Just got this in this morning and had to share:

Hi Troy,
Thank you for the ideas for writing for our business. I was able to make a brief blog post using one of the stories. http://heartpowercoaching.com/2012/02/03/what-chinese-parents-dont-know/

Warmest regards,
Rosemary Heenan
Creation Specialist

519-978-3995

http://www.heartpowercoaching.com


Your Hands Reveal Your Life Purpose

THAT is how you make money from marketing.  You find an idea… and you just get it done.  Like right now.  Not next week or next month.
NOW!

Just like Rosemary did.  The more you can get into this habit of massive action taking and daily marketing actions… the more money you make.

It’s really simple.

Isn’t it?

{insert your excuse here}

No – that excuse doesn’t fly here.

Yes, it is simple and it IS a new habit we all need to develop.

Daily massive action.

Looking forward to seeing yours.

Troy

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.

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)

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.

(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

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

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

Eccentricities.

Quirks.

Bizarre behaviours.

Unusual beginnings and family ties.

The first step is admitting we all have them.

The second step is to get them out there!

Leveraging your personal stories in business is a touch-and-go thing. You can’t get too caught up in it.  You can’t share some things far too intimate that you wouldn’t share with your best friend.

But you need to seriously get some eccentricities built into your marketing.

It’s why people read and love Harry Potter books (each character in the story line has certain things about them that make them off-the-wall and unusual).

It’s why people watch Regis every day, and have done so for decades (his opening monologue is full of his daily life-doings and mishaps).

It’s why people watched and were hooked on Oprah’s show.  Who doesn’t know about her problems with relationships (including the present one that has been front and center for a long time… I had lunch with Stedman 7 years ago… seemed like a very nice guy :O)

It’s why reality shows are all the rage!

These so-called reality stars are usually a bunch of yee haws with more quirks than personality.

They have jaded histories.

They have tempers.

They have drinking problems.

They have serious people issues.

Whatever their issue is… people love it and watch just for that.

Weaving stories about your own quicks and traits into your marketing will be the best darned thing you could EVER do.

Think about the things (and write them down) that have made you who you are today.

- hobbies
- passions
- eccentricities
- secrets
- quirks
- dare devil tendencies
- self-destructive tendencies
- unusual past jobs
- present day friends or family with unusual stories or family members

Each and every one of these is a GREAT starting point for your story-based marketing campaign.

But you have to get your list down, PICK ONE, and write about it.  Find a way to tie it into your business and or promotion.

And just see what happens.

The more you do it, the more people will love you for it.

Do it on a regular basis and they become a raving fan, and a Regis-like watcher that sticks with you through thick and thin.

Try it.

Please!

Troy

PS: If you are interested in the Story Selling Coaching system, but aren’t willing to invest $495 in the one-on-one coaching program, I have another option for you.  I am just getting the transcripts done of the past coaching class and am willing to give you a VERY SPECIAL Powerful Personalities special.

You get the 31k Club series of writing lessons as well as the audios and transcripts of the last 6-session coaching series.  For only $99.

If you want in, either Paypal me the $99 (US or CDN – they are almost the same right now), or you can reply back and I will send you a private link.  This has never been offered again and may never be again – I will see if you like the idea or not.  The material is gold when used – worth many, many times the investment.

Let me know your thoughts (paypal to this same email troy@smallbusinesscopywriter.com)

We are the dreamers.
The visionaries.
The doers.

We are your neighbors.
Your friends.
Or your family.

We pursue our dreams, rather than letting them die a slow death.
We’ve learned to ignore the negative people in our lives.

We know we are different.
And we relish in it.

We are unemployable.

We are good people.

We are writers.
Artists.
Technicians.
Directors and creatives.

We have a disdain for bureaucracy and red tape.

We love to build and enjoy our creations.

We are most definitely off the wall.
…Yet the most sane of them all.

We are passionate about our trade.
Yet we realize most people would never leave the ‘security’ of a job to live their dreams like we do.

We are the biggest employers out there.
We stick to it, amidst economic turmoil and media frenzied trash talking.

Thank the entrepreneurs that you know.
Tell them to keep on plugging and building.

Embrace the entrepreneurial spirit.
We are the future.

Troy

PS: My new Entrepreneurial Spirit Sauce book is just off the presses!  14 great entrepreneurs
put their heart and soul into this book and I am looking forward to sharing their stories with you.
Watch for it next week.

The truth is…

Some people hide it.

Others flaunt it.

But the fact is, everyone I have always met in life wants better for themselves.

You may love the life you live right now.

…your health
…your relationships
…your spiritual beliefs
…and your present wealth

But there is something I would bet you have always wanted.

Something you have kept secret.

Maybe you have shared it with your friends, family or lovers.

The fact is…

…there is absolutely nothing wrong with wanting more abundance in your life!

Despite all the negative nonsense in the media about wealth… or the occupiers wanting to rid the world of evil people who are successful… or the poor who want to steal from the rich…

…desiring wealth is a VERY good thing.

If it wasn’t for entrepreneurs who go after their dreams and do everything in their power to create wealth and abundance (through products that please people and a company that supports people and their families)…

…the world would be a very dismal place.

Entrepreneurs are the unsung heroes of the economy.

People like you and I that drag economies back from the brink.

And people like you and I (and John, who I want you to see in this video) that create breakthroughs others can aspire to.

FIRST: you should want to do good things with your wealth once you get it.  Help the underprivileged (on your own terms – no one else’s).  Support charities.  Whatever your do-good dream is… you should want it.

…the key – want it.

The one thing you need to do first before helping others with your new found wealth?

Help yourself.

This is the BIG second more of us need to understand.

John Paul Dejoria is one of the co-founders of the Paul Mitchell hair care products empire.

…a VERY WEALTHY MAN.

In this video (a must watch) – he reveals his strategies for wealth creation and distribution to those in need.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZUxodNRjQU

He shares a number of lessons in this interview with Barbara Walters.

But he never once apologies for being a billionaire.

He is proud of what he has built.

As a teen, he is fortunate to even make it out alive.

But he did and he went big.

WATCH THIS – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZUxodNRjQU

With the media and governments telling many of us how evil we are for desiring wealth, messages like this are a MUST for entrepreneurs who want to go big.

If a guy who lived in his car with his son can go on to become a billionaire…

…anyone can.

You may not want billions… but millions sure would change things wouldn’t it?

Watch that video and let me know your thoughts.

Troy

PS: It’s an 8 minute video – watch it.  He turned $700 into a mega-empire.  You can too. Keep your head high and be proud of your desire to do and be more in this world.

PPS: At 5:55 through the end there are some very powerful insights you need to hear.  Listen as his wife explains what the worst part of being a billionaire is.  Funny.

And the last 30 seconds of the video reaffirms my beliefs on the stupidity behind the “Tax the rich higher nonsense out there”.

…as well as his fantastic initiatives to educate those who want more in life…vs giving them handouts that will soon be pissed away.

Harsh, but true.

Jackie Dumaine... Yoga Woman on a Mission

I met Jackie Dumaine some time ago when she was in the advertising business, and I was considering buying some advertising.

We never did do business together there, but I have been marveling lately at her new found passion for yoga, meditation, and incredible story telling.

She mentions in one of the pages I am going to refer you to that she began writing at the young age of 6, and obviously has kept up her craft, as her site sings with pure genius.

          I want you to first read her “I Am Manifesto”
          http://www.jackiedumaine.com/about-me/i-am-manifesto/

Not much I need to say about it other than… AWESOME!

Jackie has poured her personality on that page and it is a work of art.

Have a look through her entire site and pay close attention to what she has done, and how she has shared it.

http://www.jackiedumaine.com/

Jackie has put together a wonderful example of how websites SHOULD be done.

Personal.

Personality driven.

Revealing.

Engaging.

If only more of them were like this!

I have nothing to do with Jackie’s success, and I don’t want to infer that by any means.

We have spoken a few times over the years and I always enjoyed speaking with her.

Tad Hargrave (http://www.marketingforhippies.com) had some influence on her marketing, me thinks.  

Tad is a great guy and a very smart marketer.  Tad and I co-taught a seminar or two way back when… and I thoroughly enjoyed working with him and seeing how he too has found his niche and created a revolution of “hippy” story tellers like Jackie.

I am a marketing geek, and just LOVE great success stories like this.

Especially when the story telling side is woven into the fabric of their websites and marketing.

Jackie… you go girl!

I am in awe of what you have done with your site and your vision.

Can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve next.

Troy

PS: If you are near Calgary on Thur night, you definitely need to see about attending her Guided Synergy Magazine Launch Party (she is on the cover and is the feature story).

Details at http://www.jackiedumaine.com/events/

The strangest phenomenon in my business is client resistance to trying something, anything, new.

For 10 years now I have been selling products online, writing copy for myself and for others, and have built up a solid reputation.

…I’m not perfect and have messed up along the way.

But I have stuck to my ground on using direct response copy and marketing…to avoid promoting the scam artists online…to avoid preaching the get-rich-overnight-bs…and to always test small and roll out big.

There were many distractions along the way that I could have followed, or recommended…

…but I didn’t.

And I CANNOT FIGURE FOR THE LIFE OF ME, why people would hire a copywriter or marketing consultant for help…and COMPLETELY ignore the help given.

It happens all the time.

“Well that’s not the way we do it”

“I’m not comfortable trying it that way”

“It is just too far off from what we are used to doing”

…the excuses are varied.

Press the delete button on your marketing and copywriting fears and try something new for a change!

But the problem is the same: thin skin.

I personally am willing to try all kinds of new approaches in my marketing – because I have seen time and time again the breakthroughs that happen there (I just test a weird approach with some Facebook ads the other day on one of my own products and found a wickedly good response).

I also understand that most marketing and copy tests fail.

It’s a fact of life!

Ask any marketing or copy veteran who’s been doing this for a decade or more.

More tests fail than succeed.

But the ones that succeed do so in a big way and MORE than make up for the failures.

…failure IS how you discover success.

So don’t be yet another one of those thin-skinned-entrepreneurs.

Thicken your skin real quick now, ok?

The best way is through testing new approaches and failing.

Try all kinds of things to see what works and doesn’t.

Accept that you WILL get complaints along the way (hint: that’s because you are actually communicating with prospects and clients… you never got complaints before because they NEVER heard from you!)

And when you hire a marketer or copywriter, test out their approaches before cutting them down.

One of those approaches just might dig you out of that massive hole you put yourself in by not communicating with your clients.

Try it… you might like seeing your sales grow faster than ever before.

Ok?

Troy

PS: The quickest way to get thick skin while trying all kinds of new approaches is with my 2012 Cash Flow Calendar http://www.cashflowcalendars.com

Packed with daily, weekly, and monthly marketing ideas – crammed with copy-and-paste postcards, letters, emails and sales campaigns you can send to your own list. This is a gem for those who want to succeed in a BIG way this year.

Try it… you might like it.