A few weeks ago I wrote some copy for a business owner "Marvin." My copy was hard-hitting but honest and down-to-earth. He`s really good in his field, so coming up with benefits was easy. What wasn`t easy was convincing him to run with the copy on his duller-than-dust website.

"It`s ­ well, sales!" Marvin said.

"That`s the idea," I replied.

"It makes me sound really great!"

"You ARE really great. I`ve seen your work."

Finally, I showed the copy to a friend who needed Marvin`s services. She was ready to pick up the phone. Then I showed her Marvin`s original website. She made a face. "Boh-ring!"

She hired Marvin and told him why. Marvin`s about 90% convinced.

I understand where Marvin was coming from. When I created my first website, I practically begged people to go away. But when I began revising my sales pages, and people began buying, I saw the light. People who buy from me are smart professionals. Many have advanced degrees. They`re not the type to be suckered in by a snake-oil sales pitch.

And now I encourage clients to understand what good marketing copy can do for a business.

Let`s face it, most of us were taught, "Don`t brag. Don`t show off." And in truth, there`s no need for hype and absolutely no reason to exaggerate what you can do. But clients want to buy from strong, confident business people. And if you don`t have anything to brag about, why are you in business?

Alas, many of us experience a form of copy shock, similar to what happens when we hire a professional resume writer.

"Is that really me? I don`t want to exaggerate," we say.

But the whole idea of hiring someone to promote ourselves is to, well, promote. Sell! Get excited! Share the good stuff!

Whether I`m working on a resume or a piece of copy, I`ve learned a trick for helping clients defuse copy shock.

Show a trusted friend what your hired gun promotional consultant has written.

"A little strong isn`t it?" you`ll say nervously.

Almost always your friend will say, "Not at all. That`s really who you are. Very accurate."

"Not too sales-y, is it?"

"Not hardly. This is what I`d call gentle persuasion. Get a life!"

A few iterations and copy shock goes away. Soon you`ll be plastering "My business rocks!" posters all over town. And you`ll believe it.