These days most entrepreneurs are blogging (if not, why not?) and all business owners regularly have to write other significant *stuff*. Just the other day, I helped a client write a job advertisement (using psychological tricks) to attract super-awesome candidates, for example.

Writing is important. It’s one of the most significant and common “acts of business” we have to perform. We all have varying levels of skill as writers, but we can learn better strategies at any point.

Despite the importance of writing and despite the ease of up-skilling, hardly anyone knows how to get in the zone to produce top quality written material. This is about having the state of creativity (or productivity, or whatever is relevant) on tap… ready to go, when ever you need it.

Sound like a skill you’d like to master? Use these 7 Psychological tips to flip the switch and turn on top-notch writing at will:

1. Find your ritual

Everyone has a ritual, like a set of emotional anchors, for accessing the perfect writing state (where things just flow). All good athletes have a ritual for getting in the zone – sometimes as simple as a quick bounce of the tennis ball, for good luck. Everyone who writes has a ritual for writing performance, but most people are not aware of them.

Have a think about last time you wrote in that perfect way… and remember the little things you did (environmentally and behaviorally) right before you got started. Find your ritual.

2. Have a clear outcome

So many people start of writing projects (especially the more creative ones, like blogging) without a clear outcome in mind. Then, they start deleting whole paragraphs saying “what rubbish!”.

The question is, how are you measuring what “good writing” looks like? What is your intention behind writing this piece? What would it look like, when finished? How would the reader respond?

These are all questions that clarify your outcome. It’s much easier to write successfully, when you know where you’re headed.

3. Find a creative environment

This one is simple and probably eye-rolling obvious. Thing is, few people understand the significance of the psychological implications of a bad writing environment.

If you tried to get good writing done at, say, a nightclub… imagine your mental state! Your unconscious mind anchors certain states and behaviors to specific environments. Therefor, having a special, reserved “creative space” is useful… and, attempting writing in regular, everyday environments will tend to focus you on everyday, distracts thoughts.

4. Get inspired by awesomeness

Want a shortcut to getting in that hyper-effective state? Go read something written by a genius.

Chances are they were in that “zone” when they wrote it and that’ll come through, between the lines. Your brain will pay attention and vicariously feed off the creativity of others.

5. Clear your head

Don’t try and transition from filing your taxes (or hanging out on twitter) direct to working on some creative project. Take a 4 minute break to just sit and be. Clear your head and then bring a decent game-face (and mind) to your writing.

6. Write at the right time

Inspiration, creativity and motivation tend to naturally ebb and flow. For me, it probably has more to do with my blood sugar than I’d like to admit.

Seize the day and write when your brain wants you to write. Disclaimer: Don’t write and drive.

7. Create your state

Above all, recognise that great writing isn’t dependent on some mysterious, external force. Your state, above all else, is what will determine the quality of your writing. We’re talking emotional state-of-mind. Your state is yours and yours alone. It is up to you to maintain it. After all, who else would you want to be responsible for your state?

When you own your state, great writing can happen whenever you want it to.

What do you think? How do you get in the zone for writing?

At least, that’s title of the post I’d like to write – if only my annoying sense of morals would allow it! I got a chance to pick Seth’s brain last week and thought you’d benefit from a field report of the Q&A.

To be 101% honest, calling it a “Q&A” would be like calling a Manatee a “beautiful, graceful sea-swan”.

The reality: I snuck into a webinar for female business people of Australia, that Seth was participating in.

Not only was I not in Australia at the time, but my wig was totally unconvincing too.

Nevertheless, when they opened up the floor for questions and some 600 women clamoured to have their queries answered, my question somehow got through.

I asked Seth:

“What advice do you have for someone who struggles to define their superpower?”

If you’ve read Seth’s latest book Linchpin, you’ll know that a “superpower” is the ultimate elevator pitch – it’s what makes a linchpin indispensable.

For a long time I had really struggled with this. I’ve helped clients out as a therapist, strategist, consultant, coach, speaker, trainer and more… always creating enormous value.

Yet, I could never sum up what I had to offer. In fact, when people at parties asked “What do you do?” … my most common response was:

“Well, it’s complicated and I don’t wanna bore you…”

Yikes!

Seth’s reply was simple, to the point and change-my-life-and-business-forever awesome:

“Your closest 50 clients and friends know your superpower. Just ask them.”

I immediately got on the phone and speed-dialled my favourite client. I asked him what he thought my “superpower” was.

His response? “Its uh, like you’re some kind of awesome Shrink… but for entrepreneurs.”

Zing!

I phoned around a bunch of other clients and friends to bounce that idea off them. The verdict was universal:

My superpower is being THE Shrink for Entrepreneurs.

If you’ve ever had trouble articulating what you have to offer, now you know Seth’s shortcut.

So… what’s your superpower? (Leave a comment below)

This psychological (but simple) sales technique is being used by some of the world’s top entrepreneurs, including a bunch of personal development and internet marketing gurus.

Fear of being let down, disappointed or ripped off is the biggest roadblock to any successful sale.  This technique literally eliminates “prospect fear” by building a very unique kind of trust.

The strategy is unique because not too many marketers, salespeople or entrepreneurs are using it yet. They will be soon.

Hear it here first…

If we look back at marketing and sales strategies that have produced mega-huge results, a certain style of selling starts to become obvious:

Total confidence

As entrepreneurs, we want people to believe that our products and services are going to give them what they want and need… solutions to their problem.

We need them to be totally certain that this will be the case – so the obvious way to do that, is to sell with our best foot forward.

Irresistable offers, Iron-Clad Guarantees, Risk Reversal and gushing Testimonials are all fantastic techniques to make your offer look like something unbelievably-freakin’-incredible.

Here’s the problem

Consumers have wised up. Potential buyers out there are getting street smart… and now more than ever, there are thousands of these “incredible” deals out there -  all competing for attention.

When everyone offers  a “100% guarantee” the impact is lost.

As consumers, we assume there are con-artists out there (which there are) so we guess (rightly so) that those con-men are offering 100% money-back guarantees… since, after all, everyone else is doing it. The result? 100% guarantee alone means nothing, because we know con-artists use ‘em.

What can you do about it?

To be successful in business, your primary offer… whatever it is you do… has to cut through the thousands of other “amazing” offers and be unique and believable.

The good news is this: You can be believable, build rapport with your prospects and easily get attention by doing one simple thing…

Admit your flaws.

Not personal flaws… I’m talking product/service flaws.

If you tell your prospect what is wrong with your product, what you’re working on improving and specifically, who this is never going to be right for… an incredible thing happens.

You sound human.

You feel Believable.

You stick out from the crowd.

It takes guts because most business owners would rather eat off their arm than admit flaws… simply for fear of all the business they’ll turn away.

And to be honest, admitting flaws will turn away some prospects – this is a good thing, because the people who become uninterested are the ones who would have big problems with those flaws!

It’s kind of logical, isn’t it.

Be unique by admitting you’re not perfect: Make it clear that there is a “small catch” (those two words are magic for building rapport).

My iron clad GUARANTEE to you: If you make your product’s flaws an obvious part of your sales and marketing, you’ll get more and more quality customers. Both you and them will end up happier.

There is a small catch: You have to throw yourself and your business at this 100% – there’s no half-way job on being honest about oneself and one’s business.

Got a question? Use the comment section below to get detailed and specific advice.