Posted by:
Troy White
April 24, 2007
Issue #107
Small Business Growth Strategies:
56 of the best tips for growing
a small business on a budget
In this issue:
- 56 key lessons that can help you invest your time wisely, earn more money, and build a sustainable business that can last for decades to come
- The ONE question that most people get wrong (and yet it's vital to achieving your goals)
- Leveraging controversy to build a business faster
- What's more effective for small business marketing - the shotgun approach or rifle approach?
- And Much More!
Fellow Small Business Builder,
56 Key Profit Growing Lessons I Learned
from The Marketing Masters
I looove to learn! And I hope you do too. Creating success also means developing an insatiable appetite to learn about all kinds of varied subjects - marketing being the main one for small business owners.
You know what is truly scary?
One number I saw recently said that the average US or Canadian citizen invests only $48 PER YEAR on books. Those same people probably spend much more than that on coffee in a month.
Is caffeine more important
than training your brain for success?
That is a sad statement to where people place their priorities. They think nothing of dropping $2,000 on a big screen television… but ask them to invest that in a seminar or home study course and stand back for all the excuses.
Fortunately, I love to learn… and I invest in my education.
I can say from past years, my investments in books, home study materials, newsletters, audio programs and live seminars usually runs $15,000 - $30,000 per year.
Never before have we had access to so many experts and such powerful training materials as we do now… and those who are not investing in these tools are missing out on some incredible breakthroughs.
I am going to save you some time and money though.
I have summarized some of the main points that you should all immediately start applying to your life and your business. These are just a few of the tips I have learned from marketing masters like Clayton Makepeace, Ted Nicholas, Dan Kennedy, Jay Abraham and Bill Glazer. These are tips I gladly paid big dollars to learn (and remind myself of)… and I want to pass them on to you.
From there - it is up to you.
Will you keep doing what you have always done?
Or will you make a change and profit beyond your wildest expectations?
It is entirely up to you. I want you to profit. But I will not hold your hand along the way though. If you take action on just a few of these, you will experience some powerful results… that I guarantee.
Let's get on with it!
1 - Ask yourself this question - "Are Your Goals Worthy of You?" Read it and ask it again. It is the opposite of what 95% of people ask - they switch the words and ask if they are worthy of their goals. WRONG! You need to have confidence in your self and your vision in life. Are your goals big enough and grandiose enough? Make them so. Dream big, really really big. And then ask again - is that goal worthy of you?
2 - Start working in time chunks. Set aside 2-4 uninterrupted hours for you projects. Most people will start a project and deal with interruptions as they come through the door, or e-mail, or phone. WRONG! You are now a time 'chunker' - and people around you need to understand this is the way you now work. Get used to this way of working and you will accomplish amazing things.
3 - Start seeking the valuable lesson in everything you do, hear, experience and pass by. No matter if the project fails or succeeds - write down what you learned from it. Every person you meet and every thing you do - has a lesson you can learn. It is up to you to find out what that lesson is though. And do it before you forget. Write it down in your journal (if you do not have a journal - go get one).
4 - Read your lesson journal - which lesson can you apply today to your next project? Or your next problem? Then do it. Find a way to apply and use that today - do it and record your results.
5 - No matter what your business is - get your journal out and write down this question at the top of the page - "How can I personally make my clients lives better?" A simple question but very powerful. Think about it - how many companies that you deal with offline or online - apply this model? Less than 10% I bet. Most of them are out to get the sale and then move on to the next "prospect". If they actually considered how they could help your life be better - how effective could they be? For example - there is a company that I personally dealt with offline that sell kids educational products. I spent $2,000 on their products about a year and a half ago. And never heard from them again. If they had thought about how they could help me and my kids have a better life they would quickly realize that they could offer me products to help us at least monthly. I would gladly spend $100/month on my kid's future and success. And yet I have never heard from them again. Do you know anyone like this? How does it apply to your business?
6 - Always have your antennae up. Look and listen for ideas, insights, concepts that you have never thought of. Write them down. Talk to anybody and everybody you run into. Ask them what they do, how they do it, why they do it, what could make their jobs better, their offerings better, what are their dreams and aspirations?
7 - Ask yourself - "what don't I know that is absolutely critical to my success?" Then decide where you can find that information quickly. Start writing down ideas on how you can work with people that have that knowledge. If you do not have money to pay them for their expertise - how else can you work with them? Is there any way you can trade services for services or services for products or products for products?
