Need a New Idea? Try Changing Your Perspective by Michele Pariza Wacek

Need a New Idea? Try Changing Your Perspective by Michele Pariza Wacek

One definition of creativity states that creative people look at the same thing everyone else does, yet they see something no one else does.

But even creative people (which includes all of you, of course) can run into roadblocks every now and then. Sometimes it's not possible to see something different. Sometimes you've just been staring at a problem for so long it's now impossible to look at it in any other way.

So what do you do in these situations?

Why not try changing your perspective?

Consider this: A friend of mind who does needlepoint has a design that's mostly black. Rather than simply stitching the design on white canvas with black thread, she's using a black canvas and is stitching the negative aspects of the design instead of the positive.

She changed the way she viewed the problem. And now she has a really cool-looking needlepoint design that's different from most other ones out there.

Or what about this: An art teacher has her students turn a photograph or object upside down and paint what they see -- not a picture but an arrangement of shapes.

By changing your perspective, you're changing what you see. And when you change what you see, you're more likely to create something completely different.

But -- I can hear you all saying right now -- that's art. That won't help me with my business problem.

Okay, so here's another story from the book "Thinkertoys" by Michael Michalko. Back in the 1950s, experts proclaimed the ocean freighter industry was dying. Costs were skyrocketing and delivery times kept getting pushed back later and later.

Executives at the shipping companies kept focusing on ways to cut costs while ships were sailing. They developed ships that went faster and needed fewer crew members to run.

It didn't work. Costs continued to spiral out of control and it still took too long to get the merchandise shipped.

Then one day, a consultant changed the perspective. Rather than ask the question: " In what ways might we make ships more economical while at sea?" executives asked: "In what ways can we reduce costs?"

Ta-da!

Ships are big money-sucking machines when they aren't at sea actually doing their job -- shipping merchandise. And when aren't they working? When they're sitting in port being loaded and unloaded.

So, the industry came up with way to preload merchandise on land. Now a ship comes in, the container carrying the cargo rolls off, a new container already loaded with cargo rolls on, and the ship heads back to sea.

That one innovation saved an entire industry. And it happened because shipping executives changed the way they viewed their problem.

Creativity Exercise -- Change your perspective

So, how can you change your perspective and solve your business/marketing problems?

Try what the shipping industry did and change the question.

Instead of looking at a narrow part of the problem ("In what ways can we make ships more economical while at sea?") broaden the question ("In what ways can we reduce costs in general?")

Here's another example.

Maybe your question is "how can I land more clients?" What if you started broadening the question like so:

How can I land more clients?

How can I grow my business?

How can I make more money from my business?

How can I make more money period?

How can I be happier in my life? (I know, I know, money doesn't buy happiness. But it's certainly nice to have.)

Maybe one of those questions is a better place to look for a solution. Because maybe one of those questions is the "real" question you want to solve, but since you never took a step back to look at the big picture, you've never discovered the right question to ask.

And if you don't ask the right question, your muse will never give you an answer that actually solves your problem.

About the Author
Michele Pariza Wacek is the author of "Got Ideas? Unleash Your Creativity and Make More Money." She offers two free e-zines that help subscribers combine their creativity with hard-hitting marketing and copywriting principles to become more successful at attracting new clients, selling products and services and boosting business. She can be reached at http://www.TheArtistSoul.com.

Long Copy Sales Letters on the Web: Hype or Not? by Nick Usborne

Long Copy Sales Letters on the Web: Hype or Not? by Nick Usborne

I have written before about long sales copy on the web. But I have more to say on the subject.

First, let me be clear about what Im saying here. Im not talking about long content pages within dozens of other pages on a site. Im talking about stand-alone pages...a long, direct response sales letter online, often with its own domain name.

Next, let me say this: long copy works, online and offline.

If you can hold someones attention with your writing, a long page gives you the space to deliver all the benefits, cover all the features and address a myriad of reader questions and concerns. So long as the letter carries momentum and holds the readers attention, people will keep scrolling.

And youll get a better conversion rate than you would with a shorter page. This is true offline, and on the web also.

However, what I have found is two distinct approaches to the long, online sales letter. Both work, but do so in different ways.

>> Long copy style #1: Selling with Hype

You probably know the kind of page I mean. Heres an example of the kind of copy you can expect:

Income For Life is the same program being praised by the true experts as ...a new breakthrough method that will probably lead more people from broke to millionaire status than Think & Grow Rich, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and The Science Of Getting Rich Combined!

The copy style is fast, packed with superlatives, thick with unsupported promises and bulging with testimonials given by people who appear to sprinkle amphetamines on their wheaties.

The template for these sales pages is fairly consistent. Lots of highlighted subheads and indents. A breathless pace...and the promise of a better life. Success. Wealth. Happiness.

Well, we all want to be happy and most of us could do with some extra wealth.

But how is it that this approach works so well? Many of us look at these letters and are incredulous. And many of us would claim never to be persuaded by such an approach. But hundreds of thousands of people are.

How come? This copy approach has a hypnotic quality to it. It makes promises with such strength and enthusiasm. And in some way, it tempts us into a state of submission. We submit to the endless waves of promises and testimonials. We succumb to the thought that maybe, just maybe...this might work...and we might find that extra wealth or happiness.

