Ta-da!

Ships are big money-sucking machines when they aren't at sea actually doing their job -- shipping merchandise. And when aren't they working? When they're sitting in port being loaded and unloaded.

So, industry came up with way to preload merchandise on land. Now a ship comes in, container carrying cargo rolls off, a new container already loaded with cargo rolls on, and ship heads back to sea.

That one innovation saved an entire industry. And it happened because shipping executives changed way they viewed their problem.

Creativity Exercise -- Change your perspective So, how can you change your perspective and solve your business/marketing problems?

Try what shipping industry did and change question.

Instead of looking at a narrow part of problem ("In what ways can we make ships more economical while at sea?") broaden question ("In what ways can we reduce costs in general?")

Here's another example.

Maybe your question is "how can I land more clients?" What if you started broadening question like so:

How can I land more clients?

How can I grow my business?

How can I make more money from my business?

How can I make more money period?

How can I be happier in my life? (I know, I know, money doesn't buy happiness. But it's certainly nice to have.)

Maybe one of those questions is a better place to look for a solution. Because maybe one of those questions is "real" question you want to solve, but since you never took a step back to look at big picture, you've never discovered right question to ask.

And if you don't ask right question, your muse will never give you an answer that actually solves your problem.

This happens to us when we WANT to hear what we are hearing. When we WANT it to be true. When we allow ourselves to dream.

This is how hype works. It deepens our state of submission and creates a state of almost dreamlike optimism.

And it works.

The significant downside to this approach is that most of us wake up from dream and find that promises were empty. Or, to put it another way, we bought ticket, but didn’t win lottery.

So if your aim is to build long-term relationships with your readers, prospects and customers, using hype is not way to go.

>> Long copy style #2: Selling with a Human Connection

The second style of long copy approach is quite different. Again, these are often stand-alone pages, many screens long. Again, you’ll find headings, subheads, indents and testimonials.

But you’ll find a very different approach in writing style.

If you have ever read a sales letter from Bill Bonner, Ken Evoy or Allan Gardyne... this is kind of writing I’m talking about.

These are still long, enthusiastic letters...and pace still draws you down, line after line.

But here are some differences, and they are very significant.

- Within text you will hear genuine voice of writer. You’re not being sold with copy written by ‘Dream-O-Matic 2000’ – you’re being sold by a recognizable human voice, voice of Bill, Ken or Allan.

- You are not succumbing to that state of dreamlike submission and suspending your critical faculties. You remain quite rational and quite clear in your thinking.

- You are hearing a voice that sounds and feels infinitely more trustworthy.

- You don’t have to suspend your disbelief. Instead, you feel comfortable and believe what you are reading.

At end of a letter like this, you make a choice...buy or not to buy. And it’s a choice you are much less likely to regret.

Online sales letters like these are children of traditional direct response letter writing. Good direct mail letters are written in this second way – by making a genuine connection with reader and earning his or her trust.

There is a big upside to this second approach. It builds trust and loyalty. If your strategy is to build a list of happy prospects and customers who will come back again and again, this is style you will want to adopt.

>> Conclusions

Long copy works, and it works in more than one way.

If you can reach a big enough readership (no small feat) and want to make big money, right now, hype might work for you.

But if you want to build a long-term list of repeat customers... be yourself and write to your audience with an enthusiasm that is built on a foundation of honesty and respect for your readers.