Steve Oliphant’s Musings

By Joshua Boswell

Has this ever happened to you …

The other day I sat down in a white heat. My mind was racing.

The “Big Idea” for my latest promo had finally hit me!

So, I ran to my iMac, kicked open Pages, and started typing in a mad flurry. I don’t know about you, but I’m up to over 100 words a minute these days. So, when I’m on a roll, I can crank out copy.

A full paragraph into this typing frenzy, I noticed something was terribly wrong. None of the words made sense! It was all garbled up — one big fat mess.

The problem? The fingers of my right hand were on the wrong keys the whole time!

With some frustration, I realized that I was putting out energy … doing the work … being focused … but I was getting nowhere. In fact, instead of moving the project forward, I was actually wasting time and getting further behind.

Sigh … highlight, delete, start over.

The Moral of the Story …

I told you this story because this is EXACTLY what I see most copywriters doing with their self-promotion marketing efforts.

There’s a lot of activity … time and/or money being spent in an effort to become that six-figure copywriter we all dream of … but the results just aren’t there.

So, what is the answer? You must shift your fingers to the right keys.

I’m going to give you three examples to illustrate what I mean by “shifting the fingers to the right keys” in your money-making efforts. Plus, I’ll give you three easy, concrete action items that you can do right now to make an instant, big difference in your marketing efforts …

Example #1: The Price War

I set the phone down and jumped for joy. Literally, I jumped out of my chair and did a little jig in my office.

I had just closed my first client … $1,000 for a 15-page sales letter!

What followed was one of the most grueling three-week periods of my life. Revisions, discussions, highs, lows, and the final blow … a review by the Board telling me how rotten my stuff was. Ouch.

Oh, and they were not sending the final $500 and wondered how they ever got talked into paying such a high fee for a letter.

Double ouch.

From that experience, I realized that it was my own mentality that was killing me. I had priced myself so unimaginably low that, of course, I would attract clients like this.

I wish I could say that I immediately went and revamped my price list and set higher standards, but I didn’t. In fact, I got burned a few more times before I mustered the courage to make a change.

It was then that I went on a “Price War.” It was not a war with clients. It was with myself.

My self-image was so miserably low that I really felt I was only worth $500 and a sharp kick in the teeth. The clients were just reflecting my inner beliefs.

So, I had to wage a war to see myself differently. It wasn’t just about raising my prices. It was about becoming someone that believed they could charge more … and believing I was worth it.

This was one of the hardest battles that I’ve ever fought.

And, in fact, you may be interested to know that there are times when I’m still fighting the battle. Today I sent out a proposal for $8,700 … and that was just to have the client sit down with me and strategize for a day. No copy — just talking. It’s the most I’ve ever charged for one day and I’m squirming a little.

You should be squirming, too. Every time you put out a proposal, it should make you a little uneasy and a little outside your comfort zone.

Yes, my first solid suggestion to you about “moving your fingers a little to the left” is this: Raise your prices. Internally and externally. Sit down right now and jot down how much you’d be willing to sell your time for … $50 an hour … $75 an hour … $200 an hour … what is it?

Get a number that you feel comfortable with … and then raise it by at least 50%, if not double it.

The next time you are asked about a project, use the new fee structure.

And long before that, simulate the conversation in your mind a thousand times over. “I’d be happy to give you XXX deliverables and handle YYY on this project. My fee is $XXX.” Say it over and over again.

It won’t stop you from being nauseated the first few real times you do it, but it will help you from stumbling all over your words.

When you raise your prices, you will instantly begin attracting different clients. You are charging too little right now, aren’t you? Yes. So, raise your prices and get better results.

Example #2: Harvesting vs. Educating

I am a Saint at heart. I don’t mean that disrespectfully or sacrilegiously … I really mean it. I absolutely love helping other people. I love serving, giving, and uplifting people.

So, when I started out in copywriting, I recognized that I had this incredibly powerful tool in my hands that I could use to raise up struggling, well-deserving, needy individuals and companies from the ashes and give them new life.

I thought of calling my company “Phoenix Rising” because I was going to save them all. True story.

