Superb Copywriting

From the Desk of: Michael Humphreys
Tuesday, 1:28 P.M.

Dear Fellow Marketer, 

Maybe something like this has happened to you…

It was late 2005 when my life took an abrupt turn. 

My cell phone rang and I looked at the Caller ID. It was one of my best friends, Tom. I thought to myself, maybe he’s calling to talk about football today.

“Mike, I really need your help. My website is killing my business. I don’t know what to do.”

Tom is probably the hardest working guy I know — he owns a commercial farm called Beechdale Animal Supplies that employs over a dozen other people. The guy works 7 days a week and hasn’t taken a vacation in years. 

Tom’s idea of a short work week is 80 hours, so I always felt guilty if I complained about putting in a long week myself.

Turns out that Tom decided to get a website to help promote his business.

Tom has never claimed to be a writer, so he asked one of his employees to write the website’s sales letter for him.

STRIKE ONE.

It wasn’t making any sales or even convincing people to call with questions.

Someone suggested Tom try using Pay per Click to drive more traffic to the site. 

Tom had never used it before but he figured, ‘How hard could it be?’

Uh-oh. 

STRIKE TWO. 

The site was now producing only 0.1% of his total sales but was quickly becoming a major expense. In other words, the online part of his business was running deeply in the red. 

Worse, he had a big pay-per-click advertising bill that was going to automatically hit his bank account in a month.

“Mike, can you write a new sales letter for my website?” 

“Tom, I don’t have time. Besides I don’t do work for friends.” 

“Dammit Mike I introduced you to your wife! The least you can do is help me with my marketing so I don’t lose my business over this damn website.” 

SIGH. 

I was hoping he wasn’t going to mention that fact. I thought asking Tom to serve as best man at my wedding had been enough to repay that favor of a lifetime.

Looking back, it was easy to see why Tom had turned to me. I have been writing offline and online direct response marketing for my own businesses since 1993. 

Since I was putting my own money on the line with every marketing piece I used, I kept studying and refining my skills. 

I wasn’t happy with mediocre marketing, so I studied and learned from the best. I worked constantly to keep improving my skills (and still do today). 

“All right, I’ll help you.” 

“Great! How much are you going to charge me?” 

“I don’t want to charge you. I’m helping you because you’re making me feel guilty.” 

“Well, I don’t feel right asking you to do it for free either.”

We quickly agreed on a price and Tom gave me all of the information I needed to write his new sales letter. I spent a couple of days writing something for his business and uploaded it to his website for him.

For the next 4 weeks I avoided talking about the sales letter with Tom. Whenever he started talking about business, I’d quickly change the topic.

About a month later, my cell phone rang again. It was Tom and he sounded really excited.

“Mike, guess what? The sales letter you wrote worked great! My internet sales went up 1000% right away.

Not only can I pay that PPC bill off, but my business was able to pay off some other bills early too.” 

“Tom, that’s great!” 

“I agree. 

Oh, by the way… I gave your phone number to four other business owners I know who could use your help. So, what exactly do you call what you did for my business…” 

“Tom, I’m not sure. Let me get back to you on that…”

From that moment, I knew I had found my calling. I didn’t know what it was called then, but after doing some research, I found out it had a name: Copywriting or the art of crafting marketing that produces profits for my clients.

But first, let me tell you why you’ll want to…

“In 1993, I became self-employed, starting with no money or business training. Over the years, I have studied hundreds of business books and courses. Every business concept or marketing idea that I use has been tested or proven to work in my own businesses. Since 2004 I have written one of the most popular email newsletters in the massage industry called “From The Massage Table”. I’ve also written a successful massage marketing manual called “Help Your MASSAGE Practice” and countless other training materials for therapists worldwide. Since then I’ve taken my considerable marketing and sales skills and started using them to help other business owners create more profits and sales in their businesses too.”

Hello, my name is Michael Humphreys. I’m a professional copywriter who creates offline & online marketing that adds profits to my client’s bank accounts.

I love helping other people succeed. More importantly, I’m looking for a few well-qualified clients that I can help take their businesses to the next profitable level.

Before I started writing copy for others, I wrote all of my own marketing & advertising for my massage therapy center.

It was a center that I created from a single practitioner practice and owned for 6 ½ years.

It was a priceless experience — I had plenty of “gun to the head” moments where I needed a marketing promotion to produce or I was in deep trouble… maybe even out of business if the promotion completely bombed.

Moments like that will teach you how to become a strong marketer… or join the ranks of the unemployed.

That’s what I think of when I write for my clients today. I put my heart & soul into it because I know how much they are counting on their marketing to work.

Did my marketing efforts work? You bet.

My massage therapy center was so successful that other people, even in other industries, starting seeking me to help them with their businesses.

At first, I would just throw a few marketing nuggets to point them in the right direction.

At first, I would just throw a few marketing nuggets to point them in the right direction.

It wasn’t hard to point them in the right direction.

After all…

But that wasn’t enough.

It didn’t take long until some of my consulting clients started asking me to write marketing for them.

They wanted to improve their results and quite frankly… most of them were using some pretty bad marketing.

I started getting more requests for copywriting and marketing help in countless other industries — strictly by word-of-mouth.

n August 2006, I decided to start accepting copywriting clients. I decided I wanted to turn my moonlighting as a marketing consultant into a full-time business.

It didn’t take very long for me to get pretty busy…In fact, within 2 months, I had enough copywriting projects to start writing copy on a full-time basis and I’ve been full-time ever since!

Since then, I’ve ghost-written copy for some of the biggest named copywriters and marketers in the world.

In fact, one of my direct mail marketing pieces produced over $70K in sales during the first 2 days alone! (Due to signing a non-disclosure agreement I can’t reveal more of the details of that project publicly).

Another one of my clients even hired me on a one year contract to rework dozens of his websites.

Some of my numerous clients include well-known marketers like Mike Capuzzi, Jason James, Brad Callen, and Anik Singal. I’d love to reveal more of my famous-named clients but unfortunately, they’ve sworn me to secrecy so I can’t spill the beans.

Here’s what some of my clients will let me share with you…

But it’s not just my clients raving about me.

In December 2008, legendary copywriter Clayton Makepeace held a world-wide open contest for best promotional email, blog post, or YouTube video. Clayton asked copywriters to submit their best stuff for promoting his copywriting training site.

Clayton is a great copywriting teacher so I was more than happy to help. I cleared a few hours in my schedule and wrote a 3 page email as my entry into the contest.

When the contest ended about a month later, I was declared the winner of the best promotional email category! (You can get the full scoop here)

Actually, there’s more than one.

But, one of the most important skills I learned during my years as a massage therapist was how to sell without resorting to hard-pressure selling tactics.

There’s 7 major objections to overcome with massage therapy — none of which can be beaten by a hard sell.

“I love helping other people succeed. More importantly, I’m looking for a few well-qualified clients that I can help take their business to the next level.”

As your marketing consultant and copywriter, that’s exactly what my mission is: Give you online or offline marketing that sells the benefits of owning your product (or service) without triggering your prospects’ B.S. detectors.

Your marketing can’t sound like someone is banging on a trash can lid with a metal spoon in your prospect’s ear as they are trying to read it… or you will lose the sale.

Done correctly, your marketing — offline or online — should remind your prospects of the problems they are dealing with… how your product or service can help… and everything they will gain by buying from you.

It should be easy for them to read… perhaps even tell them a story to boot.

Most of my client projects come from current clients hiring to write even more of their marketing and new prospects that have been referred to me.

Quite simply, you don’t get repeat business or even referrals if you don’t produce results for your clients.

What types of results could I produce for you and your business?

Well, here’s…

I help my clients quickly identify the marketing or advertising that are acting like a profit-draining dog and convert them into a cash-register ringing diamond mine.

