Don't like risk? Then know ahead of time what must happen for you to make a decision.
In today's edition of Burke's Bits:
- Indecision Stinks
- Copy Tip
- Social Selling Tip
- From the Research Files
- Pun of the Day
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Just Decide
Napoleon Hill says “Indecision is the seedling of fear.”
Indecision zaps our energy, clouds our thinking, deflates our confidence, breeds uncertainty, and causes many a sleepless night.
It was early April in 2017. I had put all the effort into planning a 2 day business retreat scheduled for early May in Florida –
- visited the venue
- selected menu items
- inspected meeting rooms
- checked out group activities
- recorded promo videos onsite
- met with speakers in Florida and Georgia
Speakers were lined up. Fun activities were planned. The invitation list had been curated. The invitations sent.
And I waited. For almost a month I waited.
I was anxious because I had $9,000 of good-faith money invested at the venue.
I was anxious because I had $2,500 set aside for advertising.
I was anxious because I had $1,500 invested in travel.
I was waiting for the final bits of information I needed to make a decision.
The final bits? Pre-sales. For my breakeven point I had calculated that there must be 25 tickets sold by a specific date.
The date came. Not enough tickets had been sold. There it was! The “decision-making information” in hand.
All the anxiety and uncertainty that had been keeping me up at nights was gone. I knew what to do. I knew what to do because I had the following in place:
- the final goal clearly defined
- the benchmarks clearly defined
the details of what needs to be in place, and when, for each benchmark so that progress could be noted and decisions made along the way.
Once the final bit of information was in hand – the decision was easy to make.
What was my decision? To cancel the Business Retreat.
The money invested wasn't “lost”. It went toward my education about planning such an event.
The time invested wasn't “lost”. I learned about manatees, The Plantation, and small business owners in Florida.
The travel wasn't wasted. I met generous and driven small business owners, coaches, and hospitality professionals.
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Copy Tip
There's a better word for what you're describing.
It's those words … used to describe a thing, a feeling, a place … that will make your copy sing.
Where to find those words?
Thesaurus is your friend. And if you're lucky, you have access to a Superthesaurus.
I have a soft cover copy of Roget's Thesaurus and a hard cover copy of Roget's Superthesaurus on my bookshelf. Both are within easy reach.
A thesaurus is a comprehensive bank of synonyms to help you avoid repetitiveness and improve accuracy.
A superthesaurus includes many minor words with their synonyms, quotes, and sometimes definitions.
Both include antonyms.
Every writer … and every successful copywriter knows the right synonym choice is crucial in adding power, depth, and pizzaz to our writing.
For example: did the man walk, squelch, or slog through the mud?
Describe a cat:
- what do you call the white patch under a cat's neck? (locket)
- the white patches on the feet? (mittens, gloves)
- the reflective eye layer that glows in the dark? (tapetum)
- a mating cry? (caterwaul)
Describe a dog:
- what do you call the bristling neck and back hairs? (hackles)
- what is the back portion between shoulder blades? (withers)
- another way to say low to the ground, thicket (cloddy)
- dark muzzle on some breeds (mask)
Write your copy. If it feels flat or dull, get out the Thesaurus or Superthesaurus and find better words to describe the problem…the solution…the benefit…the result…the feature.
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Social Selling Tip
A cold message/outreach/email – yes, they may know of you but only through your online activity, there is no relationship established.
Do some quick research and find something specific you can say that will show them you took the time to learn about them and their company.
Create a statement that can be a mini-case study that will show them you know how to get them results.
Ask them if they're interested in a quick chat or seeing some details (depends on what you're selling).
Prepare to follow up.
What does this look like?
Hi Janet,
Love what you're doing at Retire Overseas. That post you made on LinkedIn offering a tip about how to use iVisa was eye opening – who knew it was that easy to get travel documents?
I specialize in writing emails for tour companies. Just last month, one client increased her sales by 141%, and another client in the sales training niche made $4,000 with just one newsletter I wrote for him.
Let’s talk? Would love to do similar for Retire Overseas.
Signature
That's it. Be ready to follow up 3 days later to be sure they received the first message.
Then a couple days later share that you just got word of a win with a client…and make your offer.
Want more details?
Free free to send me an email…I'm here to help when I can.
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From The Research Files
aka random bits of info you may or may not be able to use in your life
Myth: George Washington had wooden teeth.
No, he didn’t. He never had wooden teeth.
He did lose most of his teeth when he was young and had dentures made by Dr. John Greenwood (maybe where the “wooden” teeth came from: “Greenwood teeth?”)
Anyway, they were carved from ivory, had quite a bit of gold, and some lead. Human and animal (horse and donkey) teeth were riveted to the gold and ivory and the whole thing was set in place by a spring mechanism.
This spring mechanism made it so Washington had to constantly hold his mouth shut with his jaw muscles. Guess this is he always looks so stern in portraits.
In early models of his dentures, the false teeth were hooked to his remaining real teeth with metal wires. Eventually, he lost all his teeth and the dentures relied completely on the spring mechanism to stay in place.
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Pun of the Day
To the guy who invented Zero: Thanks for nothing!
With Gratitude —
Charlene Burke
Let's Connect: https://linktr.ee/CharleneBurke
“In any decision for action, when you have to make up your mind what to do, there is always a ‘should' involved, and this cannot be worked out from, ‘If I do this, what will happen?' alone.”
– Richard P. Feynman
