Direct Response Copywriter on the Legacy of Clayton Makepeace

A big name in the copywriting world left us last week, Clayton Makepeace. He was the #1 working direct response copywriter for many years. I know he wrote for Boardroom and established some controls there, always a sure sign of ability. He also wrote a ton of copy for Weiss Research.

For many years, Makepeace had his own shop, complete with copy cubs. He must have had many clients over the years. I believe Makepeace was in movies, or TV, or something in Hollywood before getting into copywriting. He was a producer or director, or maybe both.

I met Clayton several times at the AWAI Bootcamp in Delray Beach. He was always the star of the show, hands down. He held court at the bar in the hotel where the event takes place. His presentation on the final day was always the best and I actually got some valuable direction: not always the case from the bootcamp presentations. I also met him at the Titans Mastermind one time in Miami. We didn’t get a chance to chat very much.

What was Clayton like in person? I only met him briefly, ultimately, and he was pleasant, affable, gentlemanly, and gregarious. He enjoyed life, touring the country on a Harley, etc.

Here’s what every direct response copywriter and direct marketeer should take here, in no particular order.

First, Clayton was one of the good guys, white hat all the way. He certainly put the truth in the best possible light but he was NOT in the camp of copywriters who will just make things up. Clayton did his homework. He found the truth. He told the truth. His research was really deep.

I invested (and it’s a lot of money) in Clayton's Quick Start Copywriting System. It’s two manuals and it set me back over $1,000. But it’s worth every penny. Interestingly, and in opposition to the AWAI pitch, the introduction includes these words:

“Before you take the copywriting world by storm, there’s something you should know …

Pursuing a copywriting career is NOT a get-rich-quick-scheme.”

There are lots of copywriters who are simply famous for being famous. In fact, here’s something Clayton wrote on his blog …

“Right now, the Internet is crawling with charlatans claiming to be the greatest copywriter alive – and then urging you to pay them a fortune for their books and courses. Many are complete frauds – scam artists who have never had a single hot control for a major mailer – looking to make a quick buck off of you.”

That was in 2008. Things haven’t changed that much.

You’ll hear the word “legendary” bandied about. These “legendary” copywriters had a couple of successful promotions 20 years ago, got on the speaking circuit, and now hawk their overpriced products and services.

Clayton Makepeace was actually the real deal. He had a lot of talent AND he really worked to learn as much as he could. Clayton knew direct response copywriting and he knew direct marketing. I’d like to meet someone with a deeper technical knowledge. And it was all based on what worked. A big goal of mine is to develop that level of direct marketing technical know-how. Clayton really studied … and it showed.

I don’t think Clayton ever wrote a book, which is a pity. There’s the Quick Start Copywriting System. But you’ll find a deep well of information on his blog. It’s here.

Clayton’s blog is free and it’s essentially one of the best books ever written about direct marketing.

AWAI has a really great course featuring Clayton detailing how to write a VSL. It’s gold. It’s called “The Makepeace Method for Making a Fortune Writing Video Sales Letters.” Invest in that if you want to write high-converting VSLs.

Maybe there are some other resources I don’t know about.

We really lost a giant in the direct response copywriting world this past week. If you’re a direct response copywriter or you’re in direct marketing, learn as much as you can from Clayton and ignore the 'charlatans' he wrote about on his blog.

Direct Response Copywriter on The Truth About Marketing

I just finished going through the edits for one of my books. It’s my 17th and it’s about marketing, specifically direct marketing and the power of direct response copywriting.

The book will help all business people understand direct response copywriting and the work of a direct response copywriter. Everyone should understand what a direct response copywriter does, and can do, for a business.

In that book and, indeed, in many of my blogs, I HAMMER away at branding advertising and the people who say stupid things like “brand equity” and “brand engagement” and “re-branding” and "brand authority." I pound away mercilessly at branding agencies and their ilk.

Quite frankly, I love it. I’m not the only one who thinks this way. I’m not comparing myself to David Ogilvy, Gary Bencivenga, Dan Kennedy, Claude Hopkins, and John Caples, but they ALL say precisely the same thing about branding and creativity. They are all on the direct marketing side.

I’m not writing to please the merchants of branding. They aren’t my clients, unless they all decide to cross the chasm. I don’t care what they think. I care about the business owners who NEED direct marketing. I care about the CEO of a company who has been duped by an overpaid CMO into thinking that branding is what it’s all about. I care about the people who are directly impacted by the raw malpractice of so many CMOs who have never even heard of books like Tested Advertising Methods and Scientific Advertising. These CMOs win prizes and they take home bonuses and big paychecks but they rarely know anything about selling, which is what marketing is all about.

You won’t get apologies from me when I point out the malfeasance. I’m a direct response copywriter. You’ll be over there winning prizes. I’ll be over here driving revenue.

Direct Response Copywriter on the Power of Persistence

Several years ago, I was extremely fortunate to work with Jim McLean, the extremely successful golf teacher. And well before that, McLean was fortunate to work with a golfer named Jackie Burke who won The Masters in 1956 and is enjoying a long and fruitful career in golf and business. I still work with Jim McLean on various projects.

Burke told McLean “I never saw a persistent man fail.”

These words stuck with McLean and they have stuck with me. I think about the word “persistence” almost every day.

The more I think about it, the more I believe that direct marketing and direct response copywriting success comes down to persistence.

Last week, a company I know very well asked me to write a presentation to help them improve one part of their business that’s not going very well. It should be going well. It's a great offer to the perfect audience.

