I'd like to hear the opinion of you direct response pros.

The target market is doctors. The product is research, therefore we have to sell credibility.

Reading a lot of direct sales letters, I notice they are in second person. "You need this because..." However, would you talk to business professionals so informally? I understand they are people, too, but my inclination is to write in 3rd person. "Doctors will benefit from..." Instead of "You will benefit from..."

Keep in mind, I'm not a direct response copywriter, but Ogilvy told me to talk to you guys. At least his book did all those years ago. Wish I had gotten around to it sooner.

Killy,

First off, you're not selling research... you're selling the benefit they'll get from research.

Read this, it will help: Clayton Makepeace - THE TOTAL PACKAGE issue #75

Zachary,

Thank you for the excellent link. It was very informative and is now bookmarked.

And, yes. We're selling benefits, but conveying credibility and accuracy in our research.

Thanks again!

Zac is right, of course. Even if you're selling to doctors, you want to talk to them directly, as if you were sitting down with them one-on-one.

If you were making your pitch to them in person, you'd talk about what your product means for them personally and professionally. They don't care about other doctors. They care only about themselves.

Bob Bly does a lot of B2B copywriting. You may want to check out some of his articles and resources at bly.com

And yes, Clayton Makepeace rocks, so you can't go wrong by exploring his other content in addition to the one Zac provided you.

Best of Luck,

John

Thanks, John!

What if the brochure isn't going to a doctor, rather it's going to the office manager, though?

Well, it would depend on who you're speaking to. If the office managers are the decision makers for that kind of product, then talk to them. Find out what they really want most and press those buttons.

Maybe they want a raise and more responsibilities. Maybe they want to be thought of as their doctor's "right-hand person," always on the lookout for ways to make the office run smoother.

I'm just throwing those examples out. The truth is those could be way off mark...but you need to find out.

Now if the doctors are the decision makers, the you need to think of the office managers as the gatekeepers. Yes, the brochure may be going to them, but who is ultimately buying? If it's the doctors, then you want to sidestep the gatekeepers and get your message directly into the doctor's hands.

How do you do that? Well, one of the best ways is to address it to the doctor personally. And have it come from another doctor. Even if it's just a doctor you hire to be the "face" of your promotions, it may be worth retaining a doctor specifically for that purpose.

The number of ways to get past the gatekeeper is another discussion in its own right, and has been talked about before.

The point is, you want to match your message to your market. That message is going to be different whether your target is the office manager or the doctor.

John

I've written to Doctors.

Use first person.

If you're trying to get through a gate keeper, use a lift note/sticky addressed to her - but if the main brochure is speaking to a doctor - speak to the doctor.

Thanks Trebor and John,

I've only been on here for a couple of days, but have received some great information.

One day, I hope to contribute!