October 2022

 

  When you write an e-newsletter like The Levison Letter, it's easy to become an unrelenting critic of others.

  For example, if you've been a regular reader of mine you've heard me say things like this a hundred times: "This ad is dead on arrival," "This letter lacks energy." And so on.

 

  So in this issue, I'm going to turn the tables on myself and confess to just three of many mistakes I have made . . . Mistake I committed when I was oh-so-sure-of-myself and got things very wrong.

Mistake #1:

Ivan goes to the eye doctor.

 

  My name is Ivan Levison but lots of people don't hear it that way.

  Instead, they call me Ira Levinson, Isaac Levoson, Ivan Levisen, you name it.

  (If you have a name other than Smith or Jones, you know what I'm talking about.)

 

  So, when the nurse came out to get me from the crowded waiting room and said, "Miss Iverson please," I was a bit ticked.

  So I got up, walked over to her, and replied with uncharacteristic superiority,

"It's MISTER and it's LEVISON."

 

  She looked at me calmly and said, with a slight superior air of her own . . . "No. It's MISS, and it's IVERSON."

  She then turned to the woman who was seated next to me and said, "Miss Iverson, this way please."

  Miss Iverson got up from her chair and followed her into the office while I looked for a hole to crawl into.

 

The moral of this story?

  Before you get all high and mighty, make sure you get your facts straight. I didn't and I came out looking like a jerk.

  So . . . next time I'm evaluating some other copywriter's work, I'll be doubly sure that my assumptions are correct and that I'm not simply shooting from the hip.

  I learned a lesson.

    O.K. Enough. Let's get down to business . . .

 

    Here are two mistakes I made that emphasize the need for constantly testing your assumptions and relying on facts, not instinct.

Mistake #2: Being committed to an old idea

 

    Years ago I wrote a letter for a client, Kristi Skiba at Inset Systems, the publishers of HiJaak for Windows.

    I suggested that the letter be printed in a serif font for easy reading.

 

   Kristi suggested we use a sans-serif and give the letter a more modern look.

 

    Anyway, my client decided that the type-font question was important enough to test so she split her list and dropped 25,000 pieces with my letter typeset with a serif face and 25,000 pieces with her sans-serif face.

    That was the only variable. Everything else in the package, including the copywriting, was exactly the same!

 

    The result? The use of a serif face didn't make a darned bit of difference. All my certainty proved wrong. Ouch!

Mistake #3: Depending on my "gut feel."

 

    I was working for a company called DocuMagix that was selling a shrink-wrapped product through the mail.

    My client said "Let's sweeten the pot and offer the prospect free shipping if they order right away."

 

    I argued that the software had so much appeal that the company would be leaving money on the table if they went with the free shipping offer.

    They said, "Let's test it." I said, "Great," but I was quite confident in my bet.

 

    WRONG! The free shipping offer was a tremendous winner, they made a lot of money, and I ate a large slice of humble pie. (How could I have been so dumb?)

 

    The moral of this story is, yet again, "test, test, test."

    Next time you think YOUR instincts are right, let your prospects decide. Their votes, after all, are the only ones that count.

Best regards,

Ira . . . . . I mean, Ivan

P.S. Make no mistake. If you need help with copywriting emails, sales letters, web copy, you name it, I'm the guy to call. What kind of results can I get for you? CLICK HERE and check me out.