A Defining Moment - Absolutely, Positively Sure

So I just realized that it’s been about 2 weeks since I’ve updated. Not fresh! (Like the rest of the world, I’m on Twitter much more often.)

Been in motion getting ready for a trip to Vegas this week for a seminar. Lots of scripting (deadline looms!), coaching and business planning. And a new laptop. Cleaned the office. Saw CORALINE. Returned 2 Netflix movies I just haven’t had time to watch so Leland can get more movies while I’m away.

(I’ve never been to Vegas. Not my kind of scene, really, but now that I’m going, the people-watching will be in full effect. Bringing a new notebook with me.)

As usual, I have lots of notes about what I’ve been meaning to tell you. Above all, the following anecdote keeps coming to mind… it’s something I shared on a teleseminar I gave about a week ago.

People are always surprised when I tell them that I got into small business marketing by accident. (Nobody was more surprised than me, let me tell you.) Here’s how it happened.

A friend of a friend (comics peeps, in fact) approached me at a party at Rocketship one night. She worked for a company that specialized in “new age” products: astrology reports, jewelry, etc. They were looking for writers.

I was still at my soul-sucking job at the time, and was looking for a way out. She told me to expect a call from a charming British guy and some samples of what they were looking for in my in-box.

“I know you’ve written for Llewellyn before,” she said. “This writing is a bit… different.”

“Different how?” I asked.

“You’ll see.”

The samples arrived before the call. They were for an email campaign. I took one look at them and almost choked. Oh my gosh, I thought. This is… like those crazy letters trying to sell you magazine subscriptions and book clubs. This is like an infomercial in print.

This is… this is… sales writing. !!!

Truth be told, I thought it was hysterical. As in, funny ha-ha. I created a new folder on my hard drive and named it “spam”.

(It should go without saying that I’m really laying my former ignorance out on the table here. And that I have since evolved quite a bit since then. :))

The charming British guy called and we chatted for a while. Despite his reserve, he was indeed charming, and friendly, and we hit it off right away. He began to rattle off details of the jobs. They were paying $1000 for each 10-page letter.

That sounds like good money, and it IS good money. I would come to find out that for copywriting, it’s incredibly low. Nonetheless, it’s quite something to process that number in a job interview when you’re used to the idea of struggling for 2-3 cents a word for most freelance writing jobs.

I hoped he couldn’t hear the choke on the other end of the phone. This was serious. And then he asked The Question:

“So have you ever written anything this before?”

Without thinking, let alone flinching, I said, “Nope. But it absolutely, positively won’t be a problem. I can deliver this. No problem.”

There was silence for a few seconds on the other end. Then, “Okay.” Moving on.

No drama. No second-guessing, no “oh geez I’m not sure I think so.”

Just a straightforward yes. Because I knew it was true. I’m not the best writer ever in the history of anything, but I can write circles around, say, 98% of the population, and I have a voice that is uniquely, distinctly my own. I never doubt these things. Ever.

(Of course, those first letters tanked, because copy that sells is something ELSE again. )

That kind of self-assurance and confidence is positively magnetic, and will make up for a lot. Only if you can back it up, of course. But then, you know you can… right?

Right.

Next stop, Vegas.