In looking at how they market this particular product, I noticed something pretty obvious. There’s only one touchpoint to market this product. Once someone says “no” then that’s it. So I simply said, in my presentation, “that first 'no' must not be the end of the conversation, it should be the beginning.”

I’m a direct response copywriter, so I’m going to tell you the copy and the message are important. Vital, even. But with 7-10 touchpoints instead of 1, guess what’s going to happen?

Someone I know once referred to this consistency as “polite persistence” and that’s a phrase I like very much.

There’s a lot of failure in direct marketing. We fail a ton. But the top direct marketers keep going and keep pounding away. They also keep testing. It’s all about persistence. It’s not a concept that branding people understand because they can’t measure anything. A campaign lasts for a defined period and that's that.

Dan Kennedy said that most people give up when there’s the first sign of a headwind. And he’s right. Many people fail because they’re not persistent. I’m a direct response copywriter which ultimately means I’m in sales. The great salespeople and the great marketers know that 99% of sales begin with the word “no.”

But they also understand that’s just the beginning of the journey that ultimately leads to a “yes.” If you have the right market, the right offer, and the right direct response copywriter, then persistence will pay off.

Direct Response Copywriter on Whether or Not to Attend Conferences

If you’re a direct response copywriter or if you’re a direct marketer, you could attend a conference or seminar or some type of salient event every single week with the possible exception of the last two weeks of December.

And that’s in person. You could also attend events virtually or buy access to the DVDs or videos after the event.

Should you attend events?

For about 6 years, I regularly attended events. Plus I was in a marketing peer group and we met 3 times a year.

I spent quite a bit of money attending the events. There’s the cost of attending plus the cost of travel plus the indirect costs associated with not writing.

Was it worth it?

Yes and here’s why …

I learned a huge amount about direct marketing and direct response copywriting.

It was fun to travel and see new places.

I got to meet a lot of wonderful and fantastic people.

On many occasions, I got to meet some fascinating and accomplished pros.

I received some assignments directly from certain direct marketing companies.

It also sent a message to my clients that I’m working hard to improve and learn.

I have taken what I’ve learned directly to my clients and to my practice.

However, at least for the next several months, maybe longer, I’m probably NOT going to attend any events.

I just received an invitation to attend an event next month in Brooklyn. It’s for direct response copywriters and I’m not even remotely interested in going.

Why?

For that particular event, I know some of the speakers and they’re rubbish. There are some accomplished copywriters who are attending but I’ve heard them speak before. I know what they’re going to say.

I’ve heard a lot of great speakers but I’ve also seen some speakers I find a bit galling. I don’t agree with their basic approach OR their presentation is/was poor. But that’s to be expected. You can’t like ALL the speakers at an event.

It’s happening less and less but some conferences are partly a pitch-fest where the speakers are trying to sell something. That’s a controversial subject, I know.

After about 4 years of attending events, something interesting happens. The same speakers start appearing at all the events. There are speakers who are simply famous … for being famous.

Sometimes, an event planner really works extremely hard to find people who aren’t famous but are really getting it done. Those are the people I want to hear and meet, even if they’re not the greatest speakers.

My ego says, or used to say, that I should be up there on the platform speaking. But I’m not super-interested in that anymore. I’m more interested in helping my clients succeed … and building my own business. I have plenty to say, based on my success, but event organizers never contact me. But I don’t contact them, either. It’s not a big deal, really.

So take some time to attend events but check out the speakers and the organizers first. You’ll learn a great deal at the right events, but, after a while, you might end up hearing the same material.

Direct Response Copywriter on The Crossroads Close and Open

I’m sure you’ve seen the crossroads close. I use it for just about every promotion I write. It's an important tool for the direct response copywriter.

Basically, I write, “you have two ways to go here … you can continue to live without a head on your shoulders … OR … you can get the Acme Head Attacher and live with a head firmly on your shoulders for the rest of your life. I know you’ll make the right decision. Click here now to get your head back.”

It’s a little bit aggressive, for sure, but it’s copy that moves the prospect toward buying the product or service.

But have you considered the crossroads open?

I rarely use the crossroads open in print or web copy but it’s a vital part of writing for video sales letters. I write about VSLs in a later chapter. But here’s how it might go in a VSL.

Look … you have a really simple decision to make right now. You can ignore this free presentation and never really discover this new way to find stocks that are poised to explode in value … OR … you can stay with me for a few minutes and you’ll get some exclusive information about the financial expert who has created this new stock-picking algorithm. And one more thing … this free presentation may be gone if you come back later or there may be a charge for it. Watch it now while it’s still here and still free.

You can even use the crossroads open in a headline and/or deck.

“You Can Ignore This Page and Continue to Suffer With Painful Feet … OR … You Can Meet the Doctor Who Recently Helped A Patient Go from Being in a Wheelchair to Climbing the Highest Mountain in Colorado.”

You can also use the crossroads open in your lead plus there are subtle variations. Here’s an example of a lead.

I know you’re busy and I know your time is precious. And I know you could be doing something else right now. But stay with me for the next few minutes.

Why?

Because I’m going to reveal an all-new way to take your accounting business from a disaster that’s always a headache … to a practice that’s fun and 4 TIMES MORE PROFITABLE.

Try the crossroads close, certainly, but also try the crossroads open.

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I'm a direct response copywriter working for clients around the world. Enter your information to the right for my free series: Seven Steps to High Converting Copy. Or [contact me here][2] when you have a project you'd like to discuss. I'm also a Dan Kennedy certified copywriter for information products.