The Secret Path To A Lucrative Life

"There are no exceptions to the rule that everybody likes to be an exception."
– Charles Osgood

In Issue #213

Main Essay: The Secret Path To A Lucrative Life
by Douglas Glenn Clark

There was no summer lull in my work load this year. But as I rounded the corner into November, demand had slowed and I grew concerned. Although I’d already doubled my income from the previous year, I wanted to finish the year strong and make as much financial progress as possible.

So I was pleased when my new marketing piece garnered a response. When I followed up with a phone call, the prospective client had visited my website, was eager to meet with me and I was confident that I would soon be writing up a new invoice.

The following day I arrived on time for my appointment with a modest folder of materials that defined my services and answered some common questions. I also included a complimentary copy of my new book, The Lake That Stole Children, a fable.

Although my fiction was written in a style that differed from my business copywriting, my prospective client was a psychiatrist who worked with children and families. I believed the story might interest her. I was right. She was delighted with the gift.

But after an hour of talk, I was still grappling with how I might serve this interesting and accomplished person. Clearly she had copywriting needs and impressive credentials that I was eager to exploit.

She also had a lot on her mind – and an eagerness to share it. I was overwhelmed. Each attempt to focus the conversation didn’t so much dampen her enthusiasm as excite it. Like a flock of doves, her mind easily escaped the trappings of my questions, leaving me with an empty, defeated feeling.

Two hours later, I was attempting to extricate myself with the promise that I would think about our conversation and get back to her with a proposal of some kind. Of some kind, indeed. Although her needs were many, her marketing budget was slim, if it existed at all.

Then suddenly she expressed the core of her philosophy … and revealed a secret for doubling my income – and fun – in 2009.

People with problems, she said, spend too much time lamenting the past – past failures, choices, relationships. Examining the past is useful only if it reveals “exceptions to the problem.” Exceptions are the vital ingredient for creating a satisfying future.

On my walk home, I began to evaluate myself. I realized that when the meeting didn’t go my way and result in a quick contract, I began to have worries: Had I done a poor job of pre-qualifying this person on the phone? Why was I attracting another prospective client who apparently couldn’t pay my fee? Anxieties began twisting in me like a nest of snakes. Past failures and fears raised their heads, eager to get their teeth into me.

So I began to search my recent past – 2008 – for exceptions. It didn’t take long to find what I was looking for:

These exceptions were proof that good things were happening in my life. The memory of them quickly vanquished any lingering doubts I had about my talent, conduct or ability to grow.

Too often I lose sight of my accomplishments as I grope toward an uncertain future. The ache of endless wanting sullies the bright sheen of now.

I vow to change all that. When beset by unfounded fear, I will search the past – an hour ago, yesterday, last week – for exceptions. I’ll write them down. Analyze them. Love them. Because they are the future I have been waiting for.

By the time I reached home, I had decided to draw up a basic plan for my new client. It would necessarily be simple, require some “sweat” equity on her part and it would, in my opinion, slowly begin to expand her universe. I also decided that I would not worry about money. A little pro bono work never hurt. Besides, hadn’t this energetic and insightful person already paid me – with her wisdom?

Douglas Glenn Clark is a copywriter in the Los Angeles area. He is the author of several financial market home-study courses, including “A Mortgage Liberator Guidebook,” and provides free trading insights at www.afterthenoise.com He can reached at dgc@dgclarkgroup.com or 310-273-4033.

Resource Referral: Don’t Wait Until New Year’s – Resolve To Do It Now!

If you could only say one good thing about bootcamp, it would have to be that it fires everyone up who attends. You simply can’t help but leave feeling more capable, more determined, and more motivated than ever.

If you didn’t attend, you can still get that feeling. Scoop up Bootcamp-In-Your-Home here – still at the discounted rate, but not for long!

http://www.awaionline.com/cp/homestudy/

And then, to keep that motivation up, it was made clear, time and time again by many of the presenters: you need a mentor. Just so happens, Krista and I can help you with that, too. We’ve just opened up 8 more spaces for our mentoring program – one of them could be yours today.

Here’s a little sweetener to what is already a good deal: If you attended bootcamp, or purchased the Bootcamp-At-Home package, we’ll give you $100 off the three-month program.

The only catch is you have to apply before the next Copy Protégé comes out to get the discount!

There you have it. And if that isn’t enough, I have a few success stories to share with you.

Over the past 18 months, we’ve watched our protégées accomplish the goals they set out to achieve, and then some. From winning the AWAI Spec Challenge, to landing a prize client, to getting a substantial pay raise and part ownership in their job – these dedicated members are going places. And we cheer – and sometimes push them – all along the way.

Here’s what a handful of them say about the program:

"Over the course of my Copy Protégé Mentoring program, I submitted 5 spec assignments, AWAI became a client of mine, I got on AWAI’s Wall of Fame and I had an article about my copywriting business philosophy published in The Golden Thread Online – and Michael Masterson commented on it. I couldn’t have done any of this without your steady guiding hand, Krista, and my three companion mentorees. Thanks all of you. You set my career on the right path."
– P. T., New Jersey

"Wow! You’re my favorite mentor Monica! Thanks for the copy … you just know what works! And as far as my marketing plan … thank you for kicking me into action. Keep on pushing me, I’ll get there."
– D.V., Israel

"Copy Protégé’s mentoring program is the perfect fusion of attentive tutoring and peer review. Your expert coaching helped me discover my copywriting strengths; your focus guided me back on track when I wandered off course; your enthusiastic cheerleading encouraged me every step of the way. Krista, you’re a generous and talented teacher who has a gift for recognizing big ideas as well as seeing the smallest details – whether in a writing assignment or career development."
– A. R., North Carolina

"I just want to thank you for all the help you gave me during the Copy Protege Mentoring Program. It was invaluable to have a tried-and-true professional guide me through those awkward steps of deciding what I want from my career and how to go out and get it. Thanks to you, I am well on my way to doing what I love and making a whole lot of money in the process!!"
– K.L.

If you are ready to join these protégés, please send a writing sample (no more than 2 pages) and your goals for the next six months to admin@copyprotege.com. By Copy Protégé press time on Tuesday!

TV Worth Watching!

Krista and I finally made the big-time! We did an interview for none other than … you guessed it, AWAI TV!

After the interview, Krista turned to me and said, “You know, I should have changed my name to Night – and then we could be Night and Day!”

I think she’s on to something. Check us out: http://www.awaionline.com/tv/

Vanity Disclaimer: I am not sure if the still shot of me could be any worse, and no, I haven’t gained a ton of weight … it just looks that way! Ugh … there is a reason we copywriters stay home. Over-exposure! But I think all the interviews on that link are great – there’s a lot to learn, and even a little entertainment.

Enjoy!