Posted by: Clayton Makepeace
January 28, 2008
Issue #341

The Insanity Chronicles Part III:
The Rainmaker Mindset

• The #1 obstacle to taking your business to the next level
• 11 ways to compensate copywriters who partner with their clients
• The three things you must do NOW to make partnering work for you
• Seven commandments for creating explosive growth in any company
• And much, much more!

Dear Business Builder,

Right up front this week: New rules.

At the end of each of my issues, there’s a place for you to leave your comments, suggestions and questions. Usually, three or four people weigh in on this little blog, most to thank us for The Total Package.

Not last week. After last Monday’s issue, the conversation continued on Tuesday … then on Wednesday … and kept on going all week long!

Some readers used my blog to challenge me to prove that partnering would work for them. Others said they’re already using my partnership model and that it’s better for everybody – by a long shot. Still others offered helpful suggestions to new writers in need of their first real assignments. And of course, many asked for details: “What do I do … what do I need … to begin partnering NOW?”

As it turns out, what I wrote in last week’s issue pales in comparison to the quantity and the quality of ideas readers posted for the rest of the week. If you merely read the issue and missed the brawl that followed in the blog, you missed out – big time.

One of the most common questions: “What do I call myself if I’m no longer ‘just’ a copywriter?”

“Great question!” says I, so we started a contest: Whoever comes up with the best moniker – the best title for a marketing pro who partners with a company owner to explode sales and profits – wins a free copy of my $299 How to Build a Six-Figure Copywriting Business course. (So far, I like “Rainmaker;” hence the title of this article …)

So here’s the new rule: From now on, I’m going to check the blog at the end of each issue at least once every day to answer your questions. If you’re serious about growing your business bigger and faster, I strongly suggest that you do, too!

OK – quick review …

We’ve covered a lot of ground in the last two weeks, so just to make sure we’re on the same page here, let’s take a minute to review …

Two weeks ago, we saw how the freelance copywriting model – the business model in which each copywriter writes for many different clients during the year – costs business owners AND copywriters a boatload of money:

1. It makes companies reluctant to share proprietary marketing intelligence that could be critical to the writers’ success: Because each freelancer also writes for competitors, his client is naturally hesitant to divulge sensitive information about the company’s best prospect sources, its test results, the products it plans to sell to new customers in the future and other data he or she needs to create optimally effective copy.

RESULT: Less effective sales copy.

2. Freelancing costs copywriters many months of productive time each year: Freelancers have to do much more than just write copy. They must also spend time each month selling themselves – contacting prospective clients, presenting their credentials, negotiating fees and doing all the other things required to keep their dance cards full.

Plus, moving from client to client forces writers to work through a new learning curve for each new client, each new product and each new prospect group he or she writes for.

RESULT: This costs writers two to three weeks on each project. A copywriter who completes eight projects per year spends 16 to 24 weeks (four to six months) performing these tasks – NOT writing copy – each year.

And since writers get paid to create responsive promotions – not for time spent selling or learning – this reduces the writer’s income by 25% to 50% each year.

3. It makes it difficult for writers to win: Most companies hire more than one copywriter at a time to create new promotions for each product. And since only the winner winds up earning royalties, each copywriter must not only beat the control, but also beat all the other writers he or she is up against.

Plus, as soon as a writer has established a new control, companies immediately hire other writers to try to beat it. So even if you beat the odds and establish a new control, chances are, it will be short lived and your royalties will be cut short.

RESULT: Only a fraction of each writer’s projects become controls that actually pay royalties … and royalties are paid only for a few months.

4. The freelancing model deprives companies of each writer’s best work: Knowing that the odds of achieving a control are greatly reduced by lack of sufficient marketing intelligence from the client and because of competition from other writers, the copywriter’s focus is shifted from producing quality work that earns maximum royalties to producing a greater quantity of projects each year in order to earn a maximum number of advances.

RESULT: Since writers are incentivized to focus on rushing through each job, completing as many jobs as possible each year, the quality of the writer’s research and sales copy is substantially reduced. Response rates suffer. Average sale dives. The company’s return on its marketing dollar plunges.

Plus, we saw how companies and freelancers who specialize in direct mail are especially vulnerable to declining response now …

• How maturing markets, intensifying prospect skepticism, increased competition, and the rise of the Internet are depressing direct mail response in many niches …
• How the deadly combination of declining response and soaring mail costs have reduced the number of new customer acquisition promotions many companies can mail at break-even or better – and the royalties copywriters stand to earn on each project – by up to 90% …
• And we saw how these new facts of life give copywriters an even greater incentive to shift their focus from royalties to advances … to overbook themselves, then rush through each job so as to collect the maximum number of advances possible each year … and how this further reduces the quality and effectiveness of the promotions they produce.

