*** The Question You Want to Be Asking Every Morning

Dear Copywriter,

I’ve been at this copywriting game now for about 2 years and 2 months.

I’ve gotten my nose bloodied a few times… my ego bruised a few more times than that… and had some good successes too.

Over that short time, some patterns are becoming clear. Stuff I wish I could have seen from the beginning.

Today’s issue is about some of those patterns. Things you can be on the lookout for to earn more, in less time, with less work…

So let’s get started.

The Tortoise was Wrong

I’m sure you’ve heard the story of the tortoise and the hare. That “slow and steady” wins the race.

In the past 26 months of my copywriting career, if I’ve learned anything, it’s that slow and steady doesn’t win the race. In fact, slow and steady gets you killed.

Here’s why:

When it comes down to it, No One Really Knows What They’re Doing in Business.

No one knows what products will rake in a million…

No one knows which lead generation promos will create leads at an acceptable cost…

No one knows…
No one knows…
No one knows…

So if no one knows, what are you supposed to do?

That’s where speed comes in.

After all, SOME products will sell a million (or more)…

SOME lead generation campaigns will open the floodgates…

You’ve got to figure out which things work and which things don’t. And the quicker the better.

That’s why speed is so important.

And that’s why I think the traditional, “we’re hiring you to write this promotion (hope it works… for your sake)” setup is a raw deal.

In that scenario, you’re hired to produce big results. To take what you’re given and figure out how to sell it with words.

But if you’re in a position where you have no control over the “figuring it out” part of things… where you get to work to help develop the product (based on what you know the market wants), the offer and get the right list…

Well, in my opinion…

You’re in the wrong position.

Did You Get Sucked in Yet?

I found myself in the wrong position quite a few times.

I’d write the promotion, wait for the results… and HOPE that it worked.

After all, I wanted to get another project.

Too often (for me), it DIDN’T work.

So I thought I was the problem.

I couldn’t really remember any of the copywriting gurus ever mentioning a promotion that tanked… But surely they’ve had a few, right? Maybe a lot? Wonder why they don’t mention them?

Well, eventually, I woke up.

I realized that I didn’t choose the product.

I realized that I didn’t choose or build the list.

So since those days, now that I’ve proven to myself time and time again that even “mediocre copy” (whatever that is), thrown together in 60 minutes, can sell a product that someone actually WANTS…

Well here’s my advice to you:

Don’t get sucked in. Don’t fall into the game. It’s a losing proposition. (And there’s a much easier and more profitable game to play.)

You don’t have to deliver a homerun. You CAN deliver a homerun. But let’s get real… how can you deliver a homerun when you don’t control all parts of the equation?

I think it’s largely a game of chance.

Business is a game of chance.

And that’s fine. As long as YOU aren’t the one that gets penalized for taking chances.

Who’s Hiring Who Here?

And THAT’S why you have to be very picky about who you work with. Even if you’re starting out, you can still use some discretion.

After all, you’re using up valuable minutes of your LIFE on these opportunities.

YOUR life. The only one you get here… this time around anyway.

And you can waste a lot of time working with clients who simply don’t get it and are happy to blame you for it.

I remember hating Economics 101 with a passion. The teacher was boring and the material was even worse.

But there is ONE thing I took away from that course.

And that one thing is OPPORTUNITY COST.

Just remember this the next time you get hired:

There is an opportunity cost to working with EVERY client you’ve got. And that cost is that you might just miss out on working with a BETTER, more profitable client instead.

Choosing the right clients will help you minimize that cost.

So do YOU interview your clients?

Or are you happy to take almost any one that comes along?

This is YOUR business.

YOUR clients.

YOUR goals.

If you don’t have clients that are going to help you reach those goals… start looking for new ones.

And INTERVIEW them before they hire you.

The Question You Want to
Be Asking Every Morning

You want to be a partner with your client. NOT a hired hand.

I say this over and over to the copywriters I coach.

And it’s quite a shift in mindset for many of them. I know it was for me when I first made the change.

You’ll know you’re on the right track when the first thing you ask yourself every morning when you sit down to work is this:

“What can I do today to make my client more money?”

When you have the right type of arrangement with your client, asking that question and following through will ALWAYS make you more money.

