- March 20, 2019 -
I am probably up there with the most grammar and spelling challenged persons on the planet.
But I can still appreciate these woops from brand names - see if you can spot 'em:
H&M Spelling Oops...not too "smart."
Miller makes a billboard-sized spelling blunder.
McDonalds...awkward.
Turns out that Coke makes four times fewer writing mistakes than Pepsi in its posts on LinkedIn. And General Motors makes two-and-a-half more writing mistakes than Ford.
And it turns out that being a perfectionist in grammar and syntax doesn’t amount to much more than a hill of beans when it comes to sales and making money.
Before any of you grammar police drag me away, hold on.
Not being a whiz at spelling has never held me back from making a killing in any business I’ve owned...at the same time, no business owner wants to appear stupid and unprofessional. (How's that for a double negative?)
I've got staff who can proofread and fix my typos. No sweat.
When I was managing clients' Google Adwords accounts, I really enjoyed writing ad headlines that got to the heart of what people were searching for.
With practice, I got pretty darn good if I say so.
But there's more at stake:
...you need email subject lines that will get readers to open the email
...email body copy that keeps them reading
...and call-to-actions that result in clicks
And don't forget these:
...blog posts and website copy that make people stop and think, “That sounds just like me. They get it! They understand my pain. I need what they’re offering – and I want in now!”
...and someone who, when prospects pick up the phone to connect with you, knows how to make the perfect sales pitch every time.
See, when you can get people to take out their credit card – the rest takes care of itself. You can hire people to do tasks that can be systematized and easily taught…leaving you to focus on the only business skill worth focusing on.
The only business skill worth mastering.
Selling.
You might think you’re in the restaurant business or the plumbing business or the dentistry business or the financial planning business. You’re not – you’re in the marketing business.
Bear with me a minute while I go off on a minor rabbit trail…
If you really want to help your high school aged kids, encourage (even push) them to spend a summer working a job selling paint in the local Home Depot, hawking encyclopedias door to door, or offering lawn care or window washing services to neighbors.
I put myself through college with a small painting business I created. Every summer and break for four years Artie and his teams drummed up jobs and earned good money while my buddies took it easy.
I guarantee spending a summer or two in the trenches selling anything will be more valuable than some of the courses they’ll be required to take in the course of their education.
My challenge to you is this: Take stock in what you’re spending your time and energy doing. If it’s anything but marketing your business and creating more sales, you’re off the mark.
Anything else is just a distraction and a time/money suck.
I'll go out on a limb and guess that if your business is earning at least $500,000/year…at some point you worked in direct sales.
Hell, you may have even had your own lemonade stand as a kid 🙂
No go sell something!
