Monday, August 13, 2007

Saved By The Bell.

In my last post, I commented about practicing your copywriting skills. I stated that, since it was summer, you could practice from a hammock beneath a shade tree. I fully intended to follow my own advice, but then…I made the mistake of telling my wife.

That, my friends, was not a smart move! Soon, I had an ever-growing list of “around-the-house” projects that needed to be done. To be honest, I’ve put some of them (maybe, most of them) off for quite a while. So, good husband that I am I set out to due my duty.

But…after a couple of days of being scratched, burned, bruised, and battered in 93-degree heat…it was time to take drastic action. I contacted a few clients, “just to stay in touch.”

That magic “save-me formula” kicked in. Activity breeds activity. One of my clients replied to my email asking me to call. She wanted to discuss a few projects that were coming up. I dialed her number so fast the phone was smoking.

We discussed the projects and I made some notes. Her next question was, “How soon can you get a proposal to me?” (“As soon as I put this rake away,” I thought to myself.)

I told her that it would be on her desk within three days along with an available start date. As I wheeled a cart full of tools back to the shed, I saw my wife watching from the window (in the air-conditioning). I pointed to the phone in my hand and mouthed “client call.” She shook her head and mouthed something through the window. If I were a lip-reader, I’d swear she said, “You are one lucky S.O.B.”

Thursday, August 2, 2007

The Dog Days of Summer

I can’t decide if I really like this time of year…or hate it. I love the weather but the copywriting business really slows down. I’ve got a couple of regular clients that give me some work on a monthly basis, but none of the deadline driven, heart-pounding, gotta-get-it done work that you get the rest of the year.

In some ways it’s nice. Having a lot of free time to laze around and take it easy, but it also can get a bit boring. (Please don’t show my wife this blog. The honey-do list will come out faster than her credit card at a shoe sale.)

So what do you do if you’re a copywriter with time on your hands? The best thing to do is study your craft. Since it’s summer, some of that studying should be done from a hammock under a nice shade tree.

The truth is…if you want to get into the upper echelons of this business, you should always strive for improvement. Top guys like Gary Bencivenga, Dr. Joe Vitale, Clayton Makepeace, Bob Bly, and Michael Masterson didn’t get there by taking it easy. So…I guess I’ll write some practice letters.

As the man said when asked how to get to Carnegie Hall, “Practice, my friend, practice, and more practice.”