Just say “Yes!” (And then do this...)

3 ways to handle new writing projects [The Writer’ s Life]( March 25, 2021 Hi {NAME}, We want you to have all the skills and information you need to succeed in your tool belt. So we've lined up some expert insights that can give you a professional edge in your writing career … First, in today's issue, long-time Copywriting Master Gordon Graham will show you that you don't need to have ALL the potential writing skills at once … you just need a starting point and you can build from there. He shares an intimate example of a tactic you can use, and then walks through suggestions on how you can use this in your own writing career … so you can make great money as a writer now and in the future. Then, join us tomorrow for our 2021 "State of the Industry" Virtual Summit … An afternoon that will have a MASSIVE impact on your copywriting and content writing career now and well into the future. We've invited some of the world's most successful digital marketing and copywriting experts … Superstars like Ann Handley, Mari Smith, Brian Clark, Ryan Deiss, Russ Henneberry, Jay Abraham, and others … To share their deep insights into where digital marketing is heading … and where the biggest opportunities are for copywriters NOW and into the coming years. If you want to know where the biggest growth in digital marketing will be … Where companies will be spending the most money on copywriting and marketing in 2021, 2022 and beyond … And which copy skills writers like you MUST have to compete and win … You DO NOT want to miss tomorrow's Summit!! [>> Go here now to register if you haven't yet.]( And I'll see you tomorrow! (I can't wait!!) [Rebecca Matter's Signature] Rebecca Matter President, AWAI P.S. Quick reminder: the doors to Circle of Success close tonight at midnight! With Circle of Success, you can say "Yes" to any writing projects … knowing you've got access to all the training and resources you'll ever need. We've added even more personal mentoring … more customized career planning … live, instructor-led learning programs … free Bootcamps … feedback on your writing … and unlimited access to our complete library of programs and resources. [>> Go here to check out the long list of benefits and all the details before it's too late.]( To Make Your Writing Life an Adventure, Just Say "Yes!" By Gordon Graham [Gordon Graham, Angie, and their two daughters at home] Gordon, Angie, and their two daughters at home during the coronavirus pandemic Midway into my first-ever date with the woman I was crazy about, everything was hanging by a thread. And then I said, "Yes!" at just the right moment. Angie and I had met at a writing conference, hit it off, and been emailing ever since. There were just a few complications: I was 17 years older, 46 to her 29. We were living in different cities five hours apart. And we were both in relationships with other people. After two heart-wrenching breakups, we were finally free to meet up for our first date. And she was telling me about herself. "I'm a mom. I know that about myself. I want a family," she declared. "So would you ever want to be a dad?" Gulp. How to answer that question? Because there was one problem: A few years prior, I'd had a vasectomy. The funny thing was, I always dreamed of having kids; I'd just never met anyone to do it with. And once I hit 45, I figured it would never happen, so I did what I thought was the responsible thing: I got snipped. Now here was a woman I'd fallen for who wanted children. I took a deep breath and said, "Yes. I'm ready to be a dad. But you know, I've always liked the idea of adopting …" I held my breath, looked into her eyes, and waited for her answer. Saying "Yes!" at times like that can feel crazy inside. It can look crazy to others. It can blast us far out of our comfort zone, into unknown lands where we can easily fall flat on our faces. But what else are we supposed to say when an opportunity comes our way? A few times when opportunity knocked for me I believe this can-do approach certainly applies to the writing life. Opportunity has knocked for me a few times. And even though I was a little scared, I often managed to say, "Yes!" For example, after I wrote a few articles for him, a publisher called to ask if I would take over editing his software newsletter. I said "Yes!" and did that happily for the next five years, meeting hundreds of tech industry movers and shakers. An editor at John Wiley in New York emailed to ask if I'd like to write a Dummies book about white papers. I had written a couple of books before, but never for a big-time publisher. I said, "Yes!" even though I was a new dad and the family's main breadwinner. For the next six months, I worked double-time: my regular work writing for clients, plus an extra shift at night on the next chapter of the book. But it was worth it. White Papers For Dummies has earned more than 50 five-star ratings on Amazon and brought me worldwide visibility in my niche. A