Derek Franklin's Blog

The New DerekFranklin.com Is Live!

When better to announce the launch of a new site than on a Friday, when most people could care less.

If fine with that if you are. :)

If you're still reading, I've just finished updated my main site at www.derekfranklin.com. Here are some highlights of what's different or new:

• It's no longer the location of my blog - that has moved to site you're visiting right now.
• All of the pages I spent nearly 7 years creating are now gone (good riddance). The reason for this is because the old site was largely built around the fact that I was pushing my expertise as a Adobe Press writer and Adobe Flash developer - both of which I've moved on from doing.
• The new design is simple, and easy to maintain (it currently contains less than 10 pages of content) - I LOVE that!
• Instead of cramming a bunch of stuff on the site that you could care less about (like who's blogs I'm reading, what books I like, and my favorite flower), I focused on providing clear, concise areas of information so you don't waste your valuable time wading through a bunch of useless clutter.
• The new design looks a lot like my blog design. Here's screenshot:

 

 

It's still a work in progress, mainly because of the section that says, 'Products'? Do you see that? Yeah, that's going to be growing over the coming year. :)

Check it out - I'd love to hear your feedback.

BTW, if you're interested, here's my completed project scorecard so far this year:

• Designed and created a new blog
• Designed and created a new site
• Wrote a book (I'll be releasing this soon)

This Action Machine software REALLY works!

You Can't Automate This!

I'm all for systems that help get things done faster and more efficiently.

I use various automated systems for doing everything from maintaining a calendar of appointments, to keeping my email inbox in shape.

You probably do the same.

After all, we all have a limited amount of time each day, so if there's a task you have to perform - no matter what it is - and it can be automated, why not, right?

Some people seem to think so, but I'm not so quick to jump on the automate anything and everything bandwagon. Why? Well, it comes down to the age-old wisdom of, 'just because it can, doesn't mean it should'.

Consider this scenario...

There's a relationship in you life that is very important to you, say the one you have with your mother.

She lives far away, so in order to stay 'in touch', you realize the importance of regular communication with her.

So what do you do?

Can you imagine creating an email autoresponder, and loading it full of messages that get sent to her over time, on a predetermined basis?

Sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?

Or how about 'robo-calling' her every once and a while, with a message that says, 'I love you'?

Kind of absurd, right?

Well, are you practicing this approach with your virtual, or online relationships?

Like me, you probably see products and services offered all the time that automate the process of everything from posting to Twitter, to writing articles, to writing sales copy.

For me, I'm not interested in any of these, because while they may be able to automate the creation of words, there's something way more valuable in any relationship that they simply can't come close to automating, and that's sincerity!

The underlying principle that supports this is what I talked about in my previous post - always choosing quality over quantity. In other words, value is more important than volume, even if that value is only experienced on a rare occasion.

Quality Or Quantity - Which Is Better?

There's a pretty lively discussion on one of the forums I visit regularly about the topic of how to spend time when working on things/projects.

Do you go for quantity, and try knock out as many halfway-usable projects as you can, as long as you get as many out the door as you possible can, OR, do you go for quality, focusing your efforts on fewer projects, but making them the best they can be?

Well, if your products are for human consumption of some sort (food, information, entertainment), then to answer this question, all you need to do is look at how you personally like to consume and experience the world.

Which would you prefer:

• 1 prime New York strip steak, or 5 McDonald's hamburgers
• 1 BMW, or 5 Pinto's
• 1 copy of the New York Times, or 5 copies of your kid's school newspaper

In your own mind, which wins, quality or quantity?

As humans, we typically place high value on things of quality. 

Why?

Because to us, experience is everything - and quality leads to better short AND long term experiences, which is of very high value to us.

Have you ever got a 'bargain' on a product because it massed produced by the millions (quantity), only to see it break quickly and become worthless due to it's quality?

How did that sit with you?

So, seeing how you personally feel about low-quality experiences, why would you ever want to subject someone else to one as the result of creating low-quality junk of any kind (Websites, books, software, etc.)?

The quantity approach is like a house of cards - you can build a lot of them quickly, and they might work for a short while, but they're flimsy, and quickly come crumbling down for one reason or another.

Taking the time to build something like a quality brick house will not only look better and insulate better, but it will stand the test of time.

Quality is appreciated, quality gets noticed, and quality is talked about and shared.

What more do you need?

So, what do you think - quality or quantity?

Helping You Get Results In 2010

Small Copywriting Products:

I'm available for small copywriting projects. At the moment, this includes landing pages, an autoresponder series, or short sales pages. 

Why hire me?

• I spent several years as a professional writer for Adobe Press, selling over 250,000 books worldwide in dozens of languages.
• I've spent the last 8 years creating and successfully selling products online, including The Copywriter's Brain - a product that reflects the depth of my understanding about the art of copywriting.
• I've sold everything from $7 ebooks to $1500.00 software private label's.
• I believe that simplicity creates results.
• Since this is just a small part of what I'll be doing in 2010, my rates are very reasonable.

Email me, tell me what you want, and I'll shoot you back a quote. When you're happy with the quote, we'll use Paypal to handle the fee, I'll get to work, and deliver something you'll love. Simple!

Consulting:

I offer creative solutions and ideas related to marketing, product creation, getting things done/productivity, tools to use, resources, or generally anything to help you get awesome results in life and business.

I've been online creating, discovering, and capturing useful stuff since 1995 (the good ol' days), so I have considerable knowledge and experience to share with you, all we've got to do is talk.

It's been a while since I consulted one-on-one like this, so I don't know the going rates, so I'll go with something reasonable right off the bat, and gauge the results from there.

• For 30 minutes: $175.00 via Paypal
• For 60 minutes: $300.00 via Paypal

If you need a block of time more than 60 minutes, just let me know - although you'd be amazed at what can be accomplished in such a little time with a clear focus.

Here's how it works:

Click the payment link above, depending on how much time you would like.

After you have made the payment, send me an email, tell me what day/time(s) is good for you (provide 2 or 3 choices between 10am and 4pm EST Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday), along with a short description of what result(s) you want. If you have a 'rough' list of questions you'd like to ask, send those along as well. Also, provide your phone number.

After I receive your email, I'll send you one back letting you know what time slot works for me as well, we'll agree to it, then at that time, I'll call you at the number you provide.

Since this is YOUR time and money, we'll only engage in 'small talk' if you initiate it. Although feel free to ask about my background, experience, or other biographical topics. :)

I'm willing to reschedule, when needed, but let's try to talk when scheduled so you can start seeing results as soon as possible. Sound good?

Your Voice + iPhone = New Rock Band

You've GOT to watch this video - especially if you've ever dreamed of being a rock star! :)

My First Post

This is a test post, just to see how it goes!