Direct Marketing, Mail Order, and E-commerce News from the National Mail Order Association
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PLEASE NOTE: This is a retyped version of the original 4-page letter, mailed in 1973 along with a 16-page
4/color brochure, 6-page 2/color brochure, order form, and BRE, in a 9”x12” outer envelope, all written by
Stan Holden. The direct mail package brought in mail order sales of $20 million (that’s like $80 million today!).
Judged on both sales results and creativity, it won the Direct Marketing Association’s highest award, the
coveted Gold Mailbox. The letter is featured in two books: The Greatest Direct Mail Sales Letters of All Time
(published by Dartnell) and World’s Greatest Direct Mail Sales Letters (NTC Books). Holden is available for
copywriting projects via Guru and via HoldenDM@aol.com
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(Hewlett-Packard letterhead)
This little card (Illustration of program card)
enables you to solve even extremely complex,
lengthy or repetitive problems in seconds
…when you feed it through the first and only
fully-programmable pocket calculator!
Introducing: The HP-65 Personal “Computer”
Imagine a "computer" that fits in your pocket! Imagine that it’s no bigger than
-- and looks very much like -- an ordinary pocket calculator...but doesn’t cost
very much more! Now imagine this miniature marvel in your hands, as you try it
out for 15 days and cut your problem-solving time down to seconds!
But why imagine? Now -- thanks to Hewlett-Packard’s newest state-of-the-art
technology -- there is a pocket-sized "computer"...the HP-65!
Just like a computer, it’s fully programmable.
And it uses computer logic to solve even
extremely complex, lengthy or repetitive problems
in seconds – anywhere, anytime – at the touch
of a few keys!
No, this personal "computer" doesn’t use tiny little reels of tape or miniature
keypunch cards. It uses small (approximately 1/2" x 3") magnetic cards. Each
card can store a program -- a sequence of keystrokes -- up to 100 steps long.
And, if additional steps are needed to handle an unusually long program, you can
do it in stages.)
To insert a program into the HP-65, just run a pre-
recorded program card through it. All it takes is
two seconds! The information from the card is
duplicated in the HP-65’s program memory, where it
remains for as long as you leave your personal
"computer" turned on.
To solve a problem, just feed in the known data by pressing a few keys on the
HP-65’s own keyboard. No other equipment is needed. Then start the program
(over, please)
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running. In seconds, the HP-65 uses computer technology to solve your problem,
with up to 10-digit accuracy. And you can even program it to skip steps or to
select alternate steps -- automatically -- if intermediate solutions dictate
such action! It couldn’t be easier...or faster!
Actually, the HP-65 is three “answer machines” in one:
1. It operates on pre-recorded program cards
(available from Hewlett-Packard)...
2. It operates on cards you program yourself
(and you don’t have to learn "computer language")...
3. It’s also an advanced scientific pocket
calculator (with numerous built-in functions that
may be incorporated into a program or used
independently).
Whichever way you use the HP-65, you’ll be amazed at how much time and effort it
saves you, and how it helps to reduce computational errors.
Equally important, it enables you to handle complex,
lengthy or repetitive problems that would be
inconvenient, difficult or time-consuming to handle
without using devices many times larger, much more
expensive and nowhere near as portable as your
personal "computer."
Because it operates on rechargeable batteries as well as on AC, the HP-65 can be
used literally anywhere -- at a meeting, out in the field, up in a plane, down in
a mine -- wherever your work takes you. It delivers the answers you need the
minute you need them -- not hours or days later.
What makes the HP-65 even more incredible is that it’s easy to operate! It can be
used even by persons who know absolutely nothing about computers (or about
calculators, for that matter). The illustrated Owner’s Handbook clearly explains
every detail, and the Quick Reference Guide offers a how-to-do-it summary.
Briefly, here are the three ways you can use it:
1. Use it with pre-recorded program cards…
You don’t need a scientific or engineering background to benefit from the HP-65’s
capabilities. But let’s assume, for the moment, that you’re involved in some
project concerned with the surface area of the human body. Perhaps you’re a
medical technician...a designer of apparatus for astronauts...or a chemist working
on a suntan lotion.
All you need do is take one of the pre-recorded program cards that come with the
HP-65 -- the card labeled "Body Surface Area (Boyd)" -- and feed it through a
slot on one side of your personal "computer." The information on the card -- the
step-by-step sequence of keystrokes required to solve the problem -- is duplicated
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in the HP-65’s program memory.
Next, using the HP-65’s own keyboard, feed in the height and weight of the
particular body you’re measuring.
Now start the program running by pushing a single key on the HP-65.
In less time than it takes to read this sentence,
the answer you’re seeking will appear on the HP-65’s
light-emitting diode (LED) display.
To calculate the surface area of a different body, just feed in that person’s
height and weight...and you get the answer just as quickly.
And in case you are a medical technician, and you also want to find out the
cardiac index (the ratio of blood pumped per unit of body surface area),
simply key in the cardiac input, and the HP-65 gives you the additional answer.
Dozens of pre-recorded program cards are available...
...and more are on the way. They’re packaged in Application Pacs containing
up to 40 cards, and you’ll find complete information on them in the literature
accompanying this letter. In addition...
2. You can create your own HP-65 program cards!
No, you don’t have to go to computer programming school -- or hire someone who
did. You don’t even have to learn "computer language," or invest in accessory
hardware. All you need to write and record your own program is your HP-65, a
pencil, some paper, and one of the blank program cards supplied.
Simply prepare a step-by-step sequence of the HP-65 keys you would press to solve
your particular problem. If you wish, this program can include conditional tests,
skips or other techniques (all of which are clearly explained in the Owner’s
Handbook).
Turn on the HP-65, press the appropriate keys in sequence, and run a blank card
through the machine to record the program.
And that’s all you do!
You may use the card again and again, whenever you need it, to cut problem-
solving time down to seconds and reduce the possibility of keystroke errors.
You can even edit the card, to change or delete any part of the program. Or you
can erase the card and record an entirely different program on it.
(If you would rather not work out your own program, you may find exactly what
you need among the hundreds of programs -- in a variety of fields -- in the HP-65
Users’ Library. See the literature enclosed.}
By creating your own program cards, or by adapting an existing program to your
(over, please)
-4-
own specific needs, you greatly extend the versatility of the HP-65 while -- at
the same time -- you transform it into a highly specialized, truly personal
"computer."
3. And you can also use the HP-65 as an
advanced scientific pocket calculator!
Already pre-programmed into the HP-65 are the most commonly used scientific
functions. Included are log and trig functions, the constant for pi, the
conversion of decimal angles to degrees/minutes/seconds, the conversion of
rectangular coordinates to polar coordinates (or vice versa), and numerous
other functions as shown in the enclosed brochure. These built-in functions
may be used independently, or incorporated into any program.
So there you have it -- the totally unique
three-in-one, pocket-sized personal "computer"
with the "super power" you need to solve
just about any problem...anywhere...anytime!
After you read the enclosed literature, you may agree with us that the HP-65 is
pretty fantastic. But only a personal trial can prove how valuable -- how
indispensable -- it can be to you.
That’s why I invite you to try it for 15 days!
See how it can save you hours -- or perhaps days -- of valuable time and effort,
by quickly, easily and accurately solving hundreds of your complex, lengthy or
repetitive problems. And see how it can free you from devices that are many times
larger, much more expensive and nowhere near as portable as your personal
"computer."
You might expect to pay $2,000 or more for an answer machine as incredible as the
HP-65...but it’s only $795.00 (U.S.A. only), complete with accessories as shown in
the literature. And if you’re not absolutely fascinated with owning and using
your own pocket-sized personal "computer," return the HP-65 within 15 days for a full
refund or credit!
With a product this unique, it’s possible we may not be able to keep up with
initial demand. Therefore, if you are interested in the HP-65, I strongly suggest
you take advantage of this 15-day trial offer now.
Cordially,
Ray King
Ray King, General Manager
Advanced Products Division
Hewlett-Packard Company
P.S. If you send for your HP-65 now, you’ll receive -- at no extra cost -- a
year’s subscription to the Users’ Library Catalog of Contributed Programs,
to greatly extend the usefulness of this personal "computer." Please see
the enclosed literature for details.
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Read Stan Holden's article on how-to write a sales letter: "Want More Sales? Send a Letter!"
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