Gary Halbert · whole document (22)
2005 - 07-13-05
The REAL reason the Eye Centers' letter worked... the really "stand out" feature of this letter over most other letters... can be summed up in one word:
Proof!
Specific, detailed proof.
Ray Mays, the Director of the Eye Centers of Tennessee, gave me substantial help with that letter. How so? He provided me with an enormous amount of detailed information. Information which went a long way to prove the extraordinary lengths Dr. Patterson goes through to provide all his patients with the best possible care... and... the extraordinary lengths Dr. Patterson goes through to ensure all his operations are as safe as possible. I used a great deal of what Ray Mays had already written about the specifics of how Dr. Patterson conducts his medical practice, word-for-word. I used most of it unchanged. And Ray Mays deserves as much credit for the success of that letter as I do. He provided me with nearly all the "ammunition" I needed to write the letter. My primary job was to properly sequence and "showcase" this ammunition so that it would get noticed and read by the target audience.
However, even though Ray Mays provided me with all this invaluable ammunition, you know what else I did? I had Dr. Patterson treat me exactly as though I were a new patient. I filled out the admitting forms, allowed myself to have my eyes examined by his staff, and went through the whole routine just as though I were a real new patient getting ready to find out if I was a candidate for this surgery.
It also didn't hurt that I, myself, have had two eye surgeries. One of which involved the removal of a cataract (which is Dr. Patterson's specialty).
Many of my readers were shrewd enough to mention the letter was, in many ways, similar to the famous "Schlitz Beer Letter" written by Claude Hopkins decades ago. What Claude Hopkins did when he was preparing the advertisement for Schlitz Beer was dramatize the lengths the company went through to create their beer in a 100% sterile environment. Other beer companies probably did the same things to ensure the sterility of their product... but...
They Never Bothered
To Inform The Drinking Public
About All These Specific Details!
Probably other eye surgeons use some of the same procedures Dr. Patterson uses to ensure the safety and effectiveness of their operations... but... they miss the mark by not informing their patients about all this.
Remember, I said the Eye Centers' letter is not only a good example of proof, I said it was specific, detailed proof. Here's just a few examples of what I mean:
Where The Procedures Are Performed
Dr. Patterson performs all eye surgeries in an ambulatory surgery center which is licensed by the State of Tennessee and certified by the U.S. Government. The surgery center is built to the exact same standards required for open-heart surgery or brain surgery. For example, Dr. Patterson's surgery center features: