Last week, I wrote about a woman who has 160 people on her list, and a coach who told her she needed to simply “write more emails” to fill her group program online.

Which prompted some response from you guys.

The problem, I pointed out, is that you can’t just “write.”

Knowing how to write on its own – even if you know how to write that special thing called copy – isn’t enough.

So one of my clients asked a great question (Hi Jane!), “okay, so how many people do I need on my list to start selling – … Read the rest >

I started writing plays with my neighbor Sarah in Wisconsin. That’s me on the right.

Before I wrote copy, I wrote short plays.

I was facing my thirtieth birthday. I’d just moved. And I was looking for some new projects.

So, I decided to do some of the things I loved as a kid.

One goal was to enter a piece in the short play festival at the local theater.

Now, I never studied playwriting.

But when I was 13, I did put on a full season of theater – romantic comedy, farce, western, whodunit – in my basement with … Read the rest >

There’s a lot of writing to do in your business. Newsletters, blogs, emails, video scripts, social media, presentations, handouts, bios, speaker one sheets. To say nothing of email campaigns, autoresponders, preview call opt-in pages and – gasp­ – full blown sales letters.

But the thing about writing is that it takes time.

And, I’d argue, a different part of your brain.

So, for many business owners, this writing thing is a pain in your hiney.

But a potentially very lucrative pain in your hiney.

See, when you do it right, you become like a really popular yoga teacher or bartender.… Read the rest >

Words are like little magnets — are yours saying ‘overwhelmed’?

Did you know that the words you use DIRECTLY relate to the caliber of person showing up in your sales conversations?

That’s why I don’t recommend using certain words to describe your people’s problems. Here’s a partial list:

- broke
- struggling
- overwhelmed
- confused
- wanting to be seen

Now those are fine words. And there are certainly plenty of people out there who will line up under a sign that says “Overwhelmed? Line Up Here.”

The trouble is, words are like little magnets. So you really have … Read the rest >

Your list is all ears - waiting to hear from YOU

Has it been awhile since your mailing list has heard from you?

In this age of perpetual messaging, it’s tempting to convince ourselves that we don’t want to “clutter” the inboxes of our clients and contacts with yet another self-promoting email. And that by abstaining, we’re taking the high road.

But how much business do you think NOT SENDING an email will get you?

Which is why I say, go ahead, send emails to your mailing list. Just make sure those emails are welcome, entertaining, and useful.

As I … Read the rest >