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Feb
14

Oh, how I love thee business (great video)

By | Success, Wacky marketing ideas

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Happy Valentines Day!

Hope you have a wonderful day and evening ahead.

Nothing says loving like some laughing.

…and the guy in this video I am going to share with you is one of the BEST LOVERS out there!

Door to door sales is one of the toughest gigs in the world.

I should know… I did it for 2 years.

You may recall that I owned a College Pro Painting Franchise to put myself through University.

It was a GREAT way to spend the summers, and to learn about running a business with employees (I had 8 painters… more like children I had to babysit, but that’s another story).

But a big part of the reason why I did well in College Pro was that I LOVED knocking on doors to find painting jobs.

Yes, I got the door slammed in my face and was sworn at far too much (really people?).

But I also landed a TON of new business this way.

I also hired myself out to the other Franchise owners to knock on doors in their neighborhoods.  $10 a lead I think… and it was great $$.  They were scared of doing it themselves… so they hired me.

Seeing this video, I realize how well I could have done with some of this dude’s skills.

Pay attention to his quick one-liners and use of humor through every step.

Not saying we all have to be a stand up comedian like this guy, but I am saying a little self-deprecating humor mixed in with some good belly laughs makes for a VERY compelling sales argument.

Makes it VERY difficult to say no.

Have a peek and see for yourself.

Happy Valentines Day!

Troy

Feb
13

True Blood and Entrepreneurial Vampires

By | Entrepreneur, Entrepreneurial Spirits, Success, Time management and productivity

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I admit it…

…I recently got hooked on True Blood.

I have watched the first season, and it is fantastic!

Between the darkness, the characters, the blood and the fantastic story lines they use… I am a fan.

Much like Sons of Anarchy that I wrote about before.
http://blog.smallbusinesscopywriter.com/biker-babes-and-bad-ass-story-success/

For far too many years, the shows that were playing on late-night television were awful. No creativity. Copy-and-paste plot lines. Crap characters.

Every once in a while one would pop up that was ok… but most stunk up the bloody screen.

Something shifted and the writers and creatives are cranking out some genuinely good shows.

Considering I am not much of a tv guy, it pains me to admit I am taken in by some of these new series.

Like True Blood.

The story of Vampires and Humans co-existing on earth.

The story of how the vampires feed, and convert humans to vampires.

The stories of some very unusual personal powers that some of the humans have… bordering on as scary of a power as fangs are.

And Anna Paquin is just hot in this show!  

She makes True Blood shine.

I also LOVE the names they have created for the show. “Fangbangers” is one I love!  This is the name of the humans who love to get bit and banged by the vampires.  It’s a whole subculture of humans that take great pleasure in this.

Creating unique names like this is a skill and art in itself.

One you should be practicing!

It makes book titles more interesting.

Subject lines.

Headlines.

Product names.

Even dog names.  My daughters and I have a game we play at the dog park.  We go around and create new names for each dog we see, based on how they look and their personality.

We have a blast doing this… and it is teaching my girls how fun it can be to create names like this and to use their creativity in all kinds of innovative ways.

Try it.

True Blood also makes me think of a few other things that relate to you and I.

…and our ability to shine in our own businesses.

The first thing us humans need to be weary of… Time Vampires.  They are everywhere!  Those innocent looking phone calls or emails that drain you of a precious hour out of your day.  It may not seem like much to the person calling, but each hour sitting on the phone is a significant chunk of real, money-making, work not getting done.

Be very, very careful of the time vampires.

Avoid them like the plague if possible, and cut off their blood supply (your time) at the pass.  “I have another call in 10 minutes” usually repels them like garlic.

Also be very careful of the entrepreneurial spirit vampires.

They are the ones who try and suck the passion out of your entrepreneurial drive.

They try and make you believe that going back to a job is the most honorable thing a mere mortal can do.

They do everything in their evil power to suck you dry and make you feel completely drained…

…energy-less and ready to sink deep into the deep dark hallows of depression.

Been there, done that… got the bumper sticker.

Avoid it.

Do whatever it takes.

My mission this year is change.

BIG CHANGE.

Positive change.

Forward change.

…And I have made many changes already.

But they weren’t easy to do.

Nor will they ever be.

BIG CHANGE takes guts.  It takes ‘testicular fortitude’ as one friend says.

Few can do well on change…

…but the new era of entrepreneurs THRIVE on change.

Care to join me in a whole new world?

One where YOU are in control… and one where YOU know what types of garlic, sunlight, or wooden stakes it takes to slaughter the vampires in your life.

You in?

Good.

Start with the biggest areas of your life that need change right now.

List them out.

Pick one.

GET IT DONE.

No more excuses.

Just do it.

Fight the fear and do it.

Deal with the tears that may come…

…and move forward faster.

I am there at your side right along the way.

Promise.

Let me know how it goes and what I can do to help.

Troy

PS: One of the greatest things I personally did to help myself make the necessary changes at a faster pace was to start writing more.

There is a therapeutic quality to writing that can propel your business forward at breakneck speed.

But again, it takes guts to do and motivation to start.

If you want to start now… get the Story Selling Home Study and I will also give you my 31k club training series.  For the next 31 days I will fire you up and get you writing more often, with greater profits as your goal. http://www.storysellingtips.com

The 31k club has transformed many lives of those who went through the Story Selling Coaching.  Now you get it free with the Story Selling Home Study course! http://www.storysellingtips.com

Feb
09

Another story telling example and success story

By | Copywriting, Story Selling, Success

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Muchos Gracias!

I love getting action takers to send me their results.

This just in from Fran Marion at Legacy Canvas…

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“Thank you for creating the awesome marketing resources such as the Calendar and providing the daily tips via email!  Much appreciated!

I have started to use several of  your examples and ideas for marketing my business, Legacy Canvas.  Last week a story played on the regional news that resulted in my committing to support this Edmonton family with a donation of 25% of my sales between now and March 10, 2012.

My website is updated using your “story telling” ideas, and I’ve also linked the Legacy Canvas Facebook page to my website and started to Tweet about it in the hopes of motivating others to take action towards supporting this young teen’s dream of independence, privacy and self-expression.

I wanted to share “the story” with you (I feel like I’m a Troy White “Alumni”) to see your ideas in action.  And of course, you and your readers are welcome to purchase a custom canvas to help Bethany!

http://www.legacycanvas.com

Thank you for the opportunity to share Legacy Canvas’ story with you.

Warm regards, Fran Marion

=======

What is important to note here:

* They are investing their time and money into their marketing. Marketing IS sales when you do it right. The more you market yourself the more you sell. Period.

They are investing in different marketing tools like the 2012 Cash Flow Calendar http://www.cashflowcalendars.com and the Story Selling Home Study http://www.storysellingtips.com.

Better yet…

…they are taking ACTION with what they invest in!

A big shelf of books is useless if they are never read or acted on.

* They tied into a local media hot-spot.  You always need to be on the lookout for local interest stories and FIND ways to hook yourself to their wagon.

It is YOUR responsibility… no one else’s.

Near where I live there is a little strip mall with a little bay at the end for different foods.  Business owners come and go from this spot every 6 months or so.  Always a new owner, a new name, a new type of food.  The funny thing?  Not once – EVER – have they sent out fliers to the neighbours announcing their grand opening, their take out or delivery options, even a damn menu!

They just EXPECT people to look for them, and buy from them.

I repeat, it is YOUR responsibility to get the word out that you exist and that you are different!

It is NOT your potential buyers responsibility to seek you out.

That’s your job.

* They tied themselves to a good cause.  go to the site and watch the video.  This is a very good cause here.  Then think about who you are helping when you invest in the canvas!

Hint hint: Valentines day is right around the corner – may be a good gift idea for a loved one.

