THE COPYCAT PRINCIPLE by Joe Trevison MBA CPA

What got me thinking about this once again was attending a board meeting of the Private School I am on. One of the College’s is going to do benchmarking with other simillar schools.

Benchmarking is the Professional college term for the Copycat principle.

It is taking the best of the best and modeling your organization after those practices. For example Melvin Powers one great guru you might have heard of. He has a publishing company in California. He has had it for many years. In his classified book he has a MLM classified ad that is a success and even gives you permission to use it.

When I worked for a Private Business school back in the early 1990’s the owner use to go to far away cities and study other Private Business schools. He would put many of those practices in his school. He is the biggest Private School in the area at this time. That is how powerful the copycat principle can be.

Recently I went to the store. I love looking at the rag magazines at the counter. One of the greatest is “Woman’s World”. It is the Woman’s weekly magazine.

The headlines are great. Here is a sample of this week: “The Indian Secret that Burns Fat!” “ How to Get Rich on $15 a Week” “Lose 20 lbs by summer” “Land Your Dream Job” 12 secrets that make any boss want to hire you.

Now you can use them for reports your going to write with your own research and you may have a profitable item.

We can use do this with them. “The Indian Secret to Leadership” “Land Your Own Dream Business”. “How to Rich With My Book: 151 Marketing and Business Ideas’.

That last book exists and at the end of this article I will tell you how can get it for only $5.95.

You don’t think big companies are doing this well let me show you how they do it and you can do it too.

The was an old ad that was in magazines for a long time “ Do You Make These Mistakes In English” It sold an English book for the William Cody Company for a long time.

Well an smart market guru in this company use that same idea: Company: Intuit of Quicken Software fame, successful Ad Headline: “Do You Make These Six Common Mistakes on Your Taxes”.

Company: Barry Kaye Associates, Estate Planning Company;

Successful Ad Headline: “The 6 Most Costly Estate Planning Mistakes”
Company: Benci-Ventures, Publishers’
Successful Ad Headline: “Do You Make These Mistakes in Job Interviews”

In a successful campaign I had I used: “ I Have To Get This Off My Chest Before I Explode”

I told about my companies new services to all my current clients.

How do you find such ads? Well they keep repeating in many magazines. If they were not working they would not repeat them.

There are lists of these ads on the net in many places just put key word in the search engines.

90% of the success of ads is in the headline. Now what about the rest of the ad? I am glad you ad you need a swipe file. There is a free site where you can many of the old ads and start your own swipe file. It is not my site but, nonetheless, it is a great site for doing research for your swipe file.

http://www.hardtofindads.com/

Now you learned as much as you need to get started So as my great mentor the late C.W. Stone said many time “ DO IT NOW!

Oh yes that book “151 Marketing and Business Ideas for only $5.59 you can get it at my site:

http://www.Joetrevison.com/shop .

You many have to look around the shop to find it but it is there though not on the front page yet.

If you have a business you should have this: Amazing software calculates profit Potential. FREE INF http://www.tinyrurl.com/9nfk1
Trevison; 32 west 8th Street Suite 504; Erie PA 16501 Phone 814-456-2601

Comments and Questions are welcome at Joetrevis@aol.com

About the Author

Joe Trevison has an accouning practice in downtown U.S.A.
He has previously taught accounting, tax, payroll, and business math.