Gary Halbert · whole document (54)
Modesty Personified
Anyway, I am now doing something I haven't done for a
long time. As of right now, I am actively soliciting
for a few new clients. But, before I get cranked up and
into a full bone pitch, I want to just ramble on for a
few minutes. Look, I recently got the results of a
sales campaign I had written for a very famous person in
the marketing and real estate business. You would know
his name instantly but, for personal reasons, I think
it's best I keep his identity confidential.
In any case, the spreadsheet (Lord, I hate those
things!) he sent me illustrated the copywriting I did
for him pulled in 6-1/2 times MORE MONEY than anything
written by any other copywriter he has ever hired. By
the way, he's a multi-millionaire so he does have the
money to hire the "creme de la creme" of copywriters in
the entire world.
I
want to tell you about the last time I actively
solicited for clients. I was living in Key West and
informed the readers of my newsletter that, if they were
willing to pay my fee ($15,000 upfront and 5% of the
back-end sales my efforts produced) I would pay all
their expenses to fly to Key West and put them up in a
hotel at my expense, while we discussed their project. I
also told them if they did this, they didn't have to
guarantee they would become a client of mine... but...
they at least had to be a "for real" prospect to whom
price would not be a concern.
Many of those people did become clients. And a few did
not. But there was one guy I especially remember. Why?
Because, in my opinion, he was guilty of fraud. After I
flew him to Key West, put him up in the best hotel, and
discussed his project at length with him, he said,
"Everything sounds great... but... I think $15,000 for
your upfront fee is too much to pay you."
I did everything I could to hold onto my temper but,
what I really wanted to do was leap across the table we
were sitting at, wrap my hands around his neck, lift him
up off his chair and in the air, choking him until his
entire body was shaking and his legs and feet were
dancing around like he was doing the "Funky Chicken".