For now, just remember… ditch the tortoise idea.

Fast and steady does it.

If you’re an open minded person who is ready for a shift in your “inner game,” today’s issue will help make sure that 2009 is a whole lot more profitable than 2008.

But if you’re not ready for a change… today’s issue might just sound like fluff.

You’ve been warned

So let’s get started.

It’s Not About the Copy (Again)

How many copywriting courses do you need to become a great copywriter?

1… 5… 15?

How many hours do you need to spend learning your craft?

What MAKES a great copywriter anyway?

Results? Royalties? Winners? Clients? An Ego?

If you’re going to make 2009 the year that YOU break out and hit six figures and well beyond, here’s something I’d recommend you consider:

STOP thinking about questions like these.

They’re not bad questions, they’re just not profitable ones.

Here’s the reason:

If you’re looking to do well in this business, then becoming a great copywriter really isn’t the goal.

Common sense would tell you that great copywriters get paid well. I really don’t think that’s true.

I know some great copywriters who aren’t making a lot writing copy.

Actually, that’s the whole reason I set up Business of Copy. And it’s the reason I write this newsletter. And it’s probably the reason you’re reading it.

I do all of this to create a resource I didn’t have when I was getting started. A resource that says stuff like:

Stop buying copywriting courses. (You probably know enough already.)

Stop listening to the EXPERTS. (They only know what worked for them.)

Start listening to yourself. (You’re the only one with the REAL answers anyway. And if you’re not listening you won’t hear them… ever.)

Figure out what YOU want to achieve then use your copywriting skills to make it happen.

So here’s my best advice to you for 2009:

Stop trying so hard to be a great copywriter and start trying to create a great income writing copy.

As you’ve heard from me before, those are two very different things. And they require different skills.

In my opinion, here’s the number one skill required to make a great income as a marketer and copywriter:

Stand Up, Be Counted and Send
Them the Bill

You’ve got to believe in your OWN value before you can bill for it.

At the risk of having this issue turn all soft and gooey, I just want to give you a gentle reminder that NO ONE out there is EVER going to pay you what you’re worth…

UNLESS YOU ASK THEM FOR IT.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? Well it’s a simple idea that’s taken me years to get into my head.

Even longer to get in my gut where it can do me some good.

The truth is, the world is full of talented underpaid people just scraping by.

But there aren’t as many folks out there who are talented and fully believe in the value of that talent.

And there are even FEWER folks who believe all that and have the skills to communicate the VALUE to someone else.

Those people are generally well paid.

The good news is, this is a learnable skill. You just have to want to learn it. And be willing to fail enough times before you get it right.

It’s the New Year. So take a moment to reflect on just HOW much value you bring to your clients. Value that probably even YOU take for granted.

Isn’t it time you were compensated for some of that value?

Real Buyers + Relationship = Profit

Let’s move on…

Are you keeping in touch with prospects, clients and past clients?

Are you delivering value over and above the project work you are doing?

Value in free reports….

Value in monthly newsletters…

Value in some other (creative) way?

Value in the form of your intellectual property and creative insights about how to solve the problems your readers are having?

If not, you’re probably missing out on a lot.

How much, you’ll never know.

Just last month, I started a long term project with a business owner who I worked with for a brief time in the past.

One day the proposal went out…

Two days later a wire in the vicinity of $20K was in my bank account.

There’s one reason and one reason ONLY that that wire showed up in my account:

That reason is RELATIONSHIP.

I had one project with this client a year ago. There WAS no project work after that first project. But all that time there WAS relationship building. There WAS value being transferred.

Here’s why I’m telling you this:

Projects come and go, but RELATIONSHIPS can be built all of the time. (Even when you are just starting out and you have no clients.) Remember that and it will pay off huge for you.

It really is simple, it’s just not “point-and-click” easy. You do actually have to work. You DO have to give it some thought. And, most importantly, you have to stick around long enough to harvest the fruits of your labor.

How are you building relationships with your prospects and clients?

Building a relationship does not translate into instant sales. But once you get the ball rolling and the momentum going… well, just watch out.

