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10 Successful Strategies For Profitable Sales Letters
1) Start with a headline. Right up front give your products strongest benefit. Make a promise in your headline, and then explain how the promise and benefits work to the customers potential in the body of your sales letter. 2) Tell a story. Give a...
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The Not-So-Mysterious Art of Getting Clients
Sure, you can print business cards and letterhead. Launch a web
site. And hang your shingle as a freelance copywriter.
That's easy.
But you're not really "in business" until you GET business. And
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How to Succeed as a Writer
As a professional copywriter, I'm often asked by aspiring
copywriters what they need to do to succeed. Most of their
questions center around writing ability. They want to know how
to find out if they have the talent to succeed, or if there's a
"test" they can take that will tell them if they're a good
enough writer to actually get paid to write.
Well, for better or for worse, writing ability has very little
to do with a writer's ultimate success. (Business owners who
want to write to promote their business, take note -- I'm
talking to you as well.)
If there was a test out there (and there isn't by the way) but
if there was, I would say the test would deal only with your
attitude about writing and leave ability flat out of it.
Yes, you heard me right. Attitude over ability. That's the key
to success.
I know. It's hard to hear. As writers, we want so badly to be
told our work is good, that it has merit, that we truly are
talented. I'm not sure why so many of us need that exterior
validation -- perhaps because writing is such a solitary, inner
activity that when we do finally come up for air, we want to
make sure we haven't been wasting our time.
But to be honest, it IS possible to become a professional
writer, to be paid for your work, and not be terribly talented.
(In fact, I'll do you one better. It's even possible to force
overworked, exhausted college students in English Lit classes to
read your books and not be all that talented. Case in point:
Thomas Hardy.)
When I look at professional writers (and I include authors in
this category) the common denominator I see isn't writing
talent. It isn't even a desire to write -- I know, it's kind of
strange, but there's more than a few of those folks out there.
It's a desire to succeed as a writer.
If you're determined to succeed as a writer, and have the will
and the mindset to do it, then you'll succeed at it. Period.
Now, that doesn't mean you can skip working hard, honing your
craft or, yes, actually putting pen to paper or hands to
keyboard and churning out words. You have to be determined
enough to do what it takes. To make the necessary sacrifices. To
actually do the work. And, to know setbacks will happen and
obstacles will appear and learn to take them in
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stride.
Not everyone is going to like what you've written. I don't care
how good you are. You're going to get some, if not a truckload,
of criticism along the way. But, again, that's part of your
attitude. You have to be able to take the rejection, the
criticism, or the just plain mean comments in stride. You have
to pick yourself up and keep going. Because you know in your
heart you're on the right path and you won't allow those nasty
people derail you.
And that, my friends, is what it takes to be a writer.
Creativity Exercise -- Get the right attitude
People have written books about changing your attitude, so I'm
not going to pretend this exercise is the end-all, be-all. But
it's a start.
Twice a day, place your hand on your chest and say out loud "I
choose to become a successful writer. I have the attitude of a
successful writer." This is a declaration, not an affirmation.
According to T. Harv Eker, author of "Secrets of the Millionaire
Mind," declarations are more powerful than affirmations.
Declarations simply declare your intent rather than state your
goal is already happening (which is an affirmation.) When you
state your goal as if it's already happening, a little voice
inside you usually pipes up and says "that's a load of crap"
thus making it harder to change your attitude. But if you simply
state the intention, then no little voice chimes in to tell you
otherwise.
And, when you say it out loud, you're letting your subconscious
know, the universe know, and the cells in your body know
(because they can feel the energy) what you're intending to do.
Placing a hand on your chest allows you to feel that energy. So
change happens faster. If you also look in the mirror, you'll
accelerate that change even more.
Above all, remember this: Believe and it WILL happen.
About the author:
Michele Pariza Wacek owns Creative Concepts and Copywriting, a
writing, marketing and creativity agency. She offers two free
e-newsletters that help subscribers combine their creativity
with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become
more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and
services and boosting business. She can be reached at
http://www.writingusa.com. Copyright 2005 Michele Pariza Wacek
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