How To Make Money Even When Your Prospect DOESN’T Want To Pay You Thousands of Dollars
May 27, 2008 | Leave a Comment
What do you do when you find out a prospect doesn’t want to hire you for a big project?
Do you send the prospect away?
Here’s a slightly different way to think…
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Creating the Package
May 25, 2008 | Leave a Comment
*** A Copywriter Who Does the Dishes?
*** Can You Put That In a Box?
*** There’s Only ONE Opinion that Matters
— Special Offer —
Generate leads, convert leads, grow your copywriting business. That’s really all it takes. And if you’re serious about doing it FAST, this could help:
———————
Dear Copywriter,
I started an experiment a few days ago, and I’d like to invite you along for the ride.
Maybe it’ll give you some ideas to help you grow YOUR copywriting business.
It’s called the Small Business Sales Generator.
I’ll tell you about it in a minute, but first, I have a question for you…
A Copywriter Who
Does the Dishes?
What is UNIQUE about your copywriting business?
That’s a question I ask myself over and over again. What do my clients get that NO ONE else can deliver?
Every now and again, I come up with an answer I can take action on.
When I started copywriting, I did a lot of work in the self-help world.
That was just my interest and it made getting inside the head of my market a whole lot simpler.
That’s what was “unique” about my business at that time.
But as I got a little more experience, I realized that WASN’T really so unique.
In fact, it limited my world of prospects. And it limited the fees I could charge. Plus, putting such a spotlight on WHAT I did really made it difficult to talk about value with my clients.
(If you’ve read my six-figure copywriting guide, I go in depth about this.)
So I ditched that and started looking for a NEW answer to what makes me unique.
I went through a lot of different possible ones. With each one, I’d “take it out for a test drive” in my market to see what happened.
Most flopped.
Not because my “U.S.P.” wasn’t unique, but because my market didn’t really care about it much… at all.
Can You Put That In a Box?
So let’s talk about YOU.
What is it that makes YOUR business unique? If [Insert Your Name] disappeared from this world, what would your clients be MISSING?
Think about that for a moment.
What can you provide to your clients that NO ONE else can provide?
Now if you’re anything like me, this is a DIFFICULT question to answer.
Part of the challenge is that the answer can come from anywhere. Your “hook” or U.S.P. can come from anywhere.
It can come from your past experience…
It can come from your unique interests…
Or it can come from somewhere else…
Once you have your idea, you have to figure out how to package it up in a box that is attractive enough for your clients to open.
And that’s where my recent marketing experiment comes in.
It came out of a discussion I had about my business with a friend.
I was telling him how I usually work with my clients. How I pretty much provide everything they need to get their online promotion up and out the door.
They get the copy…
They get the HTML…
The graphics…
The design…
The website…
You get the picture.
To me, it seems normal. It’s just what I do.
But when one of my friends heard about it, he said, “Man, I don’t know ANYONE that could do all that. I’d LOVE to have access to someone like that who can do it all. Who can take my promotion and get it done. One person.”
And that’s where the idea for the Small Business Sales Generator came from.
I packaged it up in a “box” that may or may NOT be attractive to a small business owner.
It’s an experiment, so I’m not rolling it out to my existing clients at this point. Even if I do at some point in the future, it probably won’t be targeted to the small business owner. It’ll be positioned more for the business owner who’s already doing a million in revenue or above.
Those are the clients I’m looking for long term.
But that package will have to look a bit different, because their priorities are different.
So will this experiment work?
I have no idea.
I figure I have two choices:
1. Talk about what I think the market wants, and ask the gurus what the market wants…
2. Put it out there FAST and find out for myself what the market wants.
I chose #2.
And that’s what you might want to think about.
THIS is how I “fail fast…” as they say.
And in the end, it doesn’t really matter what happens. Because I’ve already moved on.
It doesn’t help me at all to sit around and watch what happens. It helps me to go on to the next thing while results are coming in from this one.
But for me, the hardest part is to emotionally DETACH myself from what happens.
I can control what goes IN, but I can’t control what comes out.
There’s Only ONE Opinion that Matters
So in terms of the Small Business Sales Generator… I’m waiting to hear the only opinion that matters.
The market’s opinion.
If you’re curious, you can see the video here:
Small Business Sales Generator
Here are some responses I’ve gotten so far:
1. You’re crazy for doing something like this.
2. It’s too cheap.
3. The video’s too long.
4. The video’s too short.
5. It’s too expensive.
6. That’s JUST what I want.
5 of the 6 responses came from folks I ASKED for their opinion. Those are responses 1-5.
