I like to rap about my ex-copywriting apprentice a lot in these emails.<\/p>\n
(And in my \u201cEmail Players\u201d newsletter)<\/p>\n
And every once in a while someone will perk up and ask about why she is my EX-copywriting apprentice, and not still my actual copywriting apprentice. Especially since I sometimes do business with her (i.e. she pays me to consult her on projects, I spoke at her event, etc etc). What gives? Why not just let her still be the actual apprentice instead of the ex-apprentice?<\/p>\n
Answer:<\/p>\n
First, I hate being responsible for other people.<\/p>\n
(I can barely take care of my dog.)<\/p>\n
And secondly, because she stubbornly didn\u2019t listen too many times.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not entirely her fault, though. elBenbo is NOT a good one-on-one teacher. I\u2019m crotchety, grumpy, impatient (at times), and hold people to my own impossibly high standards. (And make no mistake, I hold her to the highest standard possible, ask her all about it if you don’t believe me.) But don\u2019t feel too sorry for her. She had a hand to play in it. Specifically, she ignored two of my commands repeatedly no matter how much I disciplined her.<\/p>\n
The two commands?<\/p>\n
1. Kept giving her time away for free (free consults, etc)<\/p>\n
2. Kept doing rush jobs<\/p>\n
Both are severe no-no\u2019s if you\u2019re working under elBenbo’s cruel tutelage.<\/p>\n
But, lest you think I\u2019m a monster, I didn\u2019t just dump her apprenticeship.<\/p>\n
I at least tried *disciplining* her first.<\/p>\n
For example:<\/p>\n
I tried the shock collar thing. Every time she hopped on skype to give someone free advice or even entertained the idea of doing a rush job, I pushed the button and she got a jolt of electricity. BZZZZT! She\u2019d say, \u201cBut, Ben isn\u2019t it okay because\u2026\u201d BZZZT! Or she\u2019d try to rationalize, \u201cBen, this isn\u2019t fair you said \u2014\u201c BZZZT!<\/p>\n
Did it work?<\/p>\n
Nope!<\/p>\n
So I tried something else less invasive but that I\u2019ve seen work on cats:<\/p>\n
The spray bottle.<\/p>\n
She\u2019d jump on skype to sneak in a free consult with someone and I\u2019d spray her. SSSSST! Or, she\u2019d talk to some other would-be client pleading with her to do a rush job \u201cjust this one time\u201d not knowing I was hovering behind her and\u2026 SSSST! sprayed her.<\/p>\n
This worked for a while.<\/p>\n
(Certainly better than the shock collar.)<\/p>\n
But, in the end, she didn\u2019t break to my will.<\/p>\n
And, thus, I had to fire her as the apprentice.<\/p>\n
But you know what?<\/p>\n
As much as my ego hates to admit it, she\u2019s MUCH better off. For example, she\u2019s now putting on her own successful marketing events (her first one, Biz N Brewz, was a big hit right out the gate), writing emails for hire (underpricing herself still considering how talented she is at it, good time to hire her\u2026), has started her own writing business academy (it\u2019s really cool what she\u2019s putting together, and much needed in this industry), and she is one of the best copywriting critiquers you can hire.<\/p>\n
But enough about her.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s get back to me again, yo?<\/p>\n
Sheesh.<\/p>\n
Specifically:<\/p>\n
How to get your hands on some valuable products dirt cheap.<\/p>\n
Listen, I\u2019m the first to admit most of my products are pricey. But, I do have some \u201cbargain bin\u201d products, too \u2014 that cover everything from copywriting and email, to affiliate marketing and traffic, to positioning and negotiation, to how to put together joint ventures, produce & profit from print newsletters, and, yes, my deranged monster novels.<\/p>\n
They are practically all priced under $3.<\/p>\n
And, well, here they is:<\/p>\n