Life is What Happens When
You’re Making Other Plans

I always get excited around the new year. Mainly because I really feel like the slate is being wiped clean and I get another chance to create my life as I want it to be.

I was excited about this New Year’s in particular.

I was going to get up on New Year’s day and get all of my big ideas for my life down on paper.

But as it turns out… something better happened.

His name is Rune. He is my new son as of 9AM on January 1, 2009.

He was born at home in a pool of water. He’s only 4 days old and has already taught me far more about life than I can ever teach him.

I tell you this for one reason.

This business we’ve chosen (or that has chosen us) can be hard. And it can be lonely. And the path is rarely smooth.

But this is what I do. It’s what you do.

And it’s times like these that remind me WHY I do it.

I know YOU have a why for being in this business. Make sure it’s the right “why” for you. Then never forget it.

It will make your challenges seem smaller and your victories well worth the effort.

Happy New Year to you all.

Do you have what it takes to stand behind your RESULTS as a copywriter and get paid only when you create those RESULTS?

For your sake, I hope not.

You’re going to love this…

Who’s Responsible for This?

I was on the phone the other week with a potential client.

The proposal was worth about $47,000 and we were getting near the part where the client “unveils” his decision.

“Everything looks great… in fact, this is the best proposal we’ve gotten… There’s only one problem…”

I asked him what the problem was…

“It’s the price… it’s a whole lot more than everyone else.”

“So what’s the problem with that exactly?” I asked.

“Well, everything you’ve laid out here sounds good. In fact, it’s pretty exciting. But there’s just one thing…”

“What if what you’re proposing doesn’t work? Then what? Where’s our guarantee?”

At that point, I knew I had made a major blunder. Not right then… but a phone call or two before.

I hadn’t made it clear that there ARE no guarantees in business. I expect that any intelligent business owner would realize that by day 2 of their business career. Clearly I overestimated.

Except this really wasn’t really about guarantees. It was about something I should have noticed long before.

The client wasn’t really operating on a level where VALUE was important. They were only operating on the plane of PRICE. PRICE was important.

Low Price = Good

High Price = Bad

If they had been interested in VALUE, they would have been salivating when I showed them how to add $92,000 per MONTH to their bottom line… with one SMALL tweak.

(Get this… the $92,000 was a SLIVER of what these folks were really sitting on. In fact, it was about 20% of what was really possible… I always like to be conservative

But they weren’t salivating… and that’s because they weren’t educated properly about VALUE (by me).

Instead, they turned to a guarantee to justify even considering such a high fee. Where’s the guarantee?

Your #1 Business Priority

Here’s the deal:

I’m in business to maximize my profit.

And I’m savvy enough to understand that truly the best way to do that is to maximize the VALUE I deliver to my clients.

But that DOESN’T mean I’m interested in accepting the business risk of my client as part of my compensation.

That, to me, is a STUPID business decision.

Now some folks would say that means I’m not cut out to be in this business. If I can’t “stand behind my results,” then what good am I?

I think that’s hogwash put out by folks who know that intimidating people is often a good way to sell them something. Perhaps a little coaching… or my copywriting course?

Standing behind results is completely different than basing your compensation solely on results.

The first is professional… You DO stand behind your results. Sometimes they are good. Sometimes they are not good.

But basing your compensation solely on your results (because some guru said you should) is plain dumb.

I’ve created promotions where everyone got all hot and bothered because it was going to be a slam dunk. The copy’s great… the marketing is great… the experts approve, the gurus love it… yada yada.

And then it flopped.

On the other hand, I’ve THROWN together sales letters, literally writing them in 2 hours (or less) and had things go nuts…

What’s the deal?

The deal is that this is how business works.

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you don’t. There ARE no guarantees.

So it’s best to figure out how to deliver value to your client and get compensated well REGARDLESS of the results that are generated.

After all, it’s rare that you actually control enough of the moving parts in the success equation.

And what kind of savvy business person would enter into an agreement like that?

“Okay… I get paid WELL if this actually works. Even though I can’t control whether the market actually WANTS what you’re selling… Even though I can’t control whether the people you’re talking to are the right people for this offer.”

It would be a little bit like entering a drag race… and showing up to the starting line with your “client issued” Yugo that was missing a left front wheel. That’s what the client has to work with… so you’ll have to make do.

