Craig, Are You For Hire?

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Gary Halbert at a seminar in the Florida Keys in 2003.
Craig is the author of "How To Make Maximum Money With Minumum Customers"

Lutz, Florida
Tuesday Afternoon, 2:39 PM

Dear Friend,

You might be wondering if I'm available for copywriting... to consult with you on your marketing... or, if I'm available to speak at various functions.  And the truth is, there really is no "one" answer to all these questions.  If I believe there's a good fit between you and me, chemistry-wise... and with your product or service... and, if we can see eye-to-eye on things... then "Yes!", all these things are certainly possible.  The best thing to do, is just ask me, and you can find out how to do that by heading on over to my "Here's How To Contact Craig" page.

Appreciate though, I turn down more people who want to work with me, than I accept.  So while I must meet your stringent qualifications, you must also meet mine. I have set my business up so that most of my income comes from publishing and consulting and working in niche businesses (usually one or two of them a year).

However, I still do take on one or two copywriting clients a year - based on the project and whether or not it's a fit. Let me also come right out and tell you I am not a "copywriter" in the conventional sense. The work I do is LAYERED in strategies and positioning designed to get, as the title of my book says, "Maximum Money Out Of Minimum Customers."

The copy I create is simply the means to that end.

And since the first step in working with me is booking either an hour or a day of consulting time together, both of which aren't inexpensive, I would strongly encourage you to instead order a copy of my book. This not only gives you a HUGE bang for your buck, but it also gives you an incredibly solid understanding of who I am and what I do. And this, in turn, will give you with 100% certainty... the information you need to answer the question "Should I hire Craig?", or... "What can Craig do for me?"

How do you know if you're likely to
benefit most from us working together?

Generally, the people who get the strongest results out of me, have the following things in common:

• First, you're a business-owner with high aspirations to begin with, and you want to use direct-response marketing to start increasing your cash-flow.

And by the way, I'd recommend using direct-response across a variety of selling "formulas". You should at least be considering: Direct mail... display ads (direct-selling, or 2-step)... lead generation, and the internet.  We'll also take a look at using a few other "non-traditional" ways of marketing as well, that are working very effectively for some of my clients, right now as we're speaking.

Don't worry, I'll show you how to exploit each of these selling formulas to the hilt, and I'll also show you the most effective ways of attracting prospects to you, from each different media you end up using.

• Second, you're open-minded to new suggestions that are outside the realm of what "conventional wisdom" says about marketing. 

Because as you've probably come to realize, one of the "golden rules" of making money as an independent business-owner, is...

“Don’t Ever Bet The Farm On Conventional Wisdom!”

• And lastly, you already know... fancy brochures... “cute” slogans... or elaborate logos, just don’t cut it.

There's NO mystery to effective marketing -- and when I say "effective" marketing, I mean, simply...

“Marketing that makes you money!”

It's very simple actually: If you want incredible results, you're going to have to use extraordinary means to get it.  And the only thing that's going to attract prospects to you, is using the right written words... served to your prospects on a juicy platter of compelling and convincing sales messages.  However, you still probably have one very important question, and that is...

How much is all this going to cost you?

And the answer is, frankly... a lot.  Unlike most copywriters, I charge a flat fee, plus a royalty.

Why the royalty?  Simple: When it comes down to it, I'm first and foremost, a salesman -- and a darn good one.  I just happen to sell in print, as opposed to selling belly-to-belly in person.  And like all good salesman, I want to be paid based on how much I sell -- after all, I've earned that, right?  So, in other words, the more I sell, the more I deserve to be paid, like all good sales people.

And, the more I get paid, and the longer I'm being paid for, the more I I'm invested in you on an ongoing basis, and you're invested in me.

Just like the composer of a hit song gets paid a royalty every time that song gets played on the radio... every time your long-form sales letter or display ad I wrote for you, makes your cash register go "ka-ching"... I get a royalty too.  And since a large part of my compensation is tied to results...

I Only Enter Into Relationships, I Believe...
Will Produce... A Bushel Of Cash!

Then why do I charge an up-front fee as well?

Well, there are actually 3 reasons for doing this:

First... frankly, I'm obsessive about each-and-every-single word that gets written down on your promotion. Just check out my testimonials for more along those lines.  (Read my testimonials here.)  But you have to be obsessive, if you want your copy to reach out and grab your prospects by their lapels, and ultimately get them to give you money.

