I’ve never been a fan of those really long-scrolling sales letters that you see on many websites. Quite frankly, I don’t have the time or patience to sit and stare at my computer monitor for umpteen minutes reading about a product.

Not to mention that many of these sales pitches are poorly written, hype-filled, and just plain boring! They say the same thing in a dozen different ways trying to convince the reader to buy, buy, buy. Is it really necessary to beat prospective customers over the head to get them to take action?

I think another reason I dislike long sales letters is that I’m sick of being constantly assaulted by advertising and more advertising. It’s everywhere you turn – on TV, the radio, the telephone (‘on hold’ messages), through email, in regular mail, etc., etc.

So, for me, when I see a sales letter on a website that goes on and on and on, it’s just more of the same.

Anyway, I think that’s why I was mildly exhilarated when I read an online article recently that said shorter sales letters performed better.  In addition, Michael Fortin, one of the foremost copywriters on the internet, has said that he believes long-scrolling sales letters are dying.

I tend to agree with the woman’s skirt principle: copy needs to be long enough to cover the essentials, but short enough to be interesting.

What starts every buying decision is a customer’s recognition of a need or a problem. From that point on, the customer is looking for a solution. The job of the sales copy is to show the customer that your product or service offers that solution.

You don’t have to write reams of copy to accomplish this task!

Just remember these three elements:

Say what needs to be said to grab their Attention, stimulate their Interest, inspire Desire, and take Action (the AIDA formula).

Just don’t overdo it.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to write website sales copy, you might be interested in my ebook, “How To Be Your Own Copywriter.” Recently updated, it now has a section on SEO copywriting.

It happened again today.

I landed on a website as a result of a Google search and started reading the content. Within only a few moments, it was obvious to me that the website owner had not updated the site for quite some time.

Why? Because there was reference to an event that took place in 2004 … with a mention that a similar event was scheduled for 2005. The writer promised to provide more details as the event drew near.

Hellooooo? It is now October 2007.

Did the event ever take place? I’ll never know because the website hasn’t been updated.

I own and operate 7 active websites, so I know now difficult it is to stay on top of every page of every website, but nonetheless, I try to make a practice of reviewing the sites on a monthly basis to be sure the information is still accurate, as well as making sure all the links are working.

New websites are being added daily to the internet — sites that may be your competition. If the information on your website has not been updated for quite some time, who do you think visitors will choose to do business with?

Answer: The website that has the most up-to-date and accurate information on products and services.

Will that be your website?

If you can write a 7-page report, you can build a 6-figure business.

I don’t know about you, but for me the thought of creating an entire ebook isn’t very appealing. Although I’ve done it before and will probably do it again, there are certain steps involved that make the task seem overwhelming.

You have to choose a topic, write 50-100 pages, make a sales letter, set up your payment process, and finally, figure out how to sell the darned thing.  Even before you make a dime!

Then I discovered a new course from Jimmy D. Brown that makes the entire process not only simple and straightforward, but also significantly easier.

Who’s Jimmy D. Brown?

Well, first of all, Jimmy is known for his reputation — in a good way. He’s been building a business online since 1999 and is talked about in Internet Marketing circles as the “nicest guy in Internet Marketing.”

So what does that prove? It shows two things:

1. Jimmy is well respected. (He’s not selling junk.)
2. He’s been around for awhile and knows his stuff. (He’s not some fly-by-night “guru-wannabee.”)

However –

I must admit I was skeptical. I mean, I’ve pretty much seen it all online.  You know what I’m talking about … every magic lamp, magic beans, and magic wand known to the marketing world has been pitched my way. I’ve heard all about how “this one’s different” and all that garbage. 

That’s why I was PLEASANTLY surprised when I saw this new course from Jimmy. He’s put something together that shows you how to start from scratch and actually make a profit in just 7 days. And it’s not the same old recycled junk that I’ve seen so many times before.

The case studies he provides at his site show the potential:

All from writing short reports.

That means if right now you have no list, no web site, no ideas … nothing … you can still actually make money from this system in just one week.

(Of course, if you have some of those things, you can see  results even quicker!)

In other words, there’s a small fortune to be made with small reports!

If you order the course today, you could literally be taking orders for your first small report in less than one week from NOW.

So, head over to Jimmy’s website now to read more about how you can make a fortune writing small reports.

Or, if you’re not ready to invest in the full course but would like to learn more, here’s a free report about how to make BIG profits from S.M.A.L.L. reports.