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What most of you perceive as my "style" is
what you read in my newsletters. But it's my conceit I could
write a romance novel for women, an action novel for men, a
"legalese" contract, an ad for the Surgery Eye Centers of
Tennessee, and a Valentine for Jessica... and... none of the
people who read each of those…

When it comes to writing... especially ad
copy... the best writing of all is...

Invisible!

When
you are selling something, you don't want people to notice
your style. That's why I don't very often use graphics.
That's why I am (for the most part) against graphic
designers, website designers, photographs in advertising,
and so forth. What…

Bob Dylan was interviewed on the TV show,
"60 Minutes" recently. He recited the lyrics from some of
his earlier songs. He then commented something to the
effect,

"Where did that come from? The lyrics were
absolutely magical. There was almost a cosmic aspect to
them."
He also commented he couldn't write like
that now since he was unable…

Something akin to that happened while I was
writing "A Valentine For Jessica". I have read it and reread
it, and I honestly don't know if I could ever write like
that again. It seems to me (and I'll prove it very
dramatically a little later in this newsletter) it was an
extremely important piece of writing. Until…

But I'll tell you what: As "New Agey" and
flowery and mushy as some people perceive "A Valentine For
Jessica" to be, I personally think it is a very straight
forward piece of writing. A marketing friend of mine emailed
me to say, as far as he was concerned, there was nothing in
that piece of writing for him…

He was correct. That piece wasn't written
for him.

You know, it's almost like I didn't write
that piece myself. It's almost like a "higher power" was
guiding my thoughts and my hands. It's almost as though I
were nothing but the "channel" through which an important
message was being transmitted. (This doesn't sound…

Anyway, let's give this little essay a
surface examination. What we have here is a man who is
smitten by a woman and contrives to meet her. As she reveals
herself to him, he is enchanted. But, she is not enchanted
by him. And one day, she just evaporates from his life with
nary a backward glance. But, for…

I think things like this happen every day.
It reminds me of something I once read about a man who
traveled the world searching for the perfect woman. But alas,
when he found her, she was looking for the perfect man.

Anyway, the publication of "A Valentine For
Jessica" on my website has fetched me, what I consider to
be, the most precious testimonial I have ever received. And
don't forget, I'm a guy who has received tens of thousands
of testimonials and praise from people like John Carlton, David Ogilvy,
Jay Abraham, Gary Bencivenga and every other direct…

Jessica learned to accept people and things as
they are and not try to change them into what
she wanted them to be. The man is nameless so
he could be anyone - and he is most people.
That is the secret ingredient in this essay.

I have a
special insight into this because I have
Multiple Sclerosis. Many people have told me
that I have given up but that is so not true. I
have accepted - accepted what I can and cannot
do on any given day. I am at peace with this
monster as Jessica is at peace with her life.
For 10 long…

I have no idea
how to market myself but I know it will come.
An idea will 'magically' pop into my head and I
will know what to do. That is being at peace
with the universe and that is what the writer of
this article imparted so eloquently.

Cathy Perkins

Here's the truth: I, myself, did not know
what the "stand out" feature of my essay was until it was
clarified for me by Cathy Perkins. But I think if something
I write can touch someone suffering with the monster of
Multiple Sclerosis... and... can help clarify for her what
to do with the rest of her…

In Cathy's reply to me she said,

"I have no idea how to market
myself but I know it will come."
Well, with the help of my friends, I intend to see that
perhaps "it" will come a bit faster for Cathy.

I Am Now Going To

Call In Some Favors

From A Few Of My Friends!

You know, that "call in favors" doesn't
sound right. In truth, I probably owe the people I'm about
to mention as many favors, if not
more, than they owe me.

I'm going to start with Scott
"Mongo" Haines.
Scott has recently completed the writing of
an amazing course called "Shortcut Copywriting Secrets".

So Scott, here's what I want you to do: I would like you to
mail a free copy of your absolutely great copywriting course
to Cathy Perkins. (I'll give you her address a little
later…

Next up:
Gary Bencivenga. Gary, you've had some personal
experience with the uplifting feeling you get by helping
people who carry an unusually heavy burden. I'm asking you
to send Cathy, as a gift, some of your unique and amazingly
informative marketing instructional materials you have
created over the years.

And
how about John Carlton? It would a personal favor to
me, John, if you would send Cathy every back issue of your
terrific marketing newsletter and some of your other
materials.

Michel Fortin. Hey Mike,

by now you know the deal: Please send Cathy by email or
snail mail, anything you've created which might help her
with her new endeavors.

Ed Dale and Frank Kern.

I understand you've created an excellent product which tells
people how to inexpensively create little cash-producing
websites. I think Cathy deserves to get one of your courses…

Hey Joachim dePosada, Dan Kennedy, Brian
Keith Voiles, Joe Polish, Peter Stone...

Oh gosh darn it! Gosh darn it? Is this ME, Gary
Halbert, writing or maybe I'm dreaming and somebody has
hijacked my website. Ah, whatever. What I want is EVERYBODY who reads
this
newsletter and who has created or possesses some marketing
instructional material... whether it's…