Plus, the amount of time and effort... and the intensity it takes, to write effective sales copy, is absolutely overwhelming. 

Which is reason number 2, for the up-front fee:

Writing Persuasive And Compelling Copy
That Gets Your Prospects To Take Action... Ain’t Easy!

And anyone who says it is, either doesn't know what "giving you 100%" really means, or... they're just not a very good copywriter!  And lastly, the final reason you've got to invest heavily in my advice up-front, is...

You Won't Listen To Me Unless You Do!

I mean, if you're not paying a lot for my advice... let's be honest:  What's your incentive to listen to me?

Just think: If your doctor "suggested" you start exercising for 30 minutes a day, twice a week... and you absolutely hated exercise with a passion... would you hop-to-it and get out there and start jogging anyway?

Of course you wouldn't.  But... if your doctor told you to get out there and start exercising because if you didn't...

You Were Going To Drop Dead In The Next 7 Days...

... NOW would you do it? You betcha! 

You'd slip on your jogging shoes... slip out your front door... and start running, immediately!  Right?

And why would you, "all-of-a-sudden"... NOW start listening to your doctor?  The answer's quite simple:

Because... You Had Something At Risk!

You see, it's human nature to do the things you normally wouldn't do, only when... the pain of NOT doing these things (in this case, dying)... is greater than the pain of doing them (exercising).  If you don't have any "skin" in the game, then what you're doing simply won't mean anything to you.

That's just a simple fact of life, and it's no different in business.

As far as my upfront fixed fees go, I can tell you right now, I'm pricey.  Bluntly, you're not going to get top-shelf copy at discount prices... ever.  Great sales copy's going to cost you a pretty penny -- but the truth is, NOT having great sales copy's costing you a lot more -- a helluva lot more.

Look, if you want effective copy that's as dependable as a Swiss watch... then you DON'T want a “cheap” copywriter any more than you want a “cheap” cardiologist when it comes time to getting heart surgery.  The bottom line is...

Just Like You’re Not Going To Win The Indy 500 Driving A Ford Pinto -- You're NOT Going To Have A Winning Sales Promotion Putting Money In Your Pockets, Working With Some Lame-Ass Discount Copywriter!

Make sense?

Plus, if you wind up doubling... tripling... or multiplying your investment in me by as much as 10 times, then what's that really worth to you?

Because reality is, hiring me isn't going to cost you money...
it's an investment that's going to make you money.

In fact, having access to my mind... my experience... and my street-smart marketing savvy, applied directly to you and your unique business... completely eliminates any complexity, aggravation, and frustration on your part.

In fact, you'll discover it's going to free up your time,
and release your anxiety... like never before!

You see, having a "push-button" marketing system that's basically running itself on "automatic"... operating independently of you and bringing in cash-flow each-and-every-day -- regardless of whether or not you're in the office... when it comes down to it -- isn't that priceless?

Because without a proven marketing system, the amount of money you’re making will ALWAYS be limited by... how much time you can spend working!

And that doesn’t make for a very good quality of life now, does it?

So if you want to stop the “insanity” that's making your work-days a living nightmare, riddled with anxiety, instead of fun and satisfaction, and you want to “start” making maximum money in minimum time... then talk to me about your situation, and we'll figure out the best way to take care of you, and we'll come to a mutual conclusion about whether or not we'd be able to work well together.  Remember...

It DOESN’T Matter How Hard You’ve Been Working... How Solid Your Ethics Are... Or, How “Technically Smart” You Are!

Ultimately, the ONLY thing that determines how much money is in your bank account... the kind of car you drive... and how often you go away on vacation... is NOT your business savvy or your technical expertise, but how effective your marketing is. Believe me, at one point in time, I was a very bright... very hard-working... and very technically W-A-A-Y above average financial planner, and...

I Was Also... Very Broke!

Because I was focusing on my "business" instead of my "marketing!"  My "technical skills" instead of selling.  And which one of those is going to make you money?

See having good technical skills and good ethics will keep the door open, but the only way to get your foot in the door in the first place, is by having compelling marketing that attracts pre-qualified clients and customers to you.

And you know, there's an old but very wise saying, that goes something like this:

“Insanity is doing the same thing over-and-over again, and expecting different results.”

And I GUARANTEE you this:  IF HOW YOU’RE MARKETING YOURSELF RIGHT NOW, ISN’T GETTING YOU WHERE YOU WANT TO BE... THEN IT’S NOT GOING TO GET YOU THERE IN 30 MORE DAYS... IN 60 MORE DAYS... IN 6 MONTHS... OR IN 5 YEARS, EITHER!

