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10 Reasons Why I Write

November 3, 2015 by Michael Neely Leave a Comment

Why Do I Write?

Why Do I Write?

Why do I write, you continue to ask?

“But this is a ‘good’ job. Why would you risk it all to be a writer?” To me, her pronunciation of the word “writer” sounded italic. It just reinforced that I am a writer. I rolled my eyes and walked off. I was risking nothing. First, the dead-end job I was working sucked. I was earning the same amount of money I was earning years ago. Second, taking a chance on earning a living doing something I love doing for free just seemed like the right thing to do.

For those who are still baffled, I have outlined why I get up early and stay up late at my computer writing.

Here Are 10 Reasons Why I Write:

  1. I can. Some people can write and some people can’t write…or should I say, don’t write. Writing isn’t something I can turn “on” and “off.” It is “on” all the time for me. It is a skill that gets progressively better with practice. I used to struggle to write the sentence in just the level of context I wanted. Now, in just a few minutes, I can reframe each sentence to convey exactly the meaning I want to convey. It only took years of practice.
  2. All roads lead back to writing for me. I started my business career in sales, which led to telephone sales. Then I changed companies. The previous company provided scripts for me to use. I never wrote and practiced my scripts, so I never succeeded much at anything. My next career move led me into the brokerage business in 2003 in South Florida. My job was to call as many people as I could to get them to invest their money with us. With the first firm I worked in, the managers gave me a script. With the second firm, I was told to write my scripts, and they had to be compliant with securities laws. I could not turn this challenge down. To end this little story, I wrote great scripts, but I discovered that I was working with shady people and ended that career. But I was just beginning my writing career.
  3. I believe that I can help people improve their lives. I have lived a weird life. I have done a lot of things that most people will never get to do. Some of the things I’ve done, I hope others never have to experience, such as becoming homeless and recovering from homelessness. Therefore, my contribution to society is my writing. In my blogs, I write about lessons I have learned from my experiences. In my business, I write to help other business owners improve how they do business. Personally or professionally, I write because I believe I can help people improve their lives.
  4. A kind of intellectual catharsis. Sometimes, I need to just vent and rant. I hope no one publishes my secret rants. These writings are similar to the letters that President Lincoln wrote, but sealed away until his death. There are some thoughts about others that I should keep to myself, such as dealing with a difficult relationship. Writing about these situations is a great way to relieve stress and work through difficult situations.
  5. Everybody Writes. I didn’t make this up. Ann Handley even wrote an entire book on the topic. I found that if I didn’t write, I suffered professionally. I have had sales managers who would tell me I didn’t need to write, and then play a role in firing me because I didn’t write. I now realize that I must write to advance my career and my life.
  6. I didn’t start experiencing business success until I started writing my sales scripts. When I started businesses that required selling, I had to communicate to my prospects. I thought I should know what that “something” was to my prospects before I said it. When I start writing and practicing my scripts, I communicated better and got better results.
  7. When I write, I pay more attention to communication in general. I understand better how the other person is communicating to me, even the subtle nuances and manipulative tones. When people on the TV news replace the word “opinion” with “fact,” I realize that people on TV are manipulating me. Without numbers and a source of the information, a “fact” is an “opinion.” I can see through the sheep’s clothing the wolf is wearing, and I can formulate my decisions and judgments better.
  8. I refuse to end a sentence with a preposition. I may let one slip out of my mouth occasionally, but not a written sentence. The “for which’s” and “for whom’s” start to come naturally if you spend enough time correcting them in your writing.
  9. I place value on who Strunk and White are. How cool is it that you immortalize the teacher that made you a great writer by updating his grammar manual? After all, grammar matters. Without grammar, communication becomes tedious and burdened. For example, “I ain’t seen him in a minute” and, “I saw him last week” are two completely different statements. Grammar matters. Improving my writing and grammar improves my results.
  10. My fourth-grade teacher said that I would be a great writer. How could I let down my fourth-grade teacher? Truthfully, I am no longer in touch with her, and I don’t know if she is still alive. But that little dose of encouragement to do something from which I get a great deal of satisfaction, can never be replaced. I will never forget the subtle and not-so-subtle encouragement from my teachers.

