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01/27/2007: "It's All About Selling --- Nothing Happens Until a Sale is Made."

There are two basic types of copy --- lead-generating and order-getting. The former is written to get lots of leads for one person or a staff of sales people. The latter is to actually get people to buy from nothing but the copy they've read.

When I go to a Web site looking to buy something, I want as much information as I can get about the object --- without having to call customer support, who are always less than helpful. If, for example, I'm looking for a fountain pen, I want to know all about the nib. I want to know how it writes. I want to know if the nib can be switched out. I want to know if the pen can be engraved. And lots more. You see, some fountain pens can cost up to $20,000 and more! Regardless of what I pay, I want INFORMATION.

An amazing number of Web sites, run by the finest companies, offer such a sparce amount of information. They actually write their copy as if I, the reader, knows everything about the item in question. What do I generally do in these cases? I move on. I go to a site that offers lots of information. Perhaps reviews. I don't want a few lines and be encouraged to press "Buy".

Now let's move on to the lead generating copy. The problem here is that a good copywriter or marketing director may manage to get a ton of leads for the sales department or the one man show but the so-called salespeople can't make the sales. People today simply DO NOT KNOW HOW TO SELL. Who gets blamed? The marketing director or copywriter.

When I was very young, I sold vacuum cleaners door to door. I sold advertising. I sold books. As a child I sold articles I wrote to anyone who would pay me a nickel. I wrote my own newspaper, sold ads and sold the paper. And I was not yet 10-years-old. My mother sold insurance. She sold Highlights for Children door to door.

My father, the owner of the town's newspaper, sold advertising. Advertising is the heart of a newspaper. It's the heart of all business.

So, alas, I am a salesperson above all else. I have little patience for people who can't sell. But the world is full of such people.

And today, marketing directors are being fired because sales are down. According to a recent article in Adweek,

"This month alone, Volkswagen dismissed CMO Kerri Martin after only 20 months and Sears CMO Joan Chow left last week after just 19 months. In addition, The Gap's vice president of marketing, Kyle Andrew, is leaving the company later this month to "pursue other opportunities," and talk continues to swirl that Wal-Mart CMO John Fleming is not long for his position."

"Also announcing their impending departures last week: Coca-Cola CMO Mary Minnick, who was passed over for a top job, and ConAgra's chief growth officer Jacqueline Heslop, who made a "personal decision" to leave, according to a company representative."

I think it's time to stop blaming the marketing directors and the copywriters. Place the blame where it should be --- the sales department or the one man or woman in charge. We can get you the leads. We can write you copy that will get you orders. But we can't make the sale for you in a lead generation program. If you want us to do that, put us in charge of the sales department.

If you do, you'll see the fur fly. I have no patience with a company that can't make sales. So whether you use salespeople or sell strictly on your Web site, get this. Hire a great copywriter who can get you real sales and not empty carts if you want a sale from your copy.

If you want leads from your copy, hire a great copywriter who can get you leads. But then YOU make the damn sales. Don't let our great copy go to waste just because your idiot salespeople can't close. Hire some who can!