Life Say Articles

With all the beads, prayers, affirmations, “laws of abundance,” and other woo-woo business accoutrements flying around these days, you’d think there’s some fire sale promotion going on spirituality. Maybe it’s the rough economy, or the unsettling pace of change. Business seems to be getting more and more difficult, and support is hard to come by. When you’re struggling, the idea of having the unseen realms backing you is pretty appealing. But can getting more spiritual really help your business? For some of us, spirituality is everyday stuff. It’s how you relate to the world, in business just as in all other things. It’s what’s for lunch. As the Zen master Suzuki Roshi said, it’s “Nothing special.” For others, spirituality in the realm of business can seem profane, inappropriate, or just plain bizarre. So which is it? Is spirituality the missing leverage point in business — or is it just plain wrong to use spirituality to get what you want? What the Heaven is spirituality? Spirituality is one of those words that can be tricky to define. The Oxford American Dictionary defines it as: … of, relating to, or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to the material or physical things. I would define spirituality as any connection we feel to a greater purpose, existence, or reality than ourselves. It means there is a core Oneness that everything comes from and everything returns to. Ever been in love? You know what I’m talking about. Things spirituality doesn’t really work for On a power trip? Spirituality is not going to get you world domination. If you want to manipulate people into doing something that’s not in their best interest, your connection to love and all-that-is ain’t gonna help you. Because spirituality isn’t a tool or technique, you can’t “use” it like that. When people describe their spiritual experiences, they tend to use words like: “awe-inspiring” “humbling” “connected to everything” “full of love” “deep trust and peacefulness” If you’re trying to trick people into spending money on something worthless, it’s pretty doubtful those words describe your state of mind. But hold on … something seems familiar here. Copywriting, business, and spirituality Here are a couple of key themes about copywriting and sales that you’re probably familiar with if you’re a regular Copyblogger reader: You’ve got to believe in yourself and your product . You need an attitude of service . Rather than talking endlessly about yourself, you have to listen to your readers and engage them in conversation . You have to care about your audience . Great salespeople and marketers, the ones you feel good about and look up to instead of feeling slimed by, have this combination of confidence and humility, caring and willingness to deliver on their promises. Are you starting to see what I’m seeing? Maybe this spirituality thing could be helpful after all I don’t know about you, but that sounds like an amazing way to spend my time. To be awe-inspired by the presence of the people you are wanting to help, to be humble and not distracted by trying to be something or someone you’re not, to feel connected to everything and full of love. And to have it all grounded in deep trust and peacefulness. If your blog posts, tweets, products, content, conversations, and connections reflected that sort of approach, what would that do for your business? Or for that matter, for your life? Spiritual teacher soup Listen, I may have been designated as a master teacher in my spiritual lineage. I may have years of spiritual practice behind me. But let me tell you, all I need is a bunch of cool people to launch cool things while I’m sitting on the sidelines and all my internal voices get going. I’m an incompetent booby. I’ll never catch up with those guys. Maybe what I do doesn’t matter anyway. I get worried and upset and angry. The usual things that I’m tempted to do in moments like that (work harder, be brilliant, eat too much ice cream) tend to be completely ineffective. In fact, they leave me feeling even worse. Maybe you’re the same. You end up doing crazy things. Like buying yet another high-priced program when you already know what to do. Or launching a sales page that feels like it was written by a sleazy car salesman. Or retreating into a corner, too paralyzed and overwhelmed to do anything at all. That’s one of the very useful things about spiritual practice. My practice allows me to drop all of those thoughts very quickly, saving me from acting on those impulses, from sabotaging myself or scaring off our clients. It allows my heart to drink the love, peace and groundedness it thirsts for. That’s the real payoff. The side effect? I’m more on-point with what I’m doing. Efficient, effective, connected. Mother Teresa — you know, that once-unknown little nun who mobilized tens of thousands of people to care for the poorest of the poor, and trotted the globe bringing in millions of dollars and creating a legacy that has lasted far past her death? She insisted that everyone associated with her Missionaries of Charity spend precious hours in spiritual practice every day, even when there was the pressing need of dying and starving people all around. Why? Because getting stuff done simply wasn’t enough. Ticking items off a to-do list is draining. But understanding that what you do and who you are into the world is an expression of profound love and caring — that’s when miracles happen. It worked for her. It works for my business and our clients. It can work for you, too. Have your spirit call my spirit, they’ll do lunch As the great Sufi sheikh Ibn al Arabi said, All streams lead to the Ocean. There are a million ways to connect to spirit. Some are organized, some are eclectic. Some are communal, some personal. All, hopefully, are grounded in love and service. I share my Sufism with two poets you may have heard of, Rumi and Hafiz . Sufis talk about Remembrance as a spiritual practice. That this connection with spirit is not something to cross off a to-do list or a technique to be mastered, but an essential part of who you are that is simply to be Remembered. What if you were to stop in the middle of your busy day, right in the middle of your never-ending task list, right in the middle of the sales page copy or blog post you’ve been pushing uphill, and took time to speak to your heart and ask it to remember? To remember that love and connection are essential to your business. To remember that you aren’t alone, and that you don’t need to be anyone other than who you are. To remember that it’s okay to be humble and in service, and that you are cared for deeply. No one has to watch you do this. If you want help, I did a short audio to guide folks, Ack! Where’s My Heart? Stop working so hard. Use all of that tremendous will power and individual force that you’ve been given to ease off the gas pedal and just stop. Stop. Breathe. Remember love. When you step on the gas again, you just might find it easier to do whatever you were struggling with before, and making bigger ripples once it’s out there. Who, after all, can resist love? About the Author: Mark Silver helps entrepreneurs and small business owners who want to make a difference, but also need to make a profit. Check out his website and blog at Heart of Business , follow him on Twitter , or take the free Remembrance Challenge .

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Is Spiritual Business a Contradiction in Terms?

Usually we save all the sneaky tricks and techniques for the newsletter , but today I’m feeling rambunctious so I decided I’d uncork some of the good stuff. Don’t read today’s post unless you want to reach out and scoop more than your fair share of customers and sales. If you’re already making more money than you want, this one’s not for you. Are you evil enough to join us? OK. Here are 7 dastardly, fiendish, and just plain frickin’ evil tactics to get ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Or more customers. Whatever. Evil tactic #1: Ask for the order The Dr. Evil mind-control labs have determined that you can materially boost the response to anything just by issuing a clear, well-defined call to action . This radically increases response to your offers, and yet does not require you to do any additional work. Clearly an evil scheme. Want more blog subscribers? Tell them to enter their email for free updates . Want them to click? Tell them to Click Here . Want more customers? Tell them to Add the Product to their Frickin’ Cart Already. I wish I could make it more complicated for you, but it turns out the simpler and more straightforward you make your call to action, the better it works. Evil tactic #2: Offer an unfair guarantee When you offer a freakishly strong guarantee , you take the risk on yourself rather than putting it onto your customer. This is effects deep-seated neurological change that is tantamount to mind control. Combine this with the call to action and you have all but eliminated free will. The customer becomes your enthralled minion. You evil genius, you. Evil tactic #3: Give them a reason to act today Let’s face it, most prospects are spineless weaklings lacking the strength of purpose to commit true evil. Also, they procrastinate. Give them enough time, and they’ll wiggle out of the sale faster than Austin Powers escaping an unnecessarily slow-moving dipping mechanism. In order to keep them from escaping your clutches, give prospects a compelling reason to buy today. The usual way to get this done is to limit your offer , either by restricting the number you’ll sell or by giving them a deadline to buy. One warning: don’t lie or give fake information about your limited offers. If you tell them you only have 100 limited-edition poseable Frau Farbissina action dolls, you can’t give out 101. While it’s true that fake scarcity is evil, it is also lame. Which we try to avoid. Evil tactic #4: Have higher standards No, I’m not talking about being a perfectionist. You’ll never rule the world by being a perfectionist. The pursuit of true evil, however, does require high standards. Standards are well-defined. You get to decide just what, specifically, you’ll have high standards about . It might be the quality of your product. It might be your business ethics. It might be the brilliantly fiendish complexity of your evil schemes. Standards are also measurable, and there are consequences for failing to meet them. “We’ll get right back to you” isn’t a standard, it’s an ideal. “We’ll respond to your email within one business day or we’ll detonate an explosive that destroys our secret volcano lair” is a standard. Evil tactic #5: Use secret language to enthrall them to your will It’s a secret known only to a handful of supervillains, several thousand direct response copywriters, and 117,690 subscribers to this blog. There exist two secret trigger words that can turn prospects into enslaved robotic mutants who live only to do your bidding. Read about them here, if you dare. Evil tactic #6: Use the power of numbers We could tell you all the underlying psychological reasons that the numbered list post is more effective than a tank full of sharks with frickin’ laser beams attached to their heads. We could tell you, but then we’d have to kill you. Yes, everyone’s already using numbers in their headlines. Yes, you’re sick of them. Suck it up. Do you want to wear the daddy pants or don’t you? Evil tactic #7: Deploy the unfair offer Here’s the one that separates an internationally known criminal genius from a Mini-Me. This is the one that will make your competition cry like schoolchildren with low self-esteem. It’s deadlier than a “laser” on the moon, and freakier than Goldmember. If you make an offer for something your market really, really wants , it takes almost no persuasion to get your prospects to take it. No, I know, it’s almost too diabolical to use. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. For the most up-to-date evil advice you’ll find on marketing your business online, subscribe to the free Copyblogger newsletter, Internet Marketing for Frickin’ Smart People . About the Author: It is a little-known fact that Sonia Simone is the embodiment of pure evil. Thus, it is only natural that she is Senior Editor of Copyblogger .

