Recently I watched Australia show South Africa who was BOSS in the 20 / 20 cricket match at the Gabba.

I like to rub this in because I received a number of’ tongue in cheek’ comments from some of the South African members of my list. And it seems as if we have finally ironed out who is REALLY the best team.

But seriously – there was one comment I heard from Shane Warne at the end of the match when they were discussing the strategy of the 20 /20 game.

He’s done a study of the game and concluded the following – the team that attacks in the field… the team that attacks with the bat… the team that has an attacking attitude all over is the team that normally wins.

And that’s where the South African’s failed themselves in that match… in my opinion anyway. They played it safe and took too long to get started.

But this isn’t just a cricket problem… this is a problem people have in business… in life… and all over… THEY PLAY IT SAFE with thinking like this –

I won’t spend the money to send out these letters because it may not work. I won’t buy that new course because I want to keep my money safe. The economy is tough you know. Let’s wait off a little. Let’s play it safe.

Of course, there is a time for playing it safe – which Shane Warne touched on. Heck, if you lose a few wickets early on you might pull back a little.

But here’s the problem as I see it – a business owner plays it safe, doesn’t try new things, follows the Jones’s within their industry and this causes their business to fall into a lull… whereby they get into
a situation where they play it even safer. It’s a downward spiral.

I was a huge cricket fan when I was a kid, and my cousin, Sean, once wrote in my autograph book “Scott, it’s just not cricket.” I still haven’t worked out what he meant by that, but the truth is many of the principles which apply to 20 / 20 cricket also apply to business.

And it’s my experience those business owners who are constantly on the attack… attacking opportunities like a tiger on a mission… are the winners. They are the type of people who build million dollar companies… enjoy luxury holidays and can afford all the good things life has to offer.

But make sure you attack with the right weapons at your disposal. You’ll certainly increase your odds if you have a gun in your hand when the bear in the forest comes charging towards you with a hungry look in his eyes.

And you’ll have far more success if you use proven weapons to get new customers, too.

One last thing, I’m sending this out “as I’ve written it” – without editing. If there’s any typos, I’ll let them go for now… after all copywriting is primarily about selling, not spelling, contrary to the regular emails I get every month about one word or the other I’ve spelt wrong. Got to get onto writing a killer ad for my wealthy clients who are attacking this tough economy with a knife the size of Crocodile Dundee’s!

Author Bio: Scott Bywater is a direct mail copywriter and the author of Cash-Flow Advertising. To get access to his highly prized complimentary copy of ‘7 Ways To Get More Customers” go to http://www.copywritingthatsells.com.au

Category: Marketing
Keywords: copywriting,advertising,marketing