But don't worry: I'll show you how to market yourself, so you can start getting your just desserts, by simply connecting the right emotional messages to the right pre-qualified prospects, already pre-disposed to working with you.  If you're not sure whether or not you and I were meant to be, feel free to again, check out what my clients are saying about me... check out these samples of my writing... or contact me directly to see if we've got the chemistry it takes to make some serious money together!

Also, I'd like to be realistic about something:  Regardless of who you're working with... and what your're selling:

If you're committed to changing your marketing, it's probably not a decision you came up with overnight, and it's probably not a decision you reached, without already experiencing a fair amount of pain, anxiety, and financial loss on your part already.

So make sure you find a direct-response copywriter and a direct-marketing expert who's committed to you. And on that note...

Here’s What You Can Bet The Farm On:

If I do take on your project, here are ONE DOZEN things you can bank on, that I will GUARANTEE. And here they are:

1. First, you won't find another direct-response copywriter and direct-marketing consultant, more committed to your success... than me.

No explanations here, that's just "who I am" -- and if you want more proof, don't believe me, just check out what my clients have to say about that. I'll give you 110% -- 100% of the time.

2. Second, all the writing I do, will be type-set and camera-ready for you, just like the samples of my writing you're seeing here on my website. 

This way, all you need to do is sit back and "plug" in your plan, instead of having to go around worrying about finding typesetters and camera-ready layout people, or even worse... getting headaches when the newspapers and magazines start slamming you with loads of extra fees and surcharges, and then you wind up paying through the nose for extra layout work. 

3. Third, I'll follow through on everything.

Now if you've never worked with a copywriter before, you can't appreciate what this means.  But if you have, then you'll hang your hat on this GUARANTEE, probably more than any of the others.  I'll cover all the bases for you... your project will be thoroughly completed... nothing will fall through the cracks... and... I'll make sure every detail gets covered.

All you need to do is sit back... relax... and let me do my thing.

4. Fourth, I'll do what it takes to get the job done.

You see, this is not our parents world we're living in anymore!  The world is a very complicated place nowadays, and things certainly aren't black-and-white. But you can rest assured, no matter what kinds of obstacles we have to overcome, I'll stick with you and make sure everything gets done in the end. 

5. You get ongoing access to discuss your projects and your business in general, as long as what you need is relevant and reasonable and as long as you have a pre-set appointment. I'm not a babysitter - if you want someone to say "How high?" when you say "Jump!" then I am definitely not your guy. But if you want someone who can give you guidance on your marketing strategies and on your selling formula, and you want a mature business relationship where we are both respectful of each other's time, then I might be your guy.

6. I'll return your phone calls in a timely manner -- don't worry, you'll be well looked after.

7. If I tell you I'll have something ready for you at a certain time, it'll either be ready, or I'll let you know in advance, why it's not. My schedule is very full and I don't make it a habit of wasting time or missing deadlines in my own life, so I won't do anything different with yours.

8. I'll update you with the progress of your project along the way, this way you're not left hanging out there in the dark chewing your nails down to the quick, wondering what's going on.

9. I won't cut corners regarding doing the research that's necessary to complete your project.

Listen, when it comes down to it, the bulk of the success of your project lies in the quality of the research your copywriter does, and his or her ability to communicate the benefits of what that research uncovers, to your prospects.

There's probably no one who's more qualified to understand what you're selling, regardless of the difficulty of it... to conceptualize the best "pitch" to use, to market it... and then to communicate it in layman's terms, than me.  ANd here's why:

• I have a 167 I.Q.!  Look, if I can't understand what you're doing, your prospects will NEVER be able to understand it.

• I live a very fulfilling and rich life, going out of my way to experience everything!  And as you know, in life... that means you get to see the good... the bad... and the ugly. 

So chances are outstanding I've already gone through, in some way... the emotional response that's needed to market your product.

• One of the all-time greatest copywriters, and one of the early pioneers of direct-response -- Claude C. Hopkins, author of Scientific Advertising -- wrote, in "My Life In Advertising":

"... the road to success lies through ordinary people. They form the vast majority. The man who knows them and is one of them stands a vastly better chance..."

"The real people in advertising whom I know are all humble people. They came from humble people and they know them.  Those people are canny, economical, thrifty, suspicious. They are not easily fooled on ordinary purchases. The highly-educated man, the man who has lived in a different environment, cannot understand them!"

