What Abraham Lincoln and AWAI Member Steve Coombes Can Teach You About Success
“Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.”
– Abraham Lincoln
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of interviewing AWAI member Steve Coombes.
He scored BIG on a recent web copy assignment he completed. His client’s brand-new website secured the #1 spot on Google for several lucrative keyphrases in less than two weeks. Plus, the website is now converting at around 30%!
In the world of web copywriting, these kinds of results are like kicking the pants off a strong direct-mail control!
As I learned more about Steve, I realized the “secret” to his success is the same one I used when I first took the plunge as a copywriter. And if you’re still struggling to get your career up and running, it’s the same secret you can use starting today to put yourself on the fast track to copywriting success.
Like many aspiring copywriters, Steve started the Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting but then stopped.
Steve said, “I piddled with the basic copywriting program for over a year – starting, stopping, and restarting the program a few times – but never really accomplishing anything. Near the end of July 2007, I decided to finally get serious with copywriting … to stop reading about success stories and start taking action to become one.”
As if an answer to a prayer, two days later he received an invitation to join AWAI’s Circle of Success.
Recalls Steve, “This was ‘make it or break it’ time … So I made a promise to my wife that when I signed up for Circle of Success, my extra income from copywriting would cover every dime of the program.”
Today, less than a year later, Steve is on his way to becoming a six-figure web copywriter. This month alone he’s already brought in $4,000 in new business … while still holding down a full-time job.
Steve told me the secret to his success was in this simple realization:
“Only action begets results. Don’t wait until you’re an ‘expert’ before getting started. You’ll never become one UNTIL you get started. Like Michael Masterson says, ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’ … ”
How true.
Like Steve, I realized waiting is a mistake. I had studied the basic copywriting program for two years before I decided to do anything with the knowledge I gained. Once I made the decision, I took action. I put on my best suit and went door-to-door to businesses I wanted to work for. That’s how I landed my full-time copywriting gig here at AWAI.
Now that I look back on it, the reason I waited so long before taking action is that I wanted to be “perfect” before I even started. I wanted to know everything there is to learn about the art and science of copywriting and direct-response marketing before taking action to get clients.
If your copywriting dreams aren’t coming true as quickly as you’d like them to, take an introspective look at yourself and ask why. Be honest with yourself. Are you waiting for the perfect time to take action? To finish the basic program? To come to Bootcamp and network with potential clients? To do anything that will get you closer to your goals?
Whatever it is you’re waiting for, realize that right now is the “perfect time.”
The longer you wait to take action, the more opportunities you miss.
So if you’ve been putting your dreams of living the copywriter’s lifestyle on hold, I urge you to take action. Start small if you have to. Set a deadline to finish the basic copywriting program in the next 60 days. Create a website selling your services. Work on a few samples to add to your portfolio.
Do anything but wait any longer.
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”
Napoleon Hill, Author of Think & Grow Rich
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“I’ve owned several small businesses before, but didn’t like the fixed schedule and other limitations (not to mention having to work every holiday). I feel much less restrained and free to create now.”
If yes, you could be in big demand, earning big money, writing just a few hours a day from anywhere in the world you choose to be.
Get Nick Usborne’s step-by-step system for creating money-making information websites.
In just 6 hours and 35 minutes, you can be in business earning $60 – $150 an hour writing simple resumes.
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The work is plentiful … the pay scales are generous and the competition is scarce!
Get the answers to the hundreds of questions and concerns commonly asked in specific, step-by-step details.
Use this eight-step plan to make the leap from aspiring copywriter to professional copywriter this year.
Let your fellow AWAI members show you firsthand the easiest, most powerful way to land your first client … BEFORE you finish the program.
Writing for the web is a huge opportunity for copywriters. Let web expert Nick Usborne show you how to write blockbuster web copy in record time … even if you're a complete internet “rookie”!
It’s an opportunity to make $50,000, $75,000, $100,000 a year or more … working just a few hours a day.
A once complicated profession is now something you can do on a standard computer – even if you have little or no “artistic” ability.
It’s one thing to have a website. But if your website can’t be found by the search engines, it may as well not exist.
The Internet creates new income possibilities every day. The biggest among them: online video marketing.
Get the very techniques top-performing copywriters use to rattle off one groundbreaking control after another.
In his new book, Michael Masterson teaches you his very own formula for powerful persuasion and how to apply it to direct mail sales letters as well as online promotions.
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