How to Construct Ironclad Guarantees — Part 2

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“The absolute fundamental aim is to make money out of satisfying customers.” — John Egan

Welcome back! This week we’re going to finish up our discussion of various ironclad guarantees you can use in your promotions.

Just to recap what we talked about last week: When writing a promotion, you need to understand the risk factor faced by the prospect. Essentially, you’re asking the prospect to believe that what you’re telling him is true — sight unseen — and that he’ll experience the numerous benefits you’re promising throughout your sales copy.

For proof of that, all you need to do is put on your “prospect hat.” Look at your own experiences purchasing products — be it online, calling an 800 number, or shopping in a brick-and-mortar store. No matter how golden a picture the salesperson paints, don’t you find yourself wondering if the product will live up to all the claims being made? And don’t you want to be presented with an ironclad guarantee that if the product doesn’t live up to expectations you’ll be at no risk of losing your money?

It’s the psychology of a guarantee that allows you to make the purchase with no reservations and feel safe and secure that you’ll get everything you’ve been promised, or your money will be refunded.

Steps to Crafting a Strong Guarantee

Remember, even if a customer returns your product, if her refund experience is positive, there’s a good chance she’ll do business with you again. Therefore, your guarantee is a way of nursing and protecting that customer’s potential to become a long-term, highly profitable income stream. And that’s why it really does pay to think long-term when crafting your guarantee.

Here are the rest of the steps to keep in mind to ensure that your guarantee is as strong Read more »

Motivate Yourself Now: 5 Little Time-Savers With A Big Impact

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Dear Web Writer,

If your days are jam-packed busy, you’ll appreciate these five tips.

It’s part of my personal crusade to be time-efficient without feeling regulated (and so I can still have fun).

Because, I’m not gonna lie — life these days is hectic.

Along with managing client contracts, I’ve got a one- and a two-year-old who take the house by storm daily. They’re not exactly at the self-entertaining stage yet, so they account for 90% of my free time.

On top of that, I’m managing a kitchen renovation, a huge yard landscaping project, and the orchestration of three large vacations this year.

And of course, there’s the need to exercise and eat somewhere in there. Oh, and shower …

My solutions have been hard-won and time-tested, but here’s what works for me:

1) Limit the hours you work each week.

Sounds counterintuitive, right? For a while, my husband, Craig, and I negotiated my writing schedule based on projects. As in, “I need to work on this … and then I’d like to tackle that … etc.”

The result? I was never finished with anything and always needed more time. Worse, I wasn’t enjoying all the perks (like time to relax) web writing offers because I was using all my free time to write.

Nowadays, I’m “capped” at 30 hours a week. It actually makes a huge difference. I know I HAVE to be done with my projects by a certain time and that I can’t do more if I’m not done with what I have. It also makes a difference for my family, because they know when they can count on time with me — which in itself is very motivating.

2) Give yourself “play time” at the computer.

The problem with having your profession in front of the Read more »

15 Tips for Reducing Your Learning Curve

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In 1879, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus created 2,300 three-letter nonsense words for an experiment.

Each word he listed was in a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern (e.g., sif, ral, kat), avoiding common words that might be easier to remember. Ebbinghaus then recorded how often and to what degree he was able to recall them after specific time intervals.

One of his conclusions was that when you increase the amount of material to be learned, the amount of time it takes to learn it usually increases dramatically.

Pretty common sense stuff, right?

But what made his findings historically notable was that he was the first to use the term “learning curve.”

Today, of course, it’s a very familiar phrase. And it’s especially relevant to people who actively pursue a life in which they “never stop learning.”

The length of your learning curve plays a key role in determining how fast you’ll be successful when you embark on a new enterprise or career. For aspiring writers, if you’re learning a new skill (how to write a white paper or autoresponder email, for example), shortening up your learning curve means you’ll be able to generate income from that skill faster.

To speed up your learning curve, I’ve put together 15 tips that will help you soak up knowledge about a new service or topic faster:

  1. Define your objective ― What you want to accomplish has to be tangible, measurable, and as specific as possible. For example, let’s say you’ve just purchased Jay White’s Autoresponder Apprentice program. Your goal should not be simply to go through Jay’s program. A better goal would be for you to be able to write an email or autoresponder series that follows Jay’s email writing model by the time you complete the program.

  2. Talk to someone who is doing what you Read more »

15 Minutes to Fame: Allocating Your Resources

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I over-plan. I admit it. I’m a chronic over-planner. I plan more things for a day than I can possibly get done, more for a week than is reasonable.

This is a bad habit I’m trying to break. If you’re an over-planner, I invite you to join me. It’s important for us to break this habit for two reasons.

  1. Over-planning means that things consistently don’t get completed and marked off your to-do list. Eventually, when one item has been on your to-do list long enough without action, it loses meaning. It trains your brain to think it’s okay to ignore certain things you want to get done.
  2. Over-planning can lead you to feel frustrated and defeated. You’re setting yourself up for failure on a daily basis. How can that build your confidence? How can that help you succeed?

Over-planning is easy to do in the moment. You might even feel proud of your mammoth daily list: “Look at everything I want to get done!” But, seriously, you’re not being honest with yourself.

So, I have a plan — a modest plan — to do away with my over-planning tendencies.

I’ve tried a lot of different things. Making my list on a smaller paper (I just write smaller), limiting the number of things I allow on my list in a day (not practical given the blend of recurring and one-time projects I work on), dividing my time equally between clients (again, not practical with my project blend). Every one of these attempts at change left me scrambling, so I kept going back to my mega-list.

The real solution is simple. It’s basic allocation of resources.

So, here’s my three-step plan. I’ll let you know how it’s going next week.

Step One: Be honest about the number of hours I have to Read more »

Write Copy for Law Firms

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Company: CJ Advertising
Location: Nashville, Tennessee
Overview: Copywriter; Full Time

Description
Work with CJ Advertising to develop website copy, email promotions, and video scripts for a variety of clients in the legal industry.

Requirements
You must have excellent writing skills and solid research skills. Some background in writing SEO copy is a must, including an understanding of best practices.

Apply Now

True Talent Seeks Freelance Writer

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Company: True Talent (Staffing Agency)
Location: Eagan, Minnesota
Overview: Copywriter; Freelance

Description
Create powerful messages for social media, branding campaigns, white papers, and more.

Requirements
You must be an independent thinker, self-motivated, and experienced with content development.

Apply Now

Grow Client Relationships Through Writing

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Company: PerkinElmer
Location: Shelton, Connecticut
Overview: Copywriter; Full Time

Description
In this position you’ll develop content that grows client relationships and strengthens the company brand. You’ll write for online, print, and internal campaigns.

Requirements
You should be an experienced writer with a 5 year professional track record. Previous work with B2B health and pharmaceutical companies gives you an advantage.

Apply Now

Member Spotlight: Susan Laird On Recognizing What You Deserve

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Dear Web Writer,

“Bootcamp 2011 was the catalyst that ignited my web writing this year.”

I’ve got to say, it has been a joy watching Sue Laird advance into the world of copywriting success.

I met her last fall at Bootcamp, where she shared her personal story and sat beside me through some of the sessions.

That conference was a turning point for her.

Since then, I’ve watched as Sue has grown her business, grown her client list, and grown her confidence.

Not only is she steadily moving forward toward higher fees, she’s also producing results for her clients that bring them ultimate satisfaction, as well as add some significant testimonials to her own accomplishment roster.

What’s impressive about Sue is that she asked herself the ultimate lifestyle question early on, which was: “Is this situation I have right now good enough for me?”

The answer was no, and that’s why she’s on the fast track to doing something about it.

Enjoy her story.

To your web-writing success,
Mindy

P.S. I think you’ll especially love Sue’s advice on why you should “Get scared to death by an assignment.”

Introducing: Susan Laird, WWW Member Since…

[Laughter.] Since 2012. I’m embarrassed to say, I’ve been a WWW “lurker” for several years. But when Rebecca made the offer to try out a Platinum membership for just $1, I figured “Why not?” I’m ramping up my web-writing business, and I know that WWW is an invaluable tool to success in the writer’s life. Joining was really a no-brainer. I’m glad I “took the plunge” all the way.

Life Before Web Writing:

Oh, boy. Long story. I’m a professional journalist, print media editor, and marketing communications professional. I actually do have a degree in technical journalism and industrial-business publications, with professional training in marketing communications Read more »