Dear Friend:

I have a nice head of hair.

And it's a good thing, too.

Because every so often I have a "discussion" with someone that 
leads me to rip much of it out.

For example...

I just got off the phone with a friend who I'm helping put 
together a brochure. He and his wife sell homemade soap. Very 
nice soaps, actually. Beautiful colors and fragrances. Some look 
like nice big, juicy hunks of watermelon. Others resemble fresh 
orange slices... bright lemon wedges... and meaty chunks of 
coconut.

Yum.

(Do you see what PVA's--Powerful Visual Adjectives--can do to 
your copy?)

OK... back to my hair ripping.

Oh, what the heck.... here's the dialogue, as I remember it...


DREW: Hey George... you guys have some wonderful soaps here. 
These fruity soaps are especially appealing. But why just say, 
"Orange-Scented Bar Soap?" Or, "Coconut- Scented Bar Soap?" Why 
not really get into it?

Why not compare the soaps to the freshest, juiciest slices of 
Mandarin or Florida oranges?

Why not talk about how washing your face with it is like 
splashing your skin with liquid sunshine?

How the aroma reminds you of walking in the sunny, breezy orange 
fields of Florida?

And your coconut soap! Yum! Why just say, "Smells like coconut"? 
Why not compare it to the freshly cut coconuts in the sun-soaked 
western Caribbean... reminiscent of the milky white meaty centers 
and the sweet, luscious juice?

GEORGE: That seems a little over the top, don't you think? After 
all, we're not selling food... we're selling SOAP!

DREW: UGH. (To myself.) Of course you're selling SOAP, George, 
but you want to create some romance... some imagery... something 
that people can latch onto. It's called SELLING.

GEORGE: All that doesn't seem necessary.

DREW: NECESSARY? NECESSARY?! It's not NECESSARY to sell soap, 
George! But if you ARE going to do it, why not do it well? Why 
not do it "aggressively?" Why not do more than your competition 
is doing? You're not the ONLY one in this business, you know.

GEORGE: Uh huh.

DREW: I want you to make a fortune with these soaps. They're 
great! But you need to do MORE than your competition. Don't you 
want to stand apart... stand out?

GEORGE: Well, if doing what you're saying was so great, why 
doesn't anyone else do it?

DREW: Why does McDonalds sell billions of dollars worth of 
burgers? It doesn't mean the people who eat all that cow grease 
are smart. It means they're simply doing what they're doing.

You can't go through life saying, "If others aren't doing it, why 
should I?" Most people DON'T do things the best possible way. 
They do what they THINK is best. And since most businesspeople 
don't know much about creating effective advertising, they DON'T 
do what could be most effective!

GEORGE: (Thinking.) (It sounds like a field of crickets.)

DREW: George, listen to me.

GEORGE: I AM listening!

DREW: You're selling specialized soap. You're not selling Ivory. 
Or Zest. Or Irish Spring. You're selling EXPENSIVE soap that has 
2 things going for it: 

1) It's visually beautiful, and…
2) It smells delicious.

To NOT play up the 2 things that make your soap so appealing is 
MISSING THE BOAT!  People don't buy your soap because they simply 
need to get clean. They can get clean a lot more cheaply with a 
bar of plain old, eyeball-burnin' Ivory.  (Ever get Ivory in your 
eyes? Death seems merciful.)

GEORGE: Yes... but.... people will know how it smells WHEN THEY 
BUY IT. Plus, everyone knows what oranges, coconuts and lemons 
smell like. They smell like oranges, coconuts and lemons.

DREW: (To self) Dear God, help me.

GEORGE: ... so why take all that space to describe it to people 
who already know?

DREW: Because it helps persuade!

Look at it this way, George: if someone sees your brochure... and 
that someone likes the smell of oranges... then she is going to 
be romanced by a description that's in keeping with what she 
likes.

(Read that again.)

It helps her imagine! It takes up more "space" in her brain by 
creating a mental movie of the product! Describe the juicy 
wedges... the sunny fields... the handpicking that goes on in 
the orchards... that sweet bursting of aroma when you peel one.

And don't stop there!

Create a deep mental hook with a phrase she won't be able to 
shake. Something like: "The Orange-Juicy Way to Wash!" or 
something similar. Don't call it "lather," call it "Sweet 
Orange-Cream Bubbles."

GEORGE: But won't people think that's a little manipulative?

DREW: It IS manipulative. And NO, they won't think that. 
Besides, ADVERTISING IS MANIPULATIVE! We manipulate people's 
thoughts. That's what it's all about. It's not EVIL, unless 
you're selling junk and your claims are misleading or downright 
false.

It's all about sales, George. And there are degrees of selling. 
Hey, let's face it: you can call yourself a SELLER if you simply 
have something you'll exchange for money. Or, you can be a 
SKILLED seller and incorporate those things that have been PROVEN 
to encourage people to buy. It's your choice.

GEORGE: I hear what you're saying, DREW... but all those fancy 
descriptions. I can't get over the fact that we're just selling 
soap to use those kinds of descriptions.

DREW: (Looking at watch) Well, George... that's my advice. And 
I've been doing this for only 20+ years. I'm sure you'll do 
whatever you feel is right for you. Gotta run!

DREW: Sigh.  (The sound of ripping brown hair.) 

Drew Eric Whitman -- a.k.a. "Dr. Direct!(tm) -- has 
created powerfully effective advertising for small 
retail shops, to giant, multi-million dollar 
organizations, including Day-Timers, Texaco, 
Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Automobile 
Association, Amoco, many others. He's the author of 
"How to Create Power-Packed Ads, Brochures & Sales 
Letters that Make Money NOW!"  Visit him online at:
http://www.1automationwiz.com/app/adtrack.asp?AdID=212290