And, that is who I went after — the companies that really, really needed my help.

It only took me five months of pain to realize that there is a mighty powerful difference between “need” and “want.” The needy folks and businesses never really do want help. Oh, sure there are a few … but most of them? Nah. They just want a handout.

What I just said might really grate on you and seem heartless, but it is true.

So, I had to make a small shift in my thinking … not a huge one … a small move of the fingers to the left was all it took.

I was going to stop trying to force needy companies to grow and educate them on how badly they needed a fabulous copywriter like me, and start looking for those that already understood direct response.

I got out of the “educating” business and stepped foot into the “harvesting” business. I was going to help those that were already harvesting, harvest more … and thus I could finally start reaping my own happy harvest. After all, I had dreams, wants, and a family to feed, too.

And so do you.

So, your next assignment is to give up feelings of working for free, saving the world, and lifting all the suffering souls and businesses out of their misery.

There will be a time for this … but let’s get you and yours squared away first. To do this, look for and deal with only those companies who “get it.”

Example #3: Activity vs. Results

What I’m about to tell you will take you 10 minutes a day. No more, and maybe less.

It is a very, very small “shift of the fingers,” but it is perhaps one of the hardest to master.

In the beginning days, I had lots of time on my hands. Being able to dive into copywriting and marketing myself was a blessing. It stopped me from going totally stir-crazy.

But, the danger I faced was doing a lot of activity — the kind of stuff that comforted me and made me feel like I was doing something — without getting a lot of results.

The cure for this is very easy and includes just two steps …

First, sit down and define what you want your life to be like. Be sure to include specifics. How much money each month, each year, will you earn? What kind of car, home, vacations, and lifestyle will you enjoy? What will your key relationships be like? How would you like your health to be?

I call this a Purpose Statement. It is VITAL.

Second, every night before you go to bed (or in the morning, if you must … but night is better), take 10 minutes, or less, to write down and review your specific action items for the next day.

As you do this, carefully scrutinize everything on your list and ask this one question: Will this get me closer to fulfilling my Purpose Statement?

Be brutally honest. If it won’t, then mercilessly wipe it off the list. I repeat, have no mercy on any item that does not fulfill your Purpose Statement.

Remember, all things will either get you closer to your dream lifestyle or further away. Determine to go forward, not backward.

A Word Of Caution …

Now, you might be inclined to read these simple examples and think, “Oh, that is too easy, too simple … why doesn’t he give me the REAL secrets to success?”

If you thought that, you’d be terribly wrong.

After studying the lives of extremely successful men and women for the past 15 years … and I suppose, in my own right, actually being one … I have come to the conclusion that most people fail to achieve success because of two things:

They look beyond the mark for the titillating, fascinating, and mysterious.
Because they “miss the mark,” they never do the simple things that help them “become” great.
We only ever get in life what we “are,” not ever what we “want.” That is why “becoming” is so vital.

Recognizing this critical need for you to “become” a six-figure copywriter, I’ve decided to put on a one-day, life-changing experience. On June 26th, I’ll be down in Dallas, Texas, to help people like you actually “become” that six-figure copywriter you’ve been dreaming of.

Today, I have shared with you three simple, little things that can radically change your life. In Dallas, I will give nine others … plus, I will help you internalize and actually experience them right on the spot. It is unlike anything you’ve ever done, I assure you.

In just one day, I’ll help you experience the power of over-coming fears, pushing past old barriers, and shifting a few key things in your heart and mind so you actually “become” a six-figure copywriter mentally, emotionally, and practically.

In short, I’m going to give you a dozen little “shifts of the finger” so you can finally see the results you’ve been missing out on.

Plus, I have outlined a powerful, thrice-proven pattern for making over six-figures in as little as six months. I give step-by-step, day-by-day instructions so you can wake up every day and hit the ground running.

Of course, there’s more than that … If you’re curious about participating in this one-of-a-kind, full day experience, then click here now to learn more.

