OK, this post has been a long time coming.

For over a decade, people keep asking me, “So, what is it: Michel? Michael? Mike? What?” (I prefer “Master,” but I digress.)

My wonderful wife calls me “Mish.” (Short for “Michel,” pronounced “Mish-al.”)

In turn, I call her “Rish,” which is short for “Licorice.” The story behind it is, when we first met, a friend told us we were lovebirds, always together, inseparable. Like licorice. (Yes, we still are!)

Anyway, here’s the thing.

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This article was written by one of my junior copywriters, Joe Valente, as an introduction to one of my articles — which I will be publishing on this blog later this week. But Joe’s article is so good, I decided to reprint it here. Take it away, Joe!

There’s an old saying: “Depending on the circumstances, any tool that comes to hand becomes a hammer.”

Now, let’s start with a basic premise: When you write copy, you build knowledge, trust, and sales, and language is your hammer. Some might take that a step further and say that the point of your writing is to “nail” your prospects, but I don’t think I want to go down that road today.

Instead, I want to talk a bit about your main tool of the trade, your proverbial hammer…

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