reads it)...
but... do pay special attention because it also contains a very
valuable marketing lesson.