Decision Time

September 26, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Dear Copywriter

Today, the focus is on one of the most aggravating parts of being a freelance copywriter:

Getting Your Prospect to Make a Decision

I’m sure you’ve had it happen. You get the proposal together, you submit it… and then:

NOTHING but silence.

You call, you write, STILL nothing. No response.

More times than not, the silence speaks volumes. No deal. But can you really ever be sure? :)
Wouldn’t it be nice to just get a simple decision so you can move on?

Frankly, when this happens, it annoys the hell out of me. Mainly because I know I could have (should have) kept this situation from ever occurring.

So today’s issue is about how to make sure it doesn’t happen to you.

If You Just Give Them the Ball,They Might NOT Give It Back

So how do you know that just because you give a prospect a proposal that you’re going to get a decision in return?

You think that’s the deal right?

Have you asked your prospect about that?

Believe it or not, the problem with an unresponsive prospect usually has little to do with your proposal.

The problem actually occurs much, much earlier in the selling process.

Not getting a response to your proposal is simply a symptom of the larger problem.

Here’s the problem:

You never had a real prospect to begin with. Because you didn’t make it clear to that prospect exactly what was expected of them.

And that needs to happen before you ever actually write words on the page. The REAL proposal happens while you are talking with your prospect face-to-face or on the phone.

The real proposal happens…

…while you are uncovering his pain

…while you are hearing HIS definition of a successful project (in dollars and cents)

…while you are making it clear your fees are not low, but your services ARE valuable

…while you are making it clear that you expect a timely decision-that you can accept a yes, or a no, but what you will not accept is a “maybe”

…while you make it clear exactly what he needs to do and when

The actual proposal you submit is nothing more than a summary of what the prospect has already agreed to. Pretty much the only thing he won’t know until he reads the proposal is the fee information.

How Easily We Forget

If I told you just how many times I’ve repeated this same mistake over and over, you’d probably fall off your chair laughing.

But that doesn’t mean you need to suffer the same fate. :)
As a copywriter, giving your prospect a deadline for a response is pretty much direct marketing 101, right?

So why is it so hard to remember that when it’s YOUR prospect?

Because when it’s YOUR prospect, you’ve got a partner to deal with. Your “partner” is your emotions.

Emotions mess up a lot of things.

Emotions say you NEED the money.

Emotions tell you that you MUST get the business.

Over the past 2 years, my emotions have been responsible for botching more deals than just about anything else.

So it’s best to deal with them as quickly as possible.

It’s Not About the Business, It’s About the Decision

Once you get your emotions out of the way, you’ll realize that all you really need from a prospect is a decision in a timely manner.

Who cares if it’s yes or no? If your lead generation systems are working, there WILL be other prospects.

So next time you’re on the phone with a prospect, make sure you get clear on exactly what is going to happen once you submit that proposal.

You do that simply by asking for small commitments from your prospect as you go along.

You can say something like:

“Mr. Prospect, I’m happy to prepare a proposal for you and get it to you within 24 hours. There’s just one thing… I always put an expiration date on my proposals. Not so much because I won’t be available after that time, but mainly so that we can decide whether or not to move forward in a timely manner.”

“If this is not a good fit, I’m sure we’d both like to know as soon as possible. So once you receive the proposal, will 4 days be enough to go through the information, get your questions answered and make your decision? Do you see any reason why you would not be able to work within that schedule?”

Try this next time. It’ll keep you moving forward and help stop time wasters from driving you crazy.

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog 

Peeling Onions for Dollars

September 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment

Dear Copywriter,

I’m waiting to hear about 2 proposals I have out totaling somewhere between $60K and $80K depending on which packages are selected.

The first proposal is for a repeat client. The second is for a potential new client.

The reason I’m telling you this is because NEITHER of these clients came to me for big projects.

In fact, when we first spoke, they BOTH wanted to hire a “copywriter.” One of them just needed some emails.

Peeling an Onion for Dollars

So how do you go from getting a call to write a salesletter or some emails all the way to projects worth tens of thousands of dollars?

The answer is you get there slowly. And carefully.

It’s kind of like peeling an onion.

But in this case, the onion is your client’s business. And the CORE of the onion is where all the money is.

When you get to the core of the onion, you know the REAL needs of your client and you know the REAL results that can be created by meeting those needs.

And THAT’S what your focus becomes: helping the client get from where she is to where she wants to go.

That has NOTHING to do with copywriting.

Of course, the client doesn’t always know what she needs. And chances are, she has no idea what her needs are truly costing her business.

That’s where you come in.

You point out the problems. You attach a number to those problems. You SOLVE those problems. You get rewarded.

Email Copywriting Worth $50,000?

So as your B.S. detector might tell you, there’s probably no client out there who will pay $50,000 for you to write some emails.

Maybe it happens. But it’s never happened to me. And I’m not holding my breath.

What clients WILL pay for are SALES. They WILL pay for improvements made in their business.

Copywriting can be used to do that… but it’s really just one piece of the puzzle.

And that’s why I’d recommend (from one copywriter to another), that you seriously consider getting out of the copywriting business altogether.

It’s Time to Change Your Mindset

If you’re JUST a copywriter, then you appear in the EXPENSE side of your client’s profit and loss statement.

I know that’s not what you hear. “Copywriters” MAKE businesses money. They pay for themselves… yada, yada, yada.

You usually hear that from the people that are selling copywriting courses.

And it’s true. IF the promotion works.

And if it doesn’t, then you’re just another liability.

Took me a while to realize that. But it’s KEY.

Start selling stuff your clients really want. They want more leads, more sales, more profits and a better business.

To create results like that, you need to learn how to do more than just write copy. You need to learn how to run and grow a business. You need to learn how to market products and services. How to setup a marketing/sales funnel that can be measured and improved over time.

All of those things can be learned quickly.

You walk into a potential client situation knowing how to generate leads, increase sales, and increase profits and you’ll make every other “copywriter” look like a pretty risky investment.

Try it. It works.

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog 

I Lost the Split Test (Big Time)

August 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment

———————

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 

Copywriting, The “Secret” and Other Mystical Mojo

July 21, 2008 | Leave a Comment

*** Why Mindset is So Important

*** Mindset Is Only a PIECE of the Puzzle

*** Get In Tune with What You REALLY Want FIRST

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Thanks again for such a great book. I’m no longer a copywriter. I’m a moneymaking marketing specialist. :-)”

-Deb Holder

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———————

Dear Copywriter,

Put on your seatbelts today…

Because we’re going somewhere QUITE a bit different.

We’ll return to our regularly scheduled program next week, but today’s issue is going to focus on the number one thing standing between you and the success you’re seeking.

That “thing” is your mind.

Now developing your copywriting chops is a smart thing to do, but they hardly matter if you and your magical sidekick (your brain) become your own worst enemy.

It’s possible. I’ve done it. And every now and again, I do it again.

So today’s focus is MINDSET (kind of). And why it’s so important to your future success.

Why Mindset is So Important

About two years ago, when I first watched the movie, “The Secret,” I spent the rest of that evening buzzing about what I was about to attract into my life.

I sat around visualizing what I wanted…

But nothing happened.

So I tried again.

Nothing happened.

I got a little bit frustrated. So I started devouring every piece of information I could find about mindset. About how to use your mind to help create the things you want in your life.

Eventually, I realized what I was missing…

Mindset Is Only a PIECE of the Puzzle

You see, when I first started actually making money in this business, I got really excited.

It’s a nice feeling to be able to pay your bills.

And I got enamored with the idea of buying nice things. A nice watch maybe (even though I hate wearing a watch) and maybe a nicer car (even though I’ve never been happier than when I lived in NYC without a car).

I got caught up in the wheel of success as I call it.

The only problem is, I wasn’t the one spinning the wheel. It wasn’t even MY wheel. And I was starting to get dizzy.

Mindset is one of the most powerful tools to get what you want. That’s what we’ve all been told right?

The part that no one seems to mention is that the things you want need to be the RIGHT things for you.

It took me a while to realize that what I learned watching “The Secret” wasn’t so that I could live the life of the stereotypical “successful entrepreneur.”

That’s what I was chasing, but it was completely WRONG for me.

And as long as I bucked the truth for me (what I REALLY wanted my life to be like), I wasted energy trying to get my “mindset tuned for success.”

I tried to use my mindset to direct me down a path that simply wasn’t right for me.

Get In Tune with What
You REALLY Want FIRST

Once I got straight with myself and spent some time figuring out what was RIGHT for me, then my mindset mojo actually started working.

But it only really started once I got very clear on what I really wanted.

Someone should have put that as a disclaimer in “The Secret.” It would have saved me a lot of time :)

So what kind of LIFE do you want to live?

REALLY? Would that be your answer if no one was looking or listening?

Deep down inside your gut, you already know what you really want. You may even already have it.

But sometimes it can be a huge challenge to hear that voice come through.

Especially when you’ve got a hundred people all trying to TELL you what you should want.

You should be wealthy, successful, have a successful business, charge big fees, live in a nice house, never work for anyone again, spend your time with successful people, look up to the wealthy…

Blah, blah, blah.

This is your life. And all of that success stuff is great… unless that’s NOT how you want to define success for YOU.

You’ve got to get CLEAR on that first. That’s step one.

Because until you do that, all of this “mindset” mojo probably isn’t gonna work so well.

Mindset is your energy. The energy you’ve been given to CREATE.

Just don’t waste it creating a dream that isn’t really yours. You’ve got great things to do in your life. And you can make them happen.

Take the time you need to set YOUR compass. And then enjoy the ride…

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog 

The Biggest “Copywriting Secret”

July 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment

*** I Don’t Know Why No One Mentions This

*** You Make Your $ on the BUY

*** Hard or Easy… It’s Your Choice

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———————

Dear Copywriter,

It’s time for some “from the trenches” truth telling…

So I’m going to start today with something you’ll probably never hear from a copywriting guru.

And that is…

It’s time to STOP working on your copywriting skills… (for a little while)

Especially if you want to increase your income as a freelance copywriter.

Now my experience could be a fluke, but based on the past 18 months of my life, good copywriting is about 15% of what you actually need to succeed in this business.

Today, I’ll tell you why I think that. And hopefully help you take your copywriting business to a new level.

I Don’t Know Why No One Mentions This

When I got started as a freelance copywriter, I thought that the better my writing got, the more money I would make.

My thinking went something like this:

1. Better copywriting leads to…
2. Bigger results, which lead to…
3. More clients, which lead to…
4. More money.

Sounds simple enough.

But it doesn’t seem to be true.

Because while it IS important to always be learning and improving your craft, it doesn’t really put food on the table by itself.

That’s why there are plenty of excellent copywriters who are scraping by.

And that’s true for a lot of industries. Music… technology…

So today, I’d like to share something with you that I’ve learned over the past 18 months. Something that I’ve found is FAR more important than being a good copywriter.

I call it “The Biggest Copywriting Secret.”

That big “secret” is simply this:

Your success as a freelance copywriter will depend on your ability to CHOOSE the right clients.

You Make Your $ on the BUY

Sounds like common sense doesn’t it?

You’ve got to have good clients. And by good clients, I don’t just mean clients that pay you on time and give you steady work.

That’s a good place to start, of course, but long term a GOOD client is more than that.

In one way, copywriting is just like the real estate business. In real estate, you make your money when you BUY the property.

As a copywriter, much of your future income is made (or lost) when you CHOOSE the clients you are going to work with.

And here’s the reason.

Good clients have 4 things:

1. They have some marketing sense. (That way, you’re not having to justify every marketing decision you make.)

2. They have GOOD products. (GOOD means that people are actually buying them.)

3. They have GOOD lists of people to sell products to.

4. They’re already making money.

How many of your current clients have those four things?

When I got started, very few of my clients had all 4 things.

Choosing the WRONG clients will set you on an uphill journey.

Choose a client without a GOOD product or a GOOD list and there’s a good chance your results WON’T warrant a long term relationship.

You’ll wonder why your copy never gets huge results. And you’ll start to have doubts about whether you have what it takes to be in this business.

It won’t be your fault, but it will be your problem.

So I’ve found that there is an easier way…

Hard or Easy… It’s Your Choice

You need to make sure you create your marketing system to help you uncover the GOOD clients. Those are the clients that will help you increase your income, in less time.

That means that your marketing system needs to sift, sort and filter out the clients you don’t want to be working with.

The fact is, you’ll put the same amount of time and effort into writing a salesletter for a product that has no hope of selling as you will into one that will create a home run.

So it pays to take the time to get this right from the beginning.

Choose GOOD clients.

Being in business for yourself is challenging enough. So make a decision right now as a freelance copywriter to take the smart path.

And that path begins with GOOD clients.

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog 

The Problem with Startups

July 8, 2008 | Leave a Comment

*** Oops, I Did It Again

*** Playing the Market Research Department Stinks

*** What to Do Instead

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A reader speaks out…

“Jason’s book is full of solid advice you can use to become a successful copywriter. He outlines all the mistakes a new writer can make - I cringed through those parts, because I’ve made the same mistakes.

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Copywriter

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———————

Dear Copywriter,

It was bound to happen…

Almost every time I go against my gut and take on a client that’s a startup… I end up being sorry.

Today, I’d like to talk about why.

And I’d like to (hopefully) save you a bit of frustration. Plus give you some tips about finding more profitable waters to fish in for YOUR next client.

Oops, I Did It Again

In my experience, (unless you’re lucky) here’s the arc that things often take with a startup:

1. New startup client comes on. They think you are the answer to their prayers. In an effort to sell your services, you try to temper their fantasy expectations a bit, WITHOUT sending them running…

2. The marketing campaign starts. The copy gets written. The campaign doesn’t take off. The startup begins to get frustrated. Cashflow is tight. Stress sets in. You are the only one standing around. The spotlight falls squarely on you.

3. Startup calls. Asks why things aren’t working. Everyone else seems to be selling this stuff successfully. You try to explain that there could be a lot of problems.

The problem could be the copy…

The problem could be the product…

The problem could be the market…

The startup doesn’t understand why things need to be so complicated. The startup explains they need a change. The startup goes back to Step 1 with a new copywriter.

Rinse and repeat.

Playing the Market Research Department Stinks

So here’s the biggest problem you have as a copywriter working with a startup company:

You end up being more of a market research department WHILE you’re trying to sell their stuff.

The big challenge with a startup is that (unless they are extremely savvy), they are coming at you with a product THEY love (which hasn’t been tested for viability in a market) but don’t know how to sell.

That’s a big challenge for even the world’s top copywriters.

Plus, you’re working with a company where cash is often so tight that the clock is ticking (loudly) for you to produce results FAST.

That can be a problem when the deck is already stacked against you.

What to Do Instead

This might sound cynical…

So be it.

My simple rule is to stay away from startups as a primary way to earn your living.

If you want to work with them, that’s one thing. But if you’re looking for profitable clients who you can count on to come back time and time again, chances are, a startup company is NOT the place to look.

The most profitable clients…

1. Are already selling their products and services. They aren’t looking for the pieces of the puzzle to make that first sale.

2. Have enough cash so they aren’t looking to YOU for a constant supply of home runs just to pay their bills.

3. Understand that the majority of marketing promotions don’t return huge dollars, and they’re willing to keep getting up to bat for those times when home runs DO happen.

Now if I could just take my own advice :)

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog 

The Truth About Screwing Up

June 7, 2008 | Leave a Comment

*** The Only Way to Lose is to Be Afraid to Lose

*** What Do They Know Unless You Tell Them?

*** You Don’t Get Hired to Read Your Client’s Mind,
But You Can Get Fired for Not Doing It

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———————

Dear Copywriter,

I’ve never really been lucky.

You know those people who always seem to win stuff? Those people who always seem to just have things work out really, really easily?

I’m sure you know those people.

Well, I’m not one of them.

And just in case YOU’RE not one of those people either, well… today’s issue is for you.

Today’s issue is about SCREWING UP… and moving forward anyway.

Here are 3 of my many screw ups. I’m telling you these to either give you a good chuckle or to help you steer clear of repeating them yourself.

The Only Way to Lose is to Be Afraid to Lose

Remember the last time you were negotiating with a new client and you were right at the point where you had to announce your fee?

What was the dominant thought going through your head?

If you’re anything like me, it was probably something like, “I don’t want to charge too much… I’m afraid I’ll lose the business altogether.”

Sound familiar?

After all, isn’t getting SOME business better than getting no business?

The answer isn’t Yes or No. Because it’s a trick question.

I can’t tell you HOW much $$ I’ve left on the table simply because I negotiated MYSELF out of those dollars.

I fought that little battle in my head and I lost. Time and time again.

“He won’t accept that… maybe I’ll just knock off a little bit.”

“What if she says NO?” “Won’t I look dumb then? I do need the money…” “Maybe the fee is a little high…”

Here’s what I’ve learned.

Negotiating is NOT a once and done, take it or leave it activity. If that’s what you think, then you’re selling yourself WAY too short.

No one will EVER ask you what YOU want. That’s your job. And that’s where the negotiations begin.

If you start developing this habit right away, your road to success will be a whole lot easier.

Don’t be afraid to lose the business. You can’t lose business you never had. And despite what your prospect says, you don’t HAVE the business until the check is in your account.

What Do They Know Unless You Tell Them?

I lost a pretty good client once because I was stupid.

You see, I always put a lot of focus on GETTING the client. And sometimes, I put less focus on keeping the client.

In this case, the client was NOT a marketing wizard. That’s why we were working together.

But this “screw up” is an example of how you can NEVER stop selling.

And I’m not talking about just trying to get to the next sale or the next project with the client.

What I’m talking about is that you can NEVER assume your client has any idea about the value you are actually delivering.

And in a business where you simply CAN’T guarantee results 100% of the time, making the value proposition clear is a must.

So you need to keep selling the value of what you’re doing the whole way through the project.

In my example, I was a one-man marketing machine for this guy. Stuff was FLYING out the door. Salesletters… CDs… Press releases.

You name it, I was doing it. It was FAST and GOOD.

His lead flow went from 1 or 2 per week to 5-10 PER DAY.

Only problem is, I didn’t make it clear to my client exactly how valuable all of this stuff was.

I made it look effortless. You know, “Don’t let them see you sweat… you’re a professional.”

Blah, blah, blah. That was a BIG mistake.

So we got to the end of our agreement and he didn’t think his money was well spent.

That was my fault. I stopped selling him on the value of what I was doing each and every step of the way.

He got a TON of value. It’s just that no one ever told him.

For me it was game over.

You Don’t Get Hired to Read Your Client’s Mind,
But You Can Get Fired for Not Doing It

You can never ask too many questions in this business.

One time, I didn’t do that and I got burned.

I was paid about $10,000 to write a health promotion.

It was one of those conversations where the client goes on a long winded explanation about what he wants the promo to be like.

He ends with something like, “You know what I mean…”

And me, the “eager to please” copywriter says, “Oh yes… I know what you mean.”

But as it turned out, “What he SAID he wanted wasn’t actually what he wanted in his HEAD.”

I never dug out the TRUTH. So I ended up writing the WRONG promotion.

Well, I did what he said, I just didn’t know that’s not what he meant.

Never be afraid to ask a LOT of questions.

It’ll keep you from making $10,000 mistakes like this one…

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog 

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…

Download the Sample Critique

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog 

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:

Learn more…

———————

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.

Posted by Jason | Filed Under Blog 

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