Learning to Succeed

Everyone wants to find success in their work. We all strive to have our efforts rewarded. In the industry of marketing, weʼve recently covered several tips and suggestions for achieving success in your email newsletters.

In lesson one, we discussed the need for structure. To hit a target, it must first be seen. Taking time to draw up that target is not unlike creating blueprints for a building. It is a critical first step to see beyond the immediate task to the great picture of how it all works together.

In lesson two, we shared the importance of being useful. This step requires a lot of research and questioning on what you are providing. How that product is unique, useful and of value to those you wish to reach with your newsletter.

Lesson three provided direction on being clear. Clutter is easily accomplished, especially with writing. It is important to take time to clarify and hone in on the message you wish to convey.

In lesson four, we discussed the value of convenience and how important it is to find and maintain a balance between providing meaningful information and keeping things simple.

In lesson five the importance of creating a work worthy of reading was introduced. The word is estimable and the focus was putting the needs and considerations of your readers first to produce a work that is honorable.

Lesson six talked on the need for efficiency. Taking time to work through the material and organize it into manageable sections is critical to providing a work that reflects doing everything the best possible way.

Finally, we reached the wrap up element of being definitive. When all the other steps are included, creating a work that is complete comes into focus. The key is to create something beyond the ordinary through work and effort.

And now we see the results:

S - Structured
U - Useful
C - Clear 

C - Convenient

E - Estimable

E - Efficient

D - Definitive

Seven steps to help you succeed.

Succeed being Definitive

Itʼs time to wrap up this series by adding definitive to the list of ideas for great email marketing.

Letʼs start with what you want your marketing campaign to be: complete, absolute, ultimate, supreme. Each of these words are synonyms for definitive. Clearly, this is one direction you want your newsletter to go.

A few simple questions can help you in your quest to create a definitive work.

• Is my writing complete?
• Is my writing reliable?
• Is my writing authoritative?

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine
percent perspiration." - Thomas Edison

Every good work starts with an idea. Like the light bulb, the idea comes together with other elements within a framework that provides a final result of definitive proportions. And like Edison, the writer must expend a great deal of perspiration to arrive at excellence. In short, this is the difference weʼre describing. Anyone can write, but the point is to produce something truly excellent. Edison tested thousands of options for filaments before finding the best. Did you know he moved beyond just success at finding a filament that burned (for less than 40 hours) until he produced a bulb that could glow for over 1500 hours? Thatʼs the difference weʼre talking about. He summed it up best when he said, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."


The elements of your light bulb include the other tips covered in this series. If youʼve taken time to focus on structure followed by providing information that is useful, clear, convenient, estimable and efficient you have everything you need to make your work definitive.

The next time you sit down to write your newsletter, think about that light bulb. Take your work beyond the bounds of what works into the realms of definitive enlightenment.

Other articles in this series:

Structured
Useful
Clear 

Convenient

Estimable

Efficient

Succeed being Efficient

Weʼre adding efficient to our growing list of ideas for creating success in email marketing. This is a great addition to structure, usefulness, clarity, convenience and estimable.

The word efficient is an adjective, a description word. It can, and should be put in front of every word weʼve already discussed. It means to do everything the best way possible. When efficiency is a factor, waste of time and effort are minimized. And who doesnʼt want that?

While learning to be proficient is an individual process, there are a few basic steps that can really help you develop the skill.

• First, organize and review.
• Next, plan an organizational blueprint.
• Finally, stay focused.

Compare these steps to working on a puzzle. When you open the box and dump out the contents, the first thing you have to do is flip over the pieces to see what you have to work with. Itʼs also a smart idea to keep the cover handy so you can see what youʼre working for. The wise puzzle lover makes their next move one of organization and planning. They separate edge pieces from the rest, enabling them to put together the frame of the puzzle with greater ease. With the frame built, filling in the details becomes more manageable. They continue the process of organizing pieces and work at their placement until everything fits. The key difference between the amateur and expert is their focus and practice.

This is the pattern to follow. You evaluate all your data and resources, organize it and create a framework, then work on filling it. One of the real tricks is realizing you have to take time to make time. That means, you have to take time to do the menial and organizational steps in order to speed your progress later. In short, you become more efficient. Most people try to cut corners to save time and wind up losing more than they gained, hence the saying “Haste makes waste.” So take time to lay out that puzzle youʼre working on. Keep your eye on the prize and your hands on task. Now, youʼre on the path to becoming efficient.

Other articles in this series:

Structured
Useful
Clear 

Convenient

Estimable

Succeed being Estimable

So far in the series weʼve talked about the importance of structure, usefulness, clarity and convenience. If youʼve spent any time focusing on these points while compiling your email marketing campaign and newsletters, youʼre ready to see some results of how youʼve made your material estimable.

The worthy goal of having your work be estimable is, simply put, to create something reputable or honorable.

Try this exercise. Think of some published works (anything in print) and identify whether they are worthy of respect. By way of natural deduction, youʼve probably already identified several that are not as well. Look over your list of those deemed honorable and those not. What separates the two? What identifiers stood out that caused judgement one way or the other? Your answers are your guide.

Let me add to your list of considerations the word charming. At first this may seem odd, perhaps even a bit quaint - a charming newsletter you may ask. But if you truly understand charm you canʼt help but make the association. You see, the simplest definition of charm is bringing out the best in others. And that is what your newsletterʼs end game should be.

Thinking of others and how to bring out the best in them
unlocks potential. It is the catalyst for action; the very
path to making something estimable.

Letʼs put this into a visual example. Picture in your mind a beautiful jewelry box, very ornate and detailed. It taunts you with the possibility of treasures within. You donʼt just want the box, you want whatʼs inside it too. Now think of your newsletter. It is the jewelry box. Youʼve spent a great deal of time creating it, detailing it and filling it with items of value for your recipient. But did you remember to give them a key to open it?

Charm is the key to your box. Thinking of others and how to bring out the best in them unlocks potential. It is the catalyst for action; the very path to making something estimable. It inspires one to reach new heights, to stretch abilities and expound on possibilities for growth.

Forget generals - general audiences, general topics, general mediocrity. Start thinking specifics. Think of individuals, their needs and their potential. This is the way to estimable success.

Other articles in this series:
Structured
Useful
Clear 
Convenient

Succeed being Convenient

In our succeed series thus far, weʼve covered the importance of being structured, useful and clear. Itʼs time to talk about the necessity of being convenient.
 
Sometimes looking at things backwards is a great way to define what you want. In determining how to make your email marketing convenient, letʼs start with a definition of the opposite; inconvenience.
 
When you think of the word inconvenience, a pretty clear image comes to mind. But take it one step further by adding these definitive words to your understanding: discomfort, nuisance, bother, trouble, annoy, disturb, harass.
 
That sounds far too familiar in the world of marketing. Just ask any person whoʼs received a couple solicitation phone calls. Sadly, itʼs far too likely that all of us have personal experience with the concept of being inconvenienced. These are definitely terms and feelings you want to avoid with your marketing. So letʼs look at this from your reader and customerʼs point of view.
 
To avoid bothering, annoying and harassing your clients, think for a moment on how to flip that. Your goal should be to find ways your message fits in well with a personʼs needs, activities or plans. It should involve little trouble or effort on their part. If youʼve been following the series, youʼre already on the right track because these are the very principles weʼve already discussed. Setting yourself a plan, determining how what you can provide is both useful and clear are the keys to making your message a convenient one. But thatʼs not enough. You must also consider other factors here, like frequency and length.

Dress up that bland dish with some spice!

How often will you be sending your marketing material? You may want to start by asking yourself how often you would want to receive the type of material you are sending. Finding a balance between too little and too much is critical. And what of length? Well, thereʼs an old adage for that: “Your material should be like a womanʼs skirt, long enough to cover the subject but short enough to be interesting.” If you find your content running long, consider breaking it up over several mailings. Another great option for adding variety and cutting down length is to diversify delivery. A simple coupon or thank you discount goes a long way. Think of these tactics as your seasoning in cooking. Dress up that bland dish with some spice!

Empower yourself and your business by taking time to think on making your email marketing a convenient one. A little consideration will do much for your campaign and your clients will appreciate your efforts.
 
Other articles in this series:
Structured
Useful
Clear

Succeed being Clear

In the continuation of our series on success, we add being clear to structured and useful.

The dictionary defines clear as being easy to perceive, understand or interpret. In sharing messages with your customers this is imperative.

This W. E. Hill image is widely known.
 

The question for the viewer is which image do you see first? The old woman or the young lady? There are pictures of both within the same image. 

These kinds of illusions and overlaid objects can be a fun distraction when it comes to art, but a most damaging element if your marketing messages follow the same pattern.

Take time to review your newsletter to ensure what you are sharing is clear and concise. Your message should be plain and bright, free of distractions and unfamiliar language. In short, think of this W. E. Hill image when you write and make sure your finished work is a single image easy to see and understand.
 
Hereʼs a few tips to consider:

1) Clear thoughts produce clear results. The key to clarity is to say what you mean in as few words as possible.

2) Read your message out loud. There is something about verbalizing your writing that simply canʼt be duplicated through any other means.

3) Review, revise, repeat. It takes work to be concise. It takes time and effort to make revisions until the work is satisfactory.
 
Consider this quote by F Scott Fitzgerald:

 “You don't write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.”

That says it all. Write because you have something to say, something to share, something to market. Your efforts in presenting a clear message will provide you clear results.

Other articles in this series:
Structured
Useful

Succeed Being Useful

In the continuation of our series on success, we add to structure the importance of being useful.

It has been said that just because one can do something doesn’t necessarily mean one should. In the case of business marketing, this is too often the case. It could be that it is too painful to truly evaluate, or perhaps it seems too obvious to spend any time on. Whatever the reason, it can be a critical oversight.

Even if it feels obvious, take the time to ask what value exists in what you provide.  Does it provide meaning to someone? If so, who is that someone? This is how you identify your target audience. You can waste valuable resources trying to build interest in a general audience. To obtain meaningful response, you must first identify for whom your information has meaning. For example, if I sell pianos, the value I add is to the lives of musicians and those who appreciate music. After all, they are who will benefit from what I can share and thus they will have genuine interest in what I have to say. For me to share a newsletter on pianos to a group of car mechanics would provide less than desirable results. However, if I share that same newsletter with a group of music teachers I’ve drastically increased my potential for success. To come more to the point, I’ve just “tuned in” to my customer.

Find your Ferrari and you're on your way to a finish line of success.

Now, to maximize potential, you can take this exercise one step further. Be a specialist, or at least identify your specialty. This is where true power lies. Too often we are blinded by the size of potential. The wise man knows that more often than not, less is more. Take Gerald Roush; a man with a focused interest in a particular car, the Ferrari to be exact. He didn’t try to make money sharing his passion with all auto lovers. No, he focused his energies and thus his audience. Last year his bi-weekly published compilation of Ferrari information, the Ferrari Market Letter had 5,000 subscribers. Now, that may seem a low number, especially compared to the estimated *10.2 million readers of the leading auto magazine. But at the $130.00 per year subscription, 5,000 becomes a most meaningful number indeed. The reason for success is simple. Roush was sharing useful information to people who shared his passion, the information was relevant and desired; it was useful and therefore generated value.

So the real question to ask is if what you’re sharing is relevant, applicable and useful. Find your Ferrari and you’re on your way to a finish line of success.

*http://www.magsdirect.com/caranddriver-information.html

Other articles in this series:
Structured