How to Get Nothing Done — Copywriters Beware!
Let’s say you’re writing a sales letter…
It may take you 40 hours to get it 90% as good as you can get it. It may take another 40 hours to conquer that final 10%. The closer a project comes to reaching “perfect” the longer each incremental improvement takes.
If your client’s mailing the letter to 4.5 million prospects each month and writing you a $15,000 advance (plus a royalty)… go for it!
If it’s only going to see 500 visitors a day online… 90% might be good enough for now.
I’ve learned that my “best” today will be my “mediocre” tomorrow.
But you can’t wait until tomorrow to get what needs to be done today.
The video I did for you on Friday ranked far from perfect.
Other than a few minor suggestions… people loved it. (Thank you, if you emailed or posted comments.)
I’m not paying for a $1 million television spot. I started small and didn’t expect too much of myself.
It got the job done.
Colin’s e-column last week left out perfectionism as one of the worse reasons “academics” often fail as entrepreneurs.
Fortunately, I spent most my high school education in dramatic arts and English classes, graduated a year early, and never went to college. Otherwise…
…I may have gone to endless lengths to make that video “perfect.” I would have lost sleep, wore my 21-month old son out (or he me) and did endless retakes until my camerawomen threatened divorce. Only to…
…never use the video because it would never have been good enough until Steven Spielberg agreed to produce it for me.
P.S. If you missed the first episode of REALITYcopywriting TV head over to…
http://realitycopywriting.com/?p=355
P.P.S. If you didn’t read Colin’s e-column, “Think and Grow Poor:How to Become a Starving (Yet “Brilliant”) Copywriter,” click on this link…
http://realitycopywriting.com/?p=351
P.P.P.S. If you’re new to REALITYcopywriting.com please enter your name and email in the box on the upper right (or subscribe to our RSS Feed) to receive notification of all new e-columns.
P.P.P.P.S. (How many more “P’s” can we add?) What did you think about today’s e-column? Do you suffer from perfectionism? Leave your thoughts in the comment box below…
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