Q & A: Where did you get your training?

Two quick announcements and then we’ll get to the meat of today’s information.

First, things are heating up with respect to my book “How To Make Maximum Money With Minimum Customers” as we’re coming down closer to the release date. To read the latest, head on over to http://www.kingofcopy.com/max

Second, we received a fairly meaningful e-mail yesterday, about our offline newsletter, Seductive Selling: “All I can say is, last months newsletter was the best business building newsletter I have ever seen. Thank you for all of your help, and may God bless you and your family. Sincerely, Jeff Cotterman – Brownsburg, IN”

And although the issue Jeff is talking about is no longer available, you can take a free test-drive of the current month’s issue (where I actually discuss “church” marketing this month) at http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

Now here’s a question sent in recently: “Where did you get your training? Thanks, Phil McCormack”

Good question, thanks Phil. Here’s the deal.

I’ve been in sales since 1989, and I’ve been writing copy and working in direct-response marketing for almost 10 years now. I started in early 2000, when I used to be a financial planner doing high net worth estate planning, managing assets and selling insurance. (I actually graduated college in 1986 and worked as a CPA of all things!)

Before I got involved in this stuff I was no different than most small business owners – you said the word “marketing” and I froze up like a deer in headlights!

I thought marketing was a dirty word, associated with cheezy people who add little value to your life. I found out quickly, however, that marketing and copywriting is just like any other profession: the reality of business is that only a small percentage of ANY kind of service providers are top-notch, and the rest are mediocre, at best.

After a few years of getting some very successful results in my own business, I decided to change careers and do writing and consulting, full time. I was really passionate about this stuff and I wanted to work at home and spend more time with my wife and our three kids.

Around that time I also hooked up with the late Gary Halbert (see http://www.kingofcopy.com/dreamscometrue for details about this) and worked with him for 6 months. He pretty much launched my career as an independent freelance writer and consultant, after I did some writing for him.

Today, almost 10 years after I wrote my first sales letter, I rarely take on writing clients although I do quite a bit of consulting, both individually and in groups. That’s simply because it’s more profitable and more exciting to create and publish my own products and get involved with different businesses in different niches on my own, rather than working with clients.

(Plus, who wants clients?!)

If you’re interested in some more background information on me, besides the over 1,000 pages (literally) of stuff online on my website and blog and in the archives, I have a few interviews posted online as well.

One is a pdf file and you can grab it now at
http://www.kingofcopy.com/cgarberinterview.pdf

And I also did another really in-depth cool interview online at
http://www.whohub.com/kingofcopy

Thanks for your question and hope this gives you the insight you were looking for.

Now go sell something, Craig Garber

P.S. Read in 13 countries and going on it’s 40th issue, now yours free at http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

Get 3 free chapters from my NEW book: http://www.kingofcopy.com/max

Get Seductive Selling NOW — two issues, FREE: http://www.kingofcopy.com/ssnl

Check out ALL the King’s products at http://www.kingofcopy.com/products

Got a difficult question? Just ask me, baby! http://www.kingofcopy.com/askmebaby

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