Copywriting--Cracked up as it's made out to be?
Okay, so it's been almost a year
But here's something to blog about-- Terry Dean giving away $2000 worth of Jay Abraham tapes!
I'll be back soon.
This was just the first blog of mine (I have several) that seemed relevant (though I do have one which has a permalink to a James Brausch post...)
Hope I get it!
Labels: James Brausch, Jay Abraham, Terry Dean
Everything is Bloomin' Copywriters!
Boy, everybody seems to be hopping onto the "copywriting coaching" bandwagon.
Ray Edwards seemed to be making a start, although I'm not quite sure what
has happened there.
Alan Forrest Smith gets in there, sometimes with Brian Keith Voiles.
Shaune Clarke, one of our newer entries, seems to come on the scene first
as a copywriter instructor and not a copywriter (although it's certainly
easy for copywriters to not be well-known, I suppose, and still do very
well.)
Maria Veloso and Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero have been teaching for some time.
Mike Morgan and Matt Marshall don't have a coaching program...yet. But it
only seems like it will be a matter of time.
And, of course, our own beloved Harlan Kilstein and Tina Lorenz.
The newest entry, and the one that prompted this entry, was discovering that Ray L. Edwards, of Florida, has now jumped onto the bandwagon. (Please don't confuse him
with the Ray Edwards of Washington State--who, incidentally, as I mentioned above,
had been toying with a coaching program.
Oh, and we'd be remiss if we didn't mention Clayton Makepeace's expensive shindig in Washington DC.
Wow -- that WAS scary ....My Disappearing Blog
Well, I am back online.
I automatically open to my blogger page when I open my browser.
It's one of a number of websites I open, automagically, thanks to firefox.
(Sidenote: I'd been waiting for that functionality -- maybe I had just missed it -- I had been using a browser which had tabbing, but was based on Internet Explorer, which I wasn't thrilled with using because of security reasons. If you don't use tabbing, you are definitely missing out!)
One day I noticed that the blog that opened was someone else's blog.
Curious, I thought.
I logged into my blogger account and, gasp!, my blogs were gone! Yikes!
The next thing I did was what any normal human being would do: panic!
FORTUNATELY -- I have those nice auto-complete features in my browser, so when I start to type in an address it will give me choices, if there are multiple possible ways to complete the url.
Using this, I was able to get all of my archives -- in fact, all of my published posts, just not my one single, lonely draft.
I wrote panicked posts on various boards.
Conclusion: "They're gone, Jim" (er, sorry, paraphrase from that great scene in one of the Star Trek movies where "Bones" tells Capt. Kirk that Mr. Spock is dead: "He's dead, Jim."
I was given links to writings about this fine hosting organization deleting quite legitimate blogs in its effort to combat splogs. I was dutifully impressed, and curious, as to how my few-post blog, that I have never pinged, and, judging by my ability to monetize my blog -- no one even reads :( . And I hadn't changed anything recently.
Well, amazingly enough, I logged into my account again, and the blogs were there! Ta-daaaa!!! Except that my blog was not accessible via the 'net. I tried everything I could think of, such as republishing my blog, etc. No luck.
Well, the blogger support people had been helpful to me before -- so I fired off an email to blogger support.
They sent back a form letter, referring me to a very easy to read, and informative, post about what might be wrong.
But -- I didn't fit into any of those categories.
However, a few days later I was again able to access my blog from the internet!!!
Hooray!!!
I've been re-born!
Outliners--or, organizing information
Back in the early days of personal computers there was a hot new category of software: outliners.
I'm not quite sure what happened to outliners as a category--except that, at least in one case, they became subsumed by an even larger category of software. (BTW, one of the authors of some of the most popular outliners claims he also doesn't quite understand what happened to outliners, either. Maybe it's time for a revival. :)
The first product, ThinkTank, didn't make much of a splash. In fact, it was a product looking for a platform. When the Mac came along--the developers felt they had found it. Unfortunately, Mac didn't take the personal computer industry by storm (the "exclusively" priced Mac kept it out of the hands of many of those panting for that beautiful, though black and white, graphical interface.)
The product that did take the personal computer industry by storm was called "MORE".
(unixheads: Now, those of you of unix background, I can't tell you whether the unix utility "more" came before or after, or if there is any relationship at all between to two.)
(antique software: it turns out, while doing some research for this blog entry, that there is a whole slew of "antique" software that is up on the 'net--including early versions of VisiCalc, Borland's TurboPascal and even the first C compilers.)
Back to outliners:
They are AWESOME.