So there you have it. These ten reasons should clarify any mystery that one may have about why I write. The rewards far outweigh the risks of not writing. I may not go down in history as the next Hemingway or Faulkner, but I will do what I love to do.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: writing

The Real Reason “Why” Your Customers Buy

February 5, 2014 by Michael Neely Leave a Comment

Customers Buy Why

“What” Is the Last Reason Customers Buy

Why customers buy is a question that plagues every business owner. If only it were a simple answer. What if there is a simple answer? If you are just getting to know me, I am a huge fan of personal development. I am constantly reading books on writing, business, investing and a bunch of other topics of personal and professional importance. I recently came across an author named Simon Sineck via YouTube.com. Simon wrote a book called Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. Simon’s book went underneath my radar of new books to read in 2011 when it was released. Here’s a taste of his message from the first clip I saw from Simon Sineck:

Here’s the longer version:

 “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”

After seeing this, I thought about how a traditional business plan is written. The product you’re selling as a business person isn’t in the first few pages. The Executive Summary is generally first, and The Mission Statement is next. The product or service, the marketing the distribution, the who does what, etc. doesn’t come until there is a carefully thought out “Why.” The motivation can’t be “that you want to pay the bills” or “I want a red Ferrari.” That’s not enough. Those are reflected in the profits or the results of your business activities. The “Why” has to be how you are going to make a difference in other peoples’ lives and how you are going to change the world. Whether you know it or not, you DO change the world every day you live in it, positively or negatively.

At the time of writing this blog post, this is all I have. I have ordered Simon’s book Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action. I will definitely keep everyone posted on how the information in this book affects my thinking and how I apply this knowledge to my marketing, my services, and my business.

The two questions that Simon asks in this video that caught my attention were “Why do you get out of bed in the morning?” and “Why does anyone care?” These are HUGE questions to ask yourself on a personal and a professional level.Your answers could make a big difference in our results.

Filed Under: Blog, Featured, Marketing

They want YOU Out of Business

January 27, 2014 by Michael Neely Leave a Comment

Out of Business

Source: iStockPhoto.com

Why Your Business Needs Effective Marketing

They want you out of business. Believe it or not, everyone doesn’t want to see you show up for work tomorrow. There are people who have agendas they want you to follow. They aren’t interested in your business success unless it coincides with their plans. There are companies and other business people who not only want to see you fail, but they are welcoming your failure. The government isn’t helping you. The government is increasing your taxes, and finding new ways of getting money from you. As a business person in today’s world, you have to grow your business’ customer base constantly, finding new customers and clients…or you’re done! That’s what effective marketing does for you. You have to keep your name in front of your prospective customers constantly to ensure you grow your customer base, and your business.

 How (a Successful) Business Works

The purpose of a business is to make money, right? Yes, and no. If the purpose of a business is to make money, where do you get this money? The bank? Not a chance. Investors? No. The government? Definitely not. The money comes from your customers. They pay you for your product or service, and the money left over after paying your costs is called profit. The business owner gets to keep that, reinvest it in his business, pay bills, go on vacation, whatever she wants.  This may sound like common sense, but it’s not. According to the late business management authority Peter Drucker “the purpose of a business is to create a customer.” This is perhaps one of the wisest and truest principles of business management, and one of the most overlooked. So how does a business get new customers? The business owner starts to tell people about what you do and help solve a problem for them. Marketing efforts put the business name, product or service in front of people. We (as business people) and our prospective customers (prospects) mutually determine if there is a good fit for our products or services and our prospects. A transaction takes place, and we all live happily ever after (or so it may seem).

What is in a Successful Marketing Mix?

Social media, blogging, Search Engine Optimization of a business web site (SEO), and web presence are great ways to start marketing activities. They are extremely inexpensive and require little upkeep (until something changes at the business). Business cards are an essential, and print advertising is a little more expensive and a little more effective. Pay-per-click advertising, like Google AdWords and Bing/Yahoo ad services, is more expensive, but proven ways to generate buzz. What about press releases? Press releases are how businesses, government offices and charitable organizations maintain their relationship with the general public. This is an often overlooked facet of the marketing puzzle that can play a big difference in the success of a business’ marketing campaign.

