
I'm one of those people who are always creating new businesses
Maybe it's the (so far) undiagnosed ADHD.
I mean, I am a copywriter and I enjoy writing quite a bit and have a mostly steady stream of clients.
But every once in a while, things slow down with copywriting.
And that's when I think about one of the useful lessons that I pulled from Eugene Schwartz's book, Breakthrough Advertising.
The lesson is that you can't create desire. No matter how good you think your copy is, people will either want something or they won't and there isn't a lot you can do about it.
All you can do, according to Schwartz, is know which direction the wind is blowing and have your finger on the pulse of what people want and need. Then, you can either position your product in a way that shows how it meets people's desires or choose a product to sell that meets their needs.
And thus, during my downtimes I will be scanning my environment trying to figure out what people really want and need.
This summer it was fairly easy to figure out. I live out in Espanola, NM and go to Los Alamos most days. It has been raining so hard all summer and the desert plants have taken full advantage of the rainfall and just grew like... well they're growing like weeds.

My yard is a forest. And in Los Alamos it's happening too, but people can get a ticket from the county if the weeds get out of control. Anyway, I posted a four-letter ad (post) that brought in $220. "Anyone need weed whacking?" That's $50 a word! (I wish it was that easy. I still had to whack a bunch of monster weeds). If you feel like you're in a rut trying to sell whatever service you are currently jamming down people's throats, take a listening break and see if there is something else out there that people really want right now. It doesn't have to be your new calling, but you can make some money and boost your confidence.
Contact me at mandy@mandyaudette if you need a new sales page.

Comments