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Dr. Evil’s 7 Tips for Achieving Worldwide Marketing Domination

Ever been so scared you can’t move? It’s a common reaction to a really scary situation. We know we’re in trouble. We know we need to move. But we can’t seem to convince ourselves, so we do nothing. Some people make a living helping others out of tight spots like this one. Firefighters, for example, are trained in how to get in there and persuade the immobilized person that moving is a really good idea. The firefighter quickly establishes trust, speaks firmly with authority, and gives extremely clear and specific instructions. These persuasion strategies are the same as those used in persuasive copy. Making a decision about whether or not to buy a product is far less scary than being trapped in a burning building, but there are surprising similarities. Your ideal customer might do what you want him to do, but not without some waffling. He hesitates before clicking the Buy button … paralyzed by fear. So break out the tools of persuasion to help him out. Information is not persuasive Imagine you’re trapped in a burning building. Now imagine I come over and simply tell you a few logical reasons you should move. Fire is dangerous. The human body has not evolved to withstand the ambient temperatures inside a burning building. The fumes being produced are highly unhealthy. The building’s structure is likely to become unsound, which creates additional dangers. Those are all very good reasons to move. This is valuable information. But it doesn’t help you get out of that fear-based paralysis. Information alone isn’t enough. Persuasion isn’t about information or the facts. Very often, we already know the facts. Persuasion is about recognizing that the prospect’s fears are valid, and then allaying those fears. It’s about saying, Yeah, I know you’re in trouble and so damned scared you don’t know what to do, but if you listen to me, I can help. It’s about getting rid of the fear. Why is your reader afraid? Figuring out what scares your prospect is the copywriter’s first job. It’s (probably) not burning-building fear, but your readers do have fears. Maybe they’re afraid this product won’t solve their problem Maybe they’re afraid they’re going to throw money away (again) Maybe they’re afraid they won’t ever use your solution So speak to those fears. In a burning building, you’re scared of moving because being burned hurts like crazy, you can’t breathe too well, and you might die. Those are your current fears. They are big and valid, and factual data about fires won’t help you move. But if the firefighter starts talking to you in a calm, authoritative voice that convinces you he actually has a way out of this, you’re going to listen up. You’re ready to hear him say something that makes the whole situation less scary. He’ll probably give you some very specific instructions. You’re going to take just two steps forward, and I’m going to take your hand. Then I’m going to guide you out of here. Don’t focus on what’s going on around you. Just take my hand. You can tell he’s a professional, that he’s done this before, and that if you just stick with him and follow the clear instructions, you’re going to be all right. Sound familiar? Help prospects move beyond purchase paralysis It should. This is the core message of almost every piece of persuasive copy you’ve ever read. Hey, I know you’re afraid of buying this product because of (specific reasons). But you know what? It’s going to be okay. I’ve been where you are now, and I know the way out of here. So just take my hand, click on the button that says Add to Cart , and in just a moment you’ll have the solution that makes it all okay. Click the button and let’s get you out of this mess, okay? “Let’s get you out of this mess,” is the simple and satisfying underlying message. Here are the steps: Acknowledge and empathize with the prospect’s fear. Demonstrate that you’re trustworthy. Social proof helps; so does pre-selling with exceptional content . Convey your authority . Let the prospect know you can handle this kind of mess with ease. Let the prospect see what the way out looks like. Show the benefits of your solution. Give clear and specific instructions for what to do next. Persuasion is about saying: Stick with me, kid. We’ll get you to the solution, safe and sound. Most people are just waiting to be persuaded that they have nothing to fear. Good copywriting is about helping them make a move. About the Author: If you’re afraid of writing your own web copy, all you have to do is make one small step. Contact Men with Pens , and James will hold your hand all the way to web copy freedom.

