You may not know this about me…
There were TWO THINGS I learned in college that have served me extraordinarily well.
The FIRST was what I learned from the many wrestling coaches I had in college, two of whom were Olympic Gold Medalists, namely, Dan Gable and Bruce Baumgartner.
Many of my coaches were the best “teachers” I ever had. They were far better in preparing me for life “on the outside” than the stiff, pretentious professors who lectured me to sleep.
What I learned from these coaches was not the mere memorization and regurgitation of information in order to pass a test.
Instead, they taught me various techniques that I drilled, relentlessly, until I knew them better than the backs of my hands. This was key. You didn’t KNOW a move because you could remember it. You had to embody that move, to be so good at it that you could use it on any opponent you faced… all the way to the national championship.
From these coaches I learned you have to “do the drills to get the skills.”
This meant that you did not see something, practice it a few times, then turn to the coach and say something stupid, such as, “What’s next boss?”
The SECOND THING I learned at the University of Iowa, took place in a journalism class (that was my major at the time). I learned this “thing” on the first day of the first journalism class I took.
Similar to wrestling, I learned a number of journalistic techniques that appear basic and fundamental, yet, surprise, surprise, I have NEVER seen covered by ANY other modern day copywriting teachers.
NOT ONE.
Now, this particular journalism course was NOT a class on how to write advertising copy. It didn’t cover marketing. And it sure didn’t cover email copywriting, as no such thing existed at that time.
Nevertheless, after learning these techniques on day one, there I was in my dorm room, every day and every night, pounding away on my typewriter, using the tools I was taught to GET ATTENTION… and keep it.
Truth is, I spent more time typing away for that one class than all my other classes combined. I wrote in my dorm room in between classes. I also used the typewriters in the wrestling office, before and after practice.
At that time, my life consisted of three primary activities: Reading, writing and wrestling. And do you want to know something? It still does (although I have supplanted wrestling with martial arts training).
The above is instructional in many ways… I “did the drills to get the skills.”
And I’m doing my best to pass them on to my daughter, and my son, as well as to YOU, if are interested in learning them.
My daughter just finished listening to my Original Email Copywriting Seminar. She never knew her Dad had so much know-how and whiz dumb.
She took a ton of notes… yet she is also hearing from me that studying a subject isn’t enough.
Reading and/or listening is the start, and it’s vitally important… but it must be followed by moving your digits on a keyboard, even when you don’t know what to write, or think that you don’t know how to write.
You gotta do the drills to get the skills.
Faith was initially startled by the three words I greeted her with each day as soon as she came down the stairs and walked into the kitchen, where she saw me typing away, leading by example.
“Where’s the copy?” I ask.
This is my question for anyone I work with, as well.
Where’s the copy?
It’s not hard to churn out copy after you’ve listened to the Original Email Copywriting Seminar.
It has turned a lot of newbies into copywriting machines.
Maybe, just maybe, YOU want to be next.
If so, keep this in mind…
If you want the skills, you gotta do the drills.
Matt Furey
