If you’re anything like me you would much rather have a face to face conversation to talk about your products or services than attempt to write about it. Putting pen to paper to make that all important “first impression” can be daunting to say the least.
For the perfectionists out there it can also be very time consuming, as we write and rewrite, before “sleeping on it”, procrastinating some more about publishing or sending the material, and eventually changing our mind completely and not bothering at all!
So, last week I was inspired by a presentation from a friend of mine who attempted to demystify the art of copywriting – making words work. In fact, before I got into business, I thought a copywriter was someone who applied to get your work “copyrighted” on your behalf!
Alan Morrow, from Quote Unquote, provided the audience with his very own “Success Tips” to “the art of creating meaning through words”. For my part I was perhaps more inspired, or educated, than Alan had intended because I realised that much of what he was saying could be applied to many other areas of our lives, not just writing sales copy.
So with very grateful thanks, Alan’s success tips on “the art of creating meaning through words” are:
Learn to listen [to the customer, the audience]
Plan. Plan. Plan. - Create a structure for your document, then write
Know who you are writing to - Visualize your audience then write as if you are speaking to them
Get to the point - People are short of time, and you're not the only one vying for it, so get to the point, and make sure it's crystal-clear.
Repetition is your friend - Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them
Find an appropriate tone of voice - Know your audience, be formal or informal, engage your readers – use ‘you’, ‘we’
Keep it simple:
“From exploiting customer in-store wait time to migrating offline consumers to online channels, we can provide an innovative turnkey solution that delivers both customer insight and business results.”
which means
"We'll make sure your customers buy in your store or online. Every time. And you'll make more money."
Use short sentences
“Already Jones Construction have been involved with the project from the earliest conceptual design stages ensuring the design team have taken on board energy effective measures within the design seeking to create a leading sustainability addressing many issues.” (38 words, no punctuation).
which means
“Our design team has included energy saving measures within the building.”
Benefits, not features - Sell the heat, not the blanket. Explain what your service or product will do for the audience.
Use “which means that” to link features and benefits, e.g.
“Our Culture & Arts Strategy sets a programme for strong, sustainable development, which means that we will be able to engage artists, cultural workers and local communities with renewed vigour...”
Review your copy - Re-read, edit and simplify. Ask someone else to proof it
If you want to know more about how Alan Morrow can help you with your words contact him through www.QuoteUnQuote.biz
Tuesday, 4 March 2008
Friday, 1 February 2008
Step Up to Success event for the REC
The REC is a trade body supporting the recruitment industry.Speaking at a regional event in Belfast last week, delegates got to hear how they can "Step Up to Success" and make 2008 their best year ever. (And why is it photographers like to have a "corny" photograph? No prizes for working out what he was trying to achieve ;o))
For more information about REC in Northern Ireland go to http://www.rec.uk.com/.
Zenrec.net sponsored the event and demonstrated an innovative solution to supporting recruitment companies. Visit http://www.zenrec.net/ for more info.
If you need a speaker at your trade or networking event call our office at 028 9048 8673.
Book of the Month - Talking with Giants
As an Internationally acclaimed Speaker, Author and Success Expert, Scott has led the field in training others, presenting as a top professional speaker and executing the very success strategies he teaches. That’s the public face of Scott direct from his web profile...
Scott Schilling is one of the most genuine and generous people I have ever had the privilege to meet. His book has been created from a desire to be of service to others and when he talks about the project you can literally see this desire welling up in him.
The book itself provides incredible insights and inspiration through Scott’s interviews with “Giants” in their respective fields including Jack Canfield, Mark Victor-Hansen, Cynthia Kersey, Orrin Hudson, T. Harv Eker, John Dealey and Freddie Rick, to name just a few.
This is a must read for anyone serious about creating success in their life and making a difference in the world.
Buy it here now
Scott Schilling is one of the most genuine and generous people I have ever had the privilege to meet. His book has been created from a desire to be of service to others and when he talks about the project you can literally see this desire welling up in him.
The book itself provides incredible insights and inspiration through Scott’s interviews with “Giants” in their respective fields including Jack Canfield, Mark Victor-Hansen, Cynthia Kersey, Orrin Hudson, T. Harv Eker, John Dealey and Freddie Rick, to name just a few.
