Follow the Yellow Brick Road: How to lead your tribe when you’re a wanderer
(We’re currently profiling each of the five Signature Spotlight Styles, one by one. See the full series of Signature Spotlight Case Studies here. If you don’t know what your Signature Spotlight Style is, take the quiz to find out.)
When it comes to Judy’s work with clients, it’s always about the journey, not the destination. (In this way, she’s Edith’s exact opposite.) This means that a Judy’s relationship with her clients is deeply rewarding, and often very personal–she knows even the minute details of what her clients are struggling with.
Just because the journey is rewarding, though, doesn’t mean it’s easy for a Judy. Would-be clients can drag their feet getting started with a Judy because they don’t see the final outcome and are reluctant to commit until they do. This often leads to endless emails and pre-work conversations–if the Judy offers free consultations, she can expect people to ask for more than one before signing on the dotted line.
Also, Judys often add new services and skill-sets as they explore, which means even Judy herself isn’t always entirely sure what she does for her clients (or, she may not be able to communicate it clearly).
All of this tends to leave Judy struggling to charge the rates she deserves because she can feel like her skills aren’t up to par because she has less experience than the other types (because she’s always adding new offerings on the fly).
Fortunately, to resolve these issues, Judy just has to follow the yellow brick road. Let’s take a look at how four Judys tackle the challenges of this type and prosper.
Assemble an audience.
Because Judy is so quick to apply what she’s learning (one week, she’s teaching herself to design a WordPress blog for herself, and the next she’s offering WordPress design services), she’s often adept at teaching beginners. That’s because she’s so close to the learning herself–she hasn’t forgotten what it’s like not to know anything about the topic.
One of the smartest things a Judy can do is to stop working one-on-one. That’s because as a Judy, you love the journey, but your clients don’t want to hire you for a journey. (Think about it: the Cowardly Lion signed on for the journey because he was promised a heart, not because he was told they’d get to meet the flying monkeys and see a Horse of a Different Color and sing and dance along the way.)
When you assemble groups instead of doing work one on one, you’re forced to declare a destination. You *have to* make a promise (that’s the whole point of the workshop or teleclass or program). You can all wander together towards the destination, but in order to get bodies in the class, you have to be very clear about what that destination is. What’s more, you can more easily make more money even at lower rates when you work with groups instead of one-on-one.
This audience assembling could take the form of a workshop with the goal of becoming a book as it typically does for Maria Nemeth who writes in her most recent book, Mastering Life’s Energies: “I’m learning about luminosity, even as I write this book. Luminosity is about living the life you were meant to live, without running yourself into the ground and driving those around you crazy. I have been privileged to learn about luminosity in the presence of about fifty thousand others…who have taken seminars from me over the past twenty years.”
Even though Judys are all about the journey, if you want clients, you have to remember as much as they may enjoy exploring with you, they want to know where they can expect to wind up!
Find your one thing.
Even though Judys tend to be interested in just about everything and everyone, there’s always one or two interests that stick with her. Pinpoint one of these interests for yourself–what’s something you could spend all day doing?
For Marta Goertzen, her one thing is that she loves exploring new creative outlets. For Jason Cardillo his one thing is that he’s an athlete. Don’t try to force the relationship between your one thing and your business, but if a relationship evolves naturally (the way it has for Jason and his work with other athletes and athletic companies), or the way it has for Marta’s work with creative entrepreneurs, that’s great.
This one thing can certainly change over time, but choose something that’s likely to outlast your business. That way, when you’re ready to change the focus of your business, you can use your one thing to bridge the gap between what you’re doing now, and what you’re doing next.
To put it another way, think of your business as one of the settings along the yellow brick road (like the forest, where we meet the Cowardly Lion, or the Emerald City, where we meet the Mayor) and your One Thing as the yellow brick road itself–the path you continue to follow that brings you into contact with new people, new settings, and new challenges.
Follow it wholeheartedly.
Scott Stratten and I first met when he had just launched Un-Marketing. To market his business, he created an online movie which was designed to inspire his target market and build his email list. Because of his success with it, he started offering a service to create those online movies using what he’d learned (about everything from web bandwidth to marketing the movie to how to designing the movie).
Now he’s pursuing his engagement in Twitter and teaching others how to use it to connect through a new book (due out soonish).
What sets Scott apart from other Judys who seem to jump from thing to thing is the way he immerses himself. So often, Judys back off their newest passion for fear of seeming “flighty” and wind up looking restless and dissatisfied. There’s absolutely nothing client-attractive about stiffing your gifts and make no mistake about it–curiosity is one of the most abounding gifts of a Judy.
When you feel yourself tugged in a new direction, see how you can tie it back to what you’re already doing (this isn’t always possible, but when it is, it’s easier than starting over), and then allow yourself to put your unbridled enthusiasm for the new direction on display. WARNING: Never, ever label this your “final” or “ultimate” path! That’s what can make you look flaky–not the wholehearted pursuit, but the belief that you’ll never switch again. When you’re a Judy, you’ve found the next step, but you were already *on* the path. (And to talk about how you’ve finally *arrived* discounts the work you’ve done before and diminishes your clients’ successes following your lead.)
Judy’s lessons for the rest of us.
Whether or not you’re a Judy, there’s magic to be found in following your path with your full attention, immersing yourself completely in the work of today. You do your clients no favors when you hold back or play halfheartedly and though Judy suffers more than most when she’s not all in (engaging clients becomes much harder), none of the Signature Styles benefit from stopping short.
Think, also, about how you might learn from Judy’s talent for leading groups–are there topics that you’d love to teach once or twice, but wouldn’t want to build your whole business around? They can make great topics for a one-time workshop or teleclass.
Judys bring a wonderful sense of “can-do” to every project they tackle, and they help those they work with ultimately learn by experience that they “had the power within all along.” If you’re a Judy, make sure you’re not stifling your curiosity, but do your best to give clients a vision of the results they can anticipate (rather than focusing on the journey in your website copy or conversations with them–for types other than Judy, the “journey” can begin to feel frustrating without a clear destination).
By being mindful of your approach–the way your curiosity is likely to always nudge you in new directions, the way you genuinely enjoy wandering without a final destination, and the way you love to learn as you go–you can effectively use your style to build an audience that lines up to work with you rather than getting locked into frustratingly slow sales processes. Like everything else in your business, learning to use your style to attract great clients is a journey, so enjoy every step along the way.
Snap Your Fingers, Edith: How a Crazy Bus Driver Can Teach You All About Building an Audience Before You Have a Niche
In the imaginary world where your business is a bus, each of the five Signature Spotlight Style types has a different approach to bus-driver-dom. For instance, Audreys tend to have trouble leaving the station (what if someone’s just running late and really needs this bus?) and Katharines tend to leave before the assigned time (what if we miss half the fun out there because we’re lollygaging?).
(Wondering who the heck are Edith, Katharine, and Audrey? They’re three of the five Signature Spotlight Styles. Basically, they’re role models for an easier approach to stepping into the spotlight with your business. If you’d like to find out who your role model is, you can take the free quiz.)
Ediths, though, start with the bus station.
See, an Edith tends to rename the bus. She rewrites the routes. And she has a tendency to suddenly pull out of the station while someone’s still getting on (or off) the bus.
In other words, she can be a danger to herself and others! (Hold on, though–since you’re not actually driving a bus, all of this is actually a good thing, handled safely.)
See, Edith has to generate controversy. Even if it’s just a small controversy. That’s because she likes to shake things up in order to get to the truth at the core of things–she doesn’t really believe things can change until there’s been some chaos.
And she thrives on change. Inspiring it. Instigating it. Creating it. Lunging into it.
The problems of being an Edith
All of this adds up to two interesting problems. One, Ediths are the most likely to look like “overnight successes” because they’re constantly reinventing their stuff until something sticks. So, Bus Driver Edith seems to come out of nowhere because until three weeks ago, she was working very hard as a roofer.
While on the surface it looks like Edith catapulted to fame and stardom, the truth is, she’s been working really, really hard. Usually, too hard. This is partly because, if you change what you’re doing every six months, you also have to rebuild your audience. It’s also partly because Edith likes chaos and that often results in audience attrition (most people don’t like change–change too often, and even the people who really like you start to feel uneasy).
So, that’s problem number one–Ediths who are successful usually look like overnight successes leaving new Ediths, or Ediths who haven’t broken through yet, thinking they’re never going to make it.
Let’s go back to the bus driver analogy to find problem number two. Remember when I said that Edith rewrites the bus routes? Well, the problem here is that she forgets to print new maps. So, people who are there during the change usually are okay–she’s more than happy to tell people that they’re taking the Strawberry Bus Route instead of the Green Apple Bus Route. But, after a few weeks, when all the old bus riders have gotten used to the new routes, it’s all but forgotten that the routes have been rewritten.
This results in two problems. One, new people stop taking the bus. Because no one understands any of the routes but their own, they can’t recommend the bus system to any of their friends (remember, there are no maps to share). Plus, if a new person should happen to wander into the bus station, the only person who can explain what’s going on is Edith (who’s usually off driving a bus) and Ediths tend to get impatient explaining changes after the first few weeks.
So, no new people on the bus.
The other problem is that should a new person brave the whole system and find themselves on the right bus… They usually feel left out because Edith’s taught the whole bus a bus song that the new person doesn’t know, and the only way to get the bus to stop is to put one hand on your head and shout, “GO!” and wiggle your ears three times.
In other words, Edith tends to build a clique separated from other people through vocabulary, rituals, and knowledge. Which makes newcomers feel out of place and uncomfortable and unlikely to stick around.
What then is an Edith who doesn’t want to alienate people to do?
Case Study One: How not to alienate new people
Take a look at Havi Brooks. When you visit her blog, the first thing you notice is that she has a glossary at the top of the page. Yep, a glossary.
See, Edith almost always invents her own language. And her core people catch on pretty quickly and soon everyone’s using the same vocabulary which tends not to make much sense to outsiders. Which means that when someone new comes by, things feel really exclusive, and not in a good way.
But by adding a glossary (and notice how Havi goes one step further by also including definitions and links to how a particular process began in individual posts) you can help people get up to speed much more quickly, reducing the frustration they feel and the likelihood that they’ll leave before they catch on.
Case Study Two: How to build an audience without a narrow niche
As I mentioned, because Ediths tend to move very quickly and change what they’re doing often (until settling into their right work), they have trouble building an audience. That’s because they try to niche narrowly each time they press the restart button–like all the marketing gurus tell them to–which means each new venture requires a completely new audience.
For instance, the Edith who’s providing high priced personal brand coaching this week can’t market to the same people to whom she’s providing tree cutting services the next week. But, if instead, she had focused on providing supportive environments inside and out to help her people get what they want… Well, technically trimming trees and personal brand statements go hand-in-hand that way.
One Edith who’s done a great job of not getting overly niched is Michael Neill. In his case, he’s build an approach that allows him to continue providing spectacular transformation for his clients, without being tied to any one mode of working with them.
See, if he were following traditional advice to niche, he’d work very specifically with, for instance, exclusively divorced, male executives, aged 45-52, who have worked at their company for at least seven years.
But, instead, his niche is personal transformation. Crazy broad! And he offers mass market books, a free radio program, a weekly newsletter, programs, and one-on-one coaching, all at dramatically different price points, but all aimed at helping people get what they want. (Nothing more, and nothing less.)
So, if you’re an Edith, don’t niche yourself until you’re really, really, really ready. And, even then, it’s okay to niche yourself much more broadly than they (the marketing gurus) tell you you can. And it’s a good idea to choose a niche based on what you absolutely love and never tire of creating instead of anything overly specific that might get a wee bit boring after awhile. (And never, ever, ever over-niche yourself unless you desperately want to.)
Case Study Three: How to break through and find an audience before you know what you’re doing
As Ediths work to find their audience and finally break through once and for all, they tend to struggle more than other types. While the rest of us can usually be relatively happy making a difference for our clients, the Edith is propelled forward by an absolute imperative to make the right difference for her clients.
She feels it’s false to be doing someone else’s work, and knows so deeply that the difference she could be making is one only she can make… Which tends to make her a bit desperate to *find* that difference.
If you’re an Edith who hasn’t found your niche yet, you probably wrestle with this. And with not wanting to get started because you don’t want to flit from thing to thing, or do a tremendous amount of work only to find it wasn’t the right work.
Fortunately, there’s a middle ground. Follow the lead of coach Tia Singh and conduct experiments. There are two reasons that this works really well–one, experiments have an entry point and an exit point. Your readers can invite other people along just before you start a new experiment knowing that anyone they invite won’t feel lost and will be able to follow along. The other reason is that experiments are fun and by their nature supposed to be transient. So, by saying, “For the next 30 days, I’m going to write one thank you note each day, and I’ll post it here to share what I’m grateful for” you aren’t a flake when, on day 31, you aren’t writing thank you notes anymore. Readers enjoy playing along, and know that they aren’t committing to anything permanently, either.
