2005 - 10-27-05

"We are so sure you will love this product, we are not even going to cash your check until at least 30-days after we have shipped your product. That way, you will have plenty of time to examine our product and discover for yourself how wonderful it is. If you are dissatisfied, you can return the product to us and we will send back to you your UNCASHED check. If you decide to order by credit card, we will not process your credit card for 30-days. So, if you decide to return the product, we will destroy all of your credit card details and your card will never be charged."

Joe Karbo is the first person I know of to use this type of 30-day hold on a large scale. He sold 4 million copies of "The Lazy Man's Way To Riches" by marketing it in the fashion I have just described.

I remember years ago being in Phoenix shooting an infomercial starring me and Don Drysdale (the ex-Dodger pitcher) which was being produced by Dan Kennedy. Guthy-Renker was in the same studio when I was there. They were having a problem with an infomercial selling cosmetics starring Victoria Principal. No matter what they tried, all they could do (at best) was make the infomercial break even. All they were doing was "trading dollars". Then I suggested they try the 30-day hold. They did. The infomercial became wildly profitable and it ran (I believe) for something like 7-years.

I have written two major campaigns relatively recently. One of these campaigns makes a tidy but not spectacular profit when the client uses the 30-day hold. Without the 30-day hold, the promotion is not profitable whatsoever.

I have a relationship with another client who is mailing thousands and thousands of sales letters. These letters would be quite profitable WITHOUT the 30-day hold. However, WITH the 30-day hold, the profits are spectacular!