This is a must read for anyone serious about creating success in their life and making a difference in the world.
Buy it here now
What's work/life balance really all about?
Richard Branson said that there is no play or work, just living. So, if we are passionate about what we do, and we get excited about it every day, is there really a need to worry about work/life balance?
People regularly tell me they want to create more balance in their lives. They say they work too hard and don’t get enough time off. They don’t spend enough time with their family, don’t have days off, never take a holiday, get up early, go to bed late. It seems to be a constant battle to keep going.
I realised, after doing some “self-development” work with my coach and one of my mastermind groups, that whilst I love what I do, and am absolutely passionate about it, I might have been falling into a “trap” of pushing too hard in one area of life at the possible expense of another. For me, balance is not about work/life, but about the key areas of your whole life. This includes relationships with family and friends, fun and adventure, personal development, business, finance, toys and luxuries, contribution or service, health and fitness. The game of life is about having balance in all these areas so that no one area is suffering at the expense of success in another.
So, I asked myself “how can I create more balance as a whole” and then created goals, planned strategies and took action to make it happen. However, I also realised that planning balance and taking action was great and moved me forward, it was also very easy to allow myself to slip back into my old ways, the ways of my corporate career when everything in life then was about working hard, getting noticed, delivering results, being promoted, earning more money and bonuses, getting the new company car and so on.
It is so easy to work harder when things seem challenging and finding yourself spinning round in circles, beating yourself up when things don’t go the way you planned and then getting back on the roundabout of work, work, work, or rather, effort, effort, effort, losing sight of keeping balance in the other areas. This is the time when it is so important to keep our eye on the ball and allow ourselves to just take some time out to recharge, refocus and connect back with our energy.
I recall when I worked for a company many years ago, driving fork-lift trucks, moving their products around the site. We worked our machine solidly for 10 hours straight every day. The boss would say that the most important job of the day was to plug the fork-lift into it’s charger at the end of the shift, before we left. If this wasn’t done and we returned the following morning we would find no machine available and therefore no work, no money. The fork-lift, like us, needed to literally recharge it’s batteries to be able to function properly, or even at all, the next day.
So my success tips this week are:
People regularly tell me they want to create more balance in their lives. They say they work too hard and don’t get enough time off. They don’t spend enough time with their family, don’t have days off, never take a holiday, get up early, go to bed late. It seems to be a constant battle to keep going.
I realised, after doing some “self-development” work with my coach and one of my mastermind groups, that whilst I love what I do, and am absolutely passionate about it, I might have been falling into a “trap” of pushing too hard in one area of life at the possible expense of another. For me, balance is not about work/life, but about the key areas of your whole life. This includes relationships with family and friends, fun and adventure, personal development, business, finance, toys and luxuries, contribution or service, health and fitness. The game of life is about having balance in all these areas so that no one area is suffering at the expense of success in another.
So, I asked myself “how can I create more balance as a whole” and then created goals, planned strategies and took action to make it happen. However, I also realised that planning balance and taking action was great and moved me forward, it was also very easy to allow myself to slip back into my old ways, the ways of my corporate career when everything in life then was about working hard, getting noticed, delivering results, being promoted, earning more money and bonuses, getting the new company car and so on.
It is so easy to work harder when things seem challenging and finding yourself spinning round in circles, beating yourself up when things don’t go the way you planned and then getting back on the roundabout of work, work, work, or rather, effort, effort, effort, losing sight of keeping balance in the other areas. This is the time when it is so important to keep our eye on the ball and allow ourselves to just take some time out to recharge, refocus and connect back with our energy.
I recall when I worked for a company many years ago, driving fork-lift trucks, moving their products around the site. We worked our machine solidly for 10 hours straight every day. The boss would say that the most important job of the day was to plug the fork-lift into it’s charger at the end of the shift, before we left. If this wasn’t done and we returned the following morning we would find no machine available and therefore no work, no money. The fork-lift, like us, needed to literally recharge it’s batteries to be able to function properly, or even at all, the next day.
