Tuesday, March 27, 2012

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:

Thursday, March 8, 2012

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: