Really and truly, nothing. Not a sausage.
Look at it this way...
Bill Gates is not the world's No.1 software expert. Warren Buffett is not the world's No.1 investment expert. What makes them so bottom-achingly successful is not that they are the best subject matter experts on the planet but that they see the world through different lenses, thus do things totally differently from the other software and investment experts of the world.
I'm a good copywriter but not great... yet. I keep learning from some of the best, but not great yet.
But...
I have something that 99% of technology and industrial copywriters don't have.
And that is extensive industrial experience. I've developed software, hardware, built complex control and robotic systems, have done both bench- and field service work, developed and facilitated both technical- and business skill development programmes both for technical and non-technical staff and participated in the purchase of over $200 million worth of various technology solutions.
What that means is that I know how technology people make buying decisions. I admit, I suck at traditional manipulative "peddler-type" selling. But I know how people buy. That may be good enough. At least it's been good enough for past clients to the tune of some $340 million in new revenue with as much as 78% margin.
So, I'm not a better copywriter. I merely have a damn good understanding of the whole buying process because I used to be a buyer myself. So, I merely write the way buyers read and digest information.
I know many - especially the B2C - copywriters talk about pushing prospects' emotional hot buttons. Just don't try to pull that trick on buyers who have advanced degrees and significant expertise in the subject matter which your products and services relate to.
For instance, if you sell servers, rest assured one of the buyers is a top-notch server expert with a master's degree in computer engineering. If you sell software, you can bet your bottom dollars that that one of your buyers is an accomplished software developer with a Ph.D. in .
And when your prospects don't have experts in-house they hire external help to assist with their shopping.
One of my badminton partners in England, Brian was a commercial pilot, and he used the phrase...
"You can recognise a pilot by the way he climbs into the cockpit."
That is, your readers recognise whether your message comes from a peer, a fellow engineer or scientist or from a peon, a technical layperson poking his dirty little nose into the intricacies of technology.
If it comes from a peer, then your message has credibility. If it comes from a peon, then your message goes straight into the rubbish and your company is regarded as a third rate punk.
So, it's not that I'm a better copywriter. My writing just comes across with credibility and decision-makers read it.
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