Load. Re-Load. Fire!!!!!

Today you have a shot at changing someone’s life. Changing how someone looks at you. Changing how someone might feel about you.

But it takes work.

A consistent effort to try and deliver the things people expect of you. So load up your guns. Fire. Re-load and…

Then what?

You do it again – but not until you know EXACTLY what’s working. And exactly what’s not working.

Then scale what works. Stop what isn’t. Fire. Re-load again. And…

Don’t you wish it was that easy?!

As an individual who’s been in this position more than once, all I can say is that I’ve seen too many small businesses fall in love with a great idea, only to launch it and wonder, “What just happened?”

We fall in love with an idea, before we fall in love with a result.

Not good!

In fact, it can often leave us broke. Scared. And back begging for our old job back (the job that we dreaded doing, but “paid the bills”).

Eeck!

So here are a few things that I believe can really help before squeezing the trigger (and possibly hitting some innocent bystander that has 30,000 Twitter followers and is looking for just the right person to blast).

1. Before loading up… scope out who you’d like to hit.

With a lot of different theories out there, from surveying your current clients or customers, to just flat out asking them why it is they choose your product or service… I think these days it’s really important to go even deeper.

For example; this is what free eBooks or free trials should all be about. This is (and should be) the “beta” testing of your product or service.

You don’t have to perfect it at this stage, but you do have to get as much information from as many users as possible.

Because BEFORE the full/real version is out there, it’s imperative to understand every little thing about what someone likes. Dislikes. And what they would REALLY like to have instead of the free version, they’re currently devouring.

And… Bam!

No more lost time. Selling extra pieces of hair to “Locks of Love”, just so you can pay rent.

No more investing large chunks of your 401k into something that you THOUGHT would change the world without knowing what it is people REALLY like and dislike about it.

I didn’t do this when I launched an eBook called, “Your Uncommon Guide To Finding The Ultimate Mentor.” You see, before I did the necessary research, I found out people everywhere were talking about how great “having a mentor” was. The only thing was, no one actually showed us how to actually go about finding one.

So I put together a survey. Found about 30 people that seemed really interested in it. And when I launched it with about 400 people “on my list” it flopped.

Why?

What’s 3-5% of 400 people? Twelve people? Is that right?

Now multiply that times $37.

Again, it doesn’t matter what you think. It matters what THEY think. And the best way to predict what someone wants before they want it, is to flat out ask them before even working on it (or with using your free trial/eBook).

I had the opportunity to interview some big time internet marketers, bloggers and business owners, through a program I put together with a colleague called, “Go Renegade Or Go Broke: How To Kick Ass Today So You Don’t Get Your Ass Kicked Tomorrow.”

And do you know what the most alarming thing about this was?

Most of the “big guys” don’t even spend much time producing a product until AFTER it’s actually sold. How about that?

Is that brilliant or what – selling out before selling out?

So do the research before spending any unnecessary time on producing it. Ok? There’s nothing more heartbreaking than investing a ton of time, money and energy into something that produces such little return on investment back.

2. Find a way to measure the impact. And change things accordingly.

Meaning this…

Find what works. What doesn’t work. And determine a reasonable time to change something (when it might not of turned out as expected).

To be honest with you, I think the hardest part in any business, is testing. Get feedback from users. Then just apply the changes/feedback someone gave you, and/or leave it to waste if it’s taking up way too much time – without giving you the necessary results you were looking for.

So listen. I don’t have any particular answer for you in when the right time is to change something that isn’t working, or just completely letting go of an idea or product that isn’t working as well as you thought it would.

When I started my blog in 2006, I talked about “Simple Unconventional Insights (For You And Your Business).” It was all about “helping conventional business professionals think unconventionally.” And I had a lot of traffic – most of which came from LinkedIn.

I just couldn’t find a way to monetize it (to the point where I could actually make a living off of it).

Then I discovered copywriting, did a blog post about the importance of it, and put an offer in there about offering my “kick ass” copywriting service to other business professionals.

Then, out of the 400 people or so on my mailing list, a handful of people emailed me back about wanting to take me up on my offer…

And boom!

That was it (sort of).

From there, what I did was, ask a TON of questions on why each potential client chose me over everyone else that does what I do. Then I just took their answers to market and differentiate myself from everyone else out there that does what I do.

And…

Two months later, I turned it into thekickasscopywriter.com – and that’s all I’ve been doing since then (almost a year later – taking off to the point where I turned away more people than I decided to originally take on).

So looking back, I pushed my original blog for 3 years while working another “day job”, only to test out another idea I had… to where people responded to it practically “overnight”. And in two months, I had a 100% debt free and profitable business that “keeps me out of trouble” as some grandmums would say.

