Fwd: Mentoring Guidelines For New Directors

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Steven Bowman | Conscious Governance <steven@consciousgovernance.com>
Date: Wed, Jul 29, 2020 at 6:01 PM
Subject: Mentoring Guidelines For New Directors
To: <stevescott@techacq.com>

Professional Update Mentoring Guidelines For New Directors   In a recent survey we did with Directors, one of the key elements that was highlighted as an indicator of a high performing Board, was the presence of a mandatory mentoring system for new Board members (read our article 'Getting New Directors To Where They Need To Be' here). If this is something you believe your new Board members would welcome, then here are some guidelines we have found useful when designing mentoring programs for new Board members. Purpose The purpose of your mentor program should be to: Supplement information presented in the formal orientation or induction program. Answer questions a new Board member may have before or after meetings or orientation/induction sessions. Facilitate getting to know other Board members, senior management and stakeholders. Assigning a Mentor The Chair, the Governance Committee, or the whole Board should be given the task of assigning suitable experienced Directors as mentors to incoming new Board members. Some people are natural mentors, some are not. Mentor's Guide Communication: The mentor and Board member may want to communicate accordingly: during and after the new Board member's orientation; after Board and Committee meetings; sitting together during meetings; regularly scheduled breakfast and/or lunch meetings. Information: The mentor and new Board member may want to address the following: new Board member's questions regarding how the Board works, about individuals or about Board actions; any problems with the new Board member's conduct that do not meet Board expectations; goals and major areas of interest as a new Board member; new Board member's satisfaction with the orientation as well as their ability to participate at Board and Committee meetings. (continue reading below...)       Two programs to help get your new Directors to where they need to be:   1. How To Use Your VIsion Statement for Innovation (usually $95) Your Vision statement is more than a catch-phrase; it's a call to arms. Learn how to forge an inspiring Vision statement before using it as a springboard for innovation. 2 Video Modules | 2 PDF downloads   2. Directors' Compendium (usually $25) A curated selection of the most critical articles that all Directors should read on governance, strategy, risk management and leadership. Challenge your understanding of these concepts through case studies, articles and research designed to be easily consumed over an extended period of time.   Both programs now $72 See here for more info     Process for Mentors 1. Set the Ground Rules This is often the first time someone has been mentored, so it is most useful to set the ground rules and expectations. Answer any questions they may have about the mentoring process. Point out what you expect of them (e.g. ask questions on history, culture of Board, process, personalities and/or performance). Explain what you are prepared to do for them: coach in personal style of asking questions or interacting with Directors/staff, explain nuances and background, assist in developing strategies for adding even more value to the Board etc. 2. Ask about their preferences Ask the mentee what their priorities are in meeting with you. Which aspects of their Board membership do they want to know about most? What areas are they hoping to improve in? 3. Set A Contact Schedule How often will you and your new Board member meet in person? Will you be available as well for phone or email/text consults anytime during the workday and evening, or only in specific timeslots on certain days? 4. Listen, Question, Summarise Listen to what the new Board member has to say, and add value to their awareness by providing missing information, or asking them questions so they gain a greater insight. Query them on their point of view. They bring insights and perspectives which you may not yet appreciate. 5. Be Accountable To Each Other If you promise to look into an issue or provide a resource to the new Board member, do so according to the terms of your commitment. By the same token expect them to meet their commitment to you. Please, comment on your experiences, write in to me, tell me what has worked, what hasn't worked, what you have done to make your Board Induction process even more impactful. I may even write a follow up article outlining what you have told me, so others may benefit.   With best wishes,     Steven Bowman Managing Director     Conscious Governance 17 Gordon Grove Malvern VIC 3144 steven@consciousgovernance.com     This email was sent to stevescott@techacq.com You received this email because you are registered with Conscious Governance   Unsubscribe here     © 2020 Conscious Governance

Fwd: 6 emails you can get paid to write

These fun copy projects are short and pay big fees

July 29, 2020 Yes, You CAN Make Money Writing Emails By Jen Phillips April Have you already checked your email today? If you're like most people, your answer is "yes." In fact, marketing software company HubSpot says 99% of consumers check their email every day, with more than 50% checking it more than 10 times a day. And businesspeople are obligated to open their emails — it's part of their job. It's no wonder the statistics are so high. Email is where you communicate with clients and potential clients, family members, friends, and receive confirmations of purchases. You might also get digests of industry information, online magazines, newsletters, and more. There's a lot that happens in email inboxes. And since it's a direct connection to you, the buyer, marketers love it. Consider this, as a marketing channel, email outperforms social media by almost 38%! And the DMA found that for every $1 spent on email, businesses average $38 in return. Think about how many times a week, you use your email to sign up for something or sign into an account. What about downloading a free report? Placing an order? It's probably a lot, right? And if you download something or place an order, you receive a confirmation email. Sometimes you receive follow-up emails about other items or events. In total, 293.6 billion emails got sent and received every day in 2019, according to Statista. Now, that number is growing. All those emails don't write themselves! Imagine this, I had a new client ask me to write two emails for a July 4th promotion. One email was benefit-driven and other was discount-driven. They wanted to test the two offers. Neither email was long. In fact, one was only about 150 words. After I submitted those, they asked me to write another one and a welcome sequence. Marketers always need more than one email! Each of those emails required short, easy-to-read copy. And since I've been at this awhile, they only took me about an hour to write. In case you're wondering why they don't write them in-house, it's because they're busy. The marketing team is juggling multiple demands and a frequently changing schedule. They're doing a lot of project management tasks which don't lend themselves to quiet time to write. As a result, many businesses outsource email writing. It frees up their in-house staff to work on other projects. They can come up with the email campaigns, contract it out, and move on. And in case you're wondering if you need to design the graphics too, the answer is no. Companies are used to working with separate graphic designers. I only supply the words, leaving the design and tech elements to someone else. Besides the demand for email writers, another good thing is the pay. It's not uncommon to receive $100, $300, $500, or more depending on how close it is to the sale and your experience. Imagine, spending an hour or two writing a short email message and getting paid $100 or more. I think you'll agree that's good money. Especially for something you can learn in a short time. If you're interested in writing short-form copy, this is a great opportunity because literally every type of business needs email that can get results. Let's look at the different types of emails being sent out. 6 Types of Email Projects Obviously, all email projects aren't the same. I've written very transactional based emails, educational-focused emails, and webinar sign-up and reminder emails. However, what they all have in common is the shared goal of encouraging an action from the reader. Whether it's signing up for something, buying something, or simply clicking through, every email has a purpose. Product launches — The purpose of these emails is to introduce a new product. As a result, there are usually 5 or even 20 or more emails, depending on the other components. For example, if you signed up for a free report, then you'll receive an email with a link to the report. This is often followed by a sequence that shares the benefits of the product and hints at its coming availability. Offers — Even if you're not much of a shopper, you're bound to have a few of these in your inbox because retailers send them out all the time. These are the 20% off emails and other discount offerings. Both B2C and B2B use these. Welcome Sequence — These are the emails you receive when you sign up for a new online product or subscription. A welcome email walks you through what to expect and any relevant links for downloading things. If it's a subscription to a newsletter, it will let you know things like how often you can expect it and other relevant information. An onboarding sequence will welcome you and strengthen the new relationship. Upsells — If you signed up for the free version an app for example, and then received an email letting you know all the benefits of the premium paid version, that's an upsell email. Cart Abandonment — If you've ever put stuff in an e-commerce cart and then not completed the transaction, that's cart abandonment. Whether you had second thoughts on the item, were confused by the checkout process, or got distracted by something else, you didn't complete the purchase. E-commerce statistics say retailers lose out on $18 billion a year due to cart abandonment. That's a significant loss. If you're retailer, wouldn't you want to try sending a follow-up email see if your prospect is still interested so you can save that sale? Follow Up — In the Business-to-Business world where businesses sell to other businesses, there is usually a long sales cycle. For example, a committee will choose a new software for a university rather than one person. Which means, there are likely to be webinars, white papers, and other types of educational material created for those committee members. Each time an educational content piece is used, emails are needed. For another example, if a company hosts a webinar, they'll send out emails inviting people to the webinar. Then they'll send follow-up emails with a link to the replay and there may be more emails for a demonstration or other opportunity. One webinar can require 3-10 emails. There's a need for email writers in both B2B and B2C. The types of language and graphics used will be different, but there are versions of all of these across industries. One of my favorite things about writing emails is that since they're short, you can even write them on your phone. After all, that's how at least 50% of emails are read, so I figured I'd give it a try. I sat by the pool and brainstormed subject lines and benefits right on my phone. Not a bad way to "work!" Choose Your Email Writing Path Now that you have an idea of how fun and lucrative email writing can be, you probably want to know how you can get started. What types of businesses do you think you'd like to write for? Are you excited by consumer-based products like travel, health and beauty, or sport fishing? These are each in-demand niches! Or does the sound of working with B2B companies in the tech, training, or financial arenas sound more appealing? Whatever your interests, there are companies who need results-oriented email writers. Watch this free webinar to find out more about the opportunity and decide which path is right for you: Today's Unexpected Opportunities for Email Writers. Are you ready to get started with writing email messages? If you have any questions, please let us know in the comments. Last Chance to Join Barefoot Writer Club for 67% Off Tonight is your last chance to save 67% on a full year of Barefoot Writer Club. When you join, you'll gain immediate access to hundreds of how-to videos, webinars, interviews, a members-only Facebook page, and more … Along with your "Smart Start" guide, which shows you exactly how to start getting paid to write with: The secret formula for writing letters that can make you six-figures a year … Get everything you need to start before this deal goes away. Trouble viewing this email? View in your browser, here. For questions or requests: contact us online. ©2020 American Writers & Artists Institute Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? Simply direct them here. American Writers & Artists Institute 101 SE 6th Avenue, Suite A Delray Beach, FL 33483 (561) 278-5557 or (866) 879-2924 Ensure your subscription delivery. AWAI Whitelisting info available here. You are subscribed to this newsletter as stevescott@techacq.com. To unsubscribe from any future issues of The Writer's Life, please click here: Unsubscribe from The Writer's Life. To unsubscribe from all AWAI broadcasts click here. I want to permanently unsubscribe from all AWAI emails.

Fwd: If I were starting over as a writer...

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: AWAI <thewriterslife@awaionline.com>
Date: Mon, Jul 27, 2020 at 5:03 AM
Subject: If I were starting over as a writer...
To: <stevescott@techacq.com>

Here's what I would do…

July 27, 2020 Hi Steve, The writing world looks very different from when I joined AWAI over 15 years ago … Heck, it looks different from a year ago! It's always evolving, and fortunately for us — GROWING! There are more and more opportunities every single day. But, what's the best way to get started? I recently asked AWAI Success Guillermo Rubio (or G, as we call him) about the beginning of his copywriting journey, and if he could go back, would he do anything differently … And today, he shares his response, and gives five good reasons you should choose one writing specialty for a jump-start to well-paid writing. Guillermo says there's a big opportunity right now for writers trained in this specialty … and a lot of money to be made. To your success, Rebecca Matter President, AWAI If I Had to Start Over as a Writer … Here's What I Would Do By Guillermo Rubio Lately, I've had the privilege of coaching a few writers on their projects. And it got me thinking about my career trajectory. You see, I started my career focusing on writing long-form sales letters. You know, those 8-24+ page "mini novellas" that persuade someone to take action. I learned how to write persuasively and the structure of a sales letter through The Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting. I spent countless hours writing out promos by hand. I studied dozens of controls. And I read all the classic copywriting books. Doing those things served me well and helped me make a great living as a writer. And if your goal is to become a top direct-response copywriter, those are things that will definitely help get you there. However, if I had to start over … I'd do it differently. Instead of focusing on long-form sales letters first, I'd spend my time getting as good as possible at writing emails. Here are five good reasons why: 1. Email writing is a skill that can be learned quickly. It took me a good chunk of time to get to the point where I could write a decent sales letter, from start to finish. But an email is just a few hundred words. It doesn't require weeks of research. No having to spend days mulling over possible Big Ideas or anything like that. You just write an email as if you were making a recommendation to a friend to try a new restaurant or watch a movie that came out. 2. Email writing pays VERY well. In some ways, email writing pays just as well as writing sales letters. The main reason is that in the time it takes me to write an entire sales letter and get paid my fee, I can write 10-20 emails in half the time, and I'd get paid the same. And the pay for a single email can be anywhere from $100-$350 … though there are writers who charge up to $1,000 for a single email. Plus, because companies have a HUGE and ongoing need for emails, oftentimes they'll just pay you a monthly retainer fee to write emails for them. These can be anywhere from $2,000 to around $5,000 (sometimes more if you're very good). Now, there is one benefit sales letters can offer that emails don't. And that's royalties. Getting any kind of royalty deal with emails is rare. But it's a small trade off, in exchange for getting work done faster, getting paid sooner, and making as much as you would writing a single sales letter. 3. Practically EVERY business in the world sends emails. This is another biggie. In the direct-response world, there are only so many large direct-response companies that hire writers to write long-form sales letters. And typically, the highest-paying clients are in only one of three markets — Health, Financial, or Business Opportunity (Biz Op). What if you don't want to write about any of those topics? Email has you covered. Because with email, the world is your oyster. Every serious business in practically every niche imaginable is sending out emails to welcome new customers … launch new products or services … maintain a relationship … and more. That means you can write about whatever your heart desires — whether it's cats, music, gardening, golf, bowling, wrestling, chess, self-help, and more. Best of all, you can do it while still making a solid six-figure income. 