Got an email from a guy the other day, chomping at the bit for the next issue of Zen Mastery, my monthly newsletter on email copywriting and info-publishing.
We let him know that the August issue will go out on the 1st of the month, or the early morning hours of the 2nd, at the very latest. This relieved a bit of his anxiety.
We sent the newest issue out last night, on the 1st, and it was a humdinger of an issue – 24 pages – a few hairs shy of 11,000 words, the most I have ever written in any issue, detailing my experiences teaching both my daughter and my son, some stellar copywriting and marketing strategies
And whatdyaknow, this morning, this same guy writes to tell me he agrees with ALL the key points I made, and just so you know, there were a ton of key points, with no boulders left sitting idle.
Nevertheless, this guy terminates his subscription as I, get this, “was preaching to the choir.”
So I meandered on to his website and took a peek. And what did I see? A video of a stiff, robotic, monotone, who is instructing y’all on how to sell to the richest of the rich. The webpage had ZERO compelling copy, no story, no nothing. But he did have a nice logo.
I’m left bewildered. If he is the choir – he needs some serious singing lessons in a big way, and fast.
As the questioning goes, “In addition to that reason (preaching to the choir), are there any other reasons you jumped ship?”
And I reckon the real reason is that he is anxious about moohlah, which can happen to anyone, and I sincerely hope he finds a non-choir preacher who helps him prosper soon. Based upon the fact that his website says he is teaching others to sell to richest of the rich, I believe he/s not having a lot of luck.
If, on the other hand, he was actually doing all the key points he says he agrees with… he would have a far grander story to tell, he wouldn’t be stiff and monotone, and he’d have a boatload of buyers.
Anxiety got the better of this chap. Information and implementation are what this man needs, big time… but when you’re operating your business out of fear, you make irrational decisions that hurt you in the short and long run.
The greatest marketers and copywriters would never cancel a subscription because the writer they are reading is preaching to the choir, which is an astronomical claim, as I write things that no one else would dare put into print.
On the contrary, the best of the best love to hear what they might already know… over and over again. Why? Because each time you hear the message, in a different way, from a unique angle, it makes you better at your job.
Can you imagine a professional athlete showing up for training camp, but he or she doesn’t want to review the basics anymore, much less learn strategies for implementing those basics at an advanced level?
If an athlete did so, he or she would be toast.
Not only that, but if you go to a church that has a choir, does the choir not want to hear any preaching from the pastor? Not a chance in the whirld. Not a single, solitary chance.
Here endeth the lesson.
Matt Furey