Sales and Marketing Collateral for Every Occasion

Sales and marketing collateral are the brochures, sales letters, post cards, direct mail packages, etc. that keep your name in front of your prospective customers. It is these items that sell your products or services to your customers when you aren’t there. Stay in business! Get your next project working! Contact me for a free proposal to create the collateral around your next marketing project or campaign!

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing

You Don’t Believe in Marketing?

October 8, 2013 by Michael Neely Leave a Comment

Fred doesn't believe in marketing“Fred” Doesn’t Believe in Marketing

Meet “Fred.”  “Fred” isn’t his real name.  He asked us to keep it anonymous.  That’s why “Fred” has a paper bag over his head.  “Fred” is angry.  “Fred” is SO angry, he drew a “frowny face” on his paper bag.  “Fred” can’t take “Mrs. Fred” on vacation this year because he had to work.  He had to work because nothing seems to be working out for “Fred’s” business.  He just can’t meet his sales goals, and thus his income goals, and he can’t figure out why.  He is great with his current customers, and they all seem to like him. “Fred” always goes the extra mile constantly letting his customers know how special they are, but eventually they stop doing business with him.  Sometimes, “Fred” gets so mad that he takes it out on his employees.  He just can’t seem to figure it out though.  Sometimes, an advertising account executive or a marketing consultant  calls on “Fred’s” business.  “Fred” is smarter than all those sales-type marketing people.  He sends them away every time they call on his business because he’s the best at what he does, and his work can stand on its own.  Unfortunately, one day “Fred’s” work will stand on its own…all alone.

Don’t Be Like “Fred”

“Fred” isn’t alone.  A lot of business owners don’t believe in marketing either.  Since there is no entrance exam or special licensing to be an entrepreneur (and there shouldn’t be…ever), something is missed in their business education.  A lot of business people get out of the gate running brilliantly.  They get off to a great start relying on family, friends, and neighbors for their customer base.  They make a lot of money early, then their business plateaus, there’s a shift in their market or a key employee leaves.  Suddenly, their monthly revenues start dropping along with cash flow. The beginning of the end of their business has arrived.  And if they don’t change something they have been doing (or start something they haven’t been doing) to find new customers and to keep the customers they have, it will all soon be over for that business.  The next time your customer comes by to see how the business is doing, there will be a “For Lease” sign in the window.

It Doesn’t Have To Be This Way…

Conversely, there are a lot of business people who do believe in marketing.  I like to call those people “successful.”  Successful business people recognize that marketing is a given to succeed in business.  Successful business people understand that they have to find new customers constantly.  Because life changes.  People move, change their lifestyles, and (quite frankly) people die.  The phrase “Fail to Plan” is the same as “Plan to Fail.”  For a business owner not to believe in marketing is like a parachutist who doesn’t believe in gravity.  The very same force that causes a business to thrive can be devastating if it is ignored.  Successful business people also understand that they are not the only ones marketing to their customer base.  Their clients are also marketing to their customer base.  If you fail on your marketing, it allows your competition to persuade your customer to visit them instead of your business.  That’s probably not what you want for your business.

As a professional freelance writer, I can help you stay on top of your marketing game by providing you with great marketing collateral material.  My services include brochures, sales letters, direct mail campaigns, web site content, blogs (like this one), and a lot more!  Contact me today to learn how I can help you stay on top of your game!

Filed Under: Blog, Marketing

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  • 10 Reasons Why I Write
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Why Do I Write?

10 Reasons Why I Write

Why do I write, you continue to ask? "But this is a 'good' job. Why would you risk it all to be a writer?" To me, her pronunciation of the word "writer" sounded italic. It just reinforced that I am a writer. I rolled my eyes and walked off. I was risking nothing. First, the dead-end job I was … Read More...

About

About Michael Neely My name is Michael Neely and I am a freelance writer, copywriter and marketing consultant specializing in sales and marketing. I write exclusively for sales and marketing for inbound and outbound business development, as well as internal marketing and employee communications. I … Read More...

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Want to Chat Further With Me? Here's how to get in touch with me! This is the first step in enjoying the benefits of my freelance writing services.  There are many ways to get in touch with me.  Are following me on Twitter?  Did you like my Facebook page?  Have we connected on LinkedIn?  How about … Read More...

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