• This might be the strangest post I’ve ever written.

    You see, so many people said they loved my report… that they really got a great education during the launch… and that they really appreciated my overview of the business acceleration program. But it was written on such a deep protracted level it was hard to fully grasp.

    I even got a few emails that said:

    Rich, can you summarize what I get with Business Acceleration Program, because I want to buy it, but i want to know what i am buying.

    Can you tell me:

    1 why I need it?

    2 why it’s going to make me money?

    3 why I would be foolish not to try it?

    4 why the only risk I have is the risk of missing out if it’s too late?

    I laughed when I got the first email that asked, but after losing count of how many request I got I realized I needed to explain the program more directly.

    I admit sometimes I get carried away... The truth is I tend to be more of an educator, futurist, and coach then a marketer.

    Look, because I respect your intelligence, sometimes I am prone to go deep, really deep. So, even though I am proud of it - I now realize it can be a tough read.

    Since lots of people are asking me to summarize it... I thought about it... and I thought OK, I’ll do it!

    It wasn’t easy… I strained to rewrite sentences, struggled to revise paragraphs, and persevered through each page until I got through all 56 pages.

    Can you guess what I did next?

    I did it again, and again, and again. And each time through it got shorter, clearer, and more precise. It shrunk 37 pages in all…and even I have to admit it’s easier to read.

    What do you think? You can read it here:

    http://www.strategicprofits.com/bap
    Personally, I think it's even better now than it was before. It seems my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Werner, was right...

    Editing is the real work of writing... it's the difference between good and outstanding.

    Here's are the guidelines to editing I followed (I suggest you try using them on your very next piece of writing):

    • Read the piece out loud to catch mistakes. You'll also discover the choppy parts that need to be massaged.
    • Sleep on it. Give yourself a break for a day or two and then come back with fresh eyes and a bright red pen.
    • Keep trying to trim words. Try to be as economical with your word count.
    • Use strong verbs. Great writing is all about strong verbs.
    • Avoid passive sentences. Whenever you come across "to be" and it's conjugations (was, were, is, am) it's a red flag.
    • Trim the word "That".
    • Strip every sentence to its cleanest components. Prune clutter ruthlessly.
    • Very few sentences come out right the first time.
    • Believe in your own identity and your own opinions. Don't hedge. It just makes your writing weaker.
    • Never write anything that you wouldn't comfortably say in conversation. If you wouldn't say it that way don't write it that way.
    • Consider the sound, rhythm and alliteration of every sentence. Great writing has rhythm.
    • Prune qualifiers like "a bit," "a little," "kind of." They lack authority.
    • Often the easiest way to fix a bad sentence is to get rid of it and start over.

    So, go ahead and read the difference for yourself...

    http://www.strategicprofits.com/bap

    I got to get going - I am leaving for a cruise in 10 minutes. Speak to you soon.

    To higher profits,
    Rich Schefren

    PS - I am thinking about creating a PDF with the first letter, the second letter, and the output from Microsoft Word when you have it "Compare Documents". If you're interested in getting it - tell me below... (if enough people say they want it - I'll create it as soon as I get back)

    PPS - I am planning on announcing the winners of our video contest tomorrow, stay tuned...


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