Tim Livian's Blog

It’s amazing how much I have learned in a very short time about successful copywriter after reading books from great copywriters:

• Ogilvy On Advertising
• The Ultimate Sales Letter by Kennedy
• Words That Sell
• Tested Advertising Methods by Caples

They show you the formulas over and over again in these books and focus on the important stuff that makes the bank balance nice and fat. It’s not magic or artsy writing that make the cash registers ring, it’s simple stuff that’s as easy as putting one step infront of the other.

After reading these books, practicing with creating new ads and being on the look out for good ads, and even more important BAD ADS, I have gotten a feel for good copy and will follow up later with the results and the lessons learned when the results are in.

It’s a good tip to be have your eyes opened and be on the lookout for bad ads, they’re all around us, it makes me want to pick up the phone and call these advertisers and tell them to fire whoever is responsible for these bad ads because they are missing the mark and leaving a lot of money on the table. When you’re looking for ads take note of things like how there are no headlines going for the sale or when you have ads that you have no idea what they are trying to sell, lots of advertisers with deep pockets do this, but as a small business owner (with aspirations to be a larger business owner) I cannot afford to be indirect in my headlines and the ads I run.

Without a clear and strong headline the person skimming text will not see any point in stopping to read your ad and more importantly, buying what you are trying to sell, that’s the point of it all, to sell the stuff.

A good way to learn about selling copy that works is to look at newspapers or established magazines and see how they lure you in with STRONG headlines and reiterate and expand on benefits or provocative details that excite you and touch you emotionally.

It’s funny how all this time I thought people buy based on logic and factual information, but I have learned that it’s not the case and we buy with our emotions and it’s more about what we WANT and not what we need, we buy based on emotion and then we rationalize the purchase with logic to satisfy a human need to have an easily explainable reason for the impulse purchase (“it’s got a 32gb hard drive” translation: “it makes me feel cool” or “it goes 0 to 60 in 4.2 seconds” translation: “people will think i’m a badass and crowds of woman will be fighting each other to be seen with me”).

Because the emotions are running the show it’s good to use words that relate to the five senses to really close the deal, like mouth-watering, smooth as silk, screaming with pain, jumping for joy, hyperventilating after seeing how many zeros my bank balance increased since I took this copywriting course.

Happy writing and I will keep you updated with the results of this latest campaign and the lessons learned.

No Comments | In: advertising, copywriting, marketing | | #

I was buying a bunch of groceries last-night at Trader Joe’s and struck up a conversation with the girl at the register ringing up my groceries about smoothies.

A little back story about my current smoothie ritual. I have been having smoothies pretty regularly for breakfast for the last month and been doing the same old banana strawberry deal and was aching for something new, enter the Trader Joe’s cashier!! She was telling me that while she was in Australia her roommate made her an amazing smoothie which was a little hearty and totally delicious, her secret ingredient was oats (like oats for oatmeal), I tried it this morning and it’s amazing, and on top of that I have oatmeal every now and then and don’t like the instant kind so I buy the whole oats that take a little while to cook. No more cooking oatmeal, I just popped about two tablespoons of it raw into my smoothie and it was super.

More smoothie experimenting and expansion of my smoothie repertoire to come!! …

No Comments | In: food, health | tags: food, health, recipes, tips. | #

Just a quick update about my Ngondro practice. I just broke the 36,000 mark with prostrations and feel great, nowhere near enlightened yet, but the thing about enlightenment is that I hear you are always a moment away from it as well. Quite an interesting set of rocks to be between.

Hot summer, Hot apartment (which I am moving from soon…), Prostrations, and a Furry Persian-Jew can only equal one thing….

LOTS OF SWEAT! But as the booklet says, “there’s no way around the sweat”, but lets avoid the blood and tears.

Beverley here I come!! Again…

No Comments | In: practice | tags: buddhism, meditation. | #

Everything at Karma Guen has the potential to be joyful and the saying here is that “everything is possible”. On top of that every encounter you have with someone from so many different places has the potential to be a spontaneous transmission of dharma, the sangha is amazing here and full of energy and teachings, it could be while working together, meditating together or over a drink (alcohol or not!) at the Cafeteria!!

Speaking of amazing things, the stupa at Benalmadena is amazing and huge, we received the initiation for the Buddha of Long Life (Amitayus) from Jamgon Kongtrul rinpoche as well as the superbling one for Yellow Dzambala (Buddha of prosperity wealth) by Beru Khyenste rinpoche, look out we’ve got the power and wish all wealth, richness and prosperity along with a long life to enjoy with others.

We will be getting an explanation of Kalachakra later tonight and will get the initiation tomorrow, very exciting stuff.

Also for a little fun we had a bachelor party for Peter in Malaga and out came the White Elephant and here is a picture to show the fun!

