I just got back from vacation so I missed being part of much of this conversation…however I see the discussion has really had some legs.

What I take away from all of this is that many people in this discussion feel just like me and long form hard selling letters will not work for them. Indeed we instantly associate long form with rubbish and walk away from it.

However it also seems clear that long form letters work, so I guess the majority of people are always going to be gullible and hungry to believe the dreams they are being sold.

So we just need to make sure we know our customer when we make the pitch, if it is a mass market product long from should be best. For other demographics different methods may be more successful.

I thunk I mentioned way back that my initial question to Michelle was aimed more at asking if the long form letter was becoming less effective these days as it is hard to believe that people just keep reading them…well I guess I have been told that apparantly they do, …so go figure

Mark.

The odd long sales letters I received prior to getting involved with IM, really turned me off and made me inherently suspicious with my brain going into a kind of, ‘looking for the scam mode’. I would not buy from them on principal, even if they apparently delivered something I was specifically looking for. They simply reeked of scam, scam scam! I therefore struggled to understand their place in the IM process as they seemed to me, to be horrible and ineffective.

Looking at the marketing world in this subjective way though is I think a mistake. When we decide to market, it’s important to be able to focus on what actually works as against what we would like to work. Or put another way, view the world as it really is and not get locked into a mindset based on our own biases.

The challenge is to capture people’s attention in a world were there’s way more information than anyone can possibly absorb and multiple sources competing for that attention. The marketing game is therefore always going to be changing, evolving new ways to be different, to be noticeable.

Long sales letters therefore would appear to have a place simply because they work. For now anyway. I suspect that like all methods of marketing though they will reach a point where they will become less effective and an alternative way of being different will evolve, clearly video right now is the emerging and hot process.

The big saving grace for IM and in my opinion one of the best things about the internet generally is the empowerment that the individual now has to deliver positive and or negative feedback not only to the vendor but also to other customers.

As a consumer what I want to see are ways that enable me to know if claims that are made are real or not. This is especially important to me if they are on a long sales letter. Am I being conned, am I being sold a poor quality product, or are the claims simply overstated? Canned endorsements are valueless to me personally; endorsements and or criticisms that I can trust or validate in some way are priceless though. Clearly this is where building a relationship of trust is maybe so important.

I wonder what your thoughts are regarding mechanisms for soliciting open feedback from customers, its value in reality and best processes for getting it?

Speaking as a customer, one of the first things I look at is the little scroll bar on the left. The smaller it is, the more likely I’ll just click away. I hate those ultra long sales pages.

There have been many times I will read the first 10-12 paragraphs and get excited for the product, but by the time I’m at the bottom of the page, I’ve forgotten what I was excited about.

Another thing that really bugs me is having to search for the price. “It’s $9000, it’s not even $900, or even $90.” Well then HOW MUCH IS IT???

Some people have even gone to the extreme of putting a link that says, “Click here for our discounted price.” The price isn’t even on the page. They have to have one heck of a product before I will even bother.

OK, I’ve blown off enough steam for one day. I feel better now.

I don’t see long copy as ‘slimy’ sales but as more informative than I, a skimmer, generally needs, but respect the fact that others may need more info.

Two cents from a very new newbie.

TyAnne

I love the stories that long sales letters can tell, but I try to maintain an awareness of them so I don’t “fall” for them easily.

There are some sales tactics that I do despise, such as the shouting commercial guy (Easy Off Bam!). I do refuse to buy from that company based on their sales tactics alone, but I guess it works for them.