One of my friends (Sarah Worsham: aka Sazbean) posted a wonderful article on her Facebook page that I thought all of you would enjoy.  It's on business ethics and the subject of the article is the CEO of Office Depot, Steve Odland.

Steve talks about the importance of character in the work environment an how he can instantly weed out people who would damage a corporation by how they treat hired staff at a restaurant, here's a memory of his when he was working as a waiter that he has never forgotten:

"The purple sorbet in cut glass he was serving tumbled onto the expensive white gown of an obviously rich and important woman. "I watched in slow motion ruining her dress for the evening," Odland says. "I thought I would be shot on sight."

Thirty years have passed, but Odland can't get the stain out of his mind, nor the woman's kind reaction. She was startled, regained composure and, in a reassuring voice, told the teenage Odland, "It's OK. It wasn't your fault." When she left the restaurant, she also left the future Fortune 500 CEO with a life lesson: You can tell a lot about a person by the way he or she treats the waiter."

Isn't that amazing?  Thirty years have passed and he can still remember the reaction of the lady whose dress he stained!

Here's another quote that I felt was really important:

"They acknowledge that CEOs live in a Lake Wobegon world where every dinner or lunch partner is above average in their deference. How others treat the CEO says nothing, they say. But how others treat the waiter is like a magical window into the soul.

And beware of anyone who pulls out the power card to say something like, “I could buy this place and fire you,” or “I know the owner and I could have you fired.” Those who say such things have revealed more about their character than about their wealth and power."

A 'window into the soul', my prayer is that the people who view through my window will see a heart of compassion!  The journalist who wrote this piece did an amazing job writing it, and the editors did an amazing job editing it.

Nuff' said... :-)

You can find the whole text of the article here:  Protocol Advisors

It was run in USA Today originally but I'm not sure what the date was.

The whole article is wonderful and really spoke to my heart!

PS: The Ping.fm study that I'm working on is coming soon, please come back, you won't want to miss it!

Copywriting is not a science, but an art form. Simply put, the more you practice it, the better you will get, and the more money you will make because of it. Additionally, the more you research it, the great your knowledge will become, and the easier it will be for you to come up with some stunning material. The following Top Three Copywriting Tips, should increase your understanding of this craft.

Tip #1 – Give them What they Want. – The more you write, the more you sell. There was never too much copy, and there never will be.

Tip #2 – Never Place Jokes in your Material. – Humor does NOT sell, if you want to be a comedian, get up on a stage.

Tip #3 – Do NOT Be Afraid to Ask for the Money. – After all, that is what you are doing, selling. A good sales person is always closing, and you should be too.

Copywriting is a unique form of writing, because you are attempting to persuade the reader into a reaction, which is to purchase the product or service you are promoting. Obviously, the better the copywriter you are, the more money you are going to make.

Some people look at it as an art form, since it is a kind of salesmanship. An extremely successful copywriter will select their words very carefully; edit them many times, while intermingling them to create a super powerful sales presentation that the reader does not even realize is a marketing pitch.

If you are new to copywriting, or just want to improve your skills, you just might find the following tips beneficial.

Tip #1 – The most important aspect of your presentation should be right at the top of the page. It needs to capture the reader’s attention immediately. It should be compelling, entice them to want to investigate further, and find out more about your product or service.

Tip #2 – Each and every word should be used to make what you are endorsing sound like it is the best item of its kind, or the best ever. When the reader has finished viewing the material, if they feel like they cannot live without your product or service, you have done your job.

Tip #3 – Most readers have very short attention spans. Try to keep your sentences to approximately 16 words, and no more than 2 to 3 sentences to a paragraph.

Tip #4 – Try to break up your pattern. In other words, use one long sentence, and then one short one if possible.

Tip #5 – If you can get by with fewer words, then do so. The shorter and more direct you are to the point, the better.

Tip #6 – Each and every word should add value to your presentation. If a word is superficial, then drop it.

Tip #7 – Nobody is impressed with your vocabulary when you are writing in a copywriting style. Never use words that very people understand.

Remember, more than likely most of the people that will be reading your information, will not have the education you have. That does not mean you should talk down to them, but that everything needs to be very simple for them to identify with.

Tip #8 – Never, but never use a negative term. You should only use positive, inspirational, and stimulating words to convey your ideas.

Tip #9 – Readers like bullets, bold print, and subheads, so use them as much as possible.

Tip #10 – Whenever possible, use terms like “confirmed”, “scientific”, “first of its kind”, “revolutionary” “a giant leap forward” or “breakthrough”.

Tip #11 – Be sure to research your market, and understand who your readers are. After you know that, you will need to make certain you are talking to them in a language they can grasp, and will fully appreciate. The following are a few questions you should ask yourself.

A) Are they children, women, or men?

B) What is their median age?

C) What is their income?

D) What is their education?

Tip #12 – People love stories, or examples. If you can use them to help accentuate your message, then do so.

Tip #13 – If there is any way you can make the presentation seem personal, many readers will be able to identify with it easier.

Tip #14 – Please do not be afraid to ask questions, which will force the reader to answer them privately. Below you will find a few examples you might want to try.

1) Do you suffer from this health problem?

2) Would you like to end it completely?

3) Are you sick and tired of spending minutes, hours, or days doing this challenging chore?

4) Would you like to only spend a fraction of the time it used to take you to get this demanding job done?

5) Are you making as much money as you would like, deserve, or should?

6) How would you like to make this much, with very little work, time, or investment?

Tip #15 – Try to talk to your readers like you are their friend, somebody they have known for a long time, or a family member that is trying to help them, or solve a problem they have.

Hopefully, you will have found the above tips useful, and you can utilize them to improve your copywriting skills. You need to learn them, use them, and most importantly of all, make more money because of them.

While speaking with a prospective client we learned that he promoted his Michigan printing business via the Detroit Chamber of Commerce.  Normally, this is a great opportunity to drum up some business, and their email list was well over 17,000 Detroit based business owners at the time of the broadcast email.  Thankfully, a mass email to their list only cost $85 at the time which is bargain basement cheap considering you are theoretically going to be targeting only business owners.