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How to Rescue Your Readers from Purchase Paralysis

You need to get the attention of a powerful internet marketer, A-list blogger, or busy CEO. Maybe you’ve got a brilliant idea for a joint venture that would make you both scads of money. Or maybe you just wrote a brilliant guest post that a certain top blogger’s audience will love. Whoever it is, you’re convinced you’ve got a win for this person. Unfortunately, the big shot you’re pitching won’t answer your emails. It’s not because she’s evil, honest. She’s just got a lot of other pitches in her mailbox, and there’s no way to give all of them her full attention. Your mission is to get yours to the top of her list. Here’s how. So how do you get prominent people to pay attention to you? Obviously, the most sure-fire way is to know the hotshot personally. If you didn’t happen to go to grade school with your famous person of choice, you can still make a connection. You can go a long way just by being consistently sincere and helpful to her and her friends. Social media tools come in handy here. That takes time, though. When you don’t have time, follow these six steps instead. 1. Open with compelling subject line Your reader likely gets hundreds of emails each day. Make yours stand out — not with all caps or lots of exclamation points, but by condensing the best points of your offer to create a sense of urgency . WEAK: An invitation for you STRONG: Paid speaking opportunity, no travel required (deadline approaching) 2. Introduce yourself in one sentence Your reader doesn’t care about you (yet). Don’t blather on and on about your accomplishments or your history. Introduce yourself in one sentence. Include a link to your site, so if your hotshot wants to know more, she can investigate. 3. Do your homework What sorts of offers has this person accepted in the past? What kinds of propositions is she interested in, and what sorts of incentives does she need to say yes? If you find that your big shot agreed to a $6000 fee for a three-day conference, offering $2000 for 90 minutes of her time on the phone makes for an irresistable offer . 4. Keep it short State your offer clearly in one paragraph. Not a long run-on paragraph either. Six sentences, tops. 5. Be bold, not precise Your goal for this email is to get this person interested . Too much detail at this point wastes your reader’s time and attention. (But do include the one or two details that will capture that attention.) You’ll get 51% of the registration fees from the people who click on your affiliate link, unless they click on someone else’s affiliate link after they click on yours, or unless they clear their cookies or buy from a different computer or switch browsers. Or unless the cookie volcano erupts. Way too complicated. Instead, stick with: You’ll get 51% of the profits from everyone you refer ($212 per sale). Keep it bold and simple . 6. Don’t squee all over your shoes. Acting like a rabid fan won’t win you any points; it will get your proposal taken a lot less seriously. Don’t go on and on about how you’ve read all this person’s books and that you stood in line for hours at a convention once to meet her and does she by any chance remember the woman with the mauve hair carrying a bunch of asparagus because that was you. Act like a peer with a good proposal, and you’ll find you’ll get replied to like one. It’s fine to mention that you like the person’s work. But too much gushing and your email is going to wind up with all the other fan mail — not in the “A” folder of messages that need a quick response. No one can guarantee you’ll capture that busy big shot’s attention. But follow these six steps and you’ll stack the odds in your favor. About the Author: Pace Smith is the co-leader of the Freak Revolution , a bunch of weirdos who do awesome stuff. Her latest project is the World-Changing Writing Workshop , featuring six famous writers who replied to her email.

