Benjamin Franklin, The Secret, and a pesky cat

He was so learned that he could name a horse in nine languages; so ignorant that he bought a cow to ride on.

That's a quote by Benjamin Franklin that I happened to come across today. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything else in this message. I just liked it.

What I've been thinking about today is success. For some reason I've come across several inspiring success stories lately. They're all about people who just decided what they wanted to do, and did it, even while friends and family told them they were sure to fail.

Some were old stories - like the one about Henry Ford not giving up on his dream. But some are very NEW stories.

One was about a publishing company that didn't even exist ten years ago. They started out by converting an old barn into offices (and sharing it with the cows at first) and now they're a major company with dozens of employees, publishing hundreds of books.

Others are about people who have "made it big" on the internet.

The other thing I've been thinking about is a question: How many more people will find this same kind of success now that "The Secret" is out.

If you've been on line, you already know about "The Secret". But have you watched it?

If you somehow missed all the hoopla about it, click on this Amazon link and go read all about it. A few of the reviewers say "Bah, humbug, voodoo." But most agree with me that watching The Secret is probably the most important thing you can do for your future success.



I don't want to give it all away, but I have to say this: I've watched people my whole life who always had trouble. Sometimes it was illness, sometimes financial troubles, sometimes emotional turmoil. But the same people kept right on having one problem after another.

Now I know why.

Go read all about it, get the movie, watch it - and I'll bet you'll be just as excited about knowing The Secret as I am.

Now I need to learn how to apply its message to the pesky cat.

Some days when I try to write she won't allow it. Just when I'm deep in thought and trying to hurry up and get it down on paper before it evaporates, she decides that she WILL be in my lap. If I'm really focused on my work I nearly jump off the chair when she suddenly lands with a thud!

Then when I dump her on the floor she glares at me and scratches the carpet, starting a whole chain-reaction event with the dogs, who come to chase her when I holler at her to quit.

She's a very persistent cat, so as soon as things calm down, she starts all over again!

Today was one of those days. Hopefully tomorrow she'll take longer naps.

Until tomorrow - I wish you success, and a cat who behaves.

Marte
writer@marte-cliff.com

P.S. If you haven't signed up for my marketing ezine yet, send a blank e-mail to martegale@getresponse.com. In return you'll get a nifty report filled with tips to make every ad you write get attention - and sales.

Write a Real Estate Prospecting Letter They'll Read!

How many times have you gotten a letter, started to read it, and then set it aside?

My guess is it happens to you even more often that it happens to me. I'm a copywriter, so I want to know what other people are writing even if I don't want the product or service. But... since I can't read everything, I stop quickly when I see there's nothing to learn.

What's your criteria? Do you read the letter if it happens to be from your competitor? (You should) Do you at least begin to read it if it is from a person whose services you might want soon?

And what makes you stop? Usually there are three reasons why people don't read your letters. The first is that they clearly see that you don't offer anything they want.

Next is that your headline and lead failed to show them how choosing you to do business with gives them a clear benefit. Remember - everyone wants to know what's in it for them.

Third is style. If your style is boring and hard to muddle through, most people won't bother. And now, contrary to what your High School English teacher may have said, please realize that "proper" and interesting don't always go hand in hand.

The best way to write a letter people will read is to make it sound just like you. Use your own voice and "talk" on paper. If you have some dangling particples, so what? That's how we talk.

I should add a note of caution, however. If you've picked up that awful "like" habit from your junior high and high school kids, eliminate it on the final draft. And of course don't curse!

Because so many people stiffen up when they begin to write, do this: Pretend you're talking to a dear friend who happens to belong to your target audience. (Yes, do a little make-believe if you have to.) Then start telling your friend how you can help him or her with your services. Be sincere. Forget what getting this client means to your bottom line. Just concentrate on how you will help your friend.

At this point in the process, don't over-think it. Don't agonize over your sentences or do any editing. Just write your thoughts. Editing now will block the flow.

When you've finished, set the letter aside for a few hours. Then come back and "clean it up" with a little re-arranging, spell-check, and punctuation. Break your long paragraphs into small ones so your page has plenty of white space and so each paragraph contains only one idea. Cut out unnecessary sentences to make it concise.

Add some information about how to contact you, and you're almost done.

Now read it out loud and see if it still sounds like you - and if it makes good sense. If you stumble somewhere, go back and re-work that section until it flows smoothly.

Keep it up and pretty soon people will be telling you how much they enjoy your letters.

If you absolutely can't do it - call on me and I'll do it for you. Real Estate copywriting is my specialty.

Happy writing,
Marte
writer@marte-cliff.com

What's your biggest real estate marketing challenge?

This afternoon I was talking with a friend about real estate marketing. She felt the biggest challenge was marketing herself to get new clients. But a few days ago another agent told me that writing interesting ads to sell his listings was the really tough part.

What do YOU see as the biggest challenge in real estate marketing?

Since I love writing, prospecting letters were fun. I'll admit that finding a way to position your work as different from the competition is a challenge. It takes a little work to determine what you do that's "more and better." But you can do it, even if you have to stretch and push yourself to add a little more service to your work.

My big problem was trying to find a unique selling point when I had a boring listing. For instance, in our town we had an over abundance of old single-wide trailers. Usually they sat on lots that had no landscaping, no garage, no nothing to make them special. About the only thing to say was that it would be a roof over your head for little money!

Now, of course, even those old trailers are expensive. I'm glad I'm no longer trying to find buyers for them.

The second challenge in writing good house ads is putting the buyer in the house without breaking any ADA or Fair Housing rules. That's why I love the fact that over 3/4 of all buyers search first on the internet. You can write more words, and that lets you show people what they can see, hear, walk to, etc. without using any of those forbidden words.

Are you using the full potential of the internet to bring buyers to your listings? If not, then make it your January resolution to get started.

Meanwhile, post your answer to my question: What is your biggest challenge in real estate marketing.

Do you need help writing a reference?

Earlier today a friend called for advice on how to write a reference for a former employee. It isn't easy, especially since the word "former" indicates that there may have been a problem.

I've been faced with this myself, and believe me, it's much easier to stare at a blank page than to stutter into the phone when the question comes out of the blue!

Perhaps that "former employee" learned something since they left you, and will do a better job next time. Perhaps not. You have no way to know.

So while you don't want to lead a new employer astray, you don't want to sabotage that former employee's chances at a good job. (That is, unless you have good reason to think they'll do damage to the next employer.)

My advice is to mention their strong points as well as areas where they could use improvement - and say anything nice you can think of. Don't lie, but don't emphasize the negative unless you have a very good reason.

Meanwhile, remember that your letter is an important correspondence. Give it the same care that you would any other business letter. Be professional.

Every time you correspond with a customer, client, or another business person, you're imprinting an image of yourself. Re-read your letter before you send it. Make sure the sentences flow well. Don't ramble! And do check for typos.

As an added note: Many small business people write these short letters by hand. That's a personal touch that we don't see often, and it does carry a nice feel. IF you can read it! I know of at least two small businessmen who love to write letters, but have illegible handwriting.

It really doesn't do much for your credibility when people pass your letters around - making guesses at the words and trying to decipher the meaning.

If you need help writing a reference, or help with any business writing, call me! You may dread it, but writing is my fun, as well as my work.

Yours for success,
Marte