Career & Business

Why I Ditched My Long Ass Sales Letter

September 14, 2010

Hi! I'm Marie

You have gifts to share with the world and my job is to help you get them out there.

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Last week, I clocked some pretty long hours writing a sales letter for this year’s Rich Happy & Hot LIVE Event. (Which is now open for registration. Get your ticket. Now. Really. I’ll wait.)

But here’s the kicker.

As soon as the sales letter was done I realized I didn’t want to use it.  GULP.

Let’s be clear.  The copy was fine (honest, direct, etc.), but something inside me kept saying Nooooooo to that long-ass format.

Oh boy,”  I thought.  “I just slaved over every word on this page and now I don’t want to use the friggin’ thing!  But I DO need to communicate all this information and, a long-ass video doesn’t feel right either . . .

Solution?

Re-invention. Innovation. Master-mix time, baby.

I said to Amanda, “Let’s ditch the sales letter thing and put up a simple, easy-to-understand website that communicates exactly what Rich Happy & Hot LIVE is, who it’s for, what participants will get out of it, where it is, who is speaking, the guarantee and of course, make it easy and straight forward to register.

The result?  Well, you can be the judge of that.  Check out my non-long-ass-sales letter creation.

Was it the right choice?  Time will tell.

All I know is that the moment I moved in this new direction, I got super happy.  My heart opened up; I began working faster, my words and ideas flowed easier and I was having a hell of a lot more fun.

Go figure.

Which brings me to my point.

Often times, entrepreneurs can get stuck wondering whether or not they should move in a certain direction.

For example, they feel paralyzed trying to decide who they should work with; what price they should set for their offerings; whether or not they should combine multiple businesses on one website; should they send text or HTML emails, should they write a book or launch another product; should they sign-up for a program or go at it alone, should they stay married, go for the Brazilian wax, drink more wine or switch to beer.  You get the idea.

In my experience, clarity never comes from thinking about any of those things.

Clarity emerges from putting one foot in front of the other, rolling up your sleeves and just doing the damn thing.

You know, taking action. In a full-out, balls-to-the-wall kind of way.  Why?

Because you will never find clarity in your head.  You will never “figure out” the right way to do anything, by thinking about it.

You must feel your way to clarity.  It’s a visceral experience.  It’s a byproduct of engagement and experimentation.

And while talking with advisers and close friends can help, the fastest route to clarity comes from YOU diving in and making a go of it.

One important note.

Patience is key.  Don’t expect the clouds to part and shine the clarity light on your dilemma three seconds after you take some kind of action.

Often, you have to keep at it for a bit.  As Edison says, “Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

Like me, you may wind-up going pretty far down one path before the fog lifts and you have your eureka moment.

So next time you find yourself frozen trying to “figure something out in your head” start moving on the idea and pay attention to how you feel as you go.

What say you on this clarity topic?

Do you ever feel paralyzed by thinking and find certainty from taking action? Any strategies you want to share?

Leave a comment and let me know!

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