Making It Easier to Find a Good Freelance Copywriter
February 5, 2008 | Leave a Comment
If you’re like most professional service business owners, you depend on words to sell your services and communicate with your clients.
Sometimes those words “work” and other times they don’t. Sometimes they create results (and sales), and many times they don’t.
And that’s why many business owners get the help of a freelance copywriter. Someone who’s skilled at taking your ideas and communicating them to your market for maximum results.
Up until now, finding a freelance copywriter can be difficult. The big names are booked months (years) in advance and are extremely expensive. That’s the bad news.
The good news is that there are thousands of copywriters out there who can do the job.
And that’s why I created the Copywriter Catalog.
A way for business owners to find the right copywriter, with the right skills, at the right price.
And the best part is, Copywriter Catalog is free for business owners searching for copywriters.
Click on the link below to take a look:
Find Freelance Copywriters at Copywriter Catalog.
Your Clients, Your Business and Your Conscience
January 23, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Had to fire a client today.
The details aren’t really important, but the point is important.
And the point is that sometimes clients run their businesses in ways you would never run your own. And when you are asked to participate in something you disagree with, there’s a conflict that needs to be resolved.
In this case, the conflict created a question I had to answer: “Do I compromise my standards to make money?”
My particular situation with this client involved potentially making a lot of money.
My decision to fire my client was a judgement call on my part. It’s a judgement call about how I want to run my business. Another person might have made a different decision.
But it was the right one for me.
I can’t control how my clients run their businesses, but I can control whether or not I remain involved.
In the end, my decision is probably going to cost me upwards of a few hundred thousand dollars… this year alone. And it’s also going to cost me an equity position in a new business venture.
Fortunately, my clear conscience is a whole lot more valuable than all of that.
The moral of the story? Trust yourself. Trust your gut. You’ve got a level of intelligence that isn’t directly accessible to you, but one that gets your attention when needed.
Don’t ignore that.
What to Do When You Screw Up
January 20, 2008 | 1 Comment
Have you ever screwed up a project with a client? I mean really screwed up?
I know I have.
Well, something happened on Friday that serves as a pretty good example of just how to deal with it. At least I know I learned something.
You might be familiar with the firm 37signals. They’re a web design firm turned application service provider. They create web based software tools that help people run their businesses.
Their flagship product is Basecamp. If you’re working with clients, managing projects and aren’t using it… you’d better check it out. Because your competition probably is using it.
On Friday of this past week, their services went down… all of them. I’ll spare you the technical mumbo jumbo, because it’s not really important. The point is, a million or so people could not access the data they need to run their businesses.
If you’ve ever had your website go down, you have a rough idea about what this would be like.
What usually happens in that instance?
Do you get communication from the provider? No. That’s the one thing that rarely happens.
You do get excuses. And you do get story after story about how your business is appreciated. Funny how they never mention that until there’s a problem.
Well… 37signals is different.
And their actions on Friday proved it.
Because they did something unheard of in the service business.
They stood up. They took full responsibility for what happened. And they offered to work with anyone who felt their financial well-being was harmed during the outage. The buck literally stopped with them. And they did all that even though the problem wasn’t (really) their fault.
AND they communicated. Every few minutes.
Here’s a quick shot of the status screen they posted their updates to every few minutes:
Simple. Clear. To the point.
So is that a smart strategy when you’re dealing with clients? To be honest and take responsibility for the problem?
You bet.
And it’s so rare that you could actually count it as a competitive advantage for your business.
I’ve been told stories about some of the firms I’ve played “clean-up” for. The ones who botched a project and then somehow tried to blame it on the client.
Every one screws up sometimes. (If you never screw up, chances are, you’re not taking enough risks for your client.)
So when a screw up happens, stand up and take responsibility for it.
Sure you might lose the client. But you might gain a whole lot of clients when they hear that you actually took responsibility for the results of your actions. The firms they’re working with now probably aren’t doing that at all.
STRAIGHT TALK ISSUE 1
January 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Click on the arrow below to play…
So What Do You Do?
January 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment
How many times a month do you get that question?
What do you say?
Do you insert your “elevator speech” and then go on your way? Ever give your elevator speech and just have someone blankly stare at you? (I have.) Like the message had absolutely zero impact…
They’re looking at you like that because your message didn’t have any impact. It left them feeling just like the blank stare they’re sending back to you.
But instead of sitting down and working on your elevator speech, why not throw out your elevator speech and try something different?
Something effective.
Just watch this for some ideas:
What’s Your Goal When You Submit a Proposal?
January 13, 2008 | Leave a Comment
During my days as a tech consultant, every proposal I submitted to a prospective client had one goal.
The goal was…
TO GET THE PROPOSAL ACCEPTED
But over the past 12 months, I’ve realized just how backwards that is. Let me explain why.
One of my biggest strengths is selling. I can sell myself pretty well. And when I ask enough questions to really understand what my prospect wants, I can manipulate what I offer to fit the bill.
And that’s the problem.
My urge to get the business always forced me to create my proposals to sell.
But despite what “winning the business” did for my ego, it just wasn’t a profitable long term strategy for my business.
You see, I have big goals for my business. I imagine that you do too.
(If you don’t, then there are far less risky and turbulent ways to live than to be an entrepreneur.)
And to reach those goals, you don’t just need clients… you need the right clients.
And that means most of the prospects out there simply aren’t/shouldn’t make the cut to become one them.
So here’s a different goal to have for each proposal.
You submit a proposal to get a decision.