When you’re an Edith, you can find it really challenging to build the right audience, so playing with possible niches/directions/audiences using experiments is a fun way to keep your options open while opening the door to more readers. (You can even take this to the next level with blog buttons, a blogroll of participants, and regular check-ins, but that’s not at all necessary.)
How an Edith can bring it all together
Ediths are astoundingly good at creating transformation and that brings with it its own challenges–it can be hard for Ediths to focus and build an audience, it can be challenging for Ediths to build a community that’s inviting of new members, and it can be hard for Ediths to get started before knowing precisely where they belong (and, of course, that’s the time we all must start–*before* we know).
If you’re an Edith, take care to learn from other Ediths. It can be frustrating to try out strategies that work so well for other types, only to have them fail spectacularly for you. Also, be aware that even if you’re not in your *right* spot just yet, you’re still making a difference for your clients, and that absolutely is valuable. Continue to experiment until you find the sweet spot where your passions, your clients’ needs, and transformation meet. And find it you will!
Not an Edith? How this applies to you, too
If you’re not an Edith, and you’re wondering if any of this applies to you, it does! In two ways. One, Ediths online are a tempting set to follow. Things just seem easier for them in many ways–their audience embraces their style (even using the vocabulary they’ve invented), they don’t have to do anything to stand apart from others, and the magic they create is often palpable.
But, if you’re not an Edith, you’ll often find that following one as a role model feels a little empty. It’s just not as rewarding as following your own path. That doesn’t mean you can’t learn from Edith–her experiments work well for all of us (just be sure to include plenty of structure and to follow through to the end) when we’re feeling a bit uncertain about what’s next (or just want to shake things up a bit and add some variety). Most of us could also stand to learn from a welcoming Edith’s approach to audience–bringing people who’ve been around for awhile in ever tighter while still being welcoming to new people.
Whether or not you’re an Edith, it always helps to remember that those marketing techniques that seem to work spectacularly for someone else aren’t one-size-fits-all. You’re not doing it wrong if it doesn’t work for you–you just need to find the techniques, habits, and approaches that are right for your personal style and use them.
If you’re not sure if you’re an Edith, make sure to take the Signature Spotlight Style quiz to discover your style.
The Five Signature Spotlight Styles
Your Signature Spotlight Style is all about which classic Hollywood film star (or creative) best embodies your most client-attractive way of being.
After all, each of these five women built an audience of adoring fans by behaving in a specific (and different) way.
What’s great about this approach is that it means by following your role model’s style, you can easily connect with more great clients (instead of connecting with clients you’re not a good fit for).
Each of the styles is described below. To find out which best suits you, take the quiz.
You can also read my other blog posts about the Signature Spotlight Style system.
Edith Head
You’re Edith Head, masterful at creating transformations. Working with you is magical and your clients often remark (or you’d like them to remark) about how working with you seems effortless, transformational, and mysterious.
When it comes to your website, it’s crucial that you construct an entire, spellbinding experience for visitors. Not for you is the Seeker style of asking lots of questions, or the Ingenue’s style of gentle storytelling. Rather, you wave your magic wand, et voila! your web visitor feels the power of your abilities.
Audrey Hepburn
You’re an ingenue, through and through. Working with you is a gradual, gentle experience for your clients. They don’t experience a sudden makeover, but rather are able to ease into your work together. Clients often remark (or you’d like them to remark) about how intuitive you are, how you never move too quickly, and how you’re always gracious and supportive.
When it comes to your website, it’s crucial that you stay as far away from hard-hitting “persuasive” copy as possible. Because, with your style, this comes across as icky and manipulative and it won’t attract the kind of clients you want to work with. Rather, weave stories, engage your visitors’ sense of wonder, and possibility and relate to your audience the way an ingenue would.
Katherine Hepburn
You are so my favorite person! Kat was quick witted and sharp and just a tiny bit mean. All around fun to be around, if you ask me! Your clients probably remark about your ability to see what’s going on with crystal clarity and your ability to see through their excuses and masks and get at the core of a situation.
Your clients appreciate that you’re honest with them, but that you don’t try to give them more than they can handle. They feel evenly matched by you (mostly because you know when to hold yourself back a little bit) as opposed to outpaced. Just watch her repartee with the leading men in her movies–she doesn’t talk circles around them, and you get the sense she easily could. Likewise, you make your clients feel clever just for hanging out with them.
Not for you are the endless (and lets face it, BORING) questions of the seeker. Rather, your website and marketing materials should focus like a laser beam. You know why people are visiting you, know what they want, and know how to give it to them. Express this in your copy, my dear! Don’t shy away because you don’t want to be bossy or step on any toes. Just be sure to leave room to “Taste the Clever” (eventually, that will be a link when I’ve written the blog post–for now, you’ll have to get in touch and ask me what it means).
Liz Taylor
You’re gorgeous, inside and out! But, more than that, you have a wildly seductive side. Sure, you *could* just rest on your “come hither” laurels, but what’ll be more powerful for you is to “set a trap” using your website.
Now, you have a big, big disadvantage in the client-getting game and that’s that it’s easy for you to be *too* magnetic and wind up with a roster full of wrong-fit clients. Sometimes this means that rather than risk all of those bad apples, you’ve shut yourself out of the client-getting game entirely (oh, sure you think you’re trying to get clients, but ask yourself honestly if you might be standing in your own way).
What all of this means for your website and copy is that you need to be careful. You need to let your inner seductress out–it’s the only way to get clients you’ll love working with–BUT first you’ve got to get clear on who those right clients are for you. Once you have this perfect client in mind, it’s easy to build a client-capturing site that’ll bring you a steady stream of eager admirers (oops, I mean clients).
Your type, more than the others, benefits from plenty of hand-holding. So, make sure to find expert guidance that resonates with you and your way of doing things.
Judy Garland
You are Judy Garland. You’re on a journey and you help your clients who are a bit further behind than you are. It’s sort of like being a just-up-ahead light house in that you’re shining the light on where they’re at and giving them hope that there’s more to come. Your clients probably often say things like, “It’s so nice working with someone who’s already had this experience,” or, “Talking with you makes things so clear.”
This type means spending *a lot* of time on the early hand-holding with prospective clients. In fact, I’d wager a bet that you do a lot more initial consults that don’t turn into business than some of your competitors. You might think that means there’s something wrong with you or how you do those intakes… You’ve probably even invested money in learning how to “sell” better with less-than-fabulous results.
Here’s what’s happening. Your clients are seekers. You’re a seeker. That means you all have lots and lots of questions swirling around in your heads. And, for every potential decision, a dozen objections and complications pop up. Your potential clients *want* to hire you–they’re sincere when they sign up for those initial consults–but there are obstacles that get in their way.
This makes it so much more important that your website be thorough and comprehensive–that way, after that initial consult, they can revisit your site and see all of their questions addressed. Clients who are drawn to the Judy Garlands of the world often ask for a second (or third) free consultation before they make up their mind. Rather than let your work devolve into an endless round of free consultations, take action to make your website, ezine, and all of your copy support your people so they can make a strong, assertive decision.
Your copy should center on questions, it should seek to explore rather than persuade. Never, ever, ever close off options in your copy, but rather treat all of your materials like an inter-related flow chart, asking yes or no questions but letting people funnel back up to earlier decisions. In this way, they’ll come to the natural conclusion that you understand the way they think and that you can indeed show them the way.
Like in Judy Garland’s most-memorable role in The Wizard of Oz, you want to direct your people to “follow the yellow brick road”–take a decisive course of action–while also leaving room for them to develop character on their own.
If you’re the Judy Garland type, you especially can benefit from having someone else (who understands your type) do your copy because they’ll be able to bring a firmer sense of direction than you’d have on your own.
What my printer ate for dinner
Printers are my life-long enemy (desktop printers). When I’d have a school deadline and tried to print a paper the night before, the printer would start spewing error messages and blinking red lights. (Fortunately, my brother is the “Printer Whisperer” and could always be counted on to rescue me in the morning.)
Nowadays, this means that the gorgeous laser Xerox that cost a pretty penny sits in my office waiting for a visit from my brother (who now lives on the opposite coast) because after three years of persnickety behavior, it decided to make things official and stop working last December. Right in the middle of a big printing job.
Ordinarily, I don’t print much at the office–it’s easier to just send it out, especially given my track record. But, every so often, I get an idea for a project that leaves me babysitting the printer one sheet at a time. Like the current project (a typewritten letter that requires by-hand personalization because when you scan in a typewritten document, you have an image which is tricky to mail merge).
So, when my desktop HP decided to start spitting out gray text instead of black (new cartridge, before you ask), my first thought was that I clearly should have planned better and had a backup of one sort or another.
But then I realized that that’s not what hardware chaos means (at least not in my life). It means I’m playing a lot bigger than before, have stepped up my game (and may need to purchase some new equipment) and the ensuing jumble is having its way with the printers in my life.
So, after sitting quietly for a few minutes (it was that or throw the printer out the window), I remembered that the scanner/printer combo has fresh ink and does a really lovely job with text. And I’m back in business.
Earlier this week, Dave Navarro wrote about how life isn’t supposed to be easy (sadly, he doesn’t post his newsletters online, so that’s a link to the site where you can subscribe to get next week’s issue). We think because we’re grown ups and we’ve learned a lot that if we properly prepare, if it’s what we’re meant to be doing, it’ll flow easily from start to finish. And that was exactly what I thought when the printer was uncooperative–if I’d planned better this wouldn’t have happened… oh woe is me! But then I realized: growth is hard. Some days, really, really hard. Being bigger than you were before, doing things differently, stepping out in a new way: Hard.
And, sometimes that means your printer’s going to eat your project for dinner. 
Enough with the Very Important, Very Unique Thoughts already!
I’ve been browsing blogs for about an hour now, procrastinating on a project, and there’s something we need to talk about. There are certain writers in who use italicized Special Named Phrases very well. Unfortunately, it looks like the style is catching on and resulting in… The Curse of Self-Aggrandizing Douchery.
Here’s the thing: naming stuff is usually senseless. Yes, on the one hand, it neatly delineates Those Who Read Your Stuff from Those Who Don’t. And yes, there’s a lot of talk right now about how having a common vocabulary can help make your people feel like part of your inner circle. And yes, there are many marketers who talk about how important it is to segment your audience into an “In Group” and an “Out Group” so that people will be willing to pay you just so they don’t feel left out.
Yes, naming stuff occasionally is smart. Having a set of metaphors that communicate what you do makes it easier for you and your clients to talk about what you’re doing together. It even makes writing articles in your newsletter clearer because you have a short hand for those topics that come up a lot. But, when it crosses over from something you weigh carefully before doing (and spend some time searching for just the right way to capture the concept) and becomes something you go out of your way to do, that’s when it gets iffy.
(And when it crosses from something you go out of your way to do into something you trademark, that’s when it gets slimy–just in case you were wondering.)
I’m well aware that there are entire coaching/branding systems that sell at very high price points that advocate naming everything. This approach to communication does three things very well:
- It limits your tribe to people who have been around the longest and sets up a hierarchy among them–the longer they’ve been reading you, the “better” they are because they can quote all of your special Unique and Special Thoughts.
- It makes new people feel itchy and more likely to leave than stay. If you charge really high price points, this may be sustainable. If you actually need new customers from time to time, though, it’s not.
- It allows you to charge very high prices (sometimes) to a handful of people. The theory being that once you name something (and trademark it) no one else can offer that same something and therefore your services just became unique. Of course, what this overlooks is that people are smart and they know that just because you’ve trademarked the name Email Newsletter doesn’t mean they have to hire you to create an email newsletter–they’ll just have to call it something else.
Now, like I already said, it’s not that you can never ever name things. You just need to be careful with it, and you need to know that even when you’re being really careful, you’re still running the risk of looking like a creep for using Italicized Capitalized Names for Things that Don’t Really Need Names.
- When you’re an Edith. Ediths get a pass for reasons we might discuss someday, but not today.
- When it actually does need a name. This happens a lot less often than you think–so, before naming something ask whether you’re trying to make yourself look Super Cool by naming something or if giving it a name actually communicates more clearly than not giving it a name.
- When you need to alienate lots of people quickly. Believe it or not, there are times when this makes sense–if you have a gigantic newsletter list and have finally realized that bigger ain’t always better, you can start naming any and all concepts–the people who only read occasionally will unsubscribe because they don’t “get it” and the people who read every issue will stick around because they do. (Of course, the easier way to do this is to just clean your damn list…)
- When you really are a douche and people might as well know from the get-go. Make sure you also add the TM after each Italicized Capitalized Name for Things that Don’t Really Need Names.
