Personal MBA Manifesto...

Has everyone seen the Personal MBA Manifesto?


You can find it at: http://personalmba.com/manifesto/


Those I've talked with about the idea either love it or hate it.


Guess who loves it?


Those who didn't go to Business School.


Guess who hates it?


That's right, those who did.


Why not read the books, get some ideas, quit arguing, and make some money?


The Take-Home Message for today is: When people ask me why I think I can compete against the guys with Ivy League MBAs, I always answer with, "Ha! What makes them think they can compete against me?!"

$77 Million in Two Years...

What can you do RIGHT NOW to improve your copywriting skills?


A time- and battle-tested plan of action is to copy winning sales letters longhand.


Yes, you read that correctly. Grab some winners, a pad, and a pen and get to writing.


Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) calls this "modeling."


I don't care what you call it, it works.


This is how I passed physics wayyy back when I was studying to be an M.D.


Copying out Newton's Laws and everything in every textbook in the library. (Especially Richard Feynman's books, if you're interested.)


Is it easy?


No.


But it's worth it. Your skills will improve rapidly.


Once I dedicated myself to becoming a top copywriter, I used this process as a warm-up before every writing session.


One hour, every morning, minimum.


But what to copy?


I had the same question, so I wrote to a pro who makes at least 10k per letter, plus HUGE commissions. He pointed me to the sales letter at this website:

http://www.the77million.com/


It's a fun and bombastic piece of work to get started on. And since it was recommended by a top guy, I wrote it longhanded once a day for a week. Seven times in a row. (It's long and takes a while.)


Add the bullets to your swipe file. The basic form can be adapted to almost any purpose.


Now, I'm not getting reimbursed for this.


In fact, I wasn't overly impressed with the course.


But I DID learn a few things that will pay for the whole thing many, many times over. So I guess I shouldn't whine, huh?


The Take-Home Message for today is: Copying good sales letters out longhanded may not be the most exciting thing in the world, but it is a proven technique for increasing your copywriting skills, and you can start it TODAY.

Great Quote for the New Year

"Shortly after I met my mentor he asked me, 'Mr. Rohn, how much money have you saved and invested over the last six years?' And I said, 'None.' He then asked, 'Who sold you on that plan?'"

Jim Rohn

The Magic Of Thinking Big

Every copywriter needs to read The Magic Of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz.


Not only because it will help you develop the proper mindset (Which is even more important than technical skill. With the right mental attitude you can acquire any skill.), but because the entire book is a sales letter!


Yes, you read that correctly. The whole book is a letter selling "the magic of thinking big."


Also, it is chock full of advice to help your writing.


Schwartz doesn't come right out and specifically say it is for copywriters, but his words are directly applicable to our craft.



From his book:


"When you speak or write you are, in a sense, a projector showing movies in the minds of others. And the pictures you create determine how you and others react.


Suppose you tell a group of people, "I'm sorry to report we've failed." What do these people see? They see defeat and all the disappointment and grief the word "failed" conveys. Now suppose you said instead, "Here's a new approach which I think will work." They would feel encouraged, ready to try again.


Suppose you say, "We face a problem." You have created a picture in the minds of others of something difficult, unpleasant to solve. Instead say, "We face a challenge," and you create a mind picture of fun, sport, something pleasant to do.


Or, tell a group, "We incurred a big expense," and people see money spent that will never return. Indeed, this is unpleasant. Instead say, "We made a big investment," and people see a picture of something which will return profits later on, a very pleasant sight.


The point is this: Big thinkers are specialists in creating positive, forward-looking, optimistic pictures in their own minds and in the minds of others. To think big we must use words and phrases which produce big, positive mental images."


Now, I could end this post like so: DON'T USE NEGATIVES!!!


But that would be creating an unfavorable mental picture, wouldn't it?


How's this instead?

The Take-Home Message for today is: Promise victory and watch eyes light up. Promise victory and win support. Build castles, don't dig graves!

Another BIG Question....

A BIG Question for you:


"What did you do TODAY to fill your sales funnel with new business?"


To keep my selling skills sharp, I even cold-call out of a phone book occasionally.


That's right, the marketing, copywriting, and personal development expert still makes cold telephone calls. I even drop in personally on people who have probably never heard of me and make a sales pitch.


Why?


Well, I like new business, for one. (And the money that comes with it!)


Also, it keeps fresh in my mind how harrowing it is in the field for the salespeople I coach. Too many trainers and consultants have been out of the action for too long.


The Take-Home Message for today is: What did you do TODAY to fill your funnel with new business?

Vocabulary Power

In Lead The Field, Earl Nightingale makes a great sale for vocabulary improvement.


He details that the first thing you should study is your language. (And the second should be your particular field.)


I have taken his words to heart and am continually improving my vocabulary.


Now, direct response copywriters should never use highfalutin' language in a sales letter. Don't do anything that obfuscates your message.


Improving your own personal vocabulary will provide big dividends. You will build up your self image. You will be able to express yourself more clearly in all communications media. And you might just kick some ass at Scrabble next weekend.


How do I study? No "Word of the Day" calenders for me. No way. (I actually like these things, but never remember to tear the pages off....)


I simply keep a 3x5 index card next to me and write down all of the words I cannot clearly and cleanly define.


Sure, I can give you a vague definition of any word I find in context. But the name of the game hear is to list every word that could give you trouble on a "Write the definition of _____:" test.

Here's my list from Robert Ludlum's novel The Aquitane Progression:

• anathema
• ersatz
• salient
• prima facie
• filigree
• bellicose
• ideologue
• plebiscite
• dringend
• moshov
• sabra
• proselytize
• aquiline
• bantu
• exculpation
• peripatetic
• vituperative
• muscatel
• hassock
• admixture
• surcease
• kreplach
• boulevardier
• coriolanus
• disingenuous
• antediluvian

Now I'll look up these words and use them somewhere in the next few days.


Sure, I might forget a few and look them up again in a few months. That's okay with me. Even learning one new word from each book, and five books a week, is at least 250 new words a year.


The Take-Home Message today is: The average person increases their vocabulary by less than five words per year. Do you want to be average?

Train and Grow Rich!

Here's a great quote found on Jim Labadie's web log:


"There are so many companies out there in all types of industries that are so friggin' terrible at what they do it really shouldn't be that hard to succeed."


And then a little further down the page:


"Most of the time your competition is so inept you can't help but succeed!"


Jim's web log is located at: http://trainandgrowrich.blogspot.com/


Now then, I read a whole pile of fitness, powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman, and weightloss web logs. Both for personal and professional reasons. (I first started by writing copy for online personal training businesses, and haven't stopped!)


But Train and Grow Rich is a whole lot different. Besides specific strategies for marketing and running a money-printing personal training business, he focuses on fixing the "head junk" most people have about making money.


Clearing this "head junk" out is far more important than any other step on the path to success. Once you have the ability to make a decision and follow through, all the answers are out there.


And he does it very well. I figure any time you can learn from someone who is making a whole pile of money by doing what they love, you should grab the opportunity.


The Take-Home Message today is straight from the above post: Most of the time your competition is so inept you can't help but succeed!