Lower the Bar

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm." Ralph Waldo Emerson

I'm so excited. I got a cool new power point template with orange and yellow flames. It's not too much (well, maybe it is), but I don't care. I like it.

So I transferred my regular presentation to the new template. I got some mesmerizing slide transitions like Jim Edwards used (spinning boxes and such that the audience at Big Seminar were oohing and aahing about). My handouts were ready to go.

Then I find out -- they don't have a projector where I'm speaking.

Bummer.

So I freak out. I call my marketing buddies, who don't answer their phones (they're busy marketing). I dial up my mastermind group. No go. I beg to borrow my ex -husband's projector and big 'ol screen to drag on the one day roundtrip flight. He says yes. I don't know how to set this up. Now my husband John usually goes with me. But since this is just one day, he opts to stay at home and take care of the kids. So I figure I can just figure it out and follow the manual (never mind that techno geek John was unable to set this monster up at the last event and we had to borrow someone else's).

My flight is an hour so I'll have to go through security, take off my shoes, get pat down by the female guard (those metal things are set so low now even my belly ring makes it beep) all while dragging around a 6 foot screen that weighs about 45 pounds, a projector, a laptop and a purse.

Hmmm. This isn't sounding like such a good idea.

Finally, I whine to John. But he's used to me making a big deal out of little things. So he just waits for me to get a grip. Why is it so easy for him to not get mired in the details? Because he's good at seeing the view from 10,000 feet. He's a big picture guy, while I'm stuck staring at blades of grass up close and personal.

Handouts. We nix the projector idea and decide on handouts instead. "Well, there can't just be ANY handouts," I say!! "They have to be eye- catching and fancy. I want them spiral bound with a clear cover and black back. The front page should be color. Oh and they have to be ready by this weekend, John. Thank you very much."

"Lower the bar," he reminds me. He has an annoying way of remembering all the chunks of wisdom I tell him then feeding them back to me. He reminded me that Tom Antion widely distributes a recording with some very bizarre background noises (that's a whole different story I'll tell you sometime). One of John Reese's most highly acclaimed articles is about writing "cr@p" for the internet. My gal pal, Alexandria Brown even told me sometimes those of us who care try so hard for perfection, we don't get anything done.

Lower the bar. That does NOT mean under-deliver. Far from it. All it really means is don't worry so much about perfection. I say this for you as much as I say it for myself, because I know other people suffer from this same affliction. You are an expert in your field, right? So just share that information and people will be able to improve their businesses. They don't need shiny covers on their handouts. They don't need eye-popping power point presentations. All they need is information. Information given to them from a place of empathy for what their needs are. And your expertise. So I'm going to go to my event and share some down and dirty information that will undoubtedly help them with their marketing and their businesses.

Lower the bar enough to step into your own power.

World class copywriter, Lorrie Morgan-Ferrero is the author of the highly acclaimed home study course, Red Hot Copy to Woo Your Target Market and founder of the online copywriting school Red Hot Copywriting Bootcamp, (http://www.red-hot-copy.com/rhcbootcamp.htm). Learn insider secrets to great copywriting from a pro who's been in the trenches with Lorrie's f^ree ezine, Copywriting TNT. Sign up at http://www.red-hot-copy.com.

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Google News Updated : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 14:05:39 GMT Dell looks to sell factories worldwide - CNNMoney.com Wall Street Journal Dell looks to sell factories worldwide CNNMoney.com - 50 minutes ago By Scott Moritz Dell (DELL) is getting more serious about trimming costs and is exploring plans to sell its PC manufacturing plants, according to a news report Friday. Dell said to consider sale of factories MarketWatch Ahead of the Bell: Dell may sell plants, WSJ says Forbes Bloomberg - EETimes.com - BloggingStocks - Zacks.com all 83 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:15:09 GMT PIECING TOGETHER A PLEA How the deal got done - Detroit Free Press Boston Globe PIECING TOGETHER A PLEA How the deal got done Detroit Free Press - 6 hours ago BY JOE SWICKARD • FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER • September 5, 2008 Prosecutors rolled Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's plea deal into court Thursday praying the wheels wouldn't fall off. Detroit Mayor Acknowledges 'Poor Judgment' NPR Detroit mayor pleads guilty, to leave office Reuters DetNews.com - International Herald Tribune - The Associated Press - WWJ all 853 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:57:24 GMT Lebanese ruling majority accuses Syria of interfering in Lebanon - Xinhua Sydney Morning Herald Lebanese ruling majority accuses Syria of interfering in Lebanon Xinhua - 2 hours ago BEIRUT, Sept.5 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese ruling majority accused Syrian President Bashar Assad of interfering in Lebanese internal affairs and not recognizing Lebanon's sovereignty, local press Naharnet reported Friday. Video: Sarkozy in Syria : the press is divided france24english Editor's Notes: A losing battle, so far Jerusalem Post PRESS TV - Ynetnews - Ha'aretz - New York Times all 1,062 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 11:59:29 GMT Nokia Forecasts Drop in Third-Quarter Market Share (Update1) - Bloomberg AFP Nokia Forecasts Drop in Third-Quarter Market Share (Update1) Bloomberg - 1 hour ago By Juho Erkheikki Sept. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Nokia Oyj, the world's biggest maker of mobile phones, forecast a drop in third-quarter market share after competitors slashed prices and a new handset was delayed. Nokia Sees Market Share Slipping in Third Quarter Wall Street Journal Nokia Lowers its Third Quarter 2008 Mobile Device Market Share Outlook FOXBusiness MarketWatch - Reuters - TheStreet.com - The Associated Press all 138 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:50:07 GMT Lavrov rejects Cheney's attack on Russia - CNN International BBC News Lavrov rejects Cheney's attack on Russia CNN International - 1 hour ago By CNN's Matthew Chance MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Russia on Friday rejected sharp criticism by US Vice President Dick Cheney that its intervention in Georgia raises doubts about Moscow's reliability as an international partner. Video: Cheney Slams Russia for War Against Georgia AssociatedPress Russia says Cheney fanning Georgian aggression Reuters India Reuters UK - guardian.co.uk - RIA Novosti - Voice of America all 2,162 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 12:45:40 GMT Reviews of McCain's speech - MSNBC Telegraph.co.uk Reviews of McCain's speech MSNBC - 30 minutes ago The AP’s Ron Fournier says McCain “preached bipartisanship and unity from a stage retooled to carry him out to the Republican faithful. McCain: I work for you CNN Political Ticker ‘Change is coming,’ McCain tells GOP in speech Kansas City Star CNN - Houston Chronicle - Forbes - Chicago Sun-Times all 906 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 13:35:16 GMT In Long-Awaited Maps of Cancer, The Breakthrough Is the Problem - Wall Street Journal In Long-Awaited Maps of Cancer, The Breakthrough Is the Problem Wall Street Journal - 10 hours ago By GAUTAM NAIK After struggling for years to improve the treatment of cancer, scientists now hope to fight the disease with the help of the same techniques that deciphered the human genome eight years ago: mapping it. What You Need to Know About Mapping the Cancer Genome U.S. News & World Report Data on defective genes make tailored remedies possible Baltimore Sun Reuters - The Associated Press - Bloomberg - eFluxMedia all 261 news articles Publ.Date : Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:01:28 GMT RSStoBlog Add RSS Feeds To My Web Pages

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