8 - Start writing a book. On whatever you are good at, or whatever you want to be good at. Start researching the industry and successful businesses in that industry. A book is one of the most important tools to building your credibility and to build on publicity for your business. The book is not necessarily one you sell - it can be a bonus for prospects or clients to show them you know what you are talking about.
9 - Find or pick a charity that you deeply believe in. How can you help them accomplish their goals? Possibly volunteer your services or donate products they can auction off to raise funds. Donate a percentage of all revenue you receive to the charity. Find multiple ways to help them and you will quickly find opportunities knocking on your doorstep.
10 - Start building a dream team. These people can be people in your life now (if they are motivated and positive people) or people you would love to work with. If you do not know them now - think of ways you can give back to their interests, passions or charitable causes they are interested in. Start interviewing these people and find out what makes them tick.
11 - Create your stadium pitch. Get some paper out and think about your product or service. Imagine you have a stadium of 50,000 people at your beck and call. You get 30 - 60 seconds in front of the audience to convince them of you and your offering. What would you say? How could you get your point across so convincingly that they would be stupid to say no? Now consider the fact that any one of them can walk out at any point in time and do not have to listen to your pitch. Would your pitch change? What can you say to make them stay? What can you say to make them buy?
12 - Consider that there are only 3 ways you can grow your business. You can increase the number of clients, increase the average sale price, or increase the number of times they buy in a year. Most people (90%) focus in on increasing the number of clients - and it is the least effective and the least profitable. So what can you do to increase the other 2 methods?
13 - Use a shotgun approach to marketing your business. Think of multiple ways to promote your offering - and have them all happen at once. Very similar strategies to war - air, land, water each of which has multiple resources and fire power coming at the target (the customer) at once. How does this apply to your offering? What types of fire power will you use?
14 - Test all of your crazy ideas. No matter how crazy they sound - try it out. Find out which ones work. Then optimize how effective they are. Test all variations of that idea. Find out which variation works best.
15 - Think of your offering your prospects see. What can you do to educate your prospects to the extreme that they know everything there is to know about what you do? If you are an expert (which you need to be) in your business - how can you show your clients how they too can be experts - before they purchase?
16 - What is your "magnificent obsession"? You must have a passion so deep that everyone who you talk to understands what you stand for and what you want to accomplish. When you build your obsession and ingrain it into your soul - nobody will be able to derail you from obtaining your goal - no matter how negative they are.
17 - A 30 second personal drill you must do. Ask yourself – am I having fun? What could you do to enjoy your life more? How big or small of a company do you want to run (2 people or 200 to manage)? What would happen to your business if you decided to take a month off? Once you have these answers you now understand areas you MUST start working on immediately.
18 - Your customers are marketing geniuses - they know exactly what they want and it is your job to find that out. Find ways to phone, e-mail, fax or talk to them about their needs, wants, desires, passions, concerns etc. When you know what type of a company they want to deal with - you have your ticket to fortunes. People deal with you because they want you to change their life - do you deliver on their wants?
19 - Always follow your gut feelings, intuition and instincts - they will lead you in the right direction. If you do not know how to tap into these resources or want to build on them to strengthen them - learn how. There are a multitude of resources out there that show you step by step how to build on them.
20 - What would you do differently in your business if it was treated like a movie theater? Admission is charged at the door and word travels quickly if it is a box office hit or a box office flop? How would your movie be received?
21 - Referrals can be one of the most important tools you can use to exponentially grow your business. There are hundreds of ways to generate referrals. Do you use any of them now? How could you reward people to refer others to your business? If you have not done your job on making your clients happy - you cannot ask for a referral. Are you comfortable asking? Some of the tools available to generate referrals; pay them per lead, ask your competition, bribe people in a fun way, ask your vendors, automate the referral process, donate to charity, be outrageous, put on an event, publicity, conference calls, ask family and friend programs and there are many many more. The key is to start writing down ideas on what works for you. Then start doing it.
22 - Think about the lifetime value of your clients. Maybe your front-end sale is $40 but how many times will they buy in a month, a year, a lifetime? Add the numbers up - what is one client worth to you in a lifetime? How much do you spend to obtain 1 new client? Do you see the difference here? Most people spend under $10 to obtain one new client and yet the lifetime value of that client is $1,000. Do you see the problem? For every $10 you invest you receive $1,000. How many $10 bills will you now invest in client acquisition?
23 - Ask - "who else does business with my ideal client?" Now go talk to those people - competitors or not. Explain your mission in life and the goal of your business. Find out how their business is doing and if they are looking for new ways to generate business. Start finding ways to deal with everyone that your clients buy from.
24 - What can you say to your clients or prospects to make them ask "huh, what did you just say?" Make your statements so outrageous that they ask you to prove it. And then prove it.
25 - If you are in a retail business - do not sell the products. Sell the experience of your store. This is the biggest reason retail business go out of businesses so quickly - they are there to discount products - and that is it.
26 - Set the buying criteria for your prospects. One they have seen your offering - they have to reevaluate how they decide who to buy from because you made them realize - you are the only one that provides an experience as high quality as you do.
27 - Plan your long-term strategies before you plan your tactics. Strategy shows where you plan on going, who you want to be, and what types of clients you want as your friends. Tactics show how to get all of your strategy accomplished.
28 - Use risk reversal in your offer. Make it so your clients come out so far ahead by dealing with you they would be stupid not to. Even if they decide that your product is not for them and they return it - they still come out of the deal with the refund and many bonuses that they never had before dealing with you.
29 - Ask yourself - "Is my business a refreshing alternative to all others?" If it is not - make it so. You do not want to be mainstream - or you will be out of business.
30 - When you fall in love with your clients more than you love your business - you have it figured out.
31 - Are you living your life like your business preaches? If not, start now. You will be out of business in no time if you don't.
32 - One hour every week - work on your business as opposed to in your business. Most people get so caught up in the day-to-day grind of making everything work properly, generate leads, close sales, deal with questions etc. The sad thing is that working in your business you forget about working on your business and where you want it to go. So once a week, every week - block off an hour and work on your strategy for the year and where you want to be a year from now.
33 - Anything you do and you're not #1 or #2 in your business or industry - get rid of it. Focus on the areas you do exceptionally well and forget about the rest.
34 - Ask yourself and your clients what else they are buying that is related to what you offer. How can you add it to your product mix? How can you joint venture with people that offer it?
35 - Call back all those that said no to your offer. Offer them a special discount, incentive or offer - and tell them why you are doing this.
36 - Learn how to barter. Look around at people you work with, want to work with or you are fascinated with their business or products. What types of products or services do they need to make their lives easier? Where can you find those products or services? Can you find ways to trade products for products or services for services or variations of these? Apply this to people you want to work with - help them out and they will be forever grateful.
37 - Dare to do what no one else does.
38 - Follow your hunches and see where they take you.
39 - Make an outrageous claim or challenge. Don't worry about how you can meet the challenge - just get out there and do it. Your mind will find ways to meet the challenge when the time is right.
40 - Always remember that if you don't do it - someone half as smart and half as nice will do it.
41 - Create an itch they have to scratch. Make something known to them that they may have never thought of. Make it so important to them to find the answer or solve the problem.
42 - Always tell prospects right from the start what you are about to do and why
43 - Small incremental improvements leveraged by technology leads to incredible breakthroughs.
44 - Forget about inside the box or outside the box thinking. Get rid of the box!
45 - Find a script that works for selling your clients. Then document the script. Improve it and test variations of it. Do this consistently every day. Remember that whoever has the best words in the best order - wins.
46 - Write down every objection you hear. Put one objection at the top of the page then write down your responses to that objection.
47 - Bring up the objections before your clients do. If you don't they will be thinking it so address it before you lose the deal.
48 - Always remember to find ways to up-sell, cross-sell and down-sell while you are making your offer.
49 - Create momentum in your business. Find a new trial - implement it - test it - introduce next - implement it - test it - modify it - implement it - test it …..
50 - Would you sell your product or service to your mother or father? If you wouldn't, then reconsider what you are offering.
51 - If you send out catalogs to your clients - do you send a sales letter with it? If not you are missing out on a 30 - 300% increase in sales.
52 - Barter knowledge-based products or services. Knowledge is power and if you have specialized knowledge it is worth a significant amount to people.
53 - Build yourself multiple mastermind groups. Form some inside your industry, some outside your industry, client mastermind groups etc. Make it worth their while to do.
54 - Continually test old techniques that used to work and have not been tested in a while.