The fix for my garbled paragraph was to delete and start anew with my fingers on the right keys. Small shift, big difference in results. Finally realizing your dreams and goals might just be that simple. It was for me. And, it was for Jared, one of my coaching students. You can read his story … and get details on the event … by clicking here …

This article appears courtesy of American Writers & Artists Inc.’s (AWAI) The Golden Thread, a free newsletter that delivers original, no-nonsense advice on the best wealth careers, lifestyle careers and work-at-home careers available. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.awaionline.com/signup/.

I am reading

Learning The Business One Story at a Time by Michael
S.Clouse

Loaned to me by a friend. Very Short.

Here is a great takeaway/action item from Chapter 1:

Take Action!

This applies to ANY TYPE OF BUSINESS!

The particular business I am in that I was loaned this book for is a great network marketing business involving essential oils. You can find out more about it at that link.

But the purpose of this post is the TAKE ACTION message, and that book.

I will be posting more takeaways as I read more.

- Set up “tweet this” on webinar blog *DONE
- clean up unprofitable ads on crecon.com *DONE
- add tracking code to crecon.com banner creator *DONE

Tags: todo

From:
http://affiliateradio.com/stealth-traffic-secret/

Step 1 – wp blog
Theme doesn’t matter if clean, Thesis, FlexSqueeze, SemiLogic

Step 2
Plugins: StealthTrafficSystem, OnlywireMultiposter, AutoSocialPoster, Shorten2ping, Twitme

Step 3, 10 articles, 1 main page, 9 blog posts, main page is main keyword, 9 blog posts are related longtail, all unqiue, only post 1 per day. Write own or use:
http://stevelikes.com/articles

Step 4:
camtasia, powerpoint or
Article2video.com,

spin articles for remote posting to article to directories.

http://www.contentboss.com/

Step 5:
Create youtube account dedicated to this project
easiest to name domain name without extension

Step 6:
Submit video, record URL
Submit to other video sources, trafficgeyser, etc
link in video description points back to article on blog
rest of descr can be first paragraph of article

Step 7:
Use multi submit service, submit one of spun articles to article directories
submityourarticle.com, articlemarketer
resource box needs 2 links – one to youtube video, one to blog article
anchor text needs to be keyterm for links

Step 8:
repeat steps 6 and 7 for every article posted to the blog

Step 9:
Submit press release linking to home page.
1 per 10 page minisite, 1per week for larger site
prlog.com(free)
webwire.com($19)
prleap.com($49)
(above 3 cheaper and more effective than prweb)

Step 10:
rss submission
– wait until 10 articles done

Step 11 Linkvana ($147 per month + $2.00 per post)
5 links to home page using primary keywords
1 link to other pages using longtail page keyword
1 link submitted every 3 days

Step 12
if more than 50k pages for phrase match on google search
don’t use until site is aged at least 1 month, content all in place, and previous steps all done.

double batch no bake cookies for Melody:
4 cup sugar
1 cup milk (1/3 cup powder, 7/8 cup water)
1 cup butter (2 sticks butter or margarine)
6Tbs cocoa powder
boil together 2 minutes, add
6 cup instant oats
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla

mix, drop spoonfuls onto wax paper covered cookie sheet chill until firm.

Powdered milk candy recipe (before I forget)
1/4 cup butter (half a stick)
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup powdered milk
melt butter, mix in sugar and powered milk, add any flavorings (1/8 tsp rum extract and a dash of nutmeg for “eggnog” candy) then mix in more powdered milk until stiff. Kneed a bit, place marble size pieces on wax paper covered baking sheet and put in freezer. (if they last that long.) makes 1 8×10 pan.

Early To Rise had an article this morning that goes right along with my product creation class so with permission, I am sharing it with you:

By Paul Lawrence
My car was embarrassingly dirty. I had been too busy to take it in to be washed, let alone do it myself.

So when I found a business card on my windshield for a car washing service, I was interested. I looked around the parking lot. Only dirty cars had the card.

The card advertised a deal for an introductory wash. Better yet, they would come to the customer’s home or place of business and do the job there. Perfect for me. Couldn’t be more convenient.

I called and set up an appointment.