They’re people I know, but not potential clients… NOT the market. Response #6 came from someone in the MARKET.
Responses 1-5 sometimes get to me. But in the end, they just don’t matter.
I’m waiting for the market to answer.
And I’m willing to hear the market say, “No.”
Even with a resounding “NO,” you learn something. You learn enough to take the next step… to get up again and try something different.
So what are you doing THIS WEEK to get something out there in front of YOUR market?
Think about it and then take action. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to get DONE.
It’s About Value
May 22, 2008 | Leave a Comment
*** Who Pays This Kind of Money for Copywriting?
*** This Isn’t Smoke and Mirrors
*** If Someone Dropped Gold on Your Doorstep, Would You Know?
— Special Offer —
This is your last chance… to invest $47 in your copywriting business education and get an IMMEDIATE return on your investment of $400. Some people have called me crazy for ever offering that in the first place. I may be crazy… but in about 16 hours, I’m “coming to my senses” and taking it off the table.
So there are only a few hours left before the “complimentary month of mentoring” (a $400 value) disappears from the offer.
Most of my mentoring clients have their worlds turned upside down (in a good, painless and profitable way), during the first few weeks.
So you’re going to see results fast… if you take action.
———————
Dear Copywriter,
So today’s issue is about one of the only things that matters to your success as a freelance copywriter. (Well, except for writing good copy of course…)
How to get compensated for the VALUE you deliver to your clients.
You can be the best copywriter in the world, but no matter how many homeruns you hit (by luck or by skill), you’ll most likely struggle if you don’t get the VALUE thing down pat.
So let’s jump in…
Who Pays This Kind of
Money for Copywriting?
When I got started in freelance copywriting, I always wondered how the heck people were charging $10,000… $20,000 and more for a salesletter.
“What type of client PAYS that kind of money? And where are they hiding?”
And then things even got weirder…
Because I started running into those same clients. Clients who’d tell me they paid a well known copywriter $20,000 or so… the promotion FLOPPED and the copywriter blamed the client.
“How are they getting away with this?” That was my next question…
The answer to BOTH questions is the little secret not too many people seem to be preaching. And it’s the whole reason I started this business.
It’s just like my former life as a musician.
The best players didn’t get the best jobs. The best “players of the political game” did.
I hated it. And that’s why I left. Not because I couldn’t play the game (OK… I couldn’t at first.), but more because I hated HAVING to play the game.
I either learned how to play the system or I’d spend my life getting PLAYED by the system.
Well this copywriting business is DIFFERENT. One of the greatest things about it is that YOU can create your OWN system. And in your system, people play by YOUR rules.
I like that 
But there are certain rules that will raise your income and certain rules that will keep it low.
And the biggest rule for MAXIMIZING your income is to develop your skill at communicating the VALUE of your services to your clients.
This Isn’t Smoke and Mirrors
I’m not talking about learning how to milk your clients for a big one-time payday.
You might make some money, but that’s hardly a way to build a stable copywriting business.
You need clients who come back again and again. You need clients who hire you 10, 20 or even 30 times…
To do that you need to DELIVER consistently.
That’s how you create wealth in this business.
BUT… what I’m talking about here is getting that FIRST sale. The FIRST time you get hired by a client (unless you’re a big name), something extra is required.
That something is your SELLING skills.
You use those skills to build value.
Because your fees will depend DIRECTLY on your ability to build the value of what you offer in the MIND of your prospects.
If Someone Dropped Gold on Your
Doorstep, Would You Know?
Would you know if someone dropped an ounce or two of gold on YOUR doorstep?
What if that gold was in the shape of a bottle cap… and what if it was covered with DIRT?
Would you know just how valuable that little piece of gold really is?
Probably not.
In this case, the “gold” is YOU… a copywriter.
It’s your responsibility to communicate the VALUE you’re delivering to your client.
If you don’t do it, no one else well. And you’ll end up getting peanuts for your gold.
So how do you communicate value?
Take my “special offer” up at the beginning of this letter. I could have just said, “Look… you buy my book, you get free mentoring. That IS in fact what you’re getting.
And a lot of copywriters say that very thing to their clients. “I’ll write a salesletter for you for $X and I’ll even throw in an extra ______.”
But that’s really shortchanging yourself and your clients.
Back to my example…
You want value… and a return on your money.
So to communicate that, I put the value details in black and white.
You invest $47… you get an IMMEDIATE return on your money of $400 because THAT’S the market value of the complimentary mentoring.
(Not to mention the pay raise you’re going to get when you start selling VALUE.)
But to start talking with your clients in VALUE terms, you need to get the right information to make your case.
