What do prospects want?

And, especially for freelance copywriters, what do clients want (I mean really want)?

It can be damn hard to figure it out. But it's vitally important.

Harken back to Robert Collier, the great direct mail marketer. He implored us: "Enter the conversation already going on in your prospect's mind."

That could be the best single piece of advice ever given copywriters.

Well, a conversation last night with my friend, copywriter Doug Pew, really turned on a light bulb for me.

Doug and I were talking about Jim Camp, my first coach. Doug had gotten Jim's "Lost Tapes" course.

What Doug suggested — and this is brilliant: Use Jim's unique and surprisingly powerful questioning techniques (Parts 10 and 11 of the course) to get prospects, and clients, to reveal what's *really* on their minds.

I have to admit, I've never consciously done this.

Although I may have internalized so many of Jim's techniques that I'm doing this automatically.

Because over the decades, people volunteer inner thoughts and feelings to me that they admit they've never told anyone else.

I've trained myself to mentally "tag" such information "confidential" the minute I hear those words.

Now, as far as Jim's "Discovery Channel" techniques (getting people to open up), it's not mind-reading.

It's more like snake charming.

Here's what I mean. These are ordinary (non-hypnotic, not gimmicky) conversational techniques to get people PAST even unintentional, habitual bullshit answers to the raw emotional TRUTH about any subject you care to explore with them.

For a copywriter, I can't think of something that qualifies more as "keys to the kingdom" than that.

Reason alone for you to check out Jim's "Lost Tapes" course. It's not available much longer.

Here's the link: