I first met John Carlton a few decades ago, when I was invited to be on the faculty of Gary Halbert’s infamous seminars in Key West.

The sessions invariably culminated in nocturnal revelries through the streets – and, most importantly, the bars – of Key West.

I learned a lot from the legendary Gary Halbert.

But I may well have learned even more from John.

Because although I was a pretty good at writing copy by this time, John showed me how to think like a true copywriter.

When I showed him copy he usually wouldn’t talk about the writing itself.

Instead he would ask: “Deutsch, what the heck were you thinking?”

By which he meant that I had forgotten I was writing to a living, breathing person who wasn’t really interested in what I had to say… who just wanted to get back to whatever they were doing before my copy happened to catch their eye… and who would only part with their hard-earned money in exchange for a big huge pile of can’t-fail, life-changing benefits.

“What you’re offering could change his or her life,” he would admonish me. “So stop selling from your heels and help them get it.”

It’s impossible to write bad copy after a John Carlton pep talk like that.

To this day I continue to go back to John’s work and teachings whenever I feel the need to take my copy up a few notches.

Or to come up with a great hook, because John is the master when it comes to hooks that snag the reader and enable you to reel them in.

Like his famous golf ad: “Amazing Secret Discovered By One-Legged Golfer Adds 50 Yards To Your Drives, Eliminates Hooks and Slices… And Can Slash Up To 10 Strokes From Your Game Almost Overnight!”

As John reveals in his Simple Writing System training, hooks like that usually don’t just fall into your lap.

Sometimes, as with this one, you have to know how to dig until you find them, and ask the client (or yourself) just the right questions.

And of course, even with digging, you don’t always come up with gold like a one-legged golfer.

So he also reveals how to take what you do have and weave it into a solid-gold hook.

Like the time he took a nerdy investment advisor to sales super-stardom with: “Mysterious Arizona ‘Human Computer’ Humiliates Wall Street ‘Experts’ for 21st Consecutive Year.”

And one of my favorites, for a sex book for men from a well-known publisher: “The Astonishing Sex Secrets of the Most Satisfied, Most Knowledgeable and Most Respected Lovers In The World.”

You see, John could have gone at the prospect head on, as most copywriters would, highlighting various aspects of their new amazing love life.

But in this extremely successful promotion, John hooked them by changing the angle just a bit – to where the secrets come from – from guys that the prospect deep down wants to be like. Men who are satisfied, knowledgeable and respected.

The prospect desperately wants to know their secrets.

Don’t Miss This Training

As far as I’m concerned, taking John’s Simple Writing System training is an absolute must for anyone who writes direct response copy professionally or uses it in their business.

If you’re a copywriter or marketer who hasn’t taken it, you’re operating at a severe disadvantage.

Now is a great time to remedy this oversight, since the first limited Simple Writing System training is now open for registration.

In this training John breaks down his astonishingly simple, systematic and repeatable process.

The program includes – and this is so very important – two months of personal copy coaching in a small, private online classroom.

Coaching which I’ve personally seen, over the past 10 years, literally change and transform careers and businesses.

If you’re ready to multiply the effects of your copy, I highly recommend you check it out here.

P.S.  If you join John’s Simple Writing System training you’re my kind of writer.

So let me know that you did and I’ll give you two free months in MY live group coaching – the Inner Circle. (This is literally worth $194.00!)

Just email me at david@copyquickstart.com, let me know you’re signed up with the Simple Writing System, and I’ll set you up.

Here’s that link again for the Simple Writing System training.