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6 Steps That Get Big Shots to Answer Your Email

There’s a scene in “Mad Men”, the TV drama about a 1960s advertising agency. One of the junior copywriters is showing the Creative Director an ad he’s just written. The ad is clever, flowery, and poetic. The Creative Director cuts the copywriter down in five short, stern words: “Don’t write for other writers.” Bingo. It’s not the copywriter’s literary chums who are buying the product. It’s housewives in Indiana. Clever copy might get the copywriter clapped on the back by his colleagues, but it won’t get the product sold. I’ve seen this happen a lot in the blogosphere. I’ve done it. You’ve probably done it, too. We’ve written blog posts that other bloggers like (especially high-traffic, “A-Lister” bloggers who link to us). And we squealed like happy children when we saw our traffic stats spike up massively. But there’s a downside Traffic spikes can be quite addictive. The type of blog post that might get you a lot of “bloggerly love” may not be (and probably isn’t) the kind of blog post that gets people to buy whatever it is you’re selling. Traffic and influence are great. It’s lovely having all these people kissing your hiney at social media conferences. But at the end of the day, it’s not the A-Listers or the pajama-clad, Web 2.0 basement-dwellers who are paying your mortgage. It’s the regular shmoes with a regular problem who are willing to pull out their credit cards to get it solved. Back in 2005, I was working with Thomas Mahon to create the blog EnglishCut.com so Tom could sell his $4,000 hand-made tailored English suits. When I first started talking about the idea, a lot of people said, This will never work. Bloggers don’t wear suits. They’re geeks. They like dressing down. Those people were making the same mistake as the copywriter on Mad Men. That guy thought that just because he was writing, he was trying to impress other writers. These people thought that just because we were blogging, we were trying to impress other bloggers with our product. They were wrong We knew the people who liked $4,000 suits were out there. We knew our content was better than anybody else’s out there. We knew our product was world-class, up there with the best of the best. We knew if we just kept at it, the right people would find us. We weren’t trying to sell the suits to bloggers. We weren’t “writing for other writers”. We weren’t “blogging for other bloggers”. We were writing and blogging about suits for people who loved suits. And it worked. Spectacularly well. These days, for every suit order Tom accepts, he has to turn down four or five offers. He’s just too busy now. Five years later, I’m applying what I learned with Tom to my own art business. I never think about traffic any more. I think about my friends and people who can and want to support my business. “Bloggerly Love” might be good PR, but it’s a hugely unproductive time-sink if you spend too much time worrying about it — which many people do. Sure, if you’re writing for Copyblogger, writing for other writers is what you do. But most of you don’t, so writing for other writers isn’t something to worry about. Worry about the people who really matter to you. Create killer content that really matters to them . Create a killer product people actually want to buy . Do that, and you’ll find very little reason to worry what writers think. Hugh MacLeod is a cartoonist who blogs over at gapingvoid.com . He makes his living by selling fine art prints , doing “Cube Grenade” commissioned art work and sending out daily cartoons on “Hugh’s Daily Frickin’ Newsletter.”

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Why You Shouldn’t Write for Other Writers