4. Email writing makes you a better writer. After having written hundreds or probably even thousands of emails (I never kept track), I've found that the process of sitting down to write an effective email or email campaign has made me a better writer. The main reason why is that email forces you to improve your thinking and be concise. A subject line is only around 40-60 characters (basically half of a typical Twitter "tweet"). The email body copy is normally 250-500 words. So in that short space, you've got to: > Get someone's attention > Get them interested in what you have to say > Get them to click on a link in the email It really forces you to eschew what doesn't work and really streamlines your writing down to the critical "essentials" of persuasion. This eventually transfers over into your other writing, whether it's writing long-form sales letters, landing pages, ads, etc. 5. Email makes it easy to land clients. This is another big reason why I would focus on email writing first, if I had to start over. With email, it's far easier to get your foot in the door with a client. Main reason? Email is a low-risk way for a company to "test" a writer out. It's kind of like going on a coffee date before deciding to tie the knot. Clients really don't have much to lose to hire you to write a couple of emails for them. And if you do a good job, then that can quickly (and easily) lead to more work and bigger projects LIKE sales letters, landing pages, and more. This is in stark contrast to an unproven writer trying to land a client to write a long-form sales letter. In that case, you better make darn sure your sales letter knocks it out of the park on the first try. If not, it's not likely the client will want to make the investment a second time to see if you can do better. Email is far more forgiving and gives you many more chances "at bat." That's basically why I'd learn to write emails as fast as I could if I was starting over as a brand-new writer. It would allow me to get "in" with a client quickly and get paid while I learned to write sales letters (which I still enjoy doing). If you have any questions about writing emails, please let me know in the comments. Editorial Note: If you want to learn more about writing email messages that deliver great results for your clients, this is your chance to become a certified email writer. The Implications Of This Are Staggering! Mark your calendar … Because on Thursday, August 6, 2020, your writing life will never be the same. That's because a "hush-hush" project funded by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has created a remarkable writing opportunity — especially for new writers. I know, it sounds like it's straight out of a spy novel. But it's real. Go here for the full scoop. You've never been invited to a club like this one … Thanks to this $2.3 trillion "underground" economy, members can work in their bedrooms, in coffee shops, by the pool, or even while traveling the world. They seldom work for more than a few hours at a time. And they get paid up to hundreds of dollars an hour to write about subjects they love. In many ways, it's as if they've retired early. Click here for your personal invitation … Trouble viewing this email? View in your browser, here. For questions or requests: contact us online. ©2020 American Writers & Artists Institute Do you know of someone who would benefit from reading The Writer's Life? Simply direct them here. American Writers & Artists Institute 101 SE 6th Avenue, Suite A Delray Beach, FL 33483 (561) 278-5557 or (866) 879-2924 Ensure your subscription delivery. AWAI Whitelisting info available here. You are subscribed to this newsletter as stevescott@techacq.com. To unsubscribe from any future issues of The Writer's Life, please click here: Unsubscribe from The Writer's Life. To unsubscribe from all AWAI broadcasts click here. I want to permanently unsubscribe from all AWAI emails.

Fwd: How to close any deal - 3 things that actually work

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Oren Klaff <oren@pitchanything.com>
Date: Wed, Jul 22, 2020 at 9:07 AM
Subject: How to close any deal - 3 things that actually work
To: <stevescott@techacq.com>

... 'the only three things you need to know."