You get paid if you win the race.

Sounds just a bit crazy doesn’t it?

It’s certainly not the type of foundation I want to build a business on.

Results based competition is fine when I’m a PARTNER in a business. In that case, I’ve signed on for a share of the risk commensurate with my share of the upside should things work out.

But that’s NOT generally the situation with CLIENTS.

You get paid a fee for delivering value. The extent to which your client perceives that you are delivering value, despite what actually happens in the market, will determine your income.

If your income depends solely on the results you generate with a client, you are in for a LONG and very uncertain road.

You’ll get a lot of clients… you just won’t get paid.

Results are Gravy
(You Don’t Live on Gravy)

Now I’m not suggesting you don’t stand behind your work.

But if a client ever asks you to “put your money where your mouth is” and get paid based on RESULTS….

Well, I’d run the other way. That’s simply not a level of responsibility that you need to accept.

You’re in business to profit. You are not in business to accept the risk your CLIENT is responsible for as the owner of a business.

That’s suicide.

Believe me… I’ve done it. And I only have 6 of my 9 lives left because of it.

So be creative. Structure your client engagements so you aren’t waiting for “the big one” in order to make some money.

But most of all, be CONFIDENT that you deliver value before and regardless of what actually happens in the market place.

You DO do that right? (Of course you do…)

“But what about all of the famous copywriters who say that results-based ROYALTIES are the only way to get wealthy in this business?”

That may be… but I guarantee you that the smart ones don’t depend on royalties to feed their families…

Of course, I don’t accept their premise that royalties are the only way to get wealthy in this business. It’s the only way if you’re not creative to think up another way.

You get paid for VALUE you deliver to your client. Does value mean that your salesletter/marketing system generated millions and millions of dollars?

Maybe, maybe not.

The market decides that. But it’s best to get paid no matter what they decide.

Today let’s talk about wasting time. YOUR time. This issue is
short and to the point.

==============================
Surprise… the Joke’s On You
==============================

I always hate it when I go through all the work to attract a
prospect, learn about their business, create a proposal (which
takes some thinking if you’re doing it right), play the waiting
game to get a decision… and only THEN have them say: “The only
objection I have is the fee.”

Every time that happens, I have this feeling like I’ve surprised
my prospect with my fees.

We go through all of this work and then there’s the big
aaaahhhhHAAAAAAA where I unveil the fee.

It’s funny that it feels like I’m surprising my prospect… it’s
really ME who gets the surprise when things go south.

Surprise… the joke’s on me.

I don’t like that.

It’s a lot of work to get a prospect to that point in the sales
process… and frankly, you end up kissing a lot of frogs before
you find your prince (or princess
So maybe there’s a better way.

========================================
The Anchors Get Set First
========================================

Now think about this with your RATIONAL mind. Do you have any
business talking to a prospect who can’t/won’t afford the fees
you charge?

Of course not.

So why do all of us spend so much time talking to prospects who
have no business being our clients?

I’ll tell you why I do it.

I do it because of that little flicker of HOPE that I have. The
HOPE that I can turn all prospects into clients.

I just have to show them VALUE and THEN there might be a chance.

HOGWASH

Here’s a better way to do it:

===================================
The Last Shall Be First: Why Not?
===================================

So why not try something different?

Why not move the discussion of fees UPFRONT?

Wouldn’t that help?

To be able to say to your prospect:

“Now Ms. Prospect, I have to warn you… sometimes I’m told that
my services are too expensive. And I really have to agree. They
are expensive… if you’re talking about price.”

“If you’re talking about VALUE, then it’s quite a different
matter. If you invest five or ten thousand dollars in my
services and receive 5 or 10 times that back on your investment,
wouldn’t you consider that a successful investment? I know I
would…”

“Of course there are no guarantees, but I just want to make sure
that you’re willing to invest that kind of money if you see the
potential of that return.”

“Are you willing to do that? If so, we can move forward. If
not, we probably are just wasting each other’s time.”

Try it….

Just change the words enough so they feel like your own. You’ll
save yourself a lot of wasted time, effort and frustration.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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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…

*** 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.