By Bob Bly

Subscriber HG writes:

“As a big fan of your work, I must confess your web pages are boring, and I guess they are not converting to sales as they did before, isn’t it?

“Please allow me to restore a few of your web pages from the archaeological ruins to the modern slick, easy to read, search engine friendly, better converting pages, OK?

“If you do not want to make more money, then just neglect this email.” (A very snarky comment.)

This approach to establishing a relationship with me is really stupid, for 3 reasons….

First, HG does not know my landing page conversion rates. He assumes they are poor.

But as Felix Unger pointed out in an old episode of The Odd Couple, “When you ASSUME you make an ASS of U and ME.”

In fact, the pages he cited as failures pull like gangbusters; one ebook sales page has a 32% conversion rate.

My pages make me so much passive income that, if I so desired, I could quit my freelance copywriting job tomorrow, and never work another day in my life. (But of course that idea is anathema to me.)

Second, even if I was jonesing to improve some of my pages, why would I hire HG? He gives not one shred of evidence that he has any skills or success in this area.

Third, the part of his message I left out … and that you do not see here … was even more off-putting and insulting to me — and insulting strangers rarely wins them over.

When I posted HG’s comments on Facebook, one of my FB friends, JS, wrote:

“All he is trying to do is use the same tactics as email spammers that supposedly work on the weak-minded masses.

“He has no persuasive tactics. The entire thing is a pitch. It comes from someone who thinks he is good at manipulation, though in actuality, he sticks out like a sore thumb.”

Also on this FB thread, BM was even harsher: “Arrogant, insulting, and a blast sent to hundreds of people whose websites he has never seen. I see these every day.

“A good example of what NEVER to do. He needs your e-mail marketing course, but a frontal lobotomy first.”

Another FB friend, MS, said:

There are a few turn-offs for me with this sort of thing–implying expertise without having researched his assertions, the sense of a little dishonesty through flattery, and a scare tactic infused with some arrogance.

“My reaction, from an open minded perspective and willingness to accept help, is to tell him to take a hike!”

And that’s just what I did.

About the Author

Bob Bly has been an independent copywriter, consultant, and speaker for over 35 years. His clients include IBM, AT&T, The Motley Fool, Forbes, Intuit, Nortel, and Medical Economics. He is the author of more than 90 books including The Copywriter’s Handbook (Henry Holt).

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