A lot of copywriters and marketing consultants talk a good game until their copy underperforms. Then suddenly, you can’t get them on the phone or even a reply by email.

I want to reassure that’s not how I run my business. I want to see every one of my client projects succeed.

I’m here for the long haul and I never back down from a challenge.

So I’ll start with reviewing your project’s marketing plan and advising you on any short-comings or deficiencies I might see.

In order to produce the best bang for your marketing buck, it takes more than great copy so I’ll help you set the stage for producing better results right from the start.

In terms of the copy that I write… In the rare event that my copy doesn’t convert as well as we both had hoped, I’ll take it apart. I’ll look for any holes where we could have lost conversions. I’ll rewrite any or all of the copy that needs to be reworked in order to work correctly.

Then I’ll examine the marketing that was used with a fine tooth comb too. You’ll have my exact analysis of where things went off-track and my expert advice on how to correct the under performing campaign.

And here’s where the rubber meets the road…

Based on my current consulting fees, this is easily worth thousands of dollars but it’s yours free of charge as a value-added service for my clients.

That’s how I believe in taking care of my clients.

In other words…

That’s my promise to you IF you decide to become one of my valued clients.

No problem.

Sometimes making the decision to work with a marketing consultant or copywriter can be nerve-racking.

Unless you’ve worked with them before, you’re nervous about how good (or bad) they may truly be.

But I want to put your mind to ease – or at least as much as I am able to. And that’s why I going to take most of the risk off of your shoulders and put it squarely onto mine.

Here’s what I mean…

As a full-time copywriter since October 2006, I’ve written copy for many clients — including well-known marketers like Mike Capuzzi, Jason James, Brad Callen, and Anik Singal. There’s plenty more clients that you probably wouldn’t recognize their names unless they were in the same niche as you.

Some of my clients have made me take a professional vow of silence. They don’t want anyone else knowing who writes their copy because it might mean I become too busy to write for them. Others don’t want the world to know exactly how much money my copy pulls in for their business.

For example, one of my direct mail marketing pieces produced over $100K in just 4 weeks but due to signing a non-disclosure agreement I can not reveal any of the details of that project.

Another one of my clients hired me on a six month retainer to write all of his copy and advise him on his marketing. Yet another client hired me to write a salesletter for their product and then stay on for another year, testing and tweaking it for maximum profits.

I could tell you more stories like these ones but I think you get the point — I’m a busy full-time professional copywriter and I charge for my services accordingly.

My existing clients say the marketing and sales copy I’ve written for them is worth far more than what they paid me to create it.

But I’m not in a rush to price myself out of most people’s financial reach.

The fact of the matter is I want to help business owners and entrepreneurs as I can… at least those who want to work with someone with my skills and expertise.

First, I need to hear about your project. I write my best when I’m working on a project that I’m truly interested in.

If it’s a project that I’m interested in, I’ll give you a quote. Otherwise, I’ll recommend another copywriter that you may want to contact instead.

To date, about 70% of the projects I’m offered I turn down because of topic or an unmeetable deadline.

Let’s face it: there are some topics that I wouldn’t want to spend dozens of hours researching, reading, and writing about… if you were in my shoes, would you?

Like any other top-notch copywriter or marketing consultant, I already have other client projects on my schedule.

As of now, that’s 4-6 weeks’ worth of bookings.

That leaves you with two choices.

The first option is to book your project at my first available opening. Simply use the form below and describe your project in some detail. I’ll get back to you, usually within 1 business day with an answer or even a full quote.

The second option is to pay a 50% rush fee, in addition to my quoted fee. The rush fee means I schedule your project as soon as possible, even if it means I have to postpone work on other paying projects or work nights/weekends and take time away from my family.

Either option gets you the copy you need written by a top pro at below market prices. It doesn’t matter whether it’s online or offline marketing … I’ve created winners in both categories.

But don’t wait to contact me. For starters, many of my current clients have booked additional projects with me, so I have very limited openings remaining for new clients.

If you snooze, then you will lose out on getting my professional help in the near future.