So my success tips this week are:
- Review what you do and make sure that you are living your life in terms of living rather than work/life as if they are separate entities. They’re not.
- Look at where your balance is, or isn’t, and create some goals in those areas that you would like to improve.
- When things get tough, remind yourself that more “work” doesn’t necessarily mean better results.
- Take time to recharge your batteries and nurture your mind and body so that you can perform at your best every day.
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Monday, 21 January 2008
Jack Canfield's Key to Living the Law of Attraction
Practical tips beyond the teachings of The Secret, January 17, 2008
By
Mr. Peter S. Smith "Simon Smith www.simonsmit... (Belfast) - See all my reviews
Jack Canfield is the master of The Law of Attraction. He has applied it in his own life and teaches it to the world. Now with his new book he takes The Success Principles he has taught across the world and brings practical insight and tools into understanding of the Law of Attraction. Easy to read, easily understood and easily applied, I have no doubt that applying what Jack teaches will transform lives. Buy it, gift it, share it and talk about it, so that those people important to you don't miss out!
Thank you Jack for being such an inspiration and providing this book to us.
www.amazon.com
By
Mr. Peter S. Smith "Simon Smith www.simonsmit... (Belfast) - See all my reviews
Jack Canfield is the master of The Law of Attraction. He has applied it in his own life and teaches it to the world. Now with his new book he takes The Success Principles he has taught across the world and brings practical insight and tools into understanding of the Law of Attraction. Easy to read, easily understood and easily applied, I have no doubt that applying what Jack teaches will transform lives. Buy it, gift it, share it and talk about it, so that those people important to you don't miss out!
Thank you Jack for being such an inspiration and providing this book to us.
www.amazon.com
Action and Speed Creates Results
I was in Newport Beach last week meeting with my mastermind group and I was reminded how much of an impact having a great support and accountability process can help you achieve so much, so quickly.
Having reviewed our goals in the preceding couple of weeks, we arrived with great anticipation of more insight, learning and inspiration from Jack Canfield, our host, teacher and facilitator. By having us focusing on our goals for the coming twelve months Jack has quickly established a mechanism for measuring our success. We have stated our intentions and it is up to us to hold each other accountable to ensure we deliver on them.
One thing was made abundantly clear – action creates results, and if we hold the intention that anything is possible, then we will indeed take all the necessary action to reach our objectives. My view on this is that whilst I may not know “the how” at the moment in relation to some goals, getting clear on “the what” or even “the why”, will help me find small stepping stones towards what I want. Each stepping stone is then that much closer to the mountain.
Of course, just taking action does not immediately presuppose that we get the result we want. However, if we take onboard the feedback from our actions, we can correct our course and stay on target when things go a different way to that which is expected.
Taking action with speed sets successful entrepreneurs apart from those that dawdle, and therefore stay in mediocrity. In fact, the old perfectionist in me would have stopped myself taking any action at all in the past, based on the idea that it needs to be “perfect” before being started. In recent years I have come to realise that there is in fact no such thing as “perfectionism” - this is simply a convenient phrase to hide behind which allows us to sabotage our own efforts.
Small business owners and entrepreneurs have the edge in this regard. They can take action with speed, because they, unlike many larger organisations, can decide quickly and then move forward. The trick, of course, is to start small, test, measure and learn, and then continue if the strategy works.
So, my success tips this week are simply these:
1. Create focus on your goals and have them written down
2. Take action everyday towards your goals - small stepping stones to climb big mountains
3. Have a support process in place, be it a mastermind group, accountability buddy or a coach
4. Listen and learn from the feedback and correct your course when the unexpected shows up
Sunday, 6 January 2008
How do I get motivated?
I was prompted to respond to a question submitted in a forum I subscribe to about getting back into a state of motivation following the holiday. The person submitting the comment / question was looking for other experiences as they were finding it difficult to get back into “work mode” and get motivated to take action.
My experience is often similar after holidays and Christmas. This year is seemed to be even more difficult than usual.
To move through it I find that taking a couple of days to just "allow" myself to be in this zone of "no specific action", yet thinking / reflecting about the next few months (not even meditating, just allowing my thoughts to go wherever they take me during the course of the day), begins to move me closer to being in action.
