Just When You Think Everything is Fine …

I had a riding lesson a couple of days ago. Hadn’t had one for several months, partially due to my horse and me getting separate injuries that knocked us both out of commission.

(Nope, it wasn’t a fall. He cut his shoulder during turn out, I hurt my hip walking dogs!)

The first of this year, I moved my horse to a farm with an indoor, since we live in cold, snowy New England where it’s hard to do any serious riding during the winter. It had been more than two months since either of us had done anything except for a little hacking here and there, so the first few weeks at the new place we spent working on our fitness and just getting back into the swing of things.

Now that it’s well into February, I felt we were both ready to step things up, so I scheduled a lesson with my trainer.
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I felt that my horse was going pretty well (famous last words.) Problems we’d been dealing with this time last year were no longer apparent, so progress was being made. 

Looking forward to the feedback I was soon to receive, my lesson began.

Just minutes into our warmup, in right rein rising trot, my trainer asked, “How does he feel?”

I responded, “He feels like he’s tipping to the right.” And to that my trainer replied, “Well, he is because you are.”

To prove it, she filmed me with her phone for a couple of circles and then had me watch.

Well, looky there -- I was leaning to the right!

For a good chunk of the remainder of my lesson we worked on getting my seat bones square in the saddle. And when I did, the change in my horse’s way of going was remarkable.

All because of a miniscule shift in the placement of my butt!
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But without my trainer’s experienced eyes from the ground observing the obvious, I may never have realized this since riding this way had become habitual. It felt normal to me.

The same can be said about writing your own copy, whether product descriptions, web content, or catalog copy.

You, as a business owner, may know your business and your products. And you may think that because of this knowledge, you’re the best candidate for the job.

But are you knowledgeable in writing copy that successfully sells your business or products?

Do you understand the psychology behind selling?
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Can you set aside the pride you have in your business or products and step one hundred percent into your customers' shoes and write from their perspective?

Like me on my horse, believing everything was dandy, until my knowledgeable trainer opened my eyes to the fact that I resembled the Leaning Tower of Pisa, you too could benefit from the skills and objectivity of a professional.

And like my horse, whose improved way of going was instantaneous due to the little tweaks my trainer had me make, your sales could improve exponentially with just tiny adjustments made to your copy. Fixes that might never occur to you but would be apparent to a skilled copywriter.
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A person trained in using the written word as a selling tool.

Lifelong horsewoman, part-time dog walker, and former vet assistant, Suzanne Quigley has been a freelance copywriter for 10+ years. She writes catalog copy, product descriptions, web content, blog posts, press releases, and more. Although the equine and pet markets are her forte, Suzanne has written for other industries too, and knows that good copywriting practices apply anywhere. Contact Suzanne today at 508-277-4929, or email [email protected].
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