It used to be that everyone wanted to be a writer, but only a few people got “lucky”.

 

And I’m not just talking about writing novels (I’ve never really wanted to write a novel, myself, even though I’ve loved writing since I before I even knew how to write).

 

I’m talking about writing articles, short stories, press releases, emails, letters, anything.

 

But here’s the deal, my friend.

 

Whether you want to write or not…you have to get really good at it.

 

It’s 2014 now, and writing? It’s like, the most important skill you could have in online business because it’s how you connect with your clients + customers.

 

Being a great writer has almost nothing to do with passing the AP English exam or even getting a degree in English.

 

Being a successful business owner and writer means understanding HUMAN BEINGS.

 

Do you or don’t you want to get more people to read your blog posts?

 

Do you or don’t you want to become the next big wig in your industry?

 

Do you or don’t you want to convert more readers into clients?

 

Dear god, I hope you answered YES to those questions.

 

The truth is…

 

In order to become a successful online business, YOU HAVE TO BE OBSESSED WITH HUMAN BEINGS.

 

You have wonder why we do what we do…

 

Why we make the choices we make…

 

Why we seem to act in competition with our own best interests…

 

If you don’t care about human psychology, you should go get a number crunching or data entry job. You can’t be an entrepreneur. I’m sorry. So long!

 

If you are fascinated with human psychology, I want to share with you a few psychological tricks that will help you to connect faster and more authentically with your peeps.

 

 

#1 – PEOPLE LOVE TO DO WHAT EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING.

 

This is why social proof and hype are big sellers.

 

Testimonials? They’re worth their weight in diamonds. (Tweet that).

 

This is especially important in online business because there’s so much noise.

 

Personally? I don’t care how awesome your business is. I’m probably not even going to look at your website until someone else who I trust tells me that it’s good.

 

Authority figures have an especially powerful influence. Just being associated with an authority figure (even outside of your industry) can have a powerful influence on your audience.

 

How to use this to your advantage:

 

• Take testimonials seriously.

• Update Facebook statuses of your business with testimonials for your products + services.

• Collect any and every compliment you’ve ever received (you can see my “Tweetstimonials” in the right column of this page!)

• Spend 10 minutes brainstorming everyone you’ve ever worked with. Ask them to write testimonials for you.

 

 

#2 – PEOPLE NEED A REASON TO ACT NOW.

 

Again, there’s a lot of noise online and in offline life.

 

If you want me to buy something from you? GIVE ME A DAMN GOOD REASON TO DO IT RIGHT NOW.

 

Last year, I launched my book, From Amateur to Professional at a 90% discount.

 

This was less of a money-making venture than it was a marketing tool. I sold well over 100 copies of the book in 24 hours with a list of 500 people. That’s a 20% conversion rate (most conversion rates are less than 1%)!

 

Another great example of this is Black Friday in the U.S. or Boxing Day in Canada.

 

I don’t even like shopping, but I needed snow boots and you better bet that I made the treck to the store to buy them at 40% off on Boxing Day!

 

Here are my awesomesauce snow boots (which are totally necessary here in Montreal!!!):

How to use this to your advantage:

• Tell your prospects why they need to purchase now instead of later.

• Will there be a price increase?

• Is there a limited availability? (Only use this if it’s true. Don’t be a sleaze bag!)

 

 

 

#3 – PEOPLE ARE GOD DAMN SICK OF SEEING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN. BE MORE LIKE RON BURGUNDY.

 

Everyone wants to be cool. And lighten up. And be happy.

 

Before the movie Anchorman 2 came out, Dodge had the genius idea of having “Ron Burgundy” appear in their commercials.

 

Can you think of a more hilarious, light, happy character who makes you forget about the seriousness of life and have some friggin FUN?!

 

Guess what? Sales for Dodge increased by 59%!

 

(Data is according to Chrysler Group Data).

 

People think Ron Burgundy is cool (because he totally is). They want to be more like Ron Burgundy. Ron Burgundy is in a Dodge commercial. Hence, they get a Dodge.

 

The lesson here? LIGHTEN UP.

 

People’s brains tend to skip over information that looks familiar. It’s a way of being more efficient.

 

YOU DON’T WANT PEOPLE TO SKIP OVER YOUR WEBSITE. YOU WANT THEM TO LOOK AT IT.

 

How to use this to your advantage:

 

• Be more like Ron Burgundy. Don’t be afraid of cracking a joke or doing things differently than your competitors. (Tweet that!)

• You don’t have to write stuffy sales copy or create an About Page just like everyone else’s.

• In fact, do whatever you can to NOT be like everyone else.

• When you stand out, you eliminate the competition. You become the Ron Burgundy of your industry. You win.

 

 

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