You stick to your guns. You do what you do. If it’s not right for the prospect, then they should no longer be a prospect.
Next.
Move on… you’ve got goals to reach.
10 Ways to Make More Money Without Getting a New Client
January 11, 2008 | Leave a Comment
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So how much CAN you charge your client?
January 10, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Got an email today from a customer asking my opinion on setting a fee for a particular project.
In this case, the customer is a copywriter.
The question basically was, “Look at this… can I charge $XX for this?”
I don’t think there’s a good answer to that question. Because something important is missing:
CONTEXT
And without context you can’t figure out value… And value is all your client cares about.
It’s not about the price. You’re not selling the price.
You’re selling the VALUE.
Always, always, always look at the deal from the point of view of your client.
So here was my reply (with some details removed to protect confidentiality.)
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Always look at things from the eyes of your clients.
Some people will say, sure you could charge $4,000-$5,000 or more for a letter like that.
But let’s think deeper and farther ahead into your future.
My question is, do you want clients or do you want to write letters?
Because quite a few copywriters I know are on an endless run of having to find new clients. All they see is a letter and the money they get for the letter.
They sell their services at a particular level (probably higher than they should) and then the promo doesn’t do as well as originally thought. The client loses money. Sometimes a lot of money.
When that happens, they don’t see you as a good value.
You probably lose the client. Maybe. Either way, the second sale will be harder.
That can be a catch 22 for a copywriter. After all, we don’t control whether the market likes their product, their offer, their company…
But that’s just the way it is. So how do we use it to our advantage?
If you want clients (meaning they come back again and again) then you need to look at things from their point of view.
The client wants to make money. This promo is for a $19 ebook.
So here are some things you’d want to know as you price a job like this:
1. What’s the purpose of the promo? (moneymaker, lead generator, etc. Knowing this will give you a clue about the EXPECTATIONS of your client)
2. How big is the list you’re promoting to? If the list is big enough, then of course there’s a chance your client will recoup your fee fairly easily.
3. Where does this product fit into your client’s funnel? If this is lead gen, what else is he/she selling and how quickly? How quickly could they expect to make money if they lose money on this initial promo (which includes your fee).
Otherwise, the potential just isn’t there for the client to recoup his/her investment and make profit on top of it.
I’d take all of these things into account when you’re pricing a job. The bottom line is, it can take a while to get a client. So you want to make sure everything is in place so that they can recoup your fee as quickly as possible and more.
This means you will get kind of choosy when selecting new clients.
Remember, it’s all about perceived value from the point of view of your client. THAT’S what they’re buying.
It’s not so much about the quality of your copy. Of course you have to have some level of competence, but hopefully my point is clear.
Structuring your deals so that you give yourself the highest possible chance of delivering a huge amount of value to your clients will make your life a whole lot easier and profitable.
Gettin’ the money fast…
January 6, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Here’s a question for you:
Ever had a client who told you the check was in the mail?
Everything was a “go”… the conversation was good… the negotiation went well… the client agreed to your terms…
And the client said, “Let’s get started…”
And then nothing happened. No money showed up.
Well, it’s happened to me too. (Too often)
And it’s led me to create a very simple principle I have up on my wall.
“The longer a client takes to send you money, the less chance the client will EVER send you money.”
That’s why you close the sale as quickly as you can.
That’s why your proposals have a DEADLINE.
That’s why every time you are on the phone with a potential client, you make the NEXT ACTION STEP clear. What will happen and when will it happen?
Otherwise, you leave things to chance. And you don’t want to leave your income to chance.
Talk is cheap as they say. And no matter what a client SAYS, the bottom line is, they’re only a client when the money is in your hands.
Now if you’ve been in sales a while, you’ve probably figured out that if someone is willing to send you a dollar, then there’s a chance they might send you a whole lot more.
They’re worth investing your marketing time, effort and money.
But if they balk at even a paltry sum like a dollar, then you’re probably NOT going to be receiving thousands of dollars for any of your products or services.
And that’s why it’s so important to “get the money fast.”
In my experience, the longer a client negotiation goes WITHOUT money changing hands, the less likely that any money will ever change hands.
And that’s why you MIGHT consider fronting your business with an infoproduct type of purchase. Something with a low cost of entry.
That gets the client used to sending you money. That initial hurdle is taken care of.
Now how can you use some of these ideas in YOUR business?
How Do You Stay On Track?
December 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment
I’ve done it many times. Got caught up in selling a particular client and lost all sight of my real target.
My goal became getting the client instead of finding the right client to help me take a step towards the ultimate goal I’ve set for my business.
Most of the times I’ve worked with clients under those conditions, I’ve been sorry. And frustrated.
Looking back, I could have avoided most of my frustration simply by asking myself one of 5 important questions BEFORE I decided to work with the client.
I’ve put those questions into one document for you. Going into the New Year, now’s the time to get clear about where you want to go.
Here’s my recommendation:
Print this out and hang it on your wall. Each time you are about to get a new client, ask yourself these questions.
I guarantee you, these simple questions will save you a lot of headache AND help you to make more money.
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Recently Written
- Making It Easier to Find a Good Freelance Copywriter
- Your Clients, Your Business and Your Conscience
- What to Do When You Screw Up
- STRAIGHT TALK ISSUE 1
- So What Do You Do?
- What’s Your Goal When You Submit a Proposal?
- 10 Ways to Make More Money Without Getting a New Client
- So how much CAN you charge your client?
- Gettin’ the money fast…
- How Do You Stay On Track?
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