To get started, I recommend you use the contact page on this website and tell me what your marketing needs are. I will give you an exact quote, typically within 1 business day.

Fact: Writing a great sale letter marketing piece is extremely time-consuming…

It is perfectly normal to expect a copywriter to need 3-4 weeks to research the target market and create the right profit-producing sales copy for you.

If you are looking for a sales letter to be written within 1-2 weeks, then contact me for “urgent” copy prices that start at $8000.

I charge more for “urgent” copy because I either have to postpone work on other paying projects or work nights/weekends and take time away from my family.

	CB Recon
	Easy Referral Systems
	Rocking Book Blurbs
	Market Your Copy (sales letter with video)

And Some Samples
of Copy I’ve Written For My Clients…

	CopyDoodles
	Giveaway Riches (Sales Letters)
	Article Submitter
	Four Horsemen of Disruptive Technology
	Internet Marketing Insider (Squeeze Page)
	Power Seller Pak (Squeeze Page)

Here’s a link to the Clayton Makepeace copywriting contest that I won…

Let’s face it: You are faced with the opportunity of a lifetime.

I don’t mean to sound like I’m bragging or boasting but you will be hard-pressed to find another marketing consultant or copywriter with my level of experience and skills who charges the same modest fees that I charge.

Most of them will charge more – a lot more if you want to get on their dance card.

My existing clients already know this… that’s why they keep hiring to write all of their marketing and sales copy.

Some of them even refer their business allies and friends my way… which cuts my availability down even more.

That means before I accept a single new client, my schedule is already pretty full. It also means that I can be more selective of what new projects I accept.

Why be more selective?

There are a few great reasons why.

First, it allows me to focus on the projects that I believe I have the best chance to turn into a winner. I’m well-aware of what my professional strengths are and not every project that I’m offered is on a topic that I’m well-versed in.

There are some subjects that would take me months or even years to fully grasp, like say mechanical engineering.

Another copywriter who is also familiar with that topic can probably deliver great copy faster than I could, simply because they already know the ins and outs of that industry or product.

Second, it allows me to dedicate more time to each client project. I can focus my full attention on a client project and give you every ounce of marketing muscle and copywriting magic that I can, so you wind up with the results you desire.

I can research the latest industry or testing data on what is converting best and share it with you before your sales letter goes live.

In contrast, someone who only charges a few hundred dollars per sales letter can’t focus on any one project. They need to write a lot of sales letters every month just to meet their bills.

So here’s the bottom line: you are looking at making an important decision in the not-so-distant future.

You can choose to hire the cheapest available copywriter you can find and pray that they can produce positive results for your business.

But in your heart, you know that’s as likely as a duck hunter hitting any targets after they close their eyes… spin around three times… point their gun skyward and pull the trigger without aiming or looking at what they’re shooting at.

Or you can choose to hire me, the person who can deliver the most bang for your marketing buck. You’ll rest easy knowing that I’ll obsess over the small details and delivering a winner for your business too.

I’ll take the time to find your target market… aim carefully at their hot buttons that get them excited and eager to buy… and pull the trigger – dropping profit-producing customers right into your business.

Don’t waste another minute.

Take the next step by filling out the form below and your information will be confidentially emailed to me directly. I’ll review it and answer your email as soon as possible – often in less than one business day.

Want To Hire Me As Your Professional Copywriter?

Okay, Great! But First, You Must Agree To The
Following Conditions Before I Will Accept Your Project…

