Don’t get hung-up on minutia

Recently I received several emails concerning commas, periods, and other grammatical issues.

I thought I’d address these issues once again and I hope you get the bigger point here.

For two years I sent three sequenced letters to previous customers.  The goal was to get more business.  I did.

Every six months I’d send the same three letters two weeks a part and would get a response in the upper 20% and a conversion in the low 20%.

Each time I’d send the letter several customers would call me and tell me I had an incorrectly spelled word in one of the subheads.

Finally, I’m not sure why exactly, I corrected the misspelled word in the subhead.

Immediately after sending out my three sequenced letters I had a drop in response and conversion (remember it is the conversion number that matters most..responses are great but it is conversions—money you get that matters most).

The next time I mailed (six months later) the response declined again.

It was sheer luck when I went back to check the letter from a previous (I just happened to have the previous letter with the incorrectly spelled word) that I noticed and remembered the misspelled word in the subhead.

You guessed it!

I put the misspelled word back into the sales letter and my responses immediately went up to the upper 20% and conversions the low 20%.

If you’re wondering why I mention this story it has to do with confusing the message with perfect English.

If I wanted perfect English I’d submit all my articles to a former English teacher for grammar review.

This lesson can be carried over to speeches.  Do you find yourself watching the delivery or the clothes worn more than the speech?

Are you side tracked by grammar, or punctuation, or spelling?

If you are, get over it!

We speak English improperly.  The lesson is to get the MESSAGE and don’t worry about the spelling or delivery or anything else.

My simple follow-up letters always get a phone call or two about the misspelled word in the subhead.  Those prospects purchase.

Do you think I care if the word is misspelled?

I’d much rather misspell a word and make more money than to spell it perfectly and make less money.

There’s another lesson here for you.

If you’re sending out a newsletter or regular correspondence don’t get stuck on making it perfect.  Especially if you delay sending it out until it is perfect.

Just get it done and get it out!

The world is full of perfectionists who don’t make any money.

Something is better than nothing.

My final lesson for today is to understand what the messenger is trying to say and to get over YOUR little hang-ups.

These hang-ups translate into you not making money because you’re stuck on misspelled words (incorrectly pronounced words), grammar (pronunciation), good looking clothes/out of style clothes that keep you from learning and ultimately making money selling pre-arrangements.

For your sales letters and newsletters, Madison Avenue looks are out.  If you are attending conferences get over what he/she’s wearing (it doesn’t matter) but see if you can get the message.  Everyone has some little or big point that you can take with you.  Find the point, get the main idea! 

Finally, concerning your correspondence sent to prospects/customers.  People appreciate it more when it looks like you did it (sales letters, correspondence, newsletters, notes).  In other words; imperfection is ok.

But no matter what get something out because something is better than nothing no matter how pretty, or ugly, or grammatically correct it is.

Happy Selling!

David…