The great writers are those who love language, love reading and love writing. They are the foundation for any company because it is through this unique art that communication can be succinctly expressed.

However, if you’re a business owner, the head of an agency or PR company, then you need to employ writers whose flair for writing goes beyond the talent and blooming flowers of spring-time copy.

Indeed, you need writers who understand your business. In other words, you need a great writer who understands that what he or she writes needs to sell; the copy needs to touch your clients’ customers. This is the bottom-line, is it not?

Unfortunately, writers are sensitive folk. And they have a right to be since writing is like art – subjective.

In resistance, some writers want to show off their talent and explode with words and phrases that simply do not sell. The audience of today’s world is not going to appreciate a sonnet – especially if the client’s customer-base is the mining industry, for example.

A very famous example, one which may help writers when compiling copy for a new product or service, is owed to David Ogilvy.

Now, it is advised that writers today should take the time (like great writers did back in the day) to visit the client or touch the product, and find out everything about the product.

You just never know, as you shall now discover in the example, what will make your copy sell. For instance, Ogilvy discovered and taught that 'doing your homework' is important.

Here’s what happened: Ogilvy was to write a long-copy advert about the new Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. He didn’t know where to start.

This was a new, expensive car (almost $14 000 in those days) and there was nothing really to go on, save the well repute of the brand name.

However, Ogilvy visited the engineers and asked them questions. Out of nowhere, he discovered something nobody would even think of mentioning with regard to advertising cars, even today. The clock. Yes, the clock.

Apparently, the electric clock made a noise. Light bulbs must have cracked in Ogilvy’s head. 'I’ve got it!' he must have said. Here was the seller-advert headline, upon which later, Ford based a multi-million dollar campaign.

'At 60 miles an hour, the loudest noise in this new Rolls-Royce comes from the electric clock'. Pure brilliance!

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