Where to find them: well, Symantec bought one of the popular versions--and Microsoft has a pretty decent outliner in Microsoft Word. However, as MSFT Word becomes more and more expensive, perhaps there's a place for the re-entry of stand-alone outliners.
I remember using the Outliner in Microsoft Word in the late '80s to write up a specification for some code I wrote (it was a LONG document). Made a huge difference.
Here's a short & quickie as to how to use outliners to tackle inchaote ideas, projects, etc
(I just learned that word, inchoate, btw.):
Go over the information, the material, the nascent ideas that you have--figure out categories you can sort the information into categories. Each category can form a "topic" in your outline. As you go thru the information a second time, sort the information you have into your outline.
The wonderful thing about the outliner is that it makes it easy to move your categories around--make a subcategory into a category, or a category into a subcategory. Very nice. Very sweet.
URGENT: I couldn't do it....but maybe you can
...until earlier this year, I didn't realize I
could do it.
It had been something that I had wanted to do all my life.
But something happened to me when I was 5 years old that prevented me...
...
like I say, until I learned that I
could do it...
(But when I tried, I still had one more obstacle to overcome, so I still haven't done it...but maybe you can...)
Besides, I don't have the type that is most in need...
I'm talking about giving blood.
As a Red Cross Volunteer, I get notified of these things...here's the message I received:
The nation's blood banks, represented by the American Association of Blood Banks, the American Red Cross, and America's Blood Centers, are asking for immediate blood donations to boost already critically low blood supplies.
To combat a blood shortage and ensure local patient blood needs are met, the American Red Cross Blood Services Northern California Region is issuing an emergency appeal for Type O-Negative, Type B-Negative and [b]AB-Positive[/b] blood donations. The shortage extends across the country.
We are asking all Chapter volunteers and staff to help by recruiting family, friends, and groups they are affiliated with, to give blood or sponsor a blood drive.
So...please, if you can, see if you can give blood.
The reason I thought I could not give blood was because I had hepatitis A when I was 5 (there was an epidemic). But that is not the case now--they said if I'd had it below a certain age, I can still give--what stopped me when I went to give was my iron was too low.
Those of you who have lists, please send this out to your lists, too.
Thanks...and help someone else Live JoyFully!
Judy
Are you "NASA" Judy?
There was a thread...yes a thread...about Harlan & Tina's Seminar on a copywriting forum...and someone commented...
Well, I just hope there's an online seminar for overseas students. Most of us, I believe, have the money to pay for it. We are not complaining about the dollar and cents. But we have day job to take care of.
P.S.
There's a HUGE need for online seminar. Anyone thought of that?
===========================================================================
To which I replied (people's names are other contributors to the thread):
Where have all the vacations gone...long time passing? (hummming...)
Uh...I realize this is silly to ask...but don't you get vacations?
In my early 30s I wanted to learn more about this cool technology that a couple of guys over the hill from me had come up with. It was/is called NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP). I actually owned, in those days, every published book on NLP--there weren't very many then--and waited patiently for the publication of the book "Reframing." This was in the early 80s. I probably spent equivalent of the cost of Harlan & Tina's seminar, in 1980s dollars, to go to those seminars. Since I was a paid employee I had no choice but to take personal vacation time.
I'm guessing the response to this has something to do with family.
Do you think that, just possibly, by taking vacation now, learning this stuff now, just might enable you to take better, longer vacations with your family in the future?
Time really is MONEYI don't know how old you all are (except for a few folks). One thing I learned about was this thing called "compound interest". What makes compound interest work? Time. Same thing here. One of the things you are buying here is time, and the longer you have this information, the more opportunity you will have to have this information grow and make money for you.
As much as I respect other copywriters, Harlan & Tina's seminar is NOT like taking a seminar from almost any other well-known copywriter. Why? Because Harlan accomplished in well less than 2 years what it took some of those folks DECADES to achieve.
Harlan's abilities also include those in NLP and Hypnosis and Education. What does this mean to you? It means that, instead of taking training from someone who can do, but maybe can't teach, you know that Harlan has the ability to transfer skill.
Grab it while it's hot!A story about the Space ShuttleOne of the things that I've learned is that you need to grab the great opportunities--because they may not come around again. I was in Florida in the mid-80s, taking another NLP seminar. One of the other attendees, a retired NASA Engineer, invited me to come watch the Shuttle launch in Orlando the Monday after the seminar (we were in Miami at the time). Somehow, I just couldn't convince myself that I could "afford" this.
