Customer Reviews

Words That Sell

5 star:		(22)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

This is one of my favorite references. Whenever I have to draft copy, I page through it for ideas. To sell your product (in my case books), you have to describe it in (glowing) terms that relate to the needs of the potential buyer.

Bayan describes Grabbers (heads, salutations, invitations, openings, transitions), Descriptions and Benefits, Clinchers (persuasion and decision), Terms & Offers (discounts, freebies, trials, guarantees), and Special Strategies (company image, justifying a high price, knocking the competition, using demographics, flattering the reader, and appealing for contributions). Each section has pages of suggested phrasing. The appendix contains puffspeak-and its alternatives, wordy expressions, commonly confused words and more. This is not a book you read; it is a quick reference.

Richard Bayan is a full-time copywriter who shares his collection of WORDS THAT SELL in these pages.

As the author of 113 books (including revisions and foreign-language editions) and over 500 magazine articles, I highly recommend this volume to book publishers. DanPoynter@ParaPublishing.com.

     The Internet has presented opportunities for many people to market their products, services, and other information. Because many desire to generate an income or provide essential services online, it is imperative that Web developers, online business owners, and others present themselves in the best possible light.      Richard Bayan has produced Words That Sell to provide us with a treasury of gripping words we need to effectively promote ourselves in whatever marketing circumstances we find ourselves in. This book lists over 2,500 high-powered words, phrases, and slogans that will grab the attention of our audiences. After a brief primer on writing in which the author lays down basic writing principles, readers are free to comb through the book to find the words they need to make a big difference in the way they communicate with others.      The range of categories includes topics relating to message crafting and the fulfillment of our basic felt needs, expectations, and sensory qualities. Categories include headers, slogans, salutations, appeals, challenges, clinchers, grabbers, invitations, persuasion, questions, services, statements, transitions, convenience, discounts, improvements, money-making, money-saving, peace of mind, pleasure, reliability, satisfaction, excitement, experience, and more. There are words in this book for every need!      Although this book was written a number of years ago (1984), it is still available and is an essential tool for meeting a variety of marketing needs. It is extremely easy to put to use and will result in a dynamic improvement in the way we present ourselves to others. You have my new selection of words on it!

When I was looking for a title for this review, the word that came to mind was 'Indispensable' but I felt it was too cliche to use for this purpose. So I opened up the index of this book, looked up 'indispensable', went to page 38 and looked down the list of expressions till I found the title I felt comfortable with!

That's how this book is meant to be used. If you are writing copy for any type of advertising or promotional purposes, you will find this 'Thesaurus' style book very handy. This isn't strictly a thesaurus since the words in each section aren't necessarily synonyms but more like related words. If you are new to the world of copy writing, 'copy' generally refers to any type of writing associated with sales material. For example, when you read an advertisement for a soft drink, the art of writing the ad is called 'copy writing'.

You can find other uses for the content in this book as I did above with the title for this review. But in general, most people use this book to come up with writing that is compelling enough for the reader to perform the intended action whatever that action happens to be.

The book is split into 6 sections - Grabbers, Descriptions and Benefits, Clinchers, Terms & Offers, Special Strategies, and an Appendix containing miscellaneous sections. There is a 2 page copywriting primer included that has 8 tips to learn before you start writing copy. The Appendix has several miscellaneous topics like 'Categories of Copy', 'Puffspeak - And Its Alternative', 'Wordy Expressions', 'Commonly Misspelled Words', 'Commonly Confused Words', 'Selling Yourself', 'Sample Order Forms', and 'Further Reading'.

The book is filled with pages and pages of words and in some cases expressions that are categorized into different headings under each chapter. The largest chapter is Part 2: Descriptions and Benefits, taking up more than half the book. You can go through the table of contents and find the section with the relevant words. You could also go through the index and find a word that seems to fit approximately and then go to that page to read through the related words and expressions till you find the perfect fit.

Recently, a follow on book by the same author 'More Words That Sell' has been released. The fundamental difference between the two books is that this book is intended to be used for general purpose copy writing like your basic services and the new book is intended to be used for more specific and detailed copy writing. That's the best way I can describe the differences and this is also corroborated by the author at the beginning of the second book.

Overall, I believe this is a valuable resource to have if you are even remotely involved in coming up with 'sales copy' for your company. The low price of the book is well worth the value you get by using this book. Before buying this and other books on copy writing, I used to do a decent job in coming up with the sales copy for my company's services. After reading this book and others like it, I have decided to completely revise the sales copy of my services! I do believe that good copy writing takes practice and these kinds of books are helpful guides in that process. I wish you the best of luck!

I have used this book in all its editions, since 1984. Aside from the very useful list of words, what I like best is that it often helps me get started in creating my own phrases. That is, the list becomes a jumping-off point for me, particularly when I'm stuck for an idea. I've used it for fundraising letters, direct mail campaigns, news releases, brochures, ads, and more. I have been recommending it for years, and still do.

I am extremely disappointed in this book as it is full of slogans which appear to have been taken from 1950s advertisements. Sadly, these cliches are now being used on informercials. The "thesaurus" portion of the book is simplistic at best. I am returning Words That Sell.

Words can have a magic effect on people, and advertising folks have worked long and hard to come up the words most likely to sell you stuff. This book is full of words and phrases that have proven to captivate, motivate and persuade. The book begins with slogans that we have all heard before, but proves to be a truly useful source of words that say things in a powerful way.

The above are just a few of the words and phrases suggested in "Words That Sell" for the term "Useful/Suitable."

This book is a specialized thesaurus with a marketing focus. The suggestions will jump start your pursuit of the perfect description next time you are writing a sales letter, catalog copy, brochure or web copy, ads--in short, anytime you need just the right word to convince customers to buy. It's one of the items I keep in my "creativity kit," the place I turn to overcome writer's block and get my brain popping.

If you ever have the need to write marketing copy, "Words That Sell" deserves a place on your bookshelf.

Then this is your book. Any time I am stuck on trying to find the right word, this is the book I go to. Do not let the fact that is an older book deceive you, the english language has not changed too much since 1984 and all of the words inside will make your writing much, much better.

Marketing is the same, regardless of which industry you are in, so anyone involved in sales, marketing or even writing internal reports for an organization should own a copy of this book.

I bought the book because I needed to write a great deal of copywriting and wanted to do it myself. Surprisingly, I find I use it to write many of my sales letters as well. I highly recommend you pick up this invaluable resource.

I highly recommend this for anyone who is marketing a product or service, especially if you write sales copy or sales letters. It is very easy to use, indexed and categorized to make it simple to find the perfect words for your needs. This is NOT a text on how to write ads, and it IS an absolute must-have resource for anyone doing ads.
Good luck with it!
Respectfully,
Liz Kennedy
www.WarriorInsights.com
www.ModernWarrior.com

I'm not aware of a top copywriter that doesn't have a well worn copy of this great book on his/her desk.

As a copywriter, Rich Bayan's Words That Sell and More Words That Sell are as valuable to me as the thesaurus.

If I'm trying to brainstorm new ways to phrase something in my copy, all I need to do is flip through this book and I have thousands of power phrases and words to choose from.

Can you write good copy without buying this book? Sure.

But it will take you twice as long.