product manager at Google phoned to ask if I'd like to write about interactive advertising. Even though I knew diddly-squat about that, I said, "Sure!" I crammed enough to get started, learned some new jargon, and went on to write about 20 projects for Google over the next few years. The point is, nobody is born knowing how to do anything. You had to learn how to do every single thing you do today. And you can learn how to do more tomorrow … especially when you say "Yes!" This will happen to you, I promise As you prospect for clients, one thing is bound to happen sooner or later. I promise: You will get a phone call or email from a prospect asking, "So can you write a … ?" Those three dots represent some other format you never dreamed you could write in a million years. Maybe a speech, a video script, or a white paper. Gulp. What now? I believe those three dots raise three doors right in front of you: - Door #1: Self-doubt - Door #2: Stall for time - Door #3: Just say "Yes!" In the next few moments, you have to pick one door to go through. Believe me, I've been through each door myself, and here are a few things I've learned. Door #1: Self-doubt When you go through this door, you quaver and quake and stammer out a fearful reply. "Well, no, I never … um, I'm not sure … I mean, I don't have any … that sounds really hard …" If you react this way, what's your prospect going to think? They're proposing to pay you to write something that's not on your price list. They're likely ready to show you some samples of that format they published in the past. They're asking for your help. Do you really want to dither and miss out on that opportunity? Do you want to force that prospect to keep looking for another writer — even though you're their first choice? Can you see how this approach can shrink your horizons, and limit your success? That's why I recommend keeping your self-doubts to yourself. We all have them; but we don't need to let them rule us. Instead, try Door #2. Door #2: Stall for time Even though your heart is hammering and your throat is dry, you somehow keep a poker face and a steady voice. When you go through this door, you play for time to get your fears under control. You do that by indulging your natural curiosity. You ask a few open-ended questions to get your client talking: - "Oh, that's interesting. Tell me more." - "What got you thinking about that?" - "How long were you thinking it should be?" - "Do you have a timeline? - "Have you published any of those before that you could send me?" - "Have you seen any of these from anyone else that you liked?" - "Do you have a budget in mind?" Your client will most likely start yakking a mile a minute. And you'll be off the hook. Temporarily. Until they circle back and ask you again, "So do you think you could write that?" If you're not yet totally composed, just hit them with another question. And then another. That's perfectly business-like. You're trying to discover the scope of the project before you make a commitment. So keep up your questions until you have a better idea what they're talking about, especially the project's length, deadline, and fee. And when you're feeling calm, I urge you to back up and go through Door #3. Door #3: Just say "Yes!" As soon as you're ready, just say "Yes!" with as much confidence as you can. And saying "Yes!" doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing, take-it-or-leave it deal. Remember when Angie asked me if I was ready to be a dad, and I said "Yes!" but asked her about adopting? You can temper your answer this way, with a qualification or reservation or alternate suggestion. You can answer something like this: - "Yes, I'd love to work on that with you! I'll just need to look at my other commitments to see when I could get started … Can I get back to you tomorrow?" - "Yes, I'd be happy to write that! Why don't you send me those examples you mentioned, and then we can get back together to firm up the timeline and budget?" - "Yes, I've written other things that sound a lot like that. What's the next step?" Believe me, if you get ready now to say "Yes!" when opportunity knocks, you'll end up with a far better, richer writing life. What to do when you get off the phone Of course, the instant you get off the phone after saying "Yes!" you will want to dive into some serious research on that new format. But how? You could spend hours googling, "How to write a …" The problem is, you don't know whether you'll turning up a proven expert with helpful advice, or somebody with an ax to grind or a hidden agenda to sell you something. And you'll have to wade through 10 million hits to find the nuggets of gold. Happily, AWAI offers a number of resources to help you out. (Here are some resources you can check out: [AWAI's Article Archive](, [Product Catalog](, [Wealthy Web Writer](, and [B2B Writing Success](.) And for the booming world of content marketing, there's a simple way to learn about many of the projects you will likely