Do You Have To Be Good At Writing To Write: 14th Letter to BodyChance Students

Last in three letters about Alexander’s marketing play book - lessons to learn in how he managed to make his stellar career across two continents…

SUBJECT: Do You Have To Be Good At Writing To Write…

Dear Seito-san,

If you had been a seagull watching the P & O liner cruising in from Australia to the shores of England in 1904, you might have seen a lone man at port-side, throwing pieces of paper into the deep ocean way below.

It was Alexander’s first attempt at writing a book. He tossed it overboard, so disgusted was he with the content he had written. Did he give up? No. He went on to write four more almost incomprehensible books that outlined his vision, his purpose, his technique. To this day those four books are studied and read - BodyChance runs an internet books course, which at any time has between 50~70 people studying in discussion groups with an AT teacher moderator. BodyChance is close to finishing translations of all four books, a fact of which I am quite proud.

Alexander was luckier than you. He had no choice. It was write, or not be heard. No videos, no radio - nothing like that. Just words on paper. Although we know he insisted his technique could only be transmitted through sensation, that was no justification in his mind not to write about what he did. It was imperative that he write, if only to ward of attempts by others to steal his ideas. Aldous Huxley once offered to write a book for him - he turned him down. It was his job, just as it is your job. You can’t delegate your writing. Writing about your work is an effort that any Alexander Technique teacher that seeks real impact needs to face. Why?

How else can you communicate long distance?

Today of course, there is an almost overwhelming array of ways you can easily, cheaply achieve that. You can blog, supply articles, twitter people, converse on FaceBook, even publish cheap, easily accessible e-books via Amazon. Do you do any of this?

If your answer is no, it won’t surprise me to know you are struggling to get your small business turning over enough to care for you. Today, people expect free information and advise about what you do. It is no longer a benefit that some people offer, it is a standard people expect. Today I went to look at sofas – I expected to receive a detailed brochures telling me how wonderful this $2,000 sofa was: what I can expect from it, how long it will last me, the clever things it can do, all its benefits and features – I need to be sold on it. How can I be sold on it best? By words.

Words sell, words convince, words can invoke interest, trust and a willingness to follow your advise. But you must start the conversation. Once you have found your niche, you must engage them. Any niche that is worthwhile – which means they have the ability to give you money – is by definition a competitive niche. It has to be – if there’s money in it, other people will be after their money too. If your niche is not competitive – think again, you may find it too slow for your needs.

Attracting the attention of your niche, helping them understand how you can specifically help them, and leading them down a sales funnel which ends in your studio with a trial sessions, can easily be done long distance. You can use any medium, but words sit at the base of everything you do.

So start writing. Today. Now.

cheerfully

Jeremy

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