Last night in Tokyo, one of the participants of CareerThinking - my Japanese version of ATSuccess - wondered how to handle people who claimed she was too "pushy" on her Facebook page and in her flyers.

Guess what?

You are not "pushy." They are. About you.

A person who doesn't want what you are offering will feel you are "pushing them" every time you offer it. They resist. They push back. Of course - how could it be any other way? I will push back against anything I don't want.

Those complainers will not become your students: their reaction is their concern, not yours.

However, a person truly interested in what you offer will not feel pushed by you. Instead, you are welcomed into their confidence. They see you as a person who understands, who wants to help, and who seems confident they can. It's reassuring to them, not pushy.

Of course integrity means you deliver on your promises, sleaze means you don't. There's a big difference between being confident and enthusiastic, and being incongruent and dishonest. When a person is not interested in you, you become incongruent to them. They feel you are sleazy. They complain. What else is possible?

Check: is anything you wrote dishonest? Are you authentic? Do you believe in what you wrote? Then relax, continue to be enthusiastic about your work, and welcome those who connect with your messages, and forget about those who don't.

Good marketing is about disqualifying people too.

[NOTE: This second half of my blog is a paid area getting more practical about my general comments above with the other teachers and students in my ATSuccess group. You can join anytime to be part of our discussions.]

How To Write Your Sales Letter - Part Four

Over the last three posts, starting here, I have been describing the process of creating a sales letter. For those who wonder "What is a sales letter?" I recommend you read my blog post here. In that post, I am selling you on the sales letter. It is the core engine of your business, and the smartest thing you could ever do to boost your career.

Your Sales Letter Check List - Part One

Using what you have written, go through my check list and review your writing. Alternatively, use this as a guide to write your sales letter…

1. Do You Grab Their Attention? (Headline based on your USP)

This is as important as your entire sales letter - give it a lot of time and thought first. When people are not attracted to the premise within your headline, your entire sales letter is irrelevant so they will not read it. Spend time on this - your USP, benefit-based headline is designed to encapsulate your entire sales letter. Getting this totally clear gives your sales letter a strong spine.

For inspiration, check out this list of 100 top headlines with commentary by Jay Abraham. Look at these and ask if you could adapt any of them for your sales letter?

2. Get them Interested? (Expanding your USP)

Do you immediately let them know the benefits of your work? This is a two part process - accurately identifying their frustrations, then offering a proof-based response that details the benefits of your solution.

Think of the first part as offering empathy - don't you love it when people give that to you? When people say things like: "I understand how frustrated you feel, how difficult it is when people treat you that way."

It feels good to be heard, for others to recognise how hard it is for you, how difficult you are finding your situation. You can do this by identifying your own experiences first - they can live vicariously through you. Share authentically the stage in your life when you felt the same way. The reader's interest will increase based on the accuracy of your perception. This is the reason you drill down as deeply as you can go when deciding upon your avatar - focus increases accuracy.

Explain how your solution works. Go into detail - this part is educational. It is not selling, it is giving. Give them everything - your whole workshop. Everything you know. Give, give, give. Fascinate them with new techniques, original ideas and innovative solutions.

Get them interested!

3. Make them Believe (Supplying Proof)

Proof can be accomplished by a testimonial, a before/after photograph, a celebrity endorsement, a reputable study, a list of your appearances on TV/magazines, an anecdote from a session you gave, a story of personal redemption - anything that gives substance to your solution.

You want the reader to start thinking "Hey, maybe this is for real? This could actually help me!" this can be a separate section, but you should also integrate it with the description of your solution. Never make a claim without some sort of proof immediately following it.

4. Get Them To See Differently (Opening up their perspective)

Go through all the other ways they (you) have tried to get better in the past. Explain why each method failed. Make sure you use both logic (e.g. why exercising a muscle won't change it use) and emotion (e.g. how frustrating it is to work hard with no positive result).

Additionally, guide them to recognise benefits in new places they hadn't imagined possible. For example, they may be focusing on their yoga poses, but start talking about what they are doing when they are not in Yoga, how many of their same problems appear elsewhere? Or that a musician's way of relating to his music is reflected in the way he relates to the audience, or spouse. Or that a dancer's obstacles actually formed during their day job.

This is easy for Alexander Technique teachers - you can naturally help readers move towards holistic thinking about their problems, and it will be exciting for them to conceive of this.

This first part is all about your service.

Now you need to deal with your product: price, location, times, length, size, special offer etc.

NEXT: How to Move A Person From Anxiously Eager To Sold On You

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