Oh, how speaking the truth hurts (sometimes) ... but I'm proud of this Congressman, because he's from around here and he has the guts to say what he said

I grew up in the D.C. suburbs and now live in San Francisco. Growing up around D.C., you get really used to hearing sanctimonious, self-serving lies along with deep-sounding yet meaningless platitudes, coming from the career politicians on Capitol Hill.

It used to be rare, if never, that anyone would simply tell it like it is.

So it was with great astonishment and delight that I read the following quote this morning in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Congress "is the only business in the world where your colleagues wake up in the morning and try to figure out how to screw over their colleagues," said Rep. Mike Thompson, D-St. Helena.

St. Helena is in California's wine country, maybe an hour's drive from here.

The quote was in a call-out box on the front page of today's newspaper. The editors there clearly know good copy when they see it.

The accompanying article was about a near-certain government budget deadlock ahead in Washington.

Now, how do you use a quote like this to increase your sales in copywriting?

There are lots of ways. One that comes to mind immediately is: if you sell a proven alternative to something people in your market typically count on members of Congress to provide for them.

You simply put the quote up at the top of your sales copy.

With full attribution, for greater effect (and credibility).

You could deepen the discomfort a quote like that causes through elegant argumentation... or, you could just leave it hanging there, and let people draw their own conclusions.

After all, if what Mr. Thompson says is even partially true about what his esteemed colleagues in Congress spend all their waking moments planning to do to each other... then what is it likely they have in store for you?

Happy holiday season,

David Garfinkel
Publisher, World Copywriting Newsletter