So honestly… I don’t want any business to not be as successful as it needs to be. I mean it’s not like any jobs out there even exist anymore for people like us. So the best way I know to prevent that is to do a few things.

Research about 50-100 individuals and businesses out there that does what you do, and find out and list every single thing that makes you different than what they do. I know it sounds like a lot of work, but honestly that’s what your competing with.

Not only that, you’ll have to build trust. Find a way to get them to like you. Humanize your business. Give it some style. Give it some life. And learn how to simplify your complex ideas into words that sell.

You do that by understanding the problem you solve and what’s really underneath the problems your prospects are facing… but I’m completely fine with abandoning an idea that isn’t working.

Ok?

In addition to that, I have to mention something else that I think is imperative to understand. When someone asks me what I do, I don’t just say, “I’m a professional copywriter.” I say, “You know when businesses have a great idea but can’t find the right words to put to it, in a way that sells people without the hard/greasy sales pitch? Well that’s what I do.”

I simplify the great ideas a business has, and turn them into creatively effective words that sell (without the UNsell).

Why?

Because every single time someone came to me, I noticed a common theme. They all had great ideas, but couldn’t find a way to communicate it to the world in a way that they were proud of. In a way that ENGAGES their audience to want to do business with them. In a way that wasn’t all about them (but actually solved a deeper frustration or problem) and as I like to say, “helped them to stand out from the noise, not just add to it.”

Because here’s the thing… We’re looking and deciding whether or not we should use you and/or your product or service versus your competitors all the time.

And I assure you, if you’re NOT communicating who you are, what you do, and how you’re going to solve their deeper problem in the way that’s REALLY UNIQUE/DIFFERENT/YOU – It can get to be a pretty long, frustrating and uphill battle.

In short, if your target market LOVES YOU – they’ll want to do business with you. If they don’t, they won’t.

3. Make sure that whatever you’re shooting for, the value always outweighs the cost.

So say for instance that I’m selling (or “writing copy”) for something that’s $200. The list of things you get for $200 should sound like it’s worth $500. But then if it seems a bit more “over-the-top” you can put in something a lot more reasonable to help us overcome the “this-is-to-good-to-be-true” syndrome.

So for instance, if I’m selling something to a customer that’s worth $200 and it sounds “to-good-to-be-true,” then give us a secondary offer to make it seem a lot more believable.

That’s where a 30-day 100% money-back guarantee comes in. It’s the old, “If you don’t believe me. Try it out for yourself and prove me wrong.”

And honestly I know this could be pretty scary to do – no one wants to give money back to someone after someone purchased something from them. But anyone I know who’s done something similar, barely has anyone ask for their money back. I mean, just look over all the products and services you’ve purchased over just the last few years that have had a lifetime warranty?

I mean for crying out loud you can spend hundreds if not thousands of dollars on a brand new mattress with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and…

Who wants to go through the trouble of getting that thing replaced and sleeping on the floor? Barely anyone, compared to the people that actually buy it.

Remember we need to FEEL like we trust you. And we will.

4. Okay, hit me!

Get me to feel what you’re saying. Give me the chills. Make me cry. Make my heart stop for just a split second and say, “OMG… This is exactly what I was looking for.”

Because here’s the thing… “We buy on emotion and justify it with logic.” (source unknown)

Unfortunately most people and businesses just give us information. They tell us. Inform us. Tell us how great their product or service is but…

While all that’s great, and at times pretty necessary to do, it doesn’t move us. It doesn’t hit us anywhere it needs to. And that blows! Not only for us (but for our customers), and the people we’re hoping to make a difference for. Improve their life in some way. And hopefully make some kind of impact with our words. Our copy.

I did this on one of my first free live workshops I put on. I opened it up for 25 people and there were two people weight listed and only posted it 10 days before the actual event (of course only 19 out of the 25 people showed and)…

Even though it was a free event, it still requires a pretty big effort to do and get a room filled – to where people actually have to get in their car and go somewhere besides their laptop screen.

So make us feel something. Move us. Hit us in a way that gets some sort of reaction from your audience.

Just make sure to pull out all the magic bullets. Any foreseeable duds. And don’t ever be afraid to squeeze the trigger (when the odds of hitting your target is pretty high).

Oh and don’t forget to aim high! And shoot for the friggin moon!

Before starting thekickasscopywriter.com as a debt free profitable business, I (Jared Matthew Kessler) released 5 albums of music. A book. And 3 eBooks. Switching gears to help other businesses like yours thrive, I simplify great ideas into words that sell (without the UNsell).

Tagged as: Guest Appearances, Jared Matthew Kessler