Hi folks,
When I was young(er) I rowed. And the thing with rowing was how easy it looked from outside the boat. You watched the senior crews training and it all looked so effortless. Just put the oar in the water, pull back and do it again. In fact I wondered why the top crews even needed to train so much. They knew what they were doing.
And so when I first jumped into a boat to give it a go, I thought I’d pick it up easily. Let me tell you we had a boat full of kids doing all sorts of different things. Nobody was co-ordinated or in time, and the boat barely went straight. In fact, it barely went at all! Oars and arms and legs were all over the place.
You see, often things done really well look really easy. Actually, I’m convinced that the easier something looks the harder it is and the more work somebody had to put in. Like watching cricket or football, soccer or tennis. Those pros make it looks really easy. But how many hours do you think they spent in the cricket nets, or taking shots on goal or belting a tennis ball to different parts of a court. The better they are, the more time they spent and the easier they make it look.
And so I wanted to share with you how much work it takes to be a good copywriter. The best copywriters in the world produce sales copy that feels like they just dictated a conversation. All so eay. Anyone can do that! I remember the first time I tried to write sales copy. Man what an embarrassment. I sat down ready to write like Gary Halbert and nothing came out. I didnt know where to start. I wrote a sentence then deleted it. Another sentence then deleted it again. Couldn’t believe how hard it was.
So it was back to study for me. In my time I’ve read countless books, manuals, attended seminars, been part of coaching groups, downloaded audio and listened to them in the car, watched seminars on DVD – pen and paper in hand, read transcripts of coaching sessions, been coached. You name it, I’ve done it.
I spend easily $10,000 – $15,000 a year educating myself. Several mornings a week are put aside without exception to study my art. I watch seminars on DVD or read books or copy out sales letters by hand. And the benefits have been dramatic. You see, the reality is that every word or sentence written is carefully considered. Nothing happens by accident. And all that has to be learnt by hard work and study. As I study I implement the ideas and concepts.
The reason is simple, and let me jump back to sport for a second again. I am a runner, and I watch a lot of marathon runners training (too far for me personally!) The ones that fascinate me are the ones who run at the same pace day after day without ever changing it. What do you think happens? They run the same time for their marathon every time they go out there. They’re stuck at the one pace. The only way they can improve is to push their limits and boundaries. Run faster sometimes, or run further. Go over some hills. If they just push themselves beyond their one pace then new personal bests are just around the corner.
Its the same for people in business too. If I never learnt new things or tried new ideas I would have stayed at the same level. Even now I learn every day. Its the same for you too. You should become a student of direct response marketing in your own business. Learn what works and how the best in the business do it. Pay to sit at the foot of the master and be taught. Because everyone who has done this diligently has become successful. And the more money they spent on a quality education the more money came their way.
So take my advise and put time aside each week to learn this stuff. Buy some manuals and courses. Get a mentor. Experiment. Read, watch DVDs, listen to the experts.
One of my mentors is one of Australia’s top copywriters, and do you think he’s learnt everything he can? No way. He STILL reads for hours a week, attends seminars and has mentors of his own. Nobody should ever think they know enough to stop learning. Once you do that, you’re finished.
Just be careful of two things.
1. The people you take advice from. For example, taking advise on internet forums is dangerous because you dont know who’s giving it, and
2. Borrowing training materials, getting a copy of materials others have paid for or getting your hands on material for nothing that you know you should have paid for. Maybe you understand why I say this. If you dont, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll explain it further…
Next week I’m going to introduce you to a couple more ‘copy clicks’. This is where I open up the copywriters toolbox and show you the tools we use to create winning promotions.
All the best,
Hugh
<Are you looking for a copywriter for your next project? Contact Hugh at www.salescomefirst.com to discuss your needs>
