Snorting with amusement, I asked…

“Did you just Google Tony Robbins’ shovel hands?”

From the mouth of Mike Samuels, the world’s most British copywriter came the answer…

“…Yes, yes I did.”


Earlier this week Mike and I were on the phone, sipping our respective coffees, blathering on about copy, and hammering out the framework for the next level of the Sorcerers Guild (only available to newsletter subscribers).

What we’re working on is essentially the OPPOSITE of what Mr. Tony Shovel Hands Robbins has to offer, and we needed to find a crystal-clear way to differentiate our project.

Anyway, a sentence slipped out of my mouth that both startled me, and I found quite telling.

But before I tell you what I said, I need to frame why it’s meaningful.

You see, there’s a MASSIVE problem I’ve seen rear it’s ugly head amongst my Copy & Coffee students, members of the Clandestine Round Table, and now Sorcerers Guild subscribers time and time again.

It’s the reason why so many people’s businesses never gain momentum, fail to turn a profit, and leads to people giving up, feeling like a hopeless loser.

It’s the reason why my first stab at building a business amounted to a sweet fuck all.

Okay…here’s what slipped out my mouth:

“The hard work is behind me now…now it’s just about growth, and creating more levels.”

I’ll be the first to admit, that’s not particularly profound.

So, let’s make it profound by defining “hard work.”

In my generally-accurate assessment, by far the hardest work involved in building a business is learning everything you can about the market you’re selling in.

After a tirade I slipped into on the phone with Mike, I realized I’ve got my hands on the brain of my market…and so the hardest work is done.

—> If you don’t know the problems your market has, what they want, what they’re already buying, their wildest dreams, their deepest fears, the things they’ve tried before, the lies they’ve been told, the results (if any) they may have had…and the list of things you need to know about your market goes on and on…

—> If you don’t know how to speak the same language as your market, present your offers in a way they’re receptive to, or are trying to sell them what YOU think they want (rather than selling them what they really want)…then it’s no wonder you’ve made as much progress as a parsnip running a marathon.

—> If you don’t know these things, quite simply, you are fucked.

The actual task of gaining an intimate knowledge of your market is the “hard work” so many are missing from their business, and avoid like the latest megastrain of ebola-swine-west nile disease.

Honestly, market research is about as enticing as unboxing a shipment of dung beetles.

So you avoid it. You keep yourself “busy” with setting up social media accounts, buying (but not implementing) courses, dumping an endless stream of questions in Facebook groups, and masturbating over all your ideas.

And in doing so you wipe any chance of building a successful business right off the table.

I’m convinced the reason I’ve been able to build my copywriting business into something that will clear six-figures in its first year (and that’s assuming no further growth) is because I know the markets I sell in (my own products + my clients) as well as I know what gets me turned on.

I know this sounds like a lot to learn..

But.

To be honest, you don’t HAVE to know everything I mentioned right out of the gate, and there are some things you can only learn as you go.

However, the more knowledge of your market you can gather early on, the quicker you’ll progress, and the more momentum you’ll build.

For those curious…there IS a clearcut way for you to understand your market better than the back of your hand (without wasting time doing anothercustomer avatar exercise)…and I’m going to show you how inside Volume Two of the Sorcerers Guild paper and ink newsletter.

I’ll reveal how I’ve done this in the past (with examples), and offer insight as to how you can do the same with ANY market you may sell in.

To make sure you’re subscribed in time, go here:

http://sorcerersguildnewsletter.com/

Your headmaster,

Alexander Mullan