Since my friend was a NASA engineer--guess where I would have been viewing the launch? That's right. The VIP booth. I didn't go. For those around that era, you know that NASA had, at that time, a nearly spotless reputation. About 6 mos later there was another shuttle launch. A launch that would forever change our optimism about our space activities--it was the that of the unfortunate Challenger. The launch I missed was actually the last launch of an "era." We have never quite looked at the space program the same way since.
A story about Korea
I told this story to a co-worker at Apple, when we were both getting laid off. A friend of his had given him the opportunity to go to Korea. He would have to pay some expenses, but not all--it was an unparalled opportunity. But he was concerned about the money.
You only go 'round once in this life. You've got to reach for the gusto--strive for the excellence--pursue your dreams with "jet engine" propulsion. No one is going to do this for you. My friend did go to Korea. He was quickly re-employed. He had an experience of a lifetime that he could have turned down because it "cost too much."
A Story about Joe Polish
Another example along this ilk is Joe Polish (paw-lish, not po-lish) who scraped up his last pennies to go to a Dan Kennedy seminar (I'm sure you can read about this somewhere.) Polish is now a multi-millionaire.
Why the Poor Will Inherit the Earth ...Smile
Those who scrape up their last cents to go somewhere actually have an advantage over those who can pay for seminars without wincing--because it gives you the hunger to squeeze every drop of juice out of the seminar, and to not just sit on your haunches afterward.
Freedom isn't free...BTW, as Matt points out, you guys may get value out of stuff you get for free--but MOST people do not. This is a known, proven, scientifically verified FACT. You can also ask retic about this--because he was giving something away for free and decided to put a minimum charge on it so people would actually USE it.
This seminar has the chance of completely changing your life. You have been given what I think is an unparalleled opportunity. Consider it with wisdom.
Live JoyFully!
Judy
NextDay Copy, LLC
"Wake Up Your Sales!"
Ooops...sorry about the length. I hope this is helpful to some.
====================================================================
I'm posting this because, when I went to the seminar and introduced myself,
someone asked me if I was "NASA" Judy. It took me a few seconds to realize
that, yes, I was "NASA" Judy.
I was also asked if I was "doomsday" Judy. Again, I did a double-take. But, in fact, I am/was also "doomsday" Judy. I may post the "doomsday" post--it was part of the same thread.
"Six figure Copywriting Without a Client"More comments on "Harlan & Tina"'s "January Seminar"
Yes, as Harlan said, after a few sentences of kind words when beginning the seminar...
(not to mention the dollars he handed out--one per person. I guess this means that, if the distance between nothing and $1 is the hardest, we've gotten thru the hardest part; the next 999,999$ are supposed to be easy by comparison Smile
...that those were
the nicest words he would say to us all weekend.
After lunch he announced that people had been coming up to him and thanking him for what a good seminar it was.
Harlan wasn't phased a bit.
He said..."I don't want to hear that it's a good seminar!"What!?!?!?!
(You might think he was holding out for "the most stupendous seminar
I've ever been to" or something like that!)
Wrong!!!
He said
the seminar would not be a success unless we all went out and used what we learned and made money!!!Every once in a while I stop and wonder:
is this guy is for real??And then he pulls out all stops, over-delivers and leaves me panting to keep up with the challenges he places in front of me...not just about making money, or writing copy...but about
living a meaningful life.F-R-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-E-D-O-M !!!!!
And it was, was just mind-boggling to go into the "executive suite" after hours that Harlan and Tina had arranged--and have to pick your way thru the people with their laptops...on top of tables, on the floor, on their laps,
on just about every flat surface you could find. (Thank God for wireless!!! Then it really would have been a mess!!!)
Yeah, the guy charges a lot. Yeah, the seminar was not as cheap as many (but cheaper than many others)...but if you are measuring in price, you are barking up the wrong tree. The tree to bark up is "value", only
Harlan doesn't just provide a "tree" of value...but a whole danged forest!!!Thanks Harlan, Tina...the entire faculty (it was great to see you again, Zac!)...and all the participants (not just the seminar leaders!)--I can't remember when I've been around such a
bright, motivated and cheerful group. I didn't hear one word of griping or disgruntlement.
I don't know how Harlan & Tina will top this, breath-taking as it was. However, I know they won't be satisfied--success is the never-ending story that is produced from the continual dissatisfaction (or, re-framed, thru the "continuous improvement") of what exists. I just think I may need to get a cardiac workup before the next one...not sure whether my heart can take more!!! I may show up at their next seminar with a tank of oxygen!!!
Live JoyFully!Judy
