Today it’s just my special guest and me. But never fear, Tiffany, Sean, and Adriane will be back very soon.

For the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing some interviews I did with great copywriters. I asked them to share their philosophies about how to write copy that sells.

This week I’m interviewing David Garfinkel, the world’s greatest copywriting coach.

But first…

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Spiritual Foundations:

I want to encourage you to remember some important things as the week begins. In this week’s Spiritual Foundations, I talk about…

• (1:30) The one attribute most likely to help you approach every activity with excitement and enthusiasm. When you choose to approach each day in this way, you’ll remember that there’s a reason for everything that happens in your life.

• (2:30) The sometimes “hard-to-swallow” encouragement Paul gave to the Thessalonians. This one’s tough because sometimes we can’t see how it could possibly be God’s will for us.

• (3:15) Why I occasionally want to ask God, “why didn’t you do something about this?” It’s a question that helps me to remember what NOT to do in my everyday behavior. Hint: It’s one of those Proverbs that actually has a lot to do with being a copywriter.

• (3:45) What I learned from the owner of a Virtual Assistant business about my regular choice of words. It’s a small hinge that opens a big door of possibility.

• (4:40) What none of us can do if we expect good things to come in our lives. It’s not easy, but I want to encourage you to really give this a try.

Ray's Tip Of The Week

Today I want to feature one of my favorite new gadgets. I’ll tell you…

• (5:18) What never to go without on an airplane. Not only does this gadget make the flying experience more bearable, it even effects how tired I am at the end of the flight.

• (6:05) What always helps me leave the plane feeling refreshed and energized. I have a new enthusiasm for one of these things. The other is something I’ve been doing consistently for years that never fails to give me a boost.

Episode Sponsor:

(6:46) I have a question for you. Does your copy keep you up at night? Do you have a sales letter that’s not making sales for you and you wish you could fix it, but you don’t know how?

Have you questioned, “Am I any good at copywriting? Is my copywriter any good at copywriting? What do I do about this, Ray?”

Well, we’re offering a new service through my agency, Inklings, LLC. RayEdwards.com/CopyFix.

I used to review copy for people on screen, doing a line-by-line edit of the copy. I showed them how to fix it so they could improve their conversions. And when I did this, I charged $10,000.

But right now you can get the same service for just $2,500. We’ll go through your sales letter top to bottom, stem to stern, sentence by sentence, paragraph by paragraph. We’ll show you the opportunities for improvement, the things that need to go, the things you need to add. And our goal is to improve your conversions, not incrementally, but exponentially–by a multiple. I can’t guarantee that of course, but what I can guarantee is we will make your copy better than it's ever been before.

The problem is, there's only a limited number of spaces for this kind of service because it's very time consuming and individualized. So go to RayEdwards.com/CopyFix before the slots fill up and enroll in the “Copywriting Fix Program.”

Feature Presentation:

My guest today is David Garfinkel. He’s one of the most respected copywriters and copywriting coaches in the world. He’s worked with businesses in over 100 different industries including well-known companies like IBM, United Airlines, Pacific Bell, Time Life Books, and MCI.

We talk about…

• (10:55) The dream job David left to become a freelance copywriter. His friends and family thought he was crazy, but even though he was super successful, the better he did in his regular job the more unhappy he became.

• (11:55) The ad for an unorthodox newsletter that changed everything for him. He read it 20 times and still couldn’t wrap his head around it. But somehow he knew it was the path to his future career and happiness.

• (13:20) How one of his first sales letters went on to make over $40,000,000 for his client. Even though it was less than 1,000 words, this ad ran for 8 years unchanged. If only he’d been paid more than $300 to write it, or at least, signed a royalty deal.

• (16:50) The secret almost all newbie copywriters, and even some advanced copywriters can’t get through their thick skulls. This one thing can make the difference in almost any copywriter’s career if they only surrender to it.

• (17:30) The outlandish practice used by novelist Stephen King and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin that can turn almost any copywriter into a copy magician. It’s not pretty or sexy. And the reason almost nobody uses it is because it’s so painfully tedious.

• (20:50) A perspective-shifting and completely fresh definition of “the 1%” and how it applies to copywriting. It describes the giant chasm between the 99%-ers and the 100%-ers.

• (22:24) The stupid-simple key to extraordinary results. How these 5 little words change everything.  

• (23:52) What Tony Robbins learned from coaching a top cosmetic surgeon and how it applies to the difference between being excellent and becoming outstanding in your chosen field. It’s one of those 2mm changes that turn regular people into masters of their craft.

• (27:35) Why David dropped out of a prestigious Ph.D. program. The idiotic academic mindset that tipped the scale and helped him see how advanced formal education was harming his career as a copywriter.

• (29:01) The tragedy David’s mother experienced and how it fuels his drive to pursue lifelong growth and learning. Everyone has fears when it comes to their eventual death. But what David saw his mother go through caused him to up his game as a way of staving off any potential hereditary effects of his mother’s condition.

• (31:48) The famous author David worked with and what he learned about life and productivity from this marketing master. The take-home lesson we all need to remember about not missing opportunities to meet people who’ve influenced us before it’s too late.

• (37:00) Why David doesn’t take many clients anymore and what he does instead. After many years or working in the industry, his new focus makes him feel more fulfilled and able to give greater value than any other practice he’s used before.

• (52:32) Who David spends most of his time working with today. It’s a select group of like-minded people, many of whom have gone on to have remarkable success in their copywriting careers.

• (54:05) The “inner game” of copywriting and the demons that come along with it. Why mindset is more important than tactical writing skills to most copywriters and how David helps them develop this part of their identity.

If you’re a working copywriter and you want to get in touch with David Garfinkel for some coaching, you can reach him at GarfinkelCoaching.com.

Resources

RayEdwards.com/CopyFix

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