- When you’re embracing your inner drama queen for effect.
I know it’s tempting to want to name and claim everything–it’s fun and it seems like a really useful way to set up a velvet rope, but the truth is, it’s really hard to pull off, and it makes your writing less likely to communicate clearly (especially with new people). You’re running a business, not a secret society. You don’t need passwords and secret handshakes, you need criteria for screening people once they express interest in hiring you.
So, how about we give the Extraneous and Nonsensical Capitalized Italicized Names a rest and keep the focus on communicating clearly both with our already-existing Tribe and the people who are new to us. Agree? Disagree? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Got a sec to do me a favor?
Today, I’m asking you to do me a favor. Will you email me and tell me what you need?
I want to make sure that I’m still on track to help your 2010 live up to its fullest potential. See, I’ve got a bunch of irons in the fire:
- We’ve got a new version of the Thrive Your Tribe website that’s *thisclose* to being done if I’d just get busy and put the finishing touches on the writing.
- There’s also this Something New (and really, really different) that’s being introduced (by snail mail) in the next week or two.
- A new office space to organize and decorate.
- A new team member to train.
- A bunch of programs that I have all mapped out (pain-free copywriting, for instance) that I need to actually put on the schedule so you can participate.
I’m officially overwhelmed. As I knew I would be last month when I looked at everything I intended to accomplish this year .
So, anyway, I have a bunch of ideas, a bunch of content, and a bunch of options for what might be next for you and me together. Case studies? More info on how to use your Signature Spotlight archetype? More photos of Izzy?
Tell me, truthfully: what could I do for you right now that would be hugely, hugely helpful? What tools, lessons, strategies, do you need, right now?
Also, tell me what the heck you’re up to, what’s new, what huge projects you have on your list, and how you’re going to do things your way this year.
Whatever comes to mind. I trust you. Thoughts for newsletter content, blog content, future classes, it’s all fair game.
In other words, “Wanted: Your thoughts.” Just click here and send ‘em to me.
As always, sending you my best,
Jessica
P.S. Yes, technically, I should be asking you specific questions. So, when you ask your people what they want, you might want to do that. But, the truth is, after many years writing a (really fantastic) newsletter about surveying, I find writing unbiased survey questions to be a Big Scary Task. Besides, I want to give you plenty of space to share what’s on your mind.
P.P.S. This is one time when comments on the blog are closed. I want you to send these answers just to me (by email). So, click here and send ‘em my way.
P.P.P.S. You have upgraded your WordPress, right? (You should be on 2.9.1.)
Writing with Humanity During Difficult Times
Today I’m re-running an article I wrote just after Hurricane Katrina called Writing with Humanity During Difficult Times.
It’s below.
The reason that I decided to re-run it is because I got a lot of emails from readers wondering what the Haitian earthquake meant when it came to writing their newsletters–did they need to talk about the donation they’d made? If they did, did that look like marketing? If they didn’t, did that mean their readers would assume they were heartless and hadn’t made a donation at all?
And then, you have the folks who move resolutely on with their launches or blogs or newsletters without addressing the devastation at all, and I know for many of *my* readers (because y’all are such a wonderful mix of caring, compassionate types) that feels all wrong.
Personally, here’s what I’m thinking: I’m erring on the side of assuming *everyone* has made at least one donation and that any choice they make to publicize or not is very personally made, not out of a need to boast, but out of a deep desire to feel like they’re doing *something*. And, in a time like this, when giving money surely does not feel like doing near enough, I think a lot of people feel like giving money *and* publicizing that they’ve given money is doing that little bit extra.
If you pay much attention to the Blogosphere or to Twitter, there’s been a lot of backlash about businesses/speakers/authors “using” this to promote their latest whatever. And I think that backlash comes just as much from that feeling that whatever we may do, it won’t feel like enough–it won’t fix things fast enough, or offer enough comfort, or repair enough hurt. We’re all frustrated that there’s no magic wand to fix such devastation.
I’m sending you much love today, and am basking in gratitude for *you*. And, if you have thoughts to share on how you or other folks are publicly handling their concern for the people of Haiti, feel free to post them below. Of course, thoughts on how to write with compassion during times of crisis are welcome as well.
…
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published September 4, 2005. My editor’s note in that issue read:
I’ve been sitting here at the keyboard for over an hour–completely unsure of how to write today’s issue. What do I say in light of the disaster left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina? How should I “behave”? Are you, my reader, even really up to read about newsletters today?
