Maine Creative Services

Merlin Mann at 43 Folders reminds us that yesterday was Anne Lamott’s birthday. (Unlike Merlin, I’m far too much of a gentleman to reveal her age.)

If you’re a writer — or you just struggle to be — you really owe it to yourself to read Anne’s work, especially her book on writing, Bird by Bird. She offers tremendous insight into the actual process of writing: the agony, the further agony, the ecstacy — no, wait. There’s precious little of that. As Anne puts it:

For me and most of the other writers I know, writing is not rapturous. In fact, the only way I can get anything written at all is to write really, really shitty first drafts.

Now you’ve got to love a writer who can admit that. She’s funny, sassy and a great teacher, no matter what kind of writing you do (or want to do). As Merlin put it so well,

Her tips for writers are practical, real, and stripped of the pretentious quill-pen affectations many of us grew up holding. Everyone I know who’s read her stuff cites it as some of the most inspiring advice they’ve received, and most of us return to it often for a shot in the arm.

A tip of the hat to Anne, and to Merlin for the reminder.

”Meditation just doesn’t sound so weird anymore,” says a company president quoted in today’s Boston Globe.

Meditation calms you, helps you focus. You can write or do any other kind of work more easily, quickly and with greater satisfaction. As one participant put it, ”Fifteen minutes of meditation made me able to do hours worth of work.”

Read more: Stress relief through meditation gains focus.

Meditation was also the focus of a CBS Sunday Morning piece last weekend.

Never tried it? Check out this simple, no-mumbo-jumbo approach.

From a humble, one-paragraph memo to a glossy, 30-page annual report, most business communications try to do several jobs at once: to inform, explain, persuade, motivate, sell.

The most effective communications operate on several levels. Let’s say you’re writing a memo or email to inform your staff about an upcoming training session. On the face of it, it might seem that all you’re trying to do is inform. Maybe all you need to say is this:

“Tuesday at 9 am, there will be a mandatory training session for everyone in the Shipping and Receiving Department.”

Yes, that informs. It gives the basic information. But you want them to understand how important the training session is. You’d like them to want to attend. You want them to buy-in to your invitation.

Your message will be better received — and you’ll be more effective — if you include several layers of meaning. Take a look at these additional paragraphs and see if they supplement and enhance your message.

“The training will explain the latest OSHA regulations and show specifically how they affect operations here at Widget, Inc.” (Explain)

“To make the experience more fun, the second half of the training will be in the form of a Jeopardy-style TV game show, complete with podiums, buzzers and prizes. Steve Kelley will act as our own in-house Alex Trebec. Refreshments will be served.” (Persuade)

“The session will be fun, but our goal is serious. Each of you is important to the smooth functioning of this department. We value your health and welfare as much as we value your contribution to the company. So the goal of this training session is to ensure that everyone understands and complies with these important new safety guidelines. It’s more than our legal responsibility. It’s part of our commitment to you.” (Motivate)

These same principles hold true for memos, business proposals, advertisements — even asking that hottie or hunk down the hall for a date. When communicating, consider who you’re talking to and what would motivate them to say yes. Then expand what you say to hit those hot buttons. Doing that moves them much closer to yes, to that essential “buy-in.”

By giving your audience several layers of reasons, you become a more effective communicator (salesperson, manager, etc.)

But in a good way, of course.

I’m honored that Liz Strauss at Successful Blog has named me a Successful and Outstanding Blogger. As Liz puts it, the SOB Award goes to bloggers who:

“… take the conversation to their readers, contribute great ideas, challenge us, make us better, and make our businesses stronger. I thank every one of our SOBs for thinking what we say is worth passing on. Good conversation shared can only improve the blogging community.”

Thanks, Liz! I”ll put this in a place of honor on my (virtual) mantle.

“Steve Jobs does not sell bits of metal; he sells an experience. Instead of focusing on mind-numbing statistics, as most technologists tend to do, Jobs sells the benefit.” Carmine Gallo in Business Week: How to Wow ‘Em Like Steve Jobs

Benefits answer the most important question, the one your reader, prospect or audience is always asking: “Why should I bother with this? What’s in it for me?”

Note: Valleywag has a more cynical view.

“Attract More Customers” is all about using good, clear communications to, well, attract more clients and customers. The 37 Signals gang has a great take on this topic, in terms of your client proposals.

Their Get Real approach: Reduce the number of preliminary charts, graphs, documentation, wireframes, and other unnecessary paperwork and trashcan deliverables. Shrink ’em. Skip ’em. Lose ’em.

People expect what you tell them to expect. If you tell them they’re going to get all these (preliminary and rough draft) documents, then they’ll expect you to deliver all these documents. If you don’t promise all these documents, then they won’t expect them.

By skipping most of that preliminary stuff, you can get to the Real Stuff sooner. This streamlined, simplified approach has been the way I’ve done things for five years now. And my clients appreciate it, too. Just set their expectations properly in advance.

Why throw more obstacles in your way? As a one-man shop, I don’t have the time or patience for supersized, overblown proposals with multiple preliminary steps and half-finished deliverables. Many are probably just a way to inflate the bill, by inflating the perceived value of the project. Most clients would rather skip to the good part: the finished product.

As Jason accurately puts it:

Clients want the final product. They only care about the middle because you promise to give them the middle. Try it sometime, you’ll see. The sooner you work on something real, the sooner you can show your client something real.

And, I might add, the sooner you can submit your invoice.

Read the rest here.

Brian Clark of Copyblogger is right.

“There’s no better business in the world than being both the manufacturer and direct seller of your own high-margin product. Information products may be the best product of all, as it takes only your mind and your time to manufacture them…”

Read the rest of his post at Darren Rowse’s Problogger.