Archive for August, 2010

What Customers Really Want & Why Finding the RIGHT Copywriter Matters

Tuesday, August 17th, 2010
Let’s take a closer look at what savvy consumers want and respond to. Pay close attention to these emerging trends. These are trends I predicted in 2009 and they are rapidly changing the way we do business. You’ll want to adjust your marketing messages to keep up by incorporating authenticity and true voice.

Authenticity

It’s absolutely vital to be authentic and to keep it real. Although I believe the word “authentic” is being overused and by some marketers who really aren’t, this is still an important component to your overall message. Copywriters (the really good copywriters) and consumers alike demand truth. It’s becoming increasingly difficult to find quality, professional and reputable copywriters who engage in any questionable salesmanship in writing. (Note the reference to quality, professional and reputable –they’re the people you WANT to work with because they know the difference between the right approach and the wrong approach.)

An overall change in social focus and consciousness supports authenticity in all aspects of business. Think about this for a moment. How do you like to be treated by people you do business with? Doesn’t it make sense to extend that same courtesy? Now incorporate general decency and ethics into the mix and you’re starting to build solid relationships.

True Voice

As more and more busy, successful entrepreneurs outsource their copy to maximize time, they are losing their authentic voice because they are not taking the time to find the right copywriter. The right copywriter is the one who can convey your message as if you wrote it yourself.

This problem happens for a couple of reasons:

1. Hiring inexpensive and inexperienced writers to save money is easier than ever before. Anyone can log into one of the many “service provider” Web sites, and hire a copywriter to write a Web site for $35. In the end what may have seemed like a savings ultimately compromises quality and costs you clients in the long run.
2. Overlooking the importance of spending adequate time building copywriter/client relationships to ensure a good fit.

Let me ask you an important question. You wouldn’t have your secretary or virtual assistant close your biggest deal of the year just because he or she was available to talk on the phone would you? Never! So why would you outsource one of the most powerful pieces of communication you have to your target market, your copy, to someone with very little experience and who devalues what they do and therefore what you do so much that $5 an hour is an appropriate fee?

Outsourcing is a brilliant strategy as long as you find the right fit for you. If you cut corners and invest in a copywriter who is unable to capture your spirit, your consumers will notice especially if the tone and voice of your writing suddenly changes. This scenario occurred to an Internet marketer I know. The quality and voice of an otherwise powerful message was lost in translation thanks to an inexpensive ghostwriter. Coincidentally, (or not) loyal followers lost trust and unsubscribed from both blog feeds and electronic newsletter subscriptions. It was a hard and expensive lesson to learn. At the same time, hiring the right ghostwriter can work beautifully and help increase revenue.

Take a moment to review your marketing messages. Do they represent you and your business appropriately? Have you found the right copywriting to support you, your business goals and ultimately your message?

Posted in Articles ~ | 18 Comments »

Never Coach With a Coach Who Doesn’t Have A Coach…

Thursday, August 12th, 2010
Hmmmm…. Give that a bit of thought. It only makes sense to invest in someone who invests in their own personal and professional growth.

Lo & Lisa

Recently I attended Ali Brown’s Coaching Business Intensive event. The event was full of great content and attended by incredible people including my very first coach Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero. When I first started my business, I invested in one-on-one coaching with Lorrie because I knew she was the top female copywriter in the Nation and I wanted to know how she did it so I could apply her proven strategies to my business. It was a solid investment that provided accountability, support and motivation to continually move my business forward.

One of the many thought-provoking topics discussed at CBI is the importance of only investing in people who invest in themselves.

Ali & Lisa

As I looked around the room at the 159 other people I knew for sure that I was in the exact right place to move my business forward. Each of the attendees are driven, dedicated individuals who understand the value of investing in themselves by investing in others. People who purchased tickets paid just under $10,000.00 per ticket to be there (my ticket was comped as part of the perks of being in the Millionaire Protege Club and coaching with Ali, but there were many new faces in the room).

I bring up the investment not to impress, or because of the dollar amount, but as illustration that if you’re really serious about your business, you’ll invest in mentorship, training and mastermind groups that move you forward personally and professionally. It’s all about how you value yourself. And, it’s also quite impressive to see  Ali leverage her knowledge, build her team to include James Roche (who is another one of my favorite coaches), model successful business models and continually create new revenues streams that truly help move business forward and empower women (and enlightened, progressive men) to step into bigger things. (yes, I feel lucky to have her as my coach –but it wasn’t luck that made it happen, it was dedication, determination and a solid investment in myself.)

I’m excited to share a few more takeaways from CBI and give you a sneak peek at how my next program offering is taking shape.

But first the takeaways:

  • Never coach with someone who doesn’t have a coach: Why invest in someone who isn’t constantly investing in themselves? Just sayin’.
  • You are not responsible for your coaching clients you are responsible to them. Don’t take ownership of their actions — you can provide guidance but you cannot make them act and it’s not your fault if they don’t. It’s as simple as the old saying “You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink”.
  • The more successful you become, the more vindictive some people get. (I learned this firsthand when I promoted the Manyon Marketing Makeover Individual Accountability Partnerships — I actually got “hate” mail from one of the Write On Community members.)
This is just a sampling of what really struck a chord with me. The entire experience has also motivated me to outline my Manyon Marketing Makeover Mastermind Program (especially because Ali featured my Manyon Marketing Makeovers as a successful one-to-one coaching model – - I couldn’t be prouder). I’m creating a specialty program that’s a blend of individual accountability and group masterminding so you get the best of both worlds. I’m also limiting it to one person per industry so we can all learn new things from each other. It’s a 6 month program and I’m limiting it to 10 people. I think the ideal number is 7 but I’m willing to stretch it to 10. I’m still fine-tuning the details and plan to begin the program in September or October.

With that in mind, I’d like to ask you: What do you most want in a coaching/mastermind program? Please take a quick minute to answer that question here because if you’re truly interested in moving forward personally and professionally, your input could shape my program and this could be just what you’ve been looking for… Your opinion matters — share it here or leave a comment.

Posted in Manyon's Musings ~ | 24 Comments »