	No Porn, MLM, or “Get Rich Quick” Schemes — I’m a family man and will not accept any projects which would either embarrass my family or damage my professional credibility.
	No Spec Work or 100% Commission Projects — My mortgage company doesn’t accept IOUs and neither do I. Again, I have a family to feed and provide for.
	A Non-Refundable Deposit Is Required To Start A Project — After you receive your exact project quote and estimated delivery date, you will need to give a non-refundable deposit of at least 50% of the total fee. This is to “lock in” your spot in my already busy schedule and to discourage any tire kickers from reserving spots that other serious clients are asking for.
	You Agree To Use The Finished Sales Copy Exactly As I Provide It To You For At Least 30 Days — You are hiring me for my expertise in copywriting and marketing. Every sales letter or marketing piece I write uses proven and tested marketing methods to maximize conversion rates. You are hiring a specialist — one who is committed to generating the best possible results he can for every one of his clients.
	The Balance of The Project Fee Is Due Before You Will Receive The Finished Copy — I will contact you before the estimated delivery date and confirm when you will receive a first draft of your sales copy. After you review the copy and tell me any minor changes that are needed, I will make those changes. I will send you the final copy after I have received the balance of your project fee — No exceptions!
	All Client Projects Come With 30 Days of Email-Only Consulting — In the event that the scope of a project dictates a longer time period of consulting then we will reach an agreement in writing which works for everyone involved. There is no ongoing consulting offered as part of a project fee unless I am being compensated through ongoing royalties and/or monthly retainer. If ongoing consulting is needed, then an agreement can be reached to include ongoing additional compensation to me in return for my ongoing involvement in your project. (Note: While this is a recent addition to this portion of my website, this has been my business policy since 2006. If any governement agency has reason to question any portion of this policy, please contact me directly and I will be happy to provide proof by email that this policy has been long-standing.)
	All Sales Copy and Marketing I Write Is Protected By U.S. Copyright — Until your project is paid in full, I am the sole owner of anything I write. Once you’ve paid any outstanding balance, the copyright reverts to being a jointly-owned piece between you and myself. It’s a jointly owned marketing piece for two big reasons. First I would retain the right to show it in my business portfolio — unless we have a non-disclosure agreement in place before the project starts. That leads into the second big reason for a jointly owned marketing piece…
	You Agree That You Will Not Resell Any Marketing Piece or Sales Copy I Write For You Without My Prior Written Permission — Unless we agree upon it beforehand, I am writing your marketing to make you more money — hopefully a lot of money. I am NOT creating your next “must-have” info-product. Or some resell rights product that contains my sales letter can be sold online for any amount of money. If that is your intent, then please let me know upfront and we’ll discuss it in more detail. I might even be agreeable to the idea without further compensation. But surprise me with hocking my work on auction sites… or in some $19.95 resell rights package… or treat it like it’s a mass-produced xerox copy of a famous artists work… or if you give to someone else to alter it and claim it as their own… Well, let’s just say you will have a serious copyright and legal problem on your hands. And yes, all of these scenarios have happened to me! Look… I have worked too hard and for too long to let someone damage my professional reputation because they are solely focused on trying to make a fast buck and don’t care if other people get hurt in the process. (In fact, if that’s how you like to do business, then please do us both a favor and do not contact me. I’m serious.) Be honest with me on what your project goals and plans might be. Our first project together could very well be the first of many projects that we join forces on. If we can work together — great. I promise you’ll get the best possible sales copy I can deliver to you. I’ll even advise you on how to get the best bang for your marketing buck. That way you can reap the rewards delivered by your product and my copy. Fair enough?

Isn’t time you take the next step and bring in a specialist? The type of “hired gun” who specializes in taking ordinary marketing… and turning it into marketing that converts like crazy.

Because if you are ready to…

Generate more sales from your website…

Create a stampede of new eager customers calling your office to place their orders…

Open the floodgates of more hot leads for you and your sales staff…

Then Don’t Wait Another Minute To Get Started…

Stop struggling with your own marketing and hire a sales copy professional. Your bank account will thank you for making one of your very best decisions ever.

To Your Future Success,

P.S. Have an existing sales letter that is converting badly? Not sure if you want — or even truly need my services? No problem. Ask me about my video critique service.

* As with any investment in your business, individual results will vary. Your improvement in response rate can not be guaranteed. Since my professional reputation as a copywriter is at stake with every sales letter I write, you can rest easy knowing that I give every project that I accept 100% of my energy and efforts.