Feb
01

One month down…11 to go

By | Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Spirits

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We are already one month into the year and time is of the essence to kick it off with a BANG.

2011 jolted past us kicking and screaming along the way.

Riots happened.
Occupiers happened.

People spoke out about what was troubling them.

…and little was done to fix any of it.

So will 2012 be yet another year like 2011 where there is lots of wanting, wishing and screaming…

…or will you get something useful done this year?

Something grandiose.

That BIG HAIRY AUDACIOUS GOAL of yours… finally comes to fruition.

Yes, now is time for reflection of what went right and wrong in the prior 12 months…

…it is also the time to STOP looking backwards and start planning your new course of action.

2012 is the year of taking MASSIVE action.

Your chance to rewrite history.

Your chance to make some heads turn.

Maybe its that book you’ve always wanted to bring out.

…or that new product you’ve always wanted to get out there.

…or taking the plunge from part time to full time entrepreneur.

Whatever your goals are… make THEM BHAGs!

2012 marks my 10th year in business (March is officially my 10 year anniversary so we will do some fun things leading up to the  date).

My goals for this year are bigger, bolder, and more audacious than every before.

I have a new team member in place whose sole purpose is to help me stay focused on writing, and to help me make them time to help as many people as I can through their marketing (hi Tracie! everyone, meet Tracie – the awesomest VA out there!).

One new book is launching in Beruary 2012, a collaboration with 13 other entrepreneurs…

…Entrepreneurial Spirit Sauce: Proven recipes for success that feed your ideal business lifestyle.

2 more will come in this year.

Including more videos from me.

More chances to learn from the same masters I credit with my own decade-long success story.

More help cutting through all the BS out there and helping you zone in on what DOES work online and offline.

More ways for you to make a bigger impact with less work.

2012 is about more opportunities, greater opportunities, and MASSIVE implementation of everything needed to take advantage of the opportunities at hand.

I would love to hear your comments on 2012.

What you want to accomplish.

What you missed out on this past year, that you refuse to let pass you by again.

Some of my goals for the year:
- 3 books released
- 2nd Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do
- Triple my business revenues
- Triple the number of people I help through my posts, articles and products/services
- More time helping my daughters in school
- More time off on the beach

What’s your BIG GOALS?

Think big…

…and act fast!

We are already 8.3% through the year – time cannot be a wasted here!

Troy

PS: The Story Selling Home Study Coaching program
http://www.storysellingtips.com should be ready by Friday and is
an incredible way to introduce your clients and prospects to your
backstories… where your real money will be made.

Jan
31

Crack your back all the way to the email marketing bank

By | Copywriting, Email Marketing, Success

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I have a buddy, who I’ve known for 40 of my 43 years on earth.  We grew up together, obviously, and have remained very good friends all this time.

He is a home renovator and general contractor.

I am a weird writer-type.

VERY different ways of making a livelihood.

He is always on his feet.

I am always sitting at a desk with keyboard or pen in my hands.

…hence the problem.

Sitting at a desk is a very bad thing for your health.

It causes excess weight to be put on.

And it can KILL your back.

For many, many years I have had a bad back.

Only made worse by the computer.

I do my Tae Kwon Do 4 days a week for cardio, and I walk my dog and marketing assistant, Casino, 7 days a week.

It helps.

But one of the best things I ever did was get an exercise ball to use as a chair.

Awesome!

Do it.

My back feels 100 times better.  It seems to definitely help strengthen the core muscles in the body and tighten up that softening middle which was partially created by sitting for so long.

The best part of the exercise ball?

I can sit down at the computer, crank out copy all day long, and get mini-workouts throughout the day.  I move it side to side, back and forth, and bounce a little up and down when needing to get the juices flowing.

Getting exercise while making money is a wonderful thing.

10 years (in March) I have been working on my craft… and it is the most enjoyable thing I have ever done.

It’s like therapy… but without the psychiatrist.

I highly recommend you get yourself a really good chair… the large exercise balls work great (except they can roll away on you when you get up… which is a minor, minor problem to have while living a life you love).

And I recommend you get REAL GOOD at writing emails.

And articles.

And sales copy.

You master those skills and you will never again wonder what you need to do to make more moola, nor will you ever be at a lack for marketing ideas.

The Story Selling Home Study Coaching program http://www.storysellingtips.com should be ready by Friday and is an incredible way to introduce your clients and prospects to your backstories… where your real money will be made.

Your back and your bank account will thank you.

Troy

Turning Stories into Wealth

Jan
30

The true power of raw emotions in your writing

By | Copywriting, Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Spirits, Writing

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The past couple weeks have been rough for me.

Some very personal things happening that I won’t get into right now.

But what I do want to talk about is emotion.

Pure emotions that strip you down to the core.

The kinds guys don’t like to talk about…

…but girls typically freely share.

Ya, those ones.

Those are the ones I have been going through lately.

They drain me.

But the inspire me too.

Some of my best writing happens when I am in that raw emotional state that I love to hide from others.

Words flow through me unlike any other time.

I don’t know where those words come from… but they sure feel good to put down on the paper.

Tapping into those emotions is one of those secrets of the best marketing campaigns in the world.

When you can feel the tears well up when you read “In Memory of Blue” on the Saddleback Leather Site
(http://www.sbackleather.com).

That memoir he wrote on his dog blue is THE MOST DISCUSSED PAGE on his blog.  He gets DOZENS of comments, emails, and Facebook posts about that page.

Much like my “Ode to Entrepreneurs” article I sent out last week
http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/an-ode-to-entrepreneurs-3/…

              …I wrote that in a raw emotional state that truly made me blank out the actual writing of that article.

When I was finished, I shook my head and realized I had just written something without thinking.

It came from the heart.

…and people are commenting on it daily.

YOU need to tap into those emotions.

Find something, anything, to get yourself fired up and in that unprotected state.

Then pour your words onto the screen or pad of paper.

Magic happens there.

Miracles too.

Find it, nurture it, and feed it.

Emotions are the KEY to fantastic marketing.

Dig yours out and let them free.

…as tough as that is for guys like me.

Try it, please.

Troy

PS: Telling a great story is an excellent way to start re-discovering your emotions.  Finding the stories that make you cry, or laugh hysterically, is a learnable art and craft.  It makes your emails shine and your website magnetic.

The home study version of the Story Selling Coaching Class is ready this week…  Get yours through this link

https://responsivedm.infusionsoft.com/app/manageCart/addProduct?productId=274

(for full details of everything you get – minus the actual live coaching – go to http://www.storysellingtips.com)

Jan
27

Pizza Troy

By | Entrepreneur, Main Content

2 Comments

Found this the other day and just HAD to share it.

We all have these pics around… and the are a fantastic way to make fun of yourself while sharing some personal stories about yourself in your marketing.

Have a look for yourself and laugh at my expense.

Troy White as pizza cook and delivery guy

(1982)

Go ahead… have some good laughs at my expense.

Troy

PS: The Story Selling Home Study is just about ready and it will be a big help to you in creating the ultimate marketing tools to promote your new product.

One of the grads of a previous live Story Selling class wrote a single page for a client’s website of theirs and they went from $500 a month to $15,000 a month in sales, almost overnight…

…and all because of this one page story.

Find out how he did it and how you can too.
https://responsivedm.infusionsoft.com/app/manageCart/addProduct?productId=274

Jan
26

Panda Poop Tea, $100 Hot dogs, and Cat Poop Coffee

By | Affluent buyers, Client retention, Entrepreneur, Success, Wacky marketing ideas

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3 very unusual “products” with one very powerful lesson.

I admit it: I am weird.

Very unusual in many ways.

One of the things that makes me an oddball is my fascination with wacky marketing ideas.

I love them!

You should too.

Always be on the lookout for those high priced, high oddball-factor products or services.

They are full of great lessons and ideas for your own marketing campaigns.

For example, you may recall my article on Cat Poop Coffee and Holy Crap Cereal.  One if s product idea that garnered tens of thousands of free media publicity for a teeny tiny coffee shop in Calgary.  The other snapped up thousands of dollars in first day sales as soon as they re-named their product

http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/cat-poop-coffee-and-holy-crap-cereal-wacky-marketing-that-works/

And now the Panda bear is giving the Wild Cicvik from Thailand  a run for its money.

$18,000 a kilo?

YIKES!

That had better make me 20 years younger, more attractive, wealthier, and 20 pounds lighter too for that price.

But my forecast is that they will do very well with this.

It’s exclusive.  Not something you can get at the local supermarket… so those who love a good story and an unusual experience (those with the money) will be flocking to the place that sells this Panda Poop Tea.

http://gawker.com/5859434/worlds-most-expensive-tea-panda-poop

The right kind of people are magnetically drawn to this type of product.  People with disposable income. People who LOVE a good story and can’t wait to be the first to tell their friends what they did or bought.

People who are willing to pay an extremely high price for either bragging rights, or for that ultimate experience they can share with their friends and family.

The kind of person you NEED as part of your customer portfolio.

We all should have  segment of our customer population that is wealthy, affluent, and looking for something unique.

You’ve heard me talk about Saddleback Leather (http://www.sbackleather.com).  Their prices are reasonable but on the higher side for leather bags like they have.  But the STORY behind their beautiful leather bags and 100 YEAR guarantee make

Saddle Back Leather

THe BEST Leather Bags Out There

for a very compelling Valentines Gift, or Birthday Gift, or that special gift for anyone and everyone you know who loves quality leather goods (hint, hint….Valentines Day is just around the corner!).

Now we have $100 hot dogs! http://www.calgarysun.com/2012/01/24/vancouver-restaurant-selling-100-hot-dog

Awesome.

Just down the street you can pick up a $2 hotdog from a cart….but the “most expensive hot dog in the world” – a $100 cognac-infused sausage topped with oil-seared Kobe beef, lobster meat and a picante sauce.The foot-long bratwurst is infused with 100-year-old Louis XIII cognac – which has a $2,000 price tag of its own – and must be ordered 12 hours in advance so fresh ingredients can be prepped.

Now THAT is how you get media attention, world record breaking Guiness attention, and how you call out to the locals who have the money and are looking for something fun they can put their money into.

You see a BIG part of marketing to the affluent is in the experience side.

Quality is quality.

But experiences are tough to compare and tough to ignore.  When you have $1,000 in your pocket that’s consider pocket money for the day (every day), you start looking for unusual places to spend.

You can star out the day with some Cat poop coffee.  Have some Panda poop tea for a mid-morning picker upper, then a $100 hotdog that is infused with $2,000 cognac.  By 1 pm that day, you have had such a unique experience to share, it is WELL worth the money to you.

Not to everyone…

…that’s the point.

Marketing to the affluent is difficult for people to get their heads wrapped around.

Because most people think price is the major factor in buying decisions.

It isn’t.  It plays its part, but it isn’t the big part.

Especially when catering to those who high disposable income.

When I interviewed Dave Munson of Saddleback Leather, he revealed one of their HOTTEST sources of leads… a place I never would have thought of… but a place that is full of wealthy story-seekers.  I have never shared his source, but may one day when the timing is right.

So for you, I want you to think about the craziest, whackiest, most pie-in-the-sky concoction of products and services YOU could be offering.

Something that would increase your prices by a factor of 10.

And then consider how you can offer it.

I am not saying you need to replace your other products or services…just to add in ONE product worthy of media attention like all of the businesses here are lapping up.

If you have that one thing now – or know of one like it – PLEASE let me know!

I would love to do a write up on it and share some publicity with others (possibly a JV on a affluent marketing product I am working on too).

Think about adding a zero, or even two zeroes to y9our products.  What would you need to do…to offer…to promise… or to add into it to justify the expense.

Market it right and you just created a HUGE profit center!

And you are off to the races with all kinds of media attention and a whole new kind of client you can work with.

Try it and please let me know what you do.

I would love to interview you on this!

Troy

PS: The Story Selling Home Study is just about ready and it will be a big help to you in creating the ultimate marketing tools to promote your new product. One of the grads of a previous live Story Selling class wrote a single page letter for a client of theirs and their website went from $500 a month to $15,000 a month in sales, almost overnight….and all because of this one page story.

Find out how he did it and how you can too.  https://responsivedm.infusionsoft.com/app/manageCart/addProduct?productId=274

PPS: If you aren’t in my daily email list yet, you are truly missing out.  Mon through Fri I publish a power-packed marketing lesson like this delivered to your inbox.  Just one of them could be worth thousands, maybe tens of thousands or more to you this year.  If you want daily tips (5 days a week – instead of one or two) – click this link and you will start getting daily tips from me. and start supercharging your mind around the concepts of massive marketing success from the least likely of places! (Clicking the link automatically signs you up to the daily – no other action is needed) Click this link to SUPERCHARGE your email marketing

Jan
25

The curious case of the “bespoke brief”

By | Copywriting, Email Marketing, Writing

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Another bizarre email request came through my blog today.

I wanted to share with you the email I got, and the unusual lessons that are inside.

First, I get lots of requests through my blog contact page.

Some of them are for helping with marketing campaigns, others are asking for money, some are joint venture requests, and then other times….I get this kind of nonsense.

“I hope you are well. {NOTE: no personalization – shows a lack of real effort or research on who actually writes for the site.  It would take about 2.3 seconds at the most to figure out my name}
After reading your blog, I think you may be interested in a project I run that would be great for your site.

{NOTE: if they truly read my blog, they should have put something in here to prove that they did, and didn’t just hire someone to do this en masse}

We are looking for partners that we can place a page of our high quality editorial content with, in which the article will be written directly to a bespoke brief produced by you. In exchange we would like to place a link back to one of our blue chips client’s sites.

{NOTE: ‘Bespoke brief’?  Who talks like that?  I sure as hell don’t! Nor would I EVER recommend you do.  I had to think about what it actually meant…and any time you ask someone to get out a dictionary to decipher your message, they are done…toast…vamoose…later gator.  Never try and impress people with your creative use of big words.  It doesn’t impress anyone}

{NOTE: So they want to put one of their clients content pieces on my site, with my endorsement, and a link back to their client’s sites?  Wow! I am so excited!!!  What an amazing opportunity for me.  I am such a lucky guy and this is the opportunity of a lifetime for me! What am I waiting for…this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me. YEESH.  That is the best they can do, is it?  There is truly NOTHING in it for me with their offer. Put crap up on MY site with a link back to some other person’s site…how enticing.  How about I write my own content and link back to MY products, services, or recommended resources? Go figure.}

We endeavour to produce the highest quality content for our partner sites. I can assure you that all of our clients are recognised corporate brands, so the quality of your site will not be affected by the link within it.I’m sure you receive many e-mails similar to this, offering services at the lower end of the quality spectrum. {company name} Limited have worked on a high end proposition, we are content providers not spammy link builders. Please visit www.{removed for privacy}.com so you can get more of a feel for who we are and what we do.

{NOTES: Yes I do get lots of this nonsense…thanks for thinking of me.  Yours is no better and actually may be worse.  Now go away please.}

If you are interested in partnering with us, or have any questions regarding this opportunity, please do not hesitate to contact me.

{NOTE: Can’t wait!}

I look forward to hearing from you.Kindest Regards

…….

Maybe these guys have a great business doing this, I have no idea. The approach they took with this email SUCKED though.  I can’t think of a more useless piece of trash.

Always remember when soliciting new business….the potential customer you are contacting has 2 very important questions they quickly want an answer to:

1) “What’s in it for me?”  This email never once answered that question.  Yet it is the most important one of all.   Put some serious thought into the answer to this when writing emails or approaching prospects.  If you don’t address this – expect them to dismiss your ‘wonderful offer’ much like I have here.

2) “So what?”   Each and every line in your email request (or letter, or postcard, etc) should answer the question.  Put content on my site? So what?  I write my own.  A link back to their site?  So what?  I don’t want to promote some moron I don’t know, trust, or like.

Put some thought into your emails and prospecting efforts.

Please!

Don’t let your email request get caught in a review like this one!

Answer those 2 questions and you will get a much more friendly response than this :O)

Troy

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