And yes, even you will turn off your critical faculties from time to time. If you have ever purchased a lottery ticket you have been in this space...where your desire for a better future overcomes your more rational thinking process. Hey, someone has to win. Right?

The same is true if you have ever felt your brain go soft in the face of an enthusiastic car or electronics salesperson. One half of your brain knows you are being persuaded to buy extra features you dont need and probably cant afford. The other part of your brain is whispering in your ear, Hey man, chill. This feels good. Go with the flow, listen to the man.

This happens to us when we WANT to hear what we are hearing. When we WANT it to be true. When we allow ourselves to dream.

This is how hype works. It deepens our state of submission and creates a state of almost dreamlike optimism.

And it works.

The significant downside to this approach is that most of us wake up from the dream and find that the promises were empty. Or, to put it another way, we bought the ticket, but didnt win the lottery.

So if your aim is to build long-term relationships with your readers, prospects and customers, using hype is not the way to go.

>> Long copy style #2: Selling with a Human Connection

The second style of long copy approach is quite different. Again, these are often stand-alone pages, many screens long. Again, youll find the headings, the subheads, indents and testimonials.

But youll find a very different approach in the writing style.

If you have ever read a sales letter from Bill Bonner, Ken Evoy or Allan Gardyne... this is the kind of writing Im talking about.

These are still long, enthusiastic letters...and the pace still draws you down, line after line.

But here are some differences, and they are very significant.

- Within the text you will hear the genuine voice of the writer. Youre not being sold with copy written by the Dream-O-Matic 2000youre being sold by a recognizable human voice, the voice of Bill, Ken or Allan.

- You are not succumbing to that state of dreamlike submission and suspending your critical faculties. You remain quite rational and quite clear in your thinking.

- You are hearing a voice that sounds and feels infinitely more trustworthy.

- You dont have to suspend your disbelief. Instead, you feel comfortable and believe what you are reading.

At the end of a letter like this, you make a choice...buy or not to buy. And its a choice you are much less likely to regret.

Online sales letters like these are the children of traditional direct response letter writing. Good direct mail letters are written in this second wayby making a genuine connection with the reader and earning his or her trust.

There is a big upside to this second approach. It builds trust and loyalty. If your strategy is to build a list of happy prospects and customers who will come back again and again, this is the style you will want to adopt.

>> Conclusions

Long copy works, and it works in more than one way.

If you can reach a big enough readership (no small feat) and want to make big money, right now, hype might work for you.

But if you want to build a long-term list of repeat customers... be yourself and write to your audience with an enthusiasm that is built on a foundation of honesty and respect for your readers.
About the Author
Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author, speaker and advocate of good writing. You can access all his archived newsletter articles on copywriting and writing for the web at his www.ExcessVoice.com site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at www.FreelanceWritingSuccess.com

The Power of Saying 'You Can' by Nick Usborne

The Power of Saying 'You Can' by Nick Usborne

If you have children, you will doubtless remember saying to them, "You can do it."

It's what we say when our toddlers first struggle to their feet.

It's what we say when they face their first day at school, when they first ride a bicycle, or first swim a full length of a pool.

Children face the challenges of early life with greater confidence when they are supported by the belief and support of their parents.

And it doesn't stop at childhood. We continue to say, "You can do it" when our teens take their driving test, apply for college or dress up for that first job interview.

I recently finished reading John Le Carre's book, The Constant Gardener. He frequently touches on the thought that adults are simply the children they once were, with all their childhood strengths and weaknesses, masquerading in grown-up bodies.

I think he's right. As adults, at home and at work, we still crave the support and belief of those around us - our partner, our colleagues, our bosses.

When faced with a tough career challenge, it's still reassuring to have someone put a hand on our shoulder and say, "You can do it."

With this in mind, consider some of the copy you write on your Web site, and in your emails and newsletter.

Where you now say something like:

At Acme Trust we support local arts through our funding program.

Consider saying this:

Through Acme Trust you can successfully apply for a grant to support local arts.

Where you say:

Acme Business Intelligence software aggregates data from across the enterprise and makes it available to your managers...

Think about this:

With Acme Business Intelligence Software you can provide senior management with reports that are complete and on time.

Or instead of saying:

Acme Newsletter Builder provides dozens of ready-to-use design templates...

Say:

With Acme Newsletter Builder you can create professionally-designed newsletters in just a few minutes.

Each of these examples simply shifts the focus from the company to the customer and says, "You can do it".

That's stage one.

When we encourage our young children, we are also there to help and support them. Try the same with the inner children of your customers and prospects.

So stage two is to provide not only your product or service, but also the support to help your customers succeed.

Try adding a line or two like these:

Speak to one of the Acme Trust advisors and find out how to write a successful grant application.

As an Acme Business Intelligence customer, you will be allocated Acme Support Representative.

Not sure how to get started with Acme Newsletter Builder? Ask for help at any time through our Live Chat support service.

If you subscribe to that original premise that we each of us retain many of the fears and insecurities of our childhood, you now have a couple of very simple ways in which to reassure and support your customers and prospects.

Let them know that they CAN do it with your product or service. And remind them that you are right there, with all the support they need, in order to help them succeed.
About the Author
Nick Usborne is a copywriter, author and speaker. You can access all his newsletter articles on writing for the web at his www.ExcessVoice.com site. You'll find more articles and resources on how to make money as a freelance writer at www.FreelanceWritingSuccess.com