What’s the most important entrepreneurial skill?
… is there ONE skill you need to learn first?
While there are good arguments to be made for any number of skills to focus on “first” in an entrepreneur’s journey, there is one skill that makes or breaks most businesses.
What’s that skill? Copywriting…
Sean Vosler
(maybe one of the least sexiest skills out there hah)
Perhaps ‘copywriting’ isn’t the perfect term for this skill, but it is the one that encompaces a combiniation of several almost ‘superhuman’ marketing abilities… This skill is, in essence, the ability to persuade and influence someone to an take action you’d like them to take – like buying your stuff.
In this email I want to share with you the ONE key principle that makes persuasion work, and how you can use it to rocket-ship-emoji your sales & conversions…
But first I should clarify something, we’re not talking about manipulation here…
Obviously a 62-year-old guy with arthritis just isn’t going to make it to the NBA – and we shouldn’t try to persuade (manipulate his beliefs) him otherwise.
But, there is a case to be made for stroking even an unlikely dream…
… and in that case there is a powerful marketing lesson for us…
Here we go… let’s say your kid REALLY wants to be an astronaut. Statistically speaking becoming an astronaut isn’t that likely even for brilliant people. And, yes, of course your child is the best child in the world ever, but, again, statistics aren’t in their favor…
You have two options – 1.) sway your child towards something “more realistic” or. 2.) encourage the hell out of your kid to pursue their dream…
Choice 1: Probably the most logical right?
Help your kid learn early that setting the right expectations is important in life… Most people would choose this route… “nu uh!” you say “I’ll encourage the heck out of my kid to do whatever they want!” – ok, but deep down you likely still don’t believe your kid is actually going to step foot on a spaceship…
In fact … Let’s switch it up a bit, maybe astronaut is too “positive” of a pursuit for this example… What if they told you they want to be the next big YouTuber like PewDiePie? [This is, in fact, what MOST kids surveyed want to be when they grow up, a YouTuber] Still going to encourage them just the same as you would an astronaut? Maybe not…
Choice 2: Be it YouTuber, Astronaut, or anything else… whole-hearted parental support of their dreams can seem risky, after all, you want what’s best for your kid… Your gut reaction might be to point them towards something safer… But what if you went NUTS with support, and encouraged the hell out of them to pursue their goal?
What could happen?
You send your astronaut-wanna-be child to space camp, you get them science and math tutors, you buy every book you can for them on the subject… you grow your own interest in the subject so you can help… could they make it?
Chances are still pretty low… not because of their ability, but their desires are likely to change, their priorities shift, and before you know it, they don’t even want to be an astronaut…
… but that’s not what matters!
What matters is that you SUPPORTED THEM.
And (most importantly) … what did that support drive them to do?
Create a passion for learning about science, math, and other very important subjects. That passion drove them to pursue higher learning, develop new skills, and improve themselves.
Same applies for YouTuber or any other goal your child has – the pursuit of the dream (along with your support) is fuel for pursuing passion & turning that passionate pursuit into usable skills/experience.
As they say… it’s about the journey, not the destination.
… and this brings us back to the topic at hand…
COPYWRITING, and why most of us suck at it.
Supporting your audiences dreams & providing them with a means to attain or better pursue them is what writing really great copy is actually about.
… It’s about crafting a message that motivates someone to find the best version of whatever it is they’re looking for (ideally your offer).
Just like an encouraging parent, we can encourage our readers dreams to, for example, quit their job, start a business, or make any other big change in their life. Which can drive them to investigate, pursue, and nurture the love of the topic we’re discussing (and… importantly for us, engage with the things we’re selling).
DON’T FORGET: The people that we market to have unfulfilled desires & dreams; it’s our marketing copy’s job to help them better understand how to bridge the gap between where they are, and the promised land — to better understand their journey.
If we have a good product and we know it will help someone, the right thing to do is persuade them to take action NOW. To give them the power to believe it is possible, when perhaps they’ve either fully considered it possible. Truth is, we might even be the first person to really believe in them.
Again, I’m not saying there aren’t other important skills behind being a successful entrepreneur, but mastering your messaging, understanding your audience, and learning how to craft a killer message that converts is so critical that these other skills just won’t help much… if your message doesn’t connect, nothing can save you.
In a world where great product/service quality is EXPECTED (it’s the default)…
messaging is how you’re going to stand out.
So, put simply, here’s the 5 steps & principles behind every high converting marketing piece & campaign out there…
- Define Your Audience’s ‘End Game’ (where they want to be, the promised land).
- Define Their Fears & Barriers (internal & external) to getting there.
- Define how your product/service helps them reach their promised land.
- Teach them how they can get there in principle (mindset).
- Teach them how they can get there tactically (with help of your offer).
Ok – so what the heck am I rambling on about this for… well, the principles discussed above are just scratching the surface of the ideas covered in this crazy ‘modern day madmen’ marketer Sean Vosler’s book 7-Figure Marketing Copy. Specifically from his chapter “A’s of Influence: Fanning Their Flames” page 149.I have to say, this book raises the bar on what you should expect from a marketing guide…