by Steve Manning

Words. They’re everywhere. We hear them, speak them and read them all day long. So why is it so hard to write them down sometimes?

Whether it’s an important email, business letter, article, web page or advertisement, most of us have experienced writer’s block at some point in time.

Although you may be a good writer and have an idea of what you want to say, it can be extremely difficult at times to put pen to paper – or should I say fingers to keyboard.

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by Peter Crocker

From product design and processes to marketing and language, small businesses need simplicity to prosper. So why is it so elusive?

“Less is more”, “short and sweet” and “Keep it simple stupid (KISS)” are powerful philosophies. They sound straightforward, but are actually tricky for small businesses to attain.

Things start off simple. Innovative products, start-up business models and fresh ideas are generally born into the world polished up and free of baggage. But then they attract the sticky tentacles of complexity. Simplicity drifts into chaos as ‘stuff’ flies in to fill up the vacuum.

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by Steve Manning

As a business owner, it’s natural to want to tell the world who you are, what you do and why you’re the best. So when it comes to writing marketing or advertising copy, it’s easy to fall into the trap of only talking about “me, me, me”.

I’ll break this to you gently…your potential customers don’t really care about you.
(insert gasp)

Why? Because all they care about is what you can do for them.
(I know. Those selfish so-and-sos.)

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by Steve Manning

If you run a business, chances are that you’ll have to produce a sales letter at some point in time. Whether it’s to launch your business, a new product or to attract more sales, a well-written sales letter can be an extremely effective tool in your marketing mix.

However, it’s easy to get it wrong. There are a thousand ways to ensure your sales letter is scrunched up and thrown in the bin. You name it…boring headline, poor grammar, long sentences with no point, hidden messages, no call to action, lack of perceived benefits for the reader…the list goes on.
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by Peter Crocker

If you take your business seriously, then it may be time to lighten up. Adding a dash of humour can be a seriously powerful and often underestimated tool.When you’re wading knee-deep through a prolonged business drama or a nightmare project, it’s all too easy to get sucked into a humourless quagmire. Even the daily routine of business can stealthily drain your personality and turn you into a robot.

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by Peter Crocker.

I recently moved to one of those touchy feely fruity phones. Hardly a significant event, until I discovered many thought I’d been sucked in and paid a premium just to carry around a logo. Had I fallen for the marketer and ignored the engineer?

According to people in the know, there are smart phones that deliver a better performance for much less. And I’m sure there are.
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by Steve Manning

I have a problem.
I seem to be including smiley face characters in more and more of my emails these days.
Most times, it’s quite upbeat.
Other times, it’s just a cheeky wink. :-)

All pretty harmless stuff really. Why do I do it? Well, mainly for the following reasons.
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by Steve Manning

What drives someone to buy something? The simple answer is that they either want it or need it. But there’s more to it than that. Every purchasing decision has an underlying motivation that we, as business owners, marketers or copywriters, need to identify.

You see, whether you’re selling clothing, microwaves or insurance, there’s a common set of reasons why people will buy your product or service. Once you identify and understand these reasons, you’re well on the way to unlocking the secrets of effective selling.

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by Peter Crocker

Elite sports people often have a routine they go through before a game to help them get ‘in the zone’ to perform at their best. This powerful concept can apply to business professionals too.

Also referred to as being ‘in the flow’, ‘in the groove’, or simply ‘completely absorbed’, the concept has been studied by psychologists for many years. (more…)

by Peter Crocker

I’ve recently become fascinated by the idea of ‘work life integration’. Ok, so I haven’t even mastered ‘work life balance’ yet, but that concept is so last decade!

To me ‘work life balance’ implies a tradeoff between good and evil, where work is the thing you have to endure to get to the good things in life.
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By Steve Manning

Well, exercise could be the answer! We all know the physical benefits of regular exercise. It’s good for our heart, lungs, muscles…pretty much our whole body. But did you know that exercise can also help maximise our productivity at work?

Generally speaking, we tend to feel great after a good dose of exercise. Our respiratory system is activated, our blood is pumping and our mind is alert. Almost every part of the body benefits from the activity and there’s a good chance that your mental state will improve. Therefore, it makes sense that after we’ve exercised, we’re in a better frame of mind to launch into some productive work.
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by Peter Crocker

When you run your own business, you’ll inevitably be presented with great-sounding opportunities by prospective partners. But beware, most of what glitters is not gold.

While it’s nice to have options, the fact is that only a small percentage of ideas will come to fruition. Successful business people have a sharp ability to rapidly get to the heart of an opportunity, assess the facts, make a decision either way and move on.

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by Steve Manning

Last month, I looked at 7 essential rules to writing effective web copy.

I’ll now share my remaining 6 rules to help your web copy shine. (more…)

by Peter Crocker

Up until last year I thought giving clients a gift at Christmas – or at least a card – was a sure-fire winner. It turns out there is a very passionate divide on the subject amongst business owners.

In response to my newsletter last year called four unique corporate gift ideas, 75 commenters jumped in to have their say.

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by Steve Manning

Writing website copy is a unique skill. It’s totally different to writing copy for brochures, newsletters and reports. Why? Because your web copy needs to attract, engage and persuade someone in a matter of seconds.

After all, if a potential customer doesn’t like what they see, they’re out of there with the simple click of a mouse button. And guess where they’re heading? That’s right – straight to your competitor’s site.

Therefore, there are some essential rules that you must adhere to when you write web copy.

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by Peter Crocker

We’ve all said things we regret. In the real world, a sincere face-to-face apology and explanation can usually put things right, but in the virtual world our words can take on a life of their own.

You may have heard of the dangers of text messaging under the influence (TUI). Also known as ‘intexication’, TUI can result in mistaken messages being sent and things said that are deeply regretted in the cold light of day. One example I read about was an amorous text message meant for boyfriend ‘Dan’ accidentally going to ‘Dad’ with the press of a wrong button. Not great!
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by Peter Crocker

“Under promise, over deliver!” is considered brilliant advice for business owners. But many people only focus on the hard work of over delivering, when it can be easier, and frankly more effective, to get better at under promising.

A great tip from Steve Herzberg’s effective selling presentation at this year’s Flying Solo LIVE! was that ‘constantly exceeding client expectations’ was one of the keys to long-term sales success. (more…)

by Steve Manning

Whether you’re a copywriter, designer or event planner, receiving a good brief from your client is essential in delivering the best possible job for them.

Confusion often occurs when a poor brief is given at the start of a project. Valuable time can be wasted because the work parameters weren’t agreed upon from the outset or you weren’t clear on your client’s objectives. This inevitably has a negative impact on both the end result and the relationship with your client.
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by Peter Crocker

I always had a desire to work for myself one day. If you’re reading this, you probably did too. But for me, when it came to taking the plunge, it was a total knee-jerk reaction with no inkling of a business plan. Is that the norm or the exception?

A few years ago I argued that, there’s never a ‘right’ time to start your own business. It’s a dream that will always be ‘one day’ until something makes it become ‘today’. So what pushes people over the edge?
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by Steve Manning

Working for myself and being able to do it from home is fantastic. But there are some downsides of course, and one of them is a lack of motivation on the odd occasion.

The surf might be calling or the kids hollering, but you know you need to bunker down and keep working. After all, that thing called ‘income’ is kind of important!

So in this article, I’ll share 5 tips that I use to motivate myself when lack of motivation strikes.

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