Perhaps you’ve experienced this same difficulty in writing your own newsletter in the past week–deciding how to balance professionalism, and compassion. It’s a fine line between hand-wringing and sympathy-extending!
And that line is made all the more difficult when you make your newsletter your own. After all, if you’re just the Corporate Voice, you don’t *have* to extend any sympathy. You don’t have to be human.
In today’s issue, I’ll share with you the only technique I know for making the writing a bit easier at a time like this.
As I said in the introduction, today’s issue has been very difficult to write. I’ve been sitting here, flipping through other websites (mostly cnn.com), trying to gather my thoughts.
One thing that keeps coming up for me is that being human in your newsletter is one thing when times are good, when business is rolling along, when life is full of joy…
And, yet, when something frightening, or awful, or just-plain-bad happens, we are often left at a loss for words.
Something that sometimes helps is to see if there’s a way to connect what’s happened to what you usually write about–the way I’m offering you an approach for writing your own newsletter in a time of difficulty. That can make it a bit easier to write your issue, because you can keep your focus on helping your readers.
When that’s not possible, or when that feels insincere, there’s only one thing you can do: acknowledge the difficulty and do your best.
Some people are gifted with astounding eloquence, they have an ability to write or speak in times like this with such compassion and wisdom that they make people feel significantly better.
The rest of us can simply do the best we can.
So, in this coming week, that’s your “assignment.” If you have a newsletter issue coming out, simply do your best, and know that even the smallest step in the right direction is still a step that makes a difference.
Your challenge: Don’t be afraid to be at a loss for words in your newsletter. If that’s where you’re at, then that’s where you’re at. Simply do your best this week, and every week thereafter.
How to write less
I resolutely believe more writing makes you a better writer–it’s a skill that must be practiced if you intend to communicate clearly and well. And, heck, last year, I wrote a post on how to write 20,000 words in a weekend.
But, when it comes to an individual piece of writing, it’s important not to fall too madly in love with your words and be entirely unwilling to give any of them up–or you risk sacrificing clarity for your “flourish.”
About a month ago, I became obsessed with finding a very particular tool. I was convinced this new tool would help me cull my writing and write *less* so that I was communicating more. Several broken nails later… I can confirm that yes, my new tool indeed made a huge difference in the quality of what I was writing. I tried it out on a sales letter and what usually would have taken me at least 8 pages to explain was whittled down to three and a half.
What was this miraculous tool? A 1939 Royal Aristocrat. It’s just hard enough to type on that I have to really think through what I’m going to say before I type it. Usually, my method on the keyboard is to start a sentence and keep typing until I arrive at its end (or find myself on a detour I didn’t mean to go on–causing me to backspace my way out of trouble). With the typewriter, there is no backspace. And, sure, I can xxxx things out, but that makes the page messy. So, I have to think through entire sentences, entire paragraphs! before I start striking the keys.
The other advantage is that while I type a little over 100 wpm these days on a keyboard… I type about 20 wpm on the typewriter. Yipes! But, if I type any faster, I strike two keys at once, jamming the machine, and having to stop to fix things before continuing with my sentence. So I go slower. And while slow typing will not get you to a 20,000 words in a weekend goal, it will get you to a goal of richer, more meaningful language, more carefully crafted paragraphs, and… more broken nails.
(And for tips on how to embellish less in your writing without wrecking your manicure, check out this Copyblogger post: Does Your Writing Suffer from Purple Overload?)
Happy Holidays!
A few years ago, we started a new tradition around here (at Thrive Your Tribe, I mean). Instead of sending paper holiday cards, we take that money and make a big donation to an awesome charity. I figure you probably get a bunch of cards this month, and besides, I was having a lot of trouble getting them out on time! So, while this means our dear clients, friends, and readers don’t get something in their mailboxes signed by Izzy, this year, it means OxFam is getting a check instead.
This year, when I was writing that check, I was struck by how amazing *you* are. (Yes, I really do mean YOU!) Thank you for being here, reading along with me, even those times when I don’t have a clue what I want to say or how to say it, and also those times when I think I have something Really Important to Say and demand silence before saying something that… is not so important.
Thank you. Happy Holidays! And I can’t wait to see you on January 11, 2010. (I am *loving* typing 2010. You?)
Much love, and appreciation,
Jess