55 - Do not interact with anyone unless you can make them better and improve their life. Become obsessed with other people and how you can help them, learn from them and help them be better people.
56 - Ask what you don't want in life and in business. Then decide what you do want.
Most importantly - TAKE ACTION TODAY.
To your success,
Troy White
Editor, Small Business Mastery
Supplement to THE TOTAL PACKAGE
Looking for resources related to this article? Try some of these.
Looking for more of Troy’s articles? Check these out.
Looking for past issues of The Total Package? Click here for our archives.
A Final Note:
If you have specific subjects you would like addressed, or have any comments on what you have seen here, please send me a message and I will see how I can help.
“To escape criticism – do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.”
– Elbert Hubbard
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Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
April 23, 2007
Issue #106
- Why your marketing model is failing you …
- Why your sales copy is losing its effectiveness …
- Why everything you think you know about attracting new customers and selling to existing customers is quickly becoming obsolete …
- And what you must do NOW to create explosive response in the mail and on the Web
Dear Business Builder,
I’m so old, I’ll betcha my tie has gone in and out of style at least five times.
Not that I pay much attention to such things, mind you.
My professional life revolves around marketing trends. And there again, my advanced age means I’ve seen many promotional styles go in and out of vogue over the years.
Actually, the changes have been a bit more intense than that; more like the undulations you’d see watching a 350-pound belly dancer struggling to stay upright in a 7.3 earthquake.
Take successful direct mail formats, for example …
When I started out in this racket, just about everyone was using Monarch, #9 and #10 envelope packages. Then, suddenly, just about every financial control was mailed in a 6X9 window envelope. And just as suddenly, the magalog, bookalog and tabloid each took its place at the top or the format heap.
Now, it’s not like all the big mailers got together and arbitrarily decided to switch formats (or if so, I sure as heck didn’t get the memo).
In each case, each new direct mail format climbed to the top of the pile simply because it gave mailers a greater ROI than its predecessor.
Some formats got greater attention, readership and response simply because they were new; different than the ho-hum junk mail our prospects had come to expect.
Others, like bookalogs, appeared to have value – and therefore weren’t as susceptible to the indignity of being instantly and unceremoniously thrown, unread, into the nearest trash receptacle.
And still others – magalogs and tabloids, for example – jumped to the head of the pack because they: 1) Offered marketers greater visibility in the mailbox … 2) Gave us more external real estate with which to “sell” prospects on reading them … AND 3) Appeared to be magazines, which, like books, are perceived to have value.
So, whenever someone asks which format I’m likely to use, I know to stick my finger in the wind before I answer.
But while many direct mail formats have come and gone throughout my career, the principles of creating effective sales copy pretty much stayed the same – and for one, simple reason:
(more…)
Posted by:
David Dittman
April 21, 2007
Issue #105
This Saturday I am going to attempt to unravel the mystery that is RSS but, first I'd like to take a second and acknowledge the tragedy that happened this week at Virginia Tech. Some of my fondest memories come from my college years at Virginia Tech and my heart goes out to all the people affected by the tragedy.
There has been a lot of buzz over the last several years about RSS feeds and what they can do for you as a business. The problem with buzz is it doesn’t actually tell you how to do anything.
But, don’t stress, that’s what I’m here for - to give you the breakdown and show you how to actually use this stuff.
In today’s issue you’ll discover:
- What an RSS feed is
- Several different versions of RSS feeds
- How you can use these various feeds to generate buzz and web traffic
- Exactly how to start using RSS feeds immediately
(more…)
Posted by:
Julie McManus
April 20, 2007
Issue #104
- How to select the most profitable banner ad size for your next promotion …
- Avoid this type of banner ad at all costs – unless you want to scream ‘Hey! Click me so I can SELL you something!!’ …
- The ONE type of banner ad that’s proven most profitable for all your advertorial style promotions …
- The powerhouse of banner ads – it’s the most expensive, but man-o-man do you get what you pay for …
- And much, MUCH MORE!
Dear Business Builder,
TGIF my friends and welcome back to In the ‘Net Trenches! Another week bites the dust. I hope you’re headed in to a weekend full of fun and relaxation.
In last week’s issue, we talked about my 5-step process for researching web sites that …
- Attract your best customer demographic …
- Speak to your prospect's psychographic interests …
- Command a large volume of traffic …
- Attract direct response buyers …
- Are committed to your success!
This week – in my third and final installment of Web Media 101 – we’re going to take a closer look at banner ad sizing and take the mystery out of web media rate cards.
So, let’s get to it!
Making the switch from inches to pixels …
In your research of web media, you’ll find that websites offer many different ad sizes … all in pixels. Pixels can be confusing at first, especially if you’re making the switch from buying print media.
But after reading today’s issue, you’ll have a handy-dandy little cheat sheet to take along when you start your ad negotiations!
Because today, we’ll take a look at the 5 most common ad sizes you’ll see on almost every rate card. And, I’ll give you the low down on each.
Let’s just start right at the top of the page …
728×90 – leaderboard
Leaderboard as seen on Forbes.com
Click here to see the actual size of a leaderboard and how it might look on a page.
Leaderboards are most often found at the very top of a website. This is probably the most recognizable of all the ad positions available … she’s the biggest, brightest, loudest floozy in the bar.
This position screams “Look At Me I’m An AD!” and because of that I find it to be one of the weakest performers on the page.
But, I’ll warn you not to completely discount testing this position on my word alone. Your product or brand may warrant taking this floozy home for a romp in the proverbial advertising hay. Different ad positions will work differently for different offers and creative. There’s no free lunch … you have to test!
From a pricing perspective, it tends to have a slightly lower CPM than a few of the other positions we’ll discuss today.
160×600 – skyscraper
Click here to see the actual size of a skyscraper and how it might look on a page.
Mr. Long and Lean … that’s how I’d describe the skyscraper position. Skyscrapers are most often found running down the right hand column of a web page. They are also often shown below the fold.
Because the skyscraper typically runs in column with or directly adjacent to editorial copy, it tends to get a lot of action.
I find this position to work really well. One trick that has worked well for me is to make my creative mimic the look and feel of the website my ad is running on … making it look more like editorial.
Skyscrapers can be a bit of challenge from a design perspective, but once you find creative that works you can have a consistently good performer on your hand.
From a pricing perspective skyscrapers tend to be priced on par with leaderboards or just slightly higher. I give the skyscraper position two thumbs up and shake of the tail feather for their lower CPM and their in column position. Test it and see.
336×280 – large rectangle
336 x 280 as seen on Yahoo.com
Click here to see the actual size of a large rectangle and how it might look on a page.
The 336×280 or large rectangle as it’s often called is the premier position on many websites … the grande dame of the country club.
This ad property commands the highest CPM of all the positions we’ve discussed today and for good reason. This placement usually appears in column with the editorial and above the fold.
You can’t miss it … it’s the most front and center ad you’ll see on site. Depending on the site, you’ll find it in the left, right or center column.
Because of its prominent position in website society, this position can work exceptionally well. But it can be fickle and you have to be careful that the higher CPM doesn’t kill your ROI.
Tread slowly here and test smaller quantities until you determine you can make it work for you … then roll out from there.
300×250 – large square
Large square as seen on NewsMax.com
Click here to see the actual size of a large square and how it might look on a page.
The 300×250 is the baby sister to the 336×280 position. It’s often called a large square and all the same comments from above apply.
125×125 – small square
Small square ad as seen on FoxNews.com
Click here to see the actual size of a small square and how it might look on a page.
The small square is the Tiny Tim of the ad sizes. And, it’s just one of a multitude of smaller ad sizes available. The challenge with small ads is the lack of creative real estate. Ad copy needs to be short and punchy and incorporate intriguing images to grab attention and get the click.
Often small ads or buttons are sponsored by large companies with huge brand awareness … think E-trade, Orbitz, etc.
Many small sized ads are static and sold on a flat rate basis so are served to all of a sites visitors within a given time frame.
Huge amounts of traffic and low cost are a powerful combination, especially for lead generation campaigns. But when you start, tiptoe through the tulips until you know you can make it work for you.
So, let’s recap …
Over the last three weeks we’ve discussed the difference between what I call active and passive media selections … how to recognize the sites that have the potential to perform best for your offers … and now we’ve taken the mystery out of banner ad sizes and created a little cheat sheet to get you started.
Now get out there and start testing … and for goodness sakes let me know how you do!
Hope that helped and stay tuned …
Because next week I’ll uncover a scary reality for catalog, magalog and tabloid mailers … and how web marketers and copywriters can turn it into the opportunity of a lifetime!
Until next week,
Julie McManus
Editor, In the ‘Net Trenches
THE TOTAL PACKAGE
And Web Media Goddess
P.S. Are you in the net trenches? Do you need help? Send me an e-mail to AskJulie@MakepeaceTotalPackage.com
Posted by:
Michel Fortin
April 19, 2007
Issue #103
We all do it from time to time. We procrastinate. We wait … make excuses … get distracted. It plagues even the best of us. But in our business where deadlines come with the territory, procrastination can murder your reputation … and your career!
How do you overcome what is indubitably the copywriter's most stifling problem? Here's how to get more done faster …
Dear Business Builder,
The other day, one of my students e-mailed me about his dilemma – something that's all too common in our business:
"Too many times," he said, "I have known what I needed to do, and I ALWAYS end up waiting weeks on end to do it (like getting a letter written, etc)."
"How do you cope with procrastination?"
Procrastination is probably one of the biggest challenges a copywriter is faced with. And since our job is fraught with deadlines, procrastination can also become one of the costliest, if not deadliest, problems in our business.
Some people blame it on ADD. Others, on the freedom of being a freelance copywriter without any of the usual work rules we see in a corporate job.
But whatever the reason, they are no different than the excuses we use to keep putting off until tomorrow what can – and needs to – be done today.
As Dr. Robert Anthony once said:
"Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait. The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don't count."
– Dr. Robert Anthony
How to Turn Reasons Into Results
Sure, there are some deep-seated, psychological factors behind procrastination – such as low self-esteem, anxiety, fear, perfectionism, addiction, even depression. But these often refer to chronic procrastinators, which is a whole other ball of wax.
While perfectionism is a challenge in itself, in many cases it's just another excuse to procrastinate. The more we focus on trying to perfect whatever task is at hand, the less we need to concentrate on getting it done on time.
I'm a copywriter for the better part of two decades. I'm not a psychologist, nor do I play one on TV. So my advice here is limited to the more practical workarounds to defeat the most common form of procrastination in our business:
Laziness.
I believe in Parkinson's Law, which is also known as the law of contraction.
"Work either expands or contracts in order to fill the time available."
– C. Northcote Parkinson
In other words, activity will expand or contract to meet its imposed deadline. If you have seven weeks to write a letter, you will take all seven weeks. If you have only four days, you will do what you can to get it done within those four days.
Based on Parkinson's Law, you will either take your time or hurry up depending on the deadline you have. (Take, for instance, college students cramming just before exam time.)
Sometimes, my best work happens when I rush and force myself to complete the task before an impending deadline. The pressure caused by a rapidly advancing deadline pushes me into gear and forces me to not only work but also work at my best.
A looming deadline doesn't just force me to take action. I also tune out distractions … clear my environment … organize other work around it … ignore the phone and e-mail … avoid interruptions … and truly concentrate on the work at hand.
With this heightened sense of awareness and focus, being "in the zone," I kick my creativity up a few notches. Like a sponge that's squeezed under pressure, a looming deadline squeezes out my best ideas, writing, strategies, and so forth.
In fact, I noticed that my best sales letters (the ones that produced the best results) were those done working under very tight deadlines. Now, I don't recommend to purposefully wait until the last minute. (Admittedly, I do that sometimes.)
But the idea is to turn a potential nightmare – a deadline – into your best friend.
How?
By Breaking Down A Major Deadline Into
Smaller, Easier-To-Digest Mini-Deadlines!
What I do to overcome procrastination is to break down my larger projects into smaller, bite-sized chunks. I literally cut up the project into smaller pieces, and add deadlines to each piece, making each piece more urgent and real.
These mini-deadlines act like milestones throughout the course of the project, enabling me to see, at a glance, where I'm supposed to be, what I've done, and what needs to be done at that point in time, at any given time.
As the Confucian saying goes, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." But in this case, the journey is not a thousand miles but smaller, one-mile journeys of a thousand steps each.
Smaller steps eventually lead to bigger ones. Each small deadline reached is just one step closer to the ultimate deadline. And each step is much less intimidating, too.
But the best part is, by placing shorter deadlines on smaller, bite-sized steps, you allow Parkinson's Law to kick in. The deadlines become closer and more urgent. And work, therefore, contracts to meet them.
(And it happens almost unconsciously, too.)
Plus, each mini-deadline is a constant reminder that, if I don't meet the smaller deadline, I will have two or more to contend with if I keep waiting. This "piling on" of deadlines is something I dread, so this helps me to kick myself into gear.