From the author of Pitch Anything & Flip the Script

Take a quick look at this chart:

Print this and tape it to your laptop, to your daily planner ... tape it to your arm. Why so important? When you go to a meeting to "present your ideas" or sell something ... there are ONLY 3 possible states your audience can be in: 1. Anxiety .... from information overload 2. Boredom .... because they have seen this information before 3. CURIOSITY .... when you're providing the right information in the correct order, with the perfect amount of detail. IF YOU CAN CREATE CURIOSITY - YOU CAN CLOSE ANY DEAL. ... I didn't say close "some deals" .... but any deal. You already know this, because, Curiosity makes you do things you should not. Ever try to look inside a sealed envelope? Flip briefly through your spouse's messages? Listen in on an argument while pretending you're not looking? That's the raw power of Curiosity pulling you in, instantly changing your norms of behavior. It works in Business the exact same way. ... Put yourself in front of any kind of buyer, and Curiosity is the most powerful tool you have to sell products, close deals ... find investors. In some cases, - - it's the ONLY thing that works eg. Cold email Competitive bids - "You have 3-Minutes" pitch situations

CURIOSITY WORKS WHEN YOU ARE ABLE TO CREATE A SMALL BUT IMPORTANT 'INFORMATION GAP." You give someone a little information about a situation. But not enough to "solve the puzzle." They need the other information you have to complete the picture. For example, look at this pitchdeck I wrote for a movie studio. Every page created massive curiosity. Once I put this in your hands ... you HAD to read it.

The result? Over $100 million.

How do you use the Psychological Element of CURIOSITY in your business to - .... Pitch. ....... Sell. .............and Close. First, it's critical to understand WHAT Curiosity does: It holds people in this PERFECT little spot that exists between being bored, and the feeling of "too much information." As long as you can hold someone in this "spot", you can own their attention for much longer than any of your competitors. More than enough time to pitch, sell & close any deal.

Here's a quick cheatsheet and checklist to always keep yourself in the Zone of Curiosity ...

1. DON'T TALK ABOUT YOURSELF OR YOUR COMPANY OR YOUR PRODUCT UNTIL YOU ARE 70% FINISHED WITH THE PRESENTATION. What? Oren have you absolutely gone crazy? No, just keep reading ....

2. INSTEAD OF TALKING ABOUT "YOURSELF",TALK ABOUT THEIR SPECIFIC PROBLEM.

3. ... AND THEN HOW YOU ARE AN EXPERT IN THAT PROBLEM.

4. AND SHOW HOW FAMILIAR YOU ARE WITH THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF SOLUTIONS THAT SOLVE THEIR PROBLEM. THE ENTIRE TIME YOU ARE DOING THIS, THEY ARE BUILDING CURIOSITY ABOUT WHAT YOU OFFER.

5. THEN ....FINALLY, WHEN YOU'RE ABOUT 70% DONE ... INTRODUCE YOUR SOLUTION (AND THE VALUE YOU OFFER.)

In an ideal world, you wouldn't need to program your pitch this way. Buyers would respect your expertise, and be interested immediately in your products, features and benefits. But sadly, they are not interested. We do not live in an ideal world. To succeed in business today .. ... to make deals ..... and generate revenue: My experiences in every type of pitch situation say ... CREATE CURIOSITY. Last few weeks, I've been talking about "The Setup" and later I'll discuss "The Close" but for this week, we need to focus on one thing:

WAIT ... Does this kind of thing work in the 'real world'?

I get this question all the time. "Hey Oren, You're a nice guy but ... you cherry pick deals like Movies, Aviation, Real Estate ... and it's all stuff that sells itself. This won't work for me." Oh yeah, I get all the "easy deals" like - Brain Aneurism Coils - API software for data integration - High-speed routing software with AI blah blah blah So "NO", I do not have it easy. THAT'S WHY I spend hundreds of thousands of dollars researching these tools and making sure they work in the real world - for one reason only: Close important deals, Make money. Want to take advantage of my skills in this? Let me train you on this so you know how to CREATE CURIOSITY and close the deals that are most important to you.

IN ONE HOUR OF TRAINING I'LL SHOW YOU ALL THE FORMULAS:

JOIN ME ON FRIDAY AUGUST 7th AT 12PM PST

I'm giving a rare Livecast event called "CREATE CURIOSITY" which includes lots of examples and instruction on THE SETUP CREATE CURIOSITY THE REVEAL (and Close) This one-hour I will show you the CREATE CURIOSITY formulas step-by-step with many examples and turn you into an advanced dealmaker. To get into THE SETUP Livecast Event... you have to join Pitch Mastery here.

> Join Pitch Mastery to access "CREATE CURIOSITY" Livecast

Here's how it works: You can get access to this event, CREATE CURIOSITY, only from inside Pitch Mastery. Are you doing this? It's going to change everything you do. JOIN PITCH MASTERY HERE- so you can join me on 8-7-2020 for CREATE CURIOSITY Oren

PITCH MASTERY MEMBERSHIP and full access to August 7th"CREATE CURIOSITY"

... ...

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