It seems the Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval has been replaced by Oprah Winfrey when it comes to a validation of credibility ...
Having said that, if Im not mistaken, all the former ever meant was that the product or service in question paid to advertise in Good Housekeeping magazine.
Still, in the vast anonymity of the cybermarket, a claim of credibility is vital to those who wish to convince us to send them money. Via her phenomenonally successful syndicated television show, Ms Winfreys excellence at accurately portraying causes, incidents and situations has earned her a lofty mantle as the Anointess of Authenticity.
We can even see this phenomenon at work on the Longer Life Groups website that hosts my column, as there are products advertised which espouse her name. Thats fine, of course, as its easy for us to discern that the claims of these products are real in that respect (eg- Bob Greene really is her personal trainer). They are, no doubt, good products. If I ever feel the need to lose ten pounds in thirty days, Ill give them a try.
However, in the wild world of cyber-commerce, it seems that some salesmen decided to take a shortcut in this process. They figured it was good enough to merely claim their product was featured on Oprah.
As youve maneuvered through the spam and detritus of cyberspace, its odds-on youve seen this headline:
As Seen On Oprah! Teenager Makes $71,000 by Mailing a Simple Letter!
The sales pitch relates the tale of a kid who diligently sent God-knows-how-many chain letters and wound up with a closetful of $10 bills, or something like that. The pitch goes on to state that this story was also featured on an American newsmagazine, 20/20, and featured in the Wall Street Journal. However, those outlets are merely there for support. Its Oprah that gives this story legs, as they say in the movie business.
The object of the exercise is to induce you to buy into the chain by sending money to one or more of the names on a five-deep list, then removing the top name and adding your name to the bottom, so you can take your turn at collecting all that cash. Youre surely aware of the drill.
In theory, this works to an exponential level. Then again, in theory, so does communism in mass society.
Need I say more
From my research, its false. Untrue. Never happened.
I went straight to the source and posed the question to the staff of Oprah, asking if any teenager ever appeared on the show and told how his chain letter made him $71,000 or more. Heres the e-mail I received:
Date: 10 Oct 09:04
Dear Viewer,
We dont find any Oprah Show that talked about anyone making a fortune on a chain letter. References to chain letters include the cabbage soup diet, Mrs. Fields cookies and the Angel Network.
Thank you,
Oprah Tapes and Transcripts
While I do admit a temptation to start a chain letter in hopes of receiving sackfuls of Mrs Fields cookies by associating it with a real e-mail from Oprahs staff --- after which I would click on that ad featuring Bob Greene so I could buy his weight-loss program --- my common sense tells me that it just wouldnt work.
Still, the purpose of making such claims is to attempt to override your common sense, to get you to think that if Oprah gave credence to the story, then perhaps there is something to it. So, when the target amount they want you to pay is set at the price of a couple of beers or a handful of lottery tickets, the hook is well and truly baited.
What a logical way for you to lose a few bucks! And you will. Whether you send out letters or e-mail, you will lose your money and look silly to your recipients while doing it. Again, well discuss that next time.
For now, suffice it to say that as far as this story goes, Im convinced that Oprah never aired it. The only reference well confirm is that Aretha Franklin sang it.
Chain of Fools.
J Square Humboldt is the featured columnist at the Longer Life website, which is dedicated to providing information, strategies, analysis and commentary devoted to improving the quality of living. His page can be found at and his observations are published three times per week.
David Dutton, a subscriber of mine from Nashville,Tennessee, wrote in and asked me to touch on prospectingwith direct mail
As you probably know, I love direct mail for loads ofreasons, but mostly I love it because you can use it to sayanything you want or tell any kind of story you want.
Theres no limit to the number of pages or words you have touse, and frankly, its also a very intimate form ofcommunicating with your prospects and clients.
After all, when your prospect is reading your message, itsjust you and them, one-on-one.
How efficient!
Anyway, heres a little story about my younger son Casey.Pay close attention to it, and see if you can guess themoral of the story here.
When Casey was younger, I always used to say, hed bethe perfect salesman.
Whenever he asked for something, if the answer was No,hed ask you the exact same question in a different way.
Hed figure out some way to come at you from behind... oraround the sides... or down from up above.
To put this in selling perspective, when Casey asked forthe order, in his mind, No didnt mean he couldnt get it,it just meant he had to ask for it again... a littledifferently.
And see, one of the most critical mistakes people make isthat they dont do second and third (or more) mailings.
You should keep mailing offers, until your mailings arentprofitable.
For the most part, from a numbers standpoint, you should getwhatever response you got on your first mailing, on yoursecond and third mailings combined.
So if youre selling a high-ticket item, or if the lifetimevalue of your client is high, you can see how, in somecases, you can certainly afford to do a dozen or moremailings, right
Thanks for your question David.
Oh, by-the-way -- now 13, Casey STILL doesnt understandwhat No means.
Now go sell something,
Craig Garber
P.S. Check out all the prior archives youve beenmissing, right here at:
If you want to know how to consistently attract a steady stream of fresh new prospects, who are pre-qualified, eager, and excited about buying from you, then Craig Garber -- recognized by his peers as Americas Top Direct-Response Copywriter -- can show you exactly how to do this, step-by-step. Garbers written winning promotions across a HUGE variety of industries and you can see them all for yourself on his website at