If I'm late and miss one mini-deadline, I force myself to complete it so I can start – and, if need be, hurry up to finish – the next one in line. (That's Parkinson's Law in action!)
However, there's an important, more positive reason in doing it this way, too. After accomplishing each step, I feel good about myself knowing that things are indeed getting done and the project is advancing.
(It's like the carrot versus the stick approach.)
The most important part in doing this is to document your process.
The reason is, creating a visual interface allows you to see, at a glance, where you are and what you need to do, at any given time – rather than dealing with a single, intimidating deadline that's constantly menacing you.
Whether it's on paper, in your agenda, on a calendar, or on your computer with the help of software, your mini-deadlines help to visually prod you along the way.
(Personally, I use BaseCamp as my project management software.)
Each milestone is like a small reward in itself. Rather than knowing how far you have left to go, you want to know where you are and how far you've gone. Knowing what you've accomplished along the way gives you both momentum and motivation to keep going.
Plus, it's a heckuvalot easier to deal with small rewards from reaching mini-deadlines than it is with the threat of a larger punishment from not reaching the bigger one.
Or look at this way …
Like A NASCAR Race, Each Milestone
Flags You At Each Step Along The Way!
The objective of a NASCAR race is not to reach the finishing line. (Granted, that's the ultimate goal.) It's to stay in the race, always trying to be one step ahead. Each flag is telling you how many laps you've accomplished instead of how far you have left to go.
Nevertheless, here's what you do …
You chunk your project into as many small pieces as you wish. Break your project down into steps. Often, at first these steps will appear specific when they can be broken down even more. (For now, call them "phases" rather than "steps.")
Once you've broken down your project, try to break it down some more.
Be as specific as possible.
Try to break down larger projects into as many small pieces as possible. Denominate each task and give it a mini-deadline – a specific day on which the task will be carried out (rather than a specific time by which it needs to be accomplished).
That way, you instantly know what tasks need to get started on a specific day rather than by when they need to be done.
(That's why I prefer to call them "milestones" instead of "deadlines," which have a negative connotation. It's easier to reach a milestone than it is to meet a deadline.)
It doesn't matter what you use: whether it's a piece of software or plain-old, low-tech, "pen and paper." Just remember that you need to be specific.
A task like "Write letter" is not enough. Even "writing initial draft." Each task must be as clear and as specific as possible. Let me give you an example:
Major project: Write sales letter for client.
Major phases: Research, create rough draft, finalize initial draft, revisions per client, and final draft and delivery. For this example, a final deadline may be, say, one month.
So the first step is to break down the project into smaller steps, and add a deadline for each major phase of the project. Here's some examples:
- Week #1: Research
- Week #2: Create rough draft
- Week #3: Finalize initial draft
- Week #4: Revisions per client
- End of Week #4: Final draft and delivery
Now, break down each phase into smaller, bite-sized chunks. Let's take "research" to be done during the first week, and break it down some more:
- Day #1: Compile client questionnaire
- Day #2: Review and clarify answers
- Day #3: Initial product run-through
- Day #4: Interview client or principals
- Day #5: Perform competitive analyses
- Day #6: Brainstorming session
… And so on.
Of course, there might be more. But this is just one example and not the example.
For instance, some people need several days to come up with a good headline. If so, then break that down to, say, writing 10-20 headlines a day for several days, or take an extra day for doing additional research and brainstorming additional ones.
The bottom line is, it doesn't matter how you write copy or tackle a sales letter. What matters is that you break down your project into smaller, easier-to-digest, bite-sized chunks.
That way, you have closer deadlines to work with, with more manageable tasks at hand. Parkinson's Law will kick in, and you will be focusing on putting smaller things into action, one step at a time, rather than on getting everything done by a specific deadline.
This may take a while the first time, I admit. But do this again and again, even for smaller projects, and you'll soon get the hang of it.
"Life asks us to make measurable progress in reasonable time. That's why they make those fourth grade chairs so small."
– Jim Rohn
Enjoy the ride,
Michel Fortin
Guest Contributor
The Total Package
P.S. If you like this article and want more, or if know any copywriters or marketers who would enjoy these kinds of tips, then check out Michel Fortin's blog at MichelFortin.com; or, see Michel in action … Watch a free 18-minute video of a top copywriter as he rewrites a headline!
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