Well, along those lines, here's how you benefit from my experience yet again:  For the first 26 years of my life, I grew up in an apartment housing project in The Bronx.  I don't know if that means anything to you, but the Bronx is one of the 5 boroughs of the city of New York (Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, making up the other 4).  It's also the borough with the highest crime rate... the most violence... and the lowest economics.

So believe me, I know the mind of the "ordinary" man. Frankly, I was a bit of a street kid, living "tales of a misspent youth".  However, I started working at age 14... graduated from one of the best high schools in the country... and then I graduated with Dean's List honors, from a top-notch New York City Business College.  After that, I worked as a Certified Public Accountant, dealing with clients ranging from Fortune 500 companies and banks, to small, privately held manufacturing and commodities firms.

I've raised 3 children with a terriffic wife, and experienced my share of life's ups-and-downs like everyone else.

The bottom line is, your chances of finding another person who's got the combination of raw "street smarts" and actual "brain smarts" I have -- that also happens to be a freelance direct-response copywriter -- are about as good as your chances of hitting this week's lotto numbers!

Enough said.

10. If any surprises come up on my end, you won't be the last to know... you'll be the first to know.

11. If you need me to interface with others who will be a part of your project, like your printer for example... or your photographer... that's no problem at all.  Like I said, I've got a vested interest in your success -- I want things to run smoothly too.  And...

12. Lastly, if your project doesn't work, and my copy isn't profitable... I'll stand behind it with my...

“3-for-1 Guarantee!”

And here it is: If your copy isn't profitable...

I'll re-write it up to two more times, at no extra cost to you at all. 

And "Yes", I will put that in writing - no worries there.  You can check around, but I don't know of ANY other copywriter, who's got the balls to offer you that kind of daring and bold guarantee.  I'm not sure if I can be more fair than that, or if I can do anything else to show you how committed I am to your success. That seems to be MORE than enough for everyone I've worked with.  Oh, I'll even throw in one more thing:

I hear all the time, about how so many direct-marketers are unreliable, and for some reason, why the better copywriters are ALWAYS "quirky"... "weird"... or outright "unstable".  And well, that's good news for you.  Because I'm not on medication... I'm relatively normal... well-adjusted socially... I eat with a knife AND a fork... I've had a very loving and very stable relationship with my wife for double-digit years... I don't beat my kids...

Gosh, I don't know what's left -- I even shower twice a day and work out regularly.

Any negatives?

Sure:  I don't mince words -- and for some people that's a negative... I probably curse too much, but don't worry -- I won't do that unless we're comfortable around each other. And... sometimes I'm about as patient as a woman in her 40th week of labor -- although I'm getting "better" about that with age.

The best way to figure out if you and I were meant to be, is to book an hour of coaching time with me, and you'll soon know.  Your hour is risk-FREE, and even if you don't wind up hiring me (or if I tell you I'm not right for you), you're guaranteed to walk away with a ton of ideas about what to do.  So get your credit card out and book some consulting time here, so you can start moving forward:  http://www.kingofcopy.com/consulting

Thank you for reading this message, and I hope you get to live out ALL of your dreams!

Best regards,

Craig Garber
The "King Of Copy"

P.S. One more thing, and it's important:

First, my schedule's insane and I don't want to take on your project unless I can realistically finish it when you want it. And I won't take it on unless I'm as excited about it, as you are. I rarely take on clients by design, so believe me, I have no desire to work on something that's not fun for me.

Second, frankly a lot of the ideas I hear just don't make any sense!  Selling math magazines to cheerleaders... selling "How To Prepare For The Next Alien Invasion" kits... What, are you kidding me?

I'm a copywriter, not Moses -- I don't create miracles! You really can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

Third, bluntly... no matter what you pay me, you're going to get more than that in value.  And in today's day-and-age where there simply is no "service" in the service business, I'm probably going to be the best business relationship you ever get involved with. I am far too busy to work with people who are strictly concerned with one-sided relationships.

In other words...

I'm the real deal, and I do not NEED clients! My publishing and consulting business keeps me plenty busy. So... I'm very selective about who I work with and the projects I take on!

And lastly... the truth is, I'm only interested in working on your project if I think I can dramatically impact your situation, straight out of the starting gate... right from day one.  Because when it comes time to writing copy, you want to make sure you've really got something worthwhile on-hand, before you step-up to the plate and just start swinging wildly!  Right?