We also took a day trip to Granada and checked out La Hambra and below are two fun pictures:

No Comments | In: karma guen | tags: buddhism, fun, joy, spain, stupa. | #

Hi All,

I decided to go forward with this blog and run with it.  My thoughts will be random and scattered, I will throw everything at the wall and we can see what sticks.

I arrived in Karma Guen a few days ago, the flight was direct to Malaga and it was an easy flight, the sweet girl at the ticket counter took it upon herself to move my seat since she said I would be sitting between a baby and I’m assuming her mother.  Oddly enough I totally crossed paths with the lady at the ticket counter, but can’t place where, I’m thinking high school or Nassau Community college, her name was Elaine and I will be searching my yearbooks when I get back home.  Back to the story, instead of being between a baby I was within earshot of 3 babies that seemed like they had organized shifts among themselves to take turns crying, but one baby was pretty cute and had a curly mohawk, so no hard feelings.  Seriously though, the flight was great, I had my favorite plane beverage, bloody mary mix, it’s like tomato juice with a KICK!!

As we descended 7 hours later to land in Malaga I got to witness the beautiful southern coast of Spain, when I got a little closer I saw a golf course and then…..  an Ikea!!

As the entire plane waited for the Spanish Ministry of Health Services (who came on the plane with face masks to avoid getting Swine Flu from the gringos)  completed picking up the papers we filled out with contact and seating information, just in case a breakout out occurred which they would then attempt to rummage through thousands of loose pieces of paper to determine who was seated next to who on the plane and the most likely to be infected in an effort to contain the swine flu!!  Totally hilarious.  After that whole bag of fun we “deplaned” (the airline industry uses that term, I think it funny, I depantsed) and got my passport stamped and oddly enough I either forgot to stop at customs to have my bags checked or they were on break because I met George from Germany, holding a Karma Guen sign who welcomed me with a hug and the Kagyu forehead touch!

We later realized that George gets asked the same questions all the time since he volunteered for the airport pickup job and that we should record the Q&A and then before we allow any new visitors to talk we would have them listen to the recording first and then if there are questions tha were not answered then the newly arrived Kagyu can ask the question   This is all in good fun!!

The people are great here and party, work, and meditate very much.  An immense amount of preparation goes into organizing an event of an estimated 1500+ people and it’s a pleasure to work and practice besides the whole group that is growing each day.

If you come here be sure to bring chocolate, I brought about 10 bars from NYC, half of them were originally from Europe (Swiss) and they were very happy when I returned them to the land they are used too, first Europe and then the stomachs of a few Germans, Hungarians, Russians, Spanish and Polish.  I love diversity, lots of languages are spoken here.

Since I did not post the first few days I am just rambling on and trying to remember some things and type them out before I forget them.  This will get the ball rolling and then afterwards I will attempt to post every few days with more recent and exciting stuff.

The Stuppa is so amazing and powerful, the team finished repainting it the second day I was here and it is gorgeous and bright and making the wishes of many come true as well as serving as protection from the south.

I made plenty of wishes for lots of people I know I love and I am wishing they all come true.

I visited the Gompa with Janna (sp?) from Czech who currently lives in London and it is such an overwhelmingly pleasing expience to enter and take in the entire Gompa, the doors and it’s frame look handcarved and very solid with a little Buddha figure to the right and then you walk in and look to your right and see a 10 foot plus golden statue of the Buddha and to his left is a similarly huge, but not as huge, golden statue of the 16th Karmapa.  All the walls are painted with amazing imagery of the Buddha and his life, along with many other forms which I am learning the names of and hoping that I remember a quarter of them.  It took Rinpoche/Painter a year to get to the 90% completion that it is in now and will take some more effort by the Rinpoche in the Spring to complete the painting.

There is a magnificent view of the garden and beyond that the mountains when you look outside the back of the Gompa.  Everyone has to come and see it for themselves.  They are currently working on the sound system so everyone will hear what is being said by the Karmapa, Lamas and Rinpoches to come and that is why we have not yet meditated in the big Gompa, but the small Gompa in the house is fantastic and you can hear the birds singing while light pours in and you meditate in a nice cozy space with people and amazing energy flowing through us all.

The powerfield of all of Karma Guen is something to be felt and not explained in words, but you truly KNOW when you are here.

We party too!!

I’m slowly adding to my Amitaba’s.

Current Mantra Count: 48,816 & 62,295 to go.

I was told if I did not complete them it is okay and I can complete them afterwards, send me wishes that I will complete them and I am sending you all wishes as well.

It’s Karmapa’s dads, Mipham Rinpoche’s, birthday today and some lovely Dakinis made 3 cakes for the party we are going to celebrate at 5pm local time!!  A yak (from Tibet) stew was made for him as well, I’m going to pass on that and leave room for cake!! Yak yak yak!

No Comments | In: karma guen | tags: buddhism, karma guen, spain. | #