Or for a client.

Or for a donation.

Or, or, or.

The key is – invest in your marketing education – and then take MASSIVE action getting your newfound knowledge applied to your business and in front of those who are buyers.

Then… let me know how you do it and I will GLADLY share your story.

Much like Fran’s here today.

Have a great day!

Troy

Feb
08

Personality in pixels

By | Copywriting, Success, Writing

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One of my favourite things about writing this newsletter is the feedback I get from you guys!

Keep it coming.

It helps me focus in on the ares you want me to focus on, and it’s always a treat to know someone is reading… and taking action on what they read.

Like Tom for example…

Here is what he wrote me:

Troy

I love your daily musings especially your focus on storytelling. I am  building a new website with a focus on personal stories from my own experiences in combination with factual information. My biggest fault and drawback is procrastination. When I am ready to write, I can and derive much satisfaction from the results. It is getting in the frame of mind.

Sometimes, I force myself to sit, ready to write, then have to give up.

Recently, I wrote a little piece for the editorial page of our local newspaper. We are in a transit strike here in Halifax and there is a lot of emotion swirling around this issue, mostly negative from both sides of the argument. I am very adverse to negative behaviour, both in business and our personal lives. Life is hard enough, without being bombarded daily by negativity. That is why I enjoy your comments, especially your recent Budweiser find. That was a great ad. My entire family watched it.

So….on with my letter to the editor. I was in the “mood” when I wrote this and it only took several minutes. It incorporates a story, will perhaps encourage alternate travel, instil a moral value or just bring a smile to someone’s face. I hope you enjoy it (see below).

Keep up your good work.

Tom McLane
1-888-507-8880
http://www.goldwaterseafoods.com

The article…

I remember back in the seventies, there was a transit strike in Halifax. Hitch hiking was popular then and I had returned home from hitching across Canada. My mother was in her sixties and had an appointment downtown. We depended on the buses as we had no vehicle. My dear old mother told me she was going out to the street and “stick her thumb out”. I told her no one would pick her up and she was crazy to try. She slung her purse over her arm and went to the street with her thumb out. I would guess it was no more than two cars went by and she was whisked away in plenty of time to make her appointment.

Today, I would gladly pick up a senior, student or anyone else waylaid by the current transit strike. Humans are a resourceful lot and will always find ways to solve a little inconvenience. Let’s get back to those glorious 60’s and 70’s when we trusted and helped one another with a smile on our face. Pick up someone in need of a drive and share your story of a bygone era.

==================
My comments to Tom…
==================

Thank you Tom.

Great to hear from you.

Sounds like you are well on track to get more stories out there. Actually, writing for the papers, and even writing letters to the editor, are great ways to get practice writing and to get exposure.

Anything you can do to write, write stories, comment on peoples articles or posts, etc. is great practice.  The more you write the better you get.  Thanks for sharing this.

Troy

===============
Further on this
===============

Finding your “personality in print” (or personality in pixels) is something you must strive for.  Once you find it, you have a marketing asset that you can use anytime and every time you want to build your business or communicate with your clients.

But the ONLY way to find it… is to write.

Write lots.Personality in pixels

About anything and everything.

The other night I got in a mode and wrote for an hour about a 30-day trip I took to Africa back in ’99.  I had never written about it before in this depth, but I sure did enjoy recalling it!

You will get to see it and some of my Africa pictures at another
time.

The point is… you must write.  

Consistently.

Passionately.

Your payback will be great… and the best thing is… your ability to pour your personality down onto the computer screen is a skill that will pay you forever.

Any business.

Any market.

Any economy.

Get busy will ya!

Are you writing yet?

Have a great day!

Troy

PS: Your ability to weave a good story into your marketing has
never been more important than now. People are buying experiences
more than products and services right now… and stories help them
see that the experience of buying from you is DIFFERENT.  Which
is what they want.

Your competitors probably suck at telling stories, so here is a very
powerful tool to put you ahead of them quickly.

It helped one company go from $500 a month in online
sales to $15,000 a month… with the addition of a one-page story
on their website.

You can do that too with the Story Selling Home Study Coaching
program http://www.storysellingtips.com. It is ready and is an
incredible way to introduce your clients and prospects to your
backstories…

…where your real money will be made. http://www.storysellingtips.com

Feb
07

A big ole juicy thanks to the worst boss in the world

By | Copywriting, Story Selling, Success

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You may recall that many moons ago I worked for Hewlett Packard.  Troy White and Hewlett Packard

I battled hard for that job and beat out almost 400 other equally qualified University grads.  I did something that those 400 forgot to do though… ask others who had worked in the same position I was applying for… at the same company… what to do to nail the interviews.

6 or 7 interviews, and 5 or 6 written exams later I nailed one of the creme-de-la-creme jobs out there.

Prestigious, well paying… and an incredible career path.

Meanwhile I had ignored my true passion… building and running a business.  (I put myself through University with my own College Pro Painters Franchise, but ignored the entrepreneurial path in trade for that shiny new corporate gig).

Little did I know at the time, I was about to meet…

…the boss from HELL.

He was an old timer. He had been selling computer gear way back in the mainframe days.  He was crusty… rude… anti-people in many ways… and a VERY proficient paper pusher.

Hence the problem.

To him… I was going to be his paper-pushing protege.

To me… that was the last thing I want to do.

I was hired for SALES… not administrative work!

But he persisted pushing his crap on me.

We went toe to toe time and time again.

I hated pushing paper and doing administrative tasks (still do).

I LOVED getting in front of people to tell the Hewlett Packard Story.

We fought.

Again and again.

My annual reviews sucked, of course.

But I was allowed to do some sales, just not as much as I wanted.

Fast forward 3 years later, I had enough.

I QUIT!

Biggest load of BS I dumped off my shoulder ever.

I went from Hewlett Packard, with 100,000 employees… to a company with 5.

I was home.

Before I left HP though, I landed one of the biggest deals they had seen in that office… with an account that hated paper pushing as much as me.

They liked my relationship building techniques… and my pig-headed persistence (still one of my greatest assets).

And we landed a multi-million dollar computer deal.

One of the proudest moments of my life.

…especially when the client told me we would have never gotten the deal without me in that job.

So, you’re welcome Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard!

I am glad to have contributed.

To my old boss… piss off.

And thank you.

You taught me to never bend to someones will, just because you are told to.

You taught me to NEVER give up on what you love doing and are good at.

And you taught me to NEVER, EVER work for a paper-pushing bureaucrat like you ever again.

Now I work for me… and that ain’t no great thing some days either.

…but I love what I do and I will never go back.

The lesson for you today… never give up on your passions and talents.

No matter what people say, demand, or beg you to do.

Just don’t do it.

Build iron-clad persistence and thick skin.

And never look back… only good things ahead.

To a great year ahead!

Troy

PS: Your ability to weave a good story into your marketing has never been more important than now.

People are buying experiences more than products and services right now… and stories help them see that the experience of buying from you is DIFFERENT. 

Which is what they want.  Your competitors probably suck at telling stories, so here is a very powerful tool to put you ahead of them quickly.  It helped one company go from $500 a month in online sales to $15,000 a month… with the addition of a one-page story on their website.

You can do that too with the Story Selling Home Study Coaching program http://www.storysellingtips.com. It is ready and is an incredible way to introduce your clients and prospects to your backstories…

…where your real money will be made

Story Selling Tips Home Study Program

Feb
06

How to think beyond the self-imposed barriers

By | Success

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Feel stuck?

If you are every feeling stuck... this quote should wake you up.

 

 

I always wonder why birds stay in the same place  when they can fly anywhere on the earth.

Then I ask myself the same question.

~ Harun Yahya

 

 

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