John Carlton - Copywriting Sweatshop 2

Oh, the horror those dreaded 3 words can instill in even the most stout-hearted marketer. They literally can send your entire world crumbling. And I'm gonna reveal those terrible 3 words in a second here.

But first… here are words that do NOT qualify as "worst":

Not Worst #1: "Suzy from accounting embezzled all the money. You're broke."

Not Worst #2: "There's something wrong with the product."

Not Worst #3: "The Website's down."

Disasters, sure. But not even close to the worst thing you can hear.

As horrible as those examples are, savvy marketers know they can all be fixed. Yes, they can. It's been a primary part of my job for 20 years to help business owners fix exactly those kinds of problems.

No. The worst, most nightmarish words you can hear as a business owner or entrepreneur, are:

"The copy failed."

Actually, the entire statement is: "The copy failed… and no one knows what to do about it."

It's the most common reason businesses go bye-bye. Because the copy failed.

Many of the most famous and wealthiest marketers call me (sometimes in a near-panic, late at night) because of this exact problem.

Their copy sucks, or bombed, or the copywriter flaked out… and they're now NAKED in the marketplace.

Because no one in their operation knows what to do now.

All projects are on hold. Nothing is getting sold. Income stops cold.

The wolves begin to circle.

They call me, sometimes desperate for help. Because their entire operation is stalled, chugging in place, worthless without copy that works.

And if they don't know what to do… don't know how to fix their own copy problems… they are dead in the water. Until someone comes along to help.

Until, specifically, someone who understands copy comes along.

This is why I hosted a "Copywriting Sweatshop" last Fall. It was a 2-day hard-core teaching event, where I literally dragged entrepreneurs and small biz owners – kicking and screaming – from the frigid Land of Cluelessness and Vulnerability… into the sunshine and success of finally "knowing exactly what to do with your copy".

Who came to this event?

People with Websites that weren't working. With ads that rambled, bored readers, and didn't close the deal. With emails that never got read.

As well as people who simply didn't believe they could ever create copy that worked.

They came to this Sweatshop, because I'd convinced them that – in just two days – I could teach them how to write the copy they needed.

So they would return to their businesses with a fresh fearlessness about facing down the competition, armed with the copywriting skills of the best marketers in the game.

Did I succeed?

Of course I succeeded.

This is what I do. This is what I've been doing for two decades now, both in workshops and through my coaching and courses.

However, this Copywriting Sweatshop model is particularly sweet.

Why?

Because… the people who come (and it's not cheap to attend) tend to be the most stubbornly-difficult to teach.

They're not lazy. They're deeply involved in their business. Many are actually successful already.

They're just hyper-aware of how VULNERABLE they are to disaster… because every time they need copy written, they have to hire someone else to do it.

My advice is always the same when marketers call me in a panic about copy: "Learn to write the important stuff yourself. It's the core of your ability to make money, and leaving it to others is asking for trouble."

Are YOU still resistant to learning how to write your own copy?

If you listened to Scott's testimonial, above… you'll notice an interesting phenomenon that Sweatshop attendees enjoyed.

Here's what happens: During the event, I drag each attendee up on stage, put them in the Hot Seat… and dig in deep into their specific situation.

You get a lot out of this personal attention. Answers to specific questions, focus on particular problems you have, concentrated teaching on the idiosyncratic "holes" in your copywriting bag of tricks.

However…

What you do NOT expect… is all the stunning insight you will get… while WATCHING someone else's Hot Seat.

I've been hosting Hot Seat-style seminars for 20 years now, and this phenomenon (getting amazing stuff from watching other people's grilling) doesn't surprise me at all anymore.

In fact, it's the reason so many smart and wealthy marketers flock to these interactive events. Sure, they crave and get a lot from the personal attention.

But just as important… they get HUGE insight and flurries of ideas while watching the rest of the show.

That's why DVDs of these events fly off the shelves, whenever I offer them.

Your first choice, if you can afford it, should always be to attend any seminar or workshop I offer in person. The experience can change you forever (as attendees will tell you).

However…

If you couldn't make it to the event… and you know in your heart you NEED the kind of shortcut education offered… then the next-best-thing is, for sure, watching the DVDs.