After those couple of days I take one day to just update some goals, clear out old paperwork, throw away old to-do lists that probably won't get handled anyway. Just this act of creating some plans and tidying up leads me to a place where I am motivated to plan the next 2 days, by time not tasks, and I plan everything, even getting up, breaks and going to bed.
So, for example, the plan this holiday actually looked like this:
6 - Up
6.30 - Write sales letter
7.45 - Shower & breakfast
9 - Travel (listen to Jack Canfield CD)
10 - Car service (read Catherine Ponder book while waiting)
12 - Travel home (listen to HWnW interview CD)
1 - Client preparation for tomorrow (sandwich lunch)
3 - Write letters to clear up financial incompletes
3.30 - Call GW, ML, CD
4 - Gym
5 - Shower & break
6 - Email, sync iPOD for podcasts, back up laptop
7 - Mastermind (2) call
8 - Plan for tomorrow
8.30 - Client preparation
9 - Client preparation
10 - End of day review
10.30 - Bed
By planning like this, instead of by a to-do list, I am focused on the time, not the task, thereby less likely to use my own very efficient "avoidance tactics" and revert to "vegging out" in front of another great movie, and much more likely to be in action all day. The important thing for me is that even if some of the tasks don't get completed, I am being focused again on working activities and because it is time oriented I can not move a task somewhere else because there is no time allowed for that. I have effectively backed myself into a corner to stay on track.
One more day like this and I hit the sack exhausted but fully back into normality so to speak, so I can then allow myself to be less intense about the planning knowing I'm back to where I need / want to be.
Sign up for our free Success Tips at www.simonsmithcoaching.com and get further “Reflections” delivered to your inbox.
Check out our monthly free teleseminar at www.AskSimonSmith.com. This month’s expert guest is Melanie Donelly answering your questions as a Recruitment Professional on how you can improve the results in your recruitment business.
My experience is often similar after holidays and Christmas. This year is seemed to be even more difficult than usual.
To move through it I find that taking a couple of days to just "allow" myself to be in this zone of "no specific action", yet thinking / reflecting about the next few months (not even meditating, just allowing my thoughts to go wherever they take me during the course of the day), begins to move me closer to being in action.
After those couple of days I take one day to just update some goals, clear out old paperwork, throw away old to-do lists that probably won't get handled anyway. Just this act of creating some plans and tidying up leads me to a place where I am motivated to plan the next 2 days, by time not tasks, and I plan everything, even getting up, breaks and going to bed.
So, for example, the plan this holiday actually looked like this:
6 - Up
6.30 - Write sales letter
7.45 - Shower & breakfast
9 - Travel (listen to Jack Canfield CD)
10 - Car service (read Catherine Ponder book while waiting)
12 - Travel home (listen to HWnW interview CD)
1 - Client preparation for tomorrow (sandwich lunch)
3 - Write letters to clear up financial incompletes
3.30 - Call GW, ML, CD
4 - Gym
5 - Shower & break
6 - Email, sync iPOD for podcasts, back up laptop
7 - Mastermind (2) call
8 - Plan for tomorrow
8.30 - Client preparation
9 - Client preparation
10 - End of day review
10.30 - Bed
By planning like this, instead of by a to-do list, I am focused on the time, not the task, thereby less likely to use my own very efficient "avoidance tactics" and revert to "vegging out" in front of another great movie, and much more likely to be in action all day. The important thing for me is that even if some of the tasks don't get completed, I am being focused again on working activities and because it is time oriented I can not move a task somewhere else because there is no time allowed for that. I have effectively backed myself into a corner to stay on track.
One more day like this and I hit the sack exhausted but fully back into normality so to speak, so I can then allow myself to be less intense about the planning knowing I'm back to where I need / want to be.
Sign up for our free Success Tips at www.simonsmithcoaching.com and get further “Reflections” delivered to your inbox.
Check out our monthly free teleseminar at www.AskSimonSmith.com. This month’s expert guest is Melanie Donelly answering your questions as a Recruitment Professional on how you can improve the results in your recruitment business.
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