I used to do something similar with the lawn cutting business I had as a teenager. I would ride around on my bicycle and look for yards with grass that looked like it needed a mowing. When I found one, I’d knock on the door and ask if they would like to hire me.

I had all the work I could handle.

Even in today’s economic environment, you can have a thriving business.

All you need to do is use this “Dirty Car Secret.” You target people who have a strong need for your product or service. If they need it, they won’t be able to do without it. And they will pay you to provide it.

For example, when I was starting my ballroom dance instruction business, I found that couples who were about to be married often needed lessons. After all, that first dance as “Mr. and Mrs.” in front of all of the wedding guests is a tradition. And with all eyes upon them, nobody wants to stumble around the dance floor.

Before I discovered my “dirty cars,” I had been mailing postcards promoting my business to the general public. Using mailing lists based on income and geographical area, I’d get a response rate of about 1 percent. But, when I started mailing to couples about to be married, the average response rate was 12 percent. A 1,200 percent increase!

Years later, I used the Dirty Car Secret when I was in the swimming pool service business. Any time my pool cleaners spotted a pool that was less than sparkling clean, they left a flyer with a discount coupon on the door. More than 10 percent of the recipients called to take advantage of the offer.

Ten percent! Twelve percent! To give you an idea of how impressive those response rates are, one seven-figure mail order company I know considers a 2 percent response rate to be huge. If they were to get 10 percent, they’d be uncorking Champagne.

Smart direct mailers have used the Dirty Car Secret for years. What they do is rent other mailers’ “buyer lists.” These lists are made up of the names of people who have bought a product that’s similar to the one the marketer is selling. The assumption is that if those folks bought that product before, they needed (or wanted) it. And, chances are, they will need (or want) it again.

But there are many other ways to apply the Dirty Car Secret.

For instance, if you wanted to sell cold beverages with vending machines, you would put your machines where many thirsty people would see them. (When I owned a vending machine business, our machines in hot auto garages were our top performers.) And if you wanted to teach English to people who speak Spanish, a good place to post your flyers would be in grocery stores specializing in Latin-American foods.

The idea is to find a way to identify people who are likely to have a strong need or desire for your product or service. You’d be surprised by how many entrepreneurs spend vast amounts of time and money getting their marketing message into the wrong hands.

Here are some tips to help you find the “dirty cars” that could jumpstart your business in as little as a few days:

Identify your ideal prospects.

If you’ve ever gotten a traffic ticket, you’ve probably been barraged with mailings from lawyers who specialize in traffic tickets – because there’s a good chance a lawyer can help you. Likewise, if you have a dirty car, you might need someone to wash it. If you have an overgrown lawn, you might need someone to cut it. If you’re planning to get married, you might need ballroom dance lessons.

So your first step with this marketing strategy is to pick up on the clues that reveal the ideal customers for your product or service.

Figure out how to reach them.

Once you know who you want to target, you’ve got to determine the best way to get your marketing message to them.

Direct mail is a great way to reach prospects, but it’s only one option. You can pass out business cards or post flyers. You can sell your product or service on the Internet with pay-per-click ads. Use your imagination! One method I used to promote my ballroom dance business was to advertise in the bridal section of the local metropolitan newspaper.

Find a way to separate yourself from the pack.

Reaching your prospects isn’t enough. You have to get their attention and land their business. No matter which advertising method you use, the basics are the same:

1. Grab them with a headline that makes a promise or claim that will interest them.

2. Prove to them that you can deliver on that promise or claim.

3. Ask for the order.

You can use the Dirty Car Secret to pump up the profits of any small business – or start a new one that will deliver enough cash for you to be secure … to pay your bills, put some money away for the future, and have a decent lifestyle for yourself and your family.

If you’re worried about losing your job or having a business that’s failing, that’s good news for you!

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

In the class I am presenting at isuccess.com we are talking about affiliate products in the outdoor/backyard/bbq etc category. Here are some we found:

Interesting top trend at http://google.com/trends : quakebuttock

Update, I found the source – it was Bill O’Reilly’s word of the day today.

And of course, Trending Searches at http://search.twitter.com is always fun to check out: