I Lost the Split Test (Big Time)

August 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment

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Dear Copywriter,

I lost my first split test with another copywriter. It wasn’t even close…

You could say I got creamed.

And today’s issue is about what I learned and how I’m turning this little development into a HUGE plus for my business.

Let’s get to it…

Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk

I guess everyone loses at some point. But I don’t think you ever get used to the feeling.

It sucks.

I “lost” my first real split test with another copywriter recently. Actually, I didn’t KNOW I lost until well after the promo ran.

Heck, I didn’t even KNOW my promotion was going to be part of a split test.

I was just curious about the results of a promo I knew was mailing, so I wrote my client an email.

“Hey, didn’t see the promotion launch, did it go? How did it do?”

A few days later, back came the response. Here’s the summary:

“Yeah, it went. To our full file. Split-tested with another promo. You lost.”

(It’s nice when they let you down easy :)

In the interest of being transparent, I’m going to let you in on my thoughts and emotions immediately after I found out about this.

Pardon the stream of consciousness effect here. This is how it happened…

“Insert explicative…”

[Anger turns to feeling of betrayal…]

“THEY didn’t tell me they were going to split test it… That would have been nice to know.”

[Insert quiet rage, building slowly…]

[Rage turns inward…]

“You didn’t ASK them if they were going to split test it stupid…”

[General “I feel stupid” type of feeling…]

“That sucks… Now what?”

[Anger, disappointment and annoyance turn to something positive…]

“How can I USE this for something good?”

One Foot in the Winner’s Circle,
the Other in the Loser’s Circle

The most bizarre part of this is how it feels when you have one client where your promotion goes down in flames…

But you have ANOTHER client where things are rocking and rolling.

One foot in failure, one foot in success.

Just imagine sticking one foot in really hot water and your other foot in really cold water.

That’s a pretty weird feeling.

Same feeling here.

In my case, one of my other clients is tickled pink with me helping him generate about 2,000 new qualified leads a MONTH for his business… And we’re just getting started.

So what’s the BIG IDEA here, the big LESSON I’m learning from all of this?

And what’s the difference between these two clients I’m telling you about?

Choosing Your Battles

Here’s the quick explanation:

I’m not Gary Bencivenga. And I’m not Clayton Makepeace. I don’t have 35 years of copywriting experience under my belt. And who knows if I’ll even be doing this 10 years from now.

The bottom line for me is that it’s just not my aim to be the best copywriter in the world. That’s just not my goal. And I’m not going to pull all nighters, delay time with my kids, never see my wife, JUST to develop my craft to be in the top .5% in the world.

I did it with music… and the payoff wasn’t worth it for me. It just isn’t the way I’m wired.

Challenge is good. But it’s also good to choose the challenges where your odds are good for success. I don’t consider that being lazy. I consider it to be smart.

So here’s where I went wrong with my client.

I chose the wrong client. (Probably.)

I was JUST a copywriter. They hired me to write copy. That’s it.

In my case, that’s a BIG potential problem. And it was my first mistake.

Because sometimes I write stuff that sells like crazy and sometimes I don’t.

But limiting my success so that it only comes when I write stuff that SELLS? That’s just silly for me.

Particularly when I can offer a whole lot MORE value to my clients. To the clients that view me more as a MARKETING expert… and as a BUSINESS expert.

Those are the clients where my copywriting is just a tool to turn the marketing expertise into results.

Those are the clients that get HUGE returns for their money.

But here I didn’t do that.

This client wasn’t looking for that type of a “total package.”

They were looking for a “copywriter” and I stepped right into their copywriting box.

And how do you measure the “worth” of a copywriter? There’s really only one way. You see how the copywriter’s writing performs.

But sometimes you only get one or two chances…

So like I said, it’s silly for me to play a game like that when there’s a much BIGGER game to be played.

And I’m playing that BIGGER game (the marketing expert game) with the client where things are rocking and rolling.

Coincidence?

Probably not.

Think about it… There’s no right answer here. There’s only the right answer for YOU.

Are you stepping into a box that’s going to limit your success?

If so, consider smashing that box to pieces starting today.

And then ask yourself this question:

“How can I redefine what I do and add to what I do, so that I no longer fit in the ‘I’m a copywriter…’” box?

Your answer could really, really change your life.

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog 

How to Use Discounts the Smart Way

August 4, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Could you actually increase your income as a copywriter by discounting your services?

Maybe…

Today’s issue will give you some ideas about how to make it happen for you. Plus, you’ll get another gem from the furniture retailing world that you can apply to your business starting today.

Discounts Suck… or Do They?

When I was getting started as a copywriter, there were a few very vocal copywriters on the scene who went around pounding their chests telling people they NEVER discounted their services.

I made the mistake of listening to them and never offered a discount for my services.

I was “too good” for that.

And plus, should you really have to offer a discount if your marketing is good enough to attract high quality prospects?

That’s what all the marketing experts will tell you.

But in my experience, it’s not nearly so black and white.

I’ve found that using discounts in a smart way can produce a huge boost for your business. And it all has to do with a very important 8 letter word.

How to Get the Money Fast

That word is C-A-S-H-F-L-O-W…

In my experience, the only thing worse than not making a nice income as a copywriter is booking a ton of business but not actually having the money in your pocket.

That really stinks.

After all, you can’t buy food with money coming later…

You can’t make house payments either…

And that’s why it’s become my mantra that “every day you wait to get payment in full from your client increases the chances that it will never happen.”

And THAT’S the reason you offer a discount for your services.

Now those same chest pounding copywriters will probably tell you that you should ALWAYS get payment in full… upfront… before you begin any work.

Have you tried that recently?

Sometimes it works fine… sometimes it doesn’t.

Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t really have the luxury of a big reputation and ego that brings clients to my door with eyes glazed over… willing to pay me whatever it takes to work with me.

I’m not a rock star and have no intention of becoming one. I DO have an intention of building a stable business that doesn’t fizzle out after people begin to see past the “rock-star” front.

So here’s how to increase your chances of getting full payment in advance:

Reward your client for doing it.

Which is more valuable to your business? A $13,500 project payable over three months… or a $13,500 project with a 10% discount for payment in advance?

I know which one I take each and every time.

The GOB Technique

I had a client once in the furniture business.

In that world, there are companies that do nothing more than travel from city to city staging “Going Out of Business” sales for furniture retailers.

They come in and create a BUNCH of hoopla (with cars driving around the city, signs everywhere, a lot of marketing noise, etc.) and announce the Big Going Out of Business Sale at Furniture Retailer X. They invite everyone over for unbelievable savings, yada, yada, yada…

Oh yeah, and they often inflate the prices of the merchandise so that the unbelievable “discount” they offer is little more than a marketing gimmick.

So how can you apply this technique to your copywriting business in a way that you can still sleep at night?

Well, I’m not suggesting you inflate your prices simply to offer a discount to your prospects and clients.

That’s pretty transparent and not a good long term strategy at all.

But I AM suggesting you inflate the value of the services you provide by actually delivering MORE value to your client and charging accordingly.

We’re selling intangible stuff here as a copywriter. Sure, there are words on a page. But the main thing we’re selling is ideas.

And just because your client ASKS for a salesletter doesn’t mean that’s what you have to sell them. After all, is the salesletter really all they want?

Of course not…

They want what they think the salesletter will create for them.

And that is sales, revenue and growth.

So how many other ways can you help them get to their real goal?

There are a TON of ways. And the only limit is your creativity.

That’s why you should be offering OPTIONS in the proposals you create for your prospects.

It’s a quick and powerful way to give yourself a raise AND help your clients.

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog