Whether you are writing copy, managing people, or trying to coax the best performance from an artist, it's all about the same thing: inspiring people to take the action you want them to take.
Some words of wisdom from a man who has been around the block, Wally Amos:
It has been said that common sense is not so common. When I was an agent in show business, attending a recording session or a television taping, and the performer would miss a lyric or flub a line, the producer or director would stop the tape, have a friendly chat with the artist, and announce, "OK, let's do another take. We're rolling; take 25."
Why is it when people make a "mis-take" in business we get so angry, and our response is anything but friendly? It would help us all to remember the times we made a mis-take and realize we are all in training and in the process of becoming a better parent, student, friend, employer and employee.
—Wally Amos, writing in the Costco Connection
Yeah, yeah, so it's great Mom-Flag-And-Apple-Pie advice.
And besides that, what if you're not in show business yourself?
Well, first of all: You are in show business, whether you realize it or not. Everyone's watching.
And second: For copywriters in particular—When your reader has grasped your offer and gets the sense that you know who he or she is, the next (often subconscious) question on their mind is:
"Is this guy on my side?"
Think about that, and about what Wally Amos said, when you set your emotional trajectory the next time you write.
David Garfinkel
Co-Founder, Fast Effective Copy
P.S. If you like what you just read from Wally, I have a treat for you.
After I originally made this post, my friend Michael Senoff offered me this link to an interview he did with Wally Amos.