get asked about. I'm talking about the AWAI's [Crash Course in B2B Content](. I put together this program to give you a quick overview of the 12 most popular formats of content, from blog posts to white papers. The Crash Course won't turn you into an expert overnight. But in about one hour per format, it provides real-world examples, offers practical tips and advice, suggests a realistic range of fees, and points to some handpicked resources to teach you about each content type. After you say "Yes!" to writing some strange new format, you can spend one hour learning about it. Then you should have enough knowledge and confidence to have an informed follow-up discussion with a prospect. When not to say "Yes" Of course, there are times when you shouldn't say "Yes." That includes any proposition that doesn't suit your values, your budget, or your schedule. Values: For example, an executive from a casino in Atlantic City asked me to write a white paper to help them move "the casino experience" online. I said, "No, I don't believe in gambling — online or offline. I can't help you." Budget: If a prospect only has a budget of $2,000 for their white paper, I have to tell them their project is not a good fit for me. (Depending on where you are in your career, you need to decide what fits for you and your goals.) Schedule: And when I'm booked solid for the next three months, I can't very well say "Yes!" to another big job. So be confident, know your boundaries, but be honest. Saying "Yes!" doesn't mean stretching the truth. Don't tell a prospect you've written 35 chatbots if you barely know what the word means; that will not end well. Just convey that you're confident you can learn a new format, without telling any lies or exaggerating your experience. Whatever happened with my date? Well, it turned out Angie had thought of adopting as well. We both agreed there are a lot of children out there who need families to love them. So one thing led to another, and we've been together ever since. The age difference? One of my grandfathers was 20 years older than my grandmother, and they were as happy as clams. As one of our friends said, "Gordon is so immature anyway, that makes up for the difference!" Since I said, "Yes!" to Angie's question all those years ago, we've adopted two beautiful girls. I was 56 when we started our family and being an older dad has certainly kept me young. And saying "Yes!" makes our family and our writing lives an adventure, with lots of new challenges on the horizon. So the next time opportunity knocks for you, just say "Yes!" and trust yourself to handle whatever happens. Do you have any questions about getting started or expanding your services as a copywriter? [Share with us in the comments.]( Editorial Note: To say "Yes" to writing projects … knowing you've got access to all the training and resources you'll ever need … I'd encourage you to look into Circle of Success by midnight tonight while enrollment is still open … As a COS member, you'll build a personalized career plan with the help of a personal mentor, based on your experiences, interests, and goals. You'll also get personal feedback on your writing, enjoy free Bootcamps, and receive unlimited access to our complete library of programs and resources … And, you'll have mentoring and our lifelong support as you build the writer's life of your dreams. [Go here to check out the long list of benefits and all the details while enrollment is open.]( Just keep in mind … this is your LAST CHANCE. Once the clock strikes 12:01, the doors will officially close. [>> Go here now.]( --------------------------------------------------------------- AWAI's "State of the Industry" Summit Is TOMORROW! Are You Signed Up to Join Us?! If you're not registered, it's not too late to sign up for this FREE event. [Go here now.]( Starting tomorrow, March 26 at noon ET, we're rolling out the red carpet for 12 of digital marketing's TOP experts … And we've brought them all together for one reason: To talk about YOUR future as a writer. They'll share how the digital world is changing post-COVID … how businesses (your clients) are adapting to stay successful … And most importantly — what skills you need to know as a writer to be in high demand in 2021. When you walk out of this Virtual Summit? You'll already know more about the future of marketing and copywriting than all of your clients … and most professional marketers! It's the critical professional edge we want ALL AWAI writers to have this year. [So grab your free ticket here …]( Then make sure you mark your calendar and set a reminder on your phone … Because the "State of the Industry" Virtual Summit will go live at noon ET sharp tomorrow, Friday, March 26. And you're not going to want to miss a minute of it! See you there! --------------------------------------------------------------- The FASTEST and SUREST Path to Copywriter Success … Just Got Faster and Surer! 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