For starters… you need to know where they are now in their business (in dollars and cents) and where they’re going (in dollars and cents).
You’re part of how they’re going to get to their goal. But you have to communicate just how VALUABLE the role you play really is.
That takes practice and creativity.
So who pays $25,000 to a copywriter WITHOUT a big name… WITHOUT any controls?
The client who perceives that his investment of $25,000 has a good chance of returning many times that investment.
Where does that perception come from?
It comes from YOU.
The Moneymaking Scale
May 19, 2008 | Leave a Comment
*** Where Do You Weigh In?
*** It’s NOT About the Writing
*** Why Copywriters Are Nuts
— Special Offer —
Copywriting is one lonely profession. So wouldn’t it be nice if there was a place that brought all of the professional direct response copywriters together? A place that kept copywriters on their toes and gave them access to expert knowledge from big name copywriters… plus a bunch of other benefits?
Wouldn’t it be nice if something like that existed?
Well now it does:
———————
Dear Copywriter,
If your copywriting business isn’t generating the type of income and lifestyle you want, then today’s issue of IN THE BANK could give you the reason why…
So let’s jump in and talk about the Moneymaking Scale.
Where Do You Weigh In?
Did you know there’s something called the “Moneymaking Scale?”
It’s not actually a scale of course. And the only place it really exists is in the minds of your prospects and clients.
But don’t let that fool you.
Because where you weigh in on the Moneymaking Scale has EVERYTHING to do with just how much money you make as a copywriter.
Here’s how this works:
On one end of the scale are your client’s expenses… the things that eat away at his profit. The things he doesn’t want to spend money on but does because they’re necessary.
On the other end of the scale is the income… the profit GENERATORS.
Where do YOU fall? Do you make your client money or do you cost him money?
What would HE say if someone asked him?
The big mantra from the gurus, of course, is that copywriters “make their clients money.” That’s why copywriters are so valuable, right?
Well that’s not been my experience with actual reality.
If that was really true, then why do so many clients pay copywriters PEANUTS?
Why do some BIG name mailers (I’d name them here but I don’t really want to get sued) pay copywriters “pennies” to write a salesletter?
Do you really think that it’s an equal value exchange for a company to pay a copywriter a few thousand dollars to help them make HUNDREDS of thousands of dollars?
Maybe… maybe not.
It’s not because the copywriter isn’t good that they get peanuts. And it’s NOT because the copywriter isn’t producing results.
It’s because the copywriter is positioned on the WRONG end of the Moneymaking Scale.
And it’s because you can find a competent copywriter almost anywhere these days.
But mostly, it’s because the copywriter is positioned as a COPYWRITER and not a MONEYMAKER.
It’s NOT About the Writing
Look… you can be the world’s number one copywriter (whoever that is).
But you’re STILL going to fail. You’re still going to write promotions that bomb. And you’re STILL going to miss the mark more times than you’ll hit homeruns.
Because in the end, the actual copywriting is only a SMALL piece of the puzzle.
(If you don’t believe me, that’s no problem. It just means that you’ve never actually put your money on the line to write a promotion for YOUR product.)
You’ve got to have the right product, with the right offer, aimed at the right group of buyers.
Business owners KNOW that.
Reminds me of the Bill Bonner (Agora Founder) quote where he said (I’m paraphrasing here…), “No one wakes up and says, ‘Honey, let’s buy some newsletters today.’”
Same with copywriters…
Business owners wouldn’t hire copywriters if they could get the job done some other way. And that’s because it’s not the copy that they’re after.
They’re after what the copy DOES. They’re after the SALES.
So why not cut to the chase and start talking about what your clients actually WANT?
They want sales. They want customers. How they get them is just a tool. Copywriting is just a TOOL.
Why Copywriters Are Nuts
I think most copywriters are nuts. (Present company INCLUDED.)
Because so many copywriters think that they’re selling copywriting services.
That’s what I was selling when I got started. And that’s what I was still selling months later, until I happened upon the truth.
Copywriting services are NOT what clients are buying.
At least that’s not what the GOOD clients are buying…
Here’s an email I got from a medium size mailer (we’re talking like 20 million in sales)
“If your price is too high, we’ll just go somewhere else…”
These folks hire a lot of copywriters. And now it’s clear exactly why they do that.
Because that one phrase shows their hand pretty clearly.
They throw stuff up against the wall and hope that some of it sticks. They’re dealing with such a volume of copy that they hire a ton of folks (pay peanuts) and make out VERY well every now and then.
That’s certainly good for them, but hardly the type of client I’m looking for long term.
They’re looking for COPYWRITERS, not Moneymakers.
Despite what you hear the gurus say (the ones who are trying to sell you a copywriting course), every business owner I’ve ever spoken to puts the “COPYWRITER” line item squarely in the EXPENSE column of their Profit and Loss Statement
At least at first…
And that’s because as valuable as the copywriting is, you can’t count money in the income column if it doesn’t exist yet.
So why do I feel that most copywriters are nuts?
Because most of them are limiting their prospects to people who are looking for COPYWRITERS.
Ah… the marketing gurus will tell you, “If you’re a copywriter, then don’t waste your time with folks who don’t already understand the value of a copywriter.”
That’s hogwash.
Pure frickin hogwash.
Clients don’t necessarily need to understand the value of copywriting to be great clients for you. They just need to understand what they’re willing to pay to get more SALES coming in the door.
The trick is to figure out how to position what you do so that it’s clear that you can help deliver what the client actually wants.
Will You Know It When You See It?
May 12, 2008 | Leave a Comment
*** A Ship Without a Harbor
*** Bugs on the Windshield
*** Goals Aren’t Forever
— Special Offer —
I only have 3 spots left for SERIOUS action takers who are ready to grow their freelance copywriting business:
———————
Dear Copywriter,
Do you know where you’re headed?
Will you know it when you get there?
What’s it going to look like?
What’s it going to feel like?
A Ship Without a Harbor
As the old saying goes, “When a person does not know what harbor he or she is making for, any wind will do.”
Even though I’ve only been freelancing a short while, I’ve run my business “without a harbor” for way too long.
I’ve let my client projects grow far too large in my mind… so large that making the project a success became my #1 goal.
Now I’m all for wowing your clients with great work and results… but I went further than that.
I lost track of the reality that any one client of mine is really only a stepping stone for me to reach my REAL goals. The BIG goals I’ve set for me, my business and my life.
But to reach those goals, I have to actually set some.
You see, for a while, my number one goal was to “get copywriting clients.”
But the longer I kept doing that, the less satisfied I felt.
Because “getting copywriting clients” really isn’t a goal. There’s no way to measure it and there’s no destination to arrive at. It never ends.
It’s just a continuous rat race for MORE.
I finally realized one day that I would NEVER reach that goal. And if I didn’t readjust, I’d spend my days chasing after something that really didn’t exist.
I’d keep running to get to a destination that wasn’t real.
“More Clients” ISN’T a destination.
Bugs on the Windshield
So I started setting some real goals. Not goals for the rest of my life, but goals for NOW. For the next 12 months. For the next 24 months.
This took time. And it took a lot of thought. Figuring out exactly what you REALLY want isn’t the easiest thing in the world.
But as I did that work, I realized there was another HUGE benefit to actually having some real goals:
The HUGE size of my real goals made all of my challenges, roadblocks and problems with my clients seem a whole lot smaller.
It made them seem like bugs on the windshield.
I saw them for what they were and I kept on trucking towards what I really wanted to achieve.
Goals Aren’t Forever
Here’s the best part about setting clear goals in your business:
You can always change them… at any time.
But specific goals give you structure. And they give you a VERY easy defense system to stay away from clients you shouldn’t be working with.
Here’s how it works:
For every client or new project that shows up on your doorstep, you just ask yourself this question:
“Will working with this client move me closer to my goal or farther from it?”
All you have to do is listen to your gut. It will tell you the right answer every time.
How much can I reasonably charge my client?
May 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment
That’s the question I got from one of my customers recently.
Here’s my answer:
Setting your fees can be challenging. Because for most people, the fees they set get all wrapped up in their self-confidence and what they feel they’re “worth.” I’ve done it. And in my opinion, it’s a huge mistake. And you’ll end up shortchanging yourself and anyone who depends on your support.
A simpler way to do it is to say, how much CAN I charge for this? Or how much do I want to make?
The worst your market can say is NO.
Sounds like you want $4,000 right now for a salesletter. So just ask for it. It’s not about what you’re worth at all. It’s about how much your CLIENT perceives your services will be worth to his business.
Running a business is a risk. Selling a product is a risk. You can’t accept responsibility for results you can’t ultimately control. That letter your wrote for the free trial. Maybe it was your letter… or maybe it was his product… could be either.
Be sure you watch the video on the businessofcopy.com homepage about the proposal. Using a proposal takes all of the fear out of setting fees because you THINK about it beforehand, then you prove that your argument is sound on paper.
You need to set your fees based on the argument you can make for what they are worth in the marketplace.
That’s simple business thinking. I’m not talking about trying to milk your client. But I AM talking about receiving as much money for your service as the market will allow.
Trust me, it’s no harder to sell a $10,000 salesletter than it is one for $1,000. You just get better clients when you charge more. That’s my experience.
Don’t shortchange yourself, even at the beginning. It won’t help anyone.
Good Luck!
Freelance Copywriters on Speed
May 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment
*** How Do I Get Clients?
*** How Much Does It Cost to Wait for Success?
*** A Day in the Life of a Speed Addict
— Special Offer —
For less than your monthly Starbucks bill, you can get access to what took me a YEAR to learn about hitting six-figures as a freelance copywriter:
———————
Dear Copywriter,
The biggest question I get from subscribers of this e-letter, from my coaching clients and from customers who buy my copywriting guide is this one:
How Do I Get Clients?
Now I’m not sure what the “marketing gurus” would say about disappointing your readers so early in a newsletter, but I’ve never been one to go with the flow… so here’s my answer to that question:
There is no good answer to that question.
Here’s the reason.
I know how I get copywriting clients.
But I don’t know how you should get copywriting clients. Not without talking with you and/or working with you one on one.
And despite the fact that there are people out there happy to have you pay thousands of dollars to learn the “latest way” to get copywriting clients, there’s a good chance that their “system” simply won’t work… for you.
(But you won’t know that till after you spend the money.)
So instead of learning how to get copywriting clients, invest your resources to discover how you should do it for your business.
Some strategies I use to get copywriting clients simply won’t work for you. And vice versa…
Take posting on web forums as an example. I’ve never once gotten a client from any of the forums that I’ve ever visited or posted on.
For me, it’s just not effective.
Same with seminars.
I’ve only ever been to one. Probably won’t go to another one. Just not interested.
But that doesn’t mean it won’t be profitable for you to do those very same things.
You just have to find out… quickly.
And that brings us to the subject of today’s letter. It’s a subject that is responsible for more of my success than absolutely any other.
That subject is:
S-P-E-E-D
How Much Does It Cost
to Wait for Success?
I’m not talking about the drug. I’m talking about how fast you go from idea to action to proof that your idea is a winner or a dud.
How fast can you go through that process and how many times can you go through it at once?
Success is very expensive if you sit around waiting for it. But start your engine, particularly your marketing engine, and you can bring it to you a whole lot faster.
If it’s not happening for you online… if the clients aren’t calling, then get offline.
There’s a huge world outside of this little internet thing. A huge world filled with clients who wouldn’t know an internet guru if they slammed into one in broad daylight.
And these folks have businesses. REAL businesses. By that I mean they have more than a big list that they use to sell their friend’s cutting edge (recycled with a pretty face) marketing junk.
And these people are successful too. Often times far more successful (in money terms) than a “million dollar marketer” making 5 Million a year.
A lot of business owners in the “real world” make that amount of money without working… People like real estate investors, etc.
Different strokes for different folks.
The point is you’ve got to find what works for you and stop listening to the noise around you.
So here’s an example of SPEED from my own world:
A Day in the Life of a Speed Addict
I admit it.
I’m addicted to speed. I like to do a lot of things quickly. The only requirement is that I also have to do them well. No shoddy work for the sake of speed.
Here’s just one example.
(If you think I’m trying to impress you here, you haven’t been on this list long enough. Stick around… you’ll discover that’s not my style
The goal here is to open your mind and get it moving faster. Do that and your results will come… faster and BIGGER.
Take a minute to download this:
This is my monthly newsletter I send out to prospective clients. Every month it’s something different.
This went out last week.
I knew I’d be writing about this, so I timed the whole process. From idea, to layout, to printing, to folding, to stapling, to in the mail.
It took 6 hours 30 minutes (including putting on the postage). It would have been quicker, except my 3 year old son Egan went with me to the post office. And he insisted on putting the couple of hundred booklets in the box on his own. That slowed me down because he preferred to do it one at a time
All I needed for the project was this:
A pretty low-tech setup for 2008.
A printer, paper and some staples.
And out the door it went. Another “ball” that I hit up in the air to get some clients. After I was done with that, I started on another “ball.”
How many balls can you get up in the air?
The more the better, especially at the beginning. Pretty soon, you’ll notice the pattern. You’ll notice that some of your marketing efforts are easier, quicker and more effective than all the rest.
But you’ve got to try them all to figure that out.
Don’t wait. Get started today.
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Recently Written
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- The Problem with Startups
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- How To Make Money Even When Your Prospect DOESN’T Want To Pay You Thousands of Dollars
- Creating the Package
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