Here is a good example of a “lipstick” letter.
The reference is to the old comedy routine of coming home with lipstick on your collar — and obviously dire situation that would crush a normal man. But a top – notch salesmen should be able to talk his way out of anything. Clients come to me for a “lipstick fix” whenever they really screw up.
My approach is simple: admit the screw-up — in a clever, self-deprecating way that reveals your lovable human frailty — and use it as an opportunity to offer a great new deal. The big secret in copywriting is that most people appreciate honesty (and a good story) so much, they will forgive almost anything… if you give them a plausible reason. Especially if that reason involves a better deal than everyone else gets.
In this letter, the labels on the videos were botched by the printer. Now, production values do not have to be high in direct response, because you’re not selling the product from a shelf in a store. The buyer is not impressed with the label or cover — he’s won over by copy. He never even sees the product until he’s ordered and paid for it and it arrives in the mail.
Still, the screw-up was there. The client could have just ignored it, and gutted out the expected bump in returns. Or… he could see the problem as a way to offer such a great bargain deal that the increased sales would make up for the drastic drop in price.
Worked like a charm. And what started out as a disaster became a huge profit-maker.
I’ve used this technique a lot. The second “lipstick” letter I’ve included here concerns and instructional video (“The Money Zone”) which was shot outside… And the noise from the wind made the tape almost inaudible. That product sat on the shelf for nearly 2 years, never marketed… until I learned about it, and wrote a letter explaining the problem… and offering a bargain. I suspected that a lot of golfers don’t care all about the quality of a training tape… as long as the secret revealed really deliver. This one did. In fact, the “wind tape” became one of the biggest sellers of the year.
With information products, it is the information that counts. If Marilyn Monroe in her prime slipped you her private phone number, you wouldn’t care if it was scrawled with a crayon on a wet bar napkin, would you. It’s the information that interests you, not the presentation. On the other hand… an annoying insurance salesman could offer you a gold-plated business card, the finest design you’ve ever seen… And it would not make the information on the card one bit more important to you.
It’s all about giving the customer what he wants. There are a few problems that cannot be fixed, few objections that cannot be overcome… If you put your mind to it. Even old, sick dogs can find a new home if you know where to look. Not everyone wants a new puppy.
Click here to see the “We Screwed Up Big Time” ad.
Click here to see the “Money Zone” ad.
(They will each open in a new window or tab, so you can toggle between the ad and Carlton’s commentary.)
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