Let me say this right up front: Copywriters are cool. They're special human beings who share a lot of common traits.

For instance, copywriters are artists. Do you paint? I do. Is photography your passion? Sandi, who writes copy for some of my products, does photography that is out of this world and she makes salable jewelery.

What about writing in general? So many of my copywriters do other kinds of writing... novels, books, journaling. Artistry is everywhere in the copywriting kingdom! We are also big time BAD information junkies.

But a negative trait I frequently find in both new and seasoned copywriters is the "misplaced ego."

Misplaced Ego Syndrome is alive and well in the copywriting community. I see it all the time and hear about it quite often.

This is where a copywriter puffs up and swaggers around to display his (or her) superiority, and supposed advanced talent and knowledge.

There's a LOT of this going on in the "old boy" network of the copywriting world, as anyone would tell you who spent the money and time going to "guru" events.

One of my most memorable moments with an Ego Crime was about six years ago at an AWAI event where I was a speaker. One of the other speakers targeted me and was hell bent on one-upping.

He's not really a dyed-in-the-wool copywriter but known more as a book writer. Yet he spent three days trying to find ways to discredit my copywriting edits for the sales letter of a past student. I was humiliated... for him.

Over the years I've seen LOTS of Ego Crimes. But the reason I'm finally talking about them in my blog is that an Ego Crime recently hit too close to home.

You see, one of my students has followed my program faithfully to create a unique niche and perfect marketing.

This last month she attended an event where a newbie copywriter is being held up as a breakthrough success. But when she showed him her sales letter, he nearly destroyed her career.

Careless words lead to invisible disasters

This celebrity copywriter does not know this, but his over-the-top negative comments set in motion a devastating cascade of emotions for my student.

After he held up his perceived errors of her sales letter, her confidence plummeted and she became ready to throw in the towel on a year's worth of work in a proven niche market.

Fortunately my student is also part of my Coffee Klatch group, an intimate group reserved for graduates of my Get Great Clients program.

And while I lay in a hospital bed recuperating from a planned surgery during all of this, other Coffee Klatch members swooped in to analyze her letter, offer comments, and most of all, save her from a terrible, terrible mistake. Bless them!

The copywriter who gave a "once over" to my student's letter knows nothing of her target market.

He sees only one piece of writing. I doubt very much that he saw the thousands of dollar and many months my student devoted to building out a full marketing machine.

"Too much hype and ego"...

That's one of the responses to my recent Get Great Clients Reader Survey, where I asked the question, "What irks you most about the coaches and teachers available to you on the Internet?"

Another response was: "They often don't really care about your success, they just care about delivering the product and taking the money. They don't care if you succeed or not."

And this: "...they treat every person they coach as a number and not as an individual, they don't care enough. Watch 'Jerry MacGuire.'

"In the end the guy that really cares is the envy of all the other football players who thought they liked their agents but now realize they were just pretending to care, for the $$$. Be more like Jerry."

And one more: "Most just want to up-sell me into their next level of coaching. Most really don't care about the people."

So this bog post has two points to make:

1. If you're an advisor, coach or teacher, get your damned ego out of the way. It's really ok to say, "I don't know," or "I'll get back to you on that."

In fact, the person standing before you will thank you for your candor and honesty — especially since flippant bad advice in the copywriting world can destroy a promising career.

Be sure to offer as much (deserved) praise as possible, to balance out the criticisms and corrections. This is ego talking, and my students tell me all the time about coaches who repeatedly tore them down while never building them up.

And if you're in it just for the money,  GET  OUT  NOW.

2. If you're a student, watch for signs of overt egotism that serves no purpose but to build up the teacher, and an over abundance of self-interest.

Most common: An "I know it all" attitude; an unwillingness to "go over time" when necessary, and insincerity. A good coach cares about her students and puts integrity at the core of every relationship.

Find out if the coach offers positive encouragement or if the coach is mostly negative. If you're thinking of going with a coach, don't hesitate to get in touch with past students.

Find out if your new teacher is real, or an "impostor." A coach that's been around for a while will have built a reputation, and that's valuable information you can tap into.

Most of all, a good teacher becomes PERSONALLY invested in your success.

See if you can find that trait in your coach. If it's there, you'll have a much better chance at a successful relationship — and a successful outcome!