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Did you ever hear the old joke about the guy who climbed all the way to the top of the ladder and then found it was perched against the wrong building? Do you know people like that? Are you one of them? It's possible that we all feel like we’re that person in some situations. That's why ?exibility is so important.

Flexibility is the awareness that you have options and the ability to discard one option if it's not working and select another. Call it rigidity or call it pride, but there's something in human nature that makes us continue in situations past when we should have given them up.

We have a tendency to like to do things the way we’ve always done them, and we don't like to let go of ideas we've invested some time in.

Some people think of ?exibility as being wishy-washy, or not caring, or lacking character. That's not what we mean by ?exibility here. We're talking about being able to switch from one goal to another if you can't achieve your goal or if it's just not worth the effort to you. For instance, if you ?nd out you don't like snow and you don't like mountain climbing, do you try to climb Mount Everest just because it seemed like a good idea in the past or because your friends want you to? Or do you ?nd something more enjoyable to spend your time on?

Flexibility is about reevaluating your goals and questioning the importance of those goals. It's about looking beyond the clichés and the "should's" we all learn growing up and replacing those with what is truly meaningful for us. If this means a change from your original goals, that doesn't mean you're a failure. It does mean that you’re choosing to pursue something that may be much more ful?lling to you.

Flexibility also includes searching for alternative solutions to a problem. It means having enough sense to realize when you’ve come to a dead end, and having the ability to shift gears. This requires a strong sense of reality along with the ability to be ?exible.

People with rewarding, ful?lling lives reexamine their goals, their motives, their procedures, and the results they're getting from time to time. They have the ?exibility to switch gears or stay the course. All of these abilities are critical to maintaining an optimistic attitude.

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It's what tells you when you've used the wrong word, or when you're hitting a wrong note with an explanation. If you're really "in tune" with your prospect, you'll feel what's right and what's not in your copy.

This takes some practice. How much depends on how well you communicate in the first place, and how comfortable you are with putting yourself in someone else's shoes.

Remember, unless you’re selling a book on seduction or child-rearing or the like, you don’t want to hit these notes head on. You want to consider which aspect of the process your product addresses and tailor your copy to the emotions that would exist if the prospect were to achieve the state they’re buying.

You do that by painting pictures of the state and using language that drives home that your product can help them achieve that state.

For instance, consider the following situation: You come home. A woman meets you at the door. You have dinner. You get a phone call. You listen to some music.

Those are the facts of the case. How the prospect perceives them depends on the emotional parts of the description. They are very different, for example, if the woman is described as your maid, your wife, your current girlfriend or your daughter.

The description of the house will change the “state” that’s created in the prospect’s mind, as will what you actually have for dinner.

The phone call is a perfect state-setter. What is it about?

What kind of music do you listen to, and with whom? What are you doing while you listen? What else is going on around you?

If you’re describing an autoresponder system, you can tailor your copy in much the same way. The ability to schedule follow-ups could be portrayed as a matter of control (power), convenience (freedom), automation (security), professionalism (prestige), or even technical sophistication (luxury).

A lot of you probably just read that and thought, “So what? He’s talking about benefit statements. I already knew that!”

You’d be almost right to think that.

The difference between copy that uses this effectively and copy that doesn’t can be very subtle. It’s a matter of awareness and the consistency of the state you evoke. There are specific and powerful emotions that are associated with each part of the spectrum that leads to reproductive success. You want to keep these in mind while writing.

For example, suppose you’ve just delivered a strong summary of the benefits that your product will deliver to the middle manager who follows its advice. It grabs the reader’s attention and makes it clear that you really can help them advance in their firm, get more and larger raises and do it all more efficiently.

Many copywriters would stop there. All they’ve really done is convinced the prospect they can upgrade their own “feature set” by making the purchase. That will work often enough to make the ad profitable, but it leaves a lot of money on the table.

How much more effective do you think it would be if they added something that created a feeling of the state that your prospect desires?

Paint a picture of what they can do with the extra money and time and security. Tailor it to the desires that are typical of the person most likely to want your product. In this case, middle management, you would be talking about primarily married folk with children and not a lot of disposable income. The provider/teaching stage. So, you’d describe a better house and car, better schools for the kids, more time with the family... Things like that.

If your prospects are younger women and your product relates to their own self-image, you’d address very different things. Confidence, attractiveness and relationships (romantic and otherwise) would be among the top triggers.

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Portray yourself in a professional manner - By this I mean, approach your potential clients as if you've been in business for 100 years. Yes, 1 know most businesses have not been established for even close to a century, but the way you let the public perceive you determines a high percentage of your sales.

Don't be afraid to make a second contact - Whether you call, email or direct mail, do not be afraid to make a second contact. Even if they have responded to your first message, be sure to make a follow up. Sometimes people get distracted and need to be reminded of their business obligations.

Relate to your customer - Instead of seeing yourself as the provider, you should see yourself as the buyer. What is the problem you face? Why are you searching for a certain solution? Once you understand why your buyer is looking for you, you can be in a better place to solve their "problem."

Never cold call - Cold calling implies exactly what it is, you are not sure what the businesses need, you are just calling and hoping they need your product/service. Getting hot leads or AT LEAST warm leads is what you and your clients want, not maybe's, but yes's!

Explain the benefits - Sometimes a business will know what they SHOULD do, but they never get around to it. When you explain the great points of them pursuing this strategy, they will be much more likely to move forward rather than put you on the back burner.

Don’t get tunnel vision - Don't think that there is only one type or 2 types of businesses that you can market to. You can ''sell” Lead Generation to almost any brick and mortar business.

Understand your market - Know who it is that you are selling to, and even more so, know what it is they need. If you cannot understand your client's business' needs, then you will not generate the leads that will grow their business.

Let them know what Lead Generation is - A lot of businesses don't know about Lead Gen. It will be your job to make them understand the importance of it, and why it is a great business move.

Don't be like everyone else - Here I mean don't sound like a typical "Hey I want to sell you something" kind of business. These days people can smell a sale a mile away, through email, through text, no matter what it is they can see it coming. Make yourself stand out among the crowd and don't get your potential lead thinking they are being sold from the get go.

Don’t fight the "no" - There will be clients that say no, and there will be clients that aren't 100% happy with you so they will say no. Don't let the No's discourage you, and don't fight the ones that say no. There are plenty more fish in the sea.

You can promise them almost 0% bounce rate, as everything will be coordinated so that only the most targeted prospects see their site. You can also tell them how the auction system works so they know they can set prices and budget caps. There's no need to break the bank generating some quality leads!

If they still seem like they are on the fence, then you can tell them about the “trial" you can offer them. Which in reality it is not really a trial at all, but since Reply has no minimum "bet" or long term obligation, your client's trial can be with a small investment at first.