...................................... When telling a story, leave out extraneous ...................................... It's easy to get caught up in all details of a story--how this new client didn't decide to hire me for six months, for instance--when what your readers want is meat of story. Certainly, details make story more vivid, so don't leave them all out. But, do make sure point of your story doesn't get lost in parentheses.

...................................... When telling a story, tie it back to your point ...................................... Unless article is just one long story (like a case study, for instance), make sure you don't get so enthralled in tale that you forget to bring it back to reason you started telling it in first place. An easy way to make this transition is to summarize story's point in one sentence and move on to rest of your article in next.

...................................... When telling a story, remember people ...................................... We're all curious about other people. So, when you're telling a story in your newsletter, make sure you flesh out main character of your story. And make sure to remember other important people while you tell your story, too--your readers--and make sure main character is one they can relate to.

Ultimately, Dan decided to have me write his complete newsletter, but not before he wrote a few complete stories on his own. By following these five guidelines, you, too can learn to tell a complete story.

“Tired of dragging out a bulky food processor and guessing which attachment is right one for job? The compact Ultimate Chopper is 4 machines in 1 so you can replace your food processor, coffee grinder, standing mixer and ice cream maker and gain more counter space in your kitchen.” (Ultimate Chopper)

#2 - Decrease price by adding valued component parts.

“Bring your spouse for FREE! Yes, not only can you come, but you can also bring your spouse for FREE. This is a ,995.00 value by itself.” (Real Estate seminar)

#3 - Identify unique, invaluable aspect of your product.

“Quite honestly, majority of currently available bodybuilding training and nutrition information today is never going to produce gains for 98% of population.

"The pros simply have much better genetics for building muscle and are taking massive amounts of anabolic drugs...I’m not a “Mister” anything. I’ve never won a title.

"I’m just a guy who after 22+ years of trial and error has figured this stuff out and can relate to plight of genetically average trainee. I absolutely know what works for genetically average bodybuilders who want to maximize their potential. I know exactly what average guy has to do to make muscle mass and strength gains as fast as genetically possible.” (Bodybuilding)

#4 - Make high price itself a benefit.

“Organic foods are more expensive because production is more labour intensive and without herbicides, pesticides and other chemicals, yield is generally smaller.” (Organic food)

#5 - Break down big amount into smaller amount.

“Valuable legal services for less than a cup of coffee a day, from top law firms! Protection for you, your family or your business!” (Pre-paid legal services)

If you are going to use "lowest price" to get your foot in door to acquire a new client, then race is on to "switch" that newly acquired client from price orientation to value orientation BEFORE somebody finds 'em and offers to beat your price.

The Lesson: You CAN charge more for your stuff as long as you’re showing you client that even though she’s paying a premium price, she’s getting a good value. Think "added value." Think "golden handcuffs"; benefits/service so good I won't walk away from it, even for a lower price.