Most importantly, we saw how changing to a new working model not only eliminates these obstacles to success but also produces greater successes for everyone involved.

Specifically, we talked about …

• A model in which the copywriter and company become long-term partners …
• In which the copywriter agrees NOT to work with the client’s competitors and instead, gives his full time and attention to the client’s company, products and promotions …
• In which the company agrees NOT to reduce the copywriter’s odds of success by pitting him or her against other top writers on each new assignment and then throwing still more writers into the mix to shorten the life of the writer’s controls …
• And in which the copywriter becomes more than just a writer – leveraging his or her knowledge, skills, experience, existing relationships and special new business and marketing tools to help…

• Organize the company in ways that more efficiently and effectively support the marketing process …
• Assess the effectiveness of each member of the marketing staff, identifying weak links and helping the client find new talent to fill critical positions …
• Reposition the company, its spokesperson and products in ways that lift it head and shoulders above the competition …
• Craft promotional strategies, tactics and messaging for each customer contact (including customer service communications, package inserts, thank-you letters, renewal campaigns, telemarketer scripting, and more) designed to produce optimum response, average sale, return on investment and longevity of existing customers – and by doing so, produce an almost instantaneous, quantum leap in sales revenues and profits …
• Identify internal choke points that limit the size and quantity of new customer acquisition promotions that the company can field each year … eliminate them by streamlining the company’s marketing processes … and by doing so, multiply the number of new customers acquired every 12 months, accelerating the company’s growth …
• Create optimum numbers of new test panels designed to constantly improve the effectiveness and longevity of each new customer acquisition control, giving the company the ability to quickly and efficiently field new headlines, premiums, prices, offer structures, and formats that maximize the number of new customers coming aboard each month …
• Recycle the writer’s successful copy for use in other media, thus multiplying the return on investment each scrap of copy produces for the writer and the company – as in converting successful direct mail controls into online sales pages, print and electronic ads and even half-hour infomercials for radio and TV …
• Predestine new products to be wildly successful by building them from the ground up to fill practical and emotional needs prospects already have and that keep buyers buying bigger and longer by bringing tremendous value to customers’ lives …
• Expand the company’s prospect base by leveraging its internal strengths and marketing acumen to move into new niches and to quickly dominate them …
• Leverage the former freelancer’s relationships with competitors to create joint venture opportunities that turn them into the company’s best salespeople; further accelerating growth and profits …
• Leverage the copywriter’s relationships with vendors – outside designers, media buyers, printers and others – to produce better quality promotions and products for less …
• And much, much more.

Then, last week, we considered
the sobering consequences
of NOT adopting this Partnership Model …

On Monday, I warned that the U.S. economy is slowing precipitously … unemployment is rising … that consumers are spending less on the discretionary products and services most of us sell …

That companies who fail to recognize this reality – and who fail to find new ways to leverage their copywriters’ full potential – will be condemned to even lower response, average sale, and ROIs … dramatically reduced new customer inflows … and significantly lower sales to existing customers …

And that copywriters who insist on sticking exclusively with the freelance model – failing to experiment with a better way to work with clients – are sentencing themselves to fewer assignments, lower fees and declining income as far as the eye can see.

As if to confirm everything I told you, Asian stock markets promptly crashed, wiping out 15 percent of investors’ money in two trading sessions … European markets followed suit, erasing ten to thirteen percent of the money invested in Eurozone stocks … and with Dow futures down nearly 600 points before the market opened on Tuesday, the U.S. Federal Reserve slashed interest rates a whopping three-quarters of a percent to temporarily avert a similar bloodbath on Wall Street.

And as if to validate my assertion that we’re staring down the barrel of an inflationary recession (a “stagflationary” environment in which corporate and consumer spending grind to a screeching halt while inflation pushes everyone’s operating and living costs higher), the U.S. dollar responded to the Fed’s money pumping with its worst one-day decline in recent memory and gold rocketed more than $40 per ounce.

Now, just as I predicted, Congress and the White House – eager to appear to be doing something to fight this crisis – are preparing an ill-conceived fiscal stimulus plan: A grand give-away that can only make Wal-Mart and China richer, while driving the value of the dollar to new all-time lows and inflation much higher.

The price tag? One-hundred fifty thousand million dollars ($150 billion).

The bottom line …

You now stand at a crucial crossroads
in your business career.

Either you STOP doing things the same old way,
hoping for better results …

Or you begin to embrace a new working model
that acknowledges these realities
and that leverages them to rocket your income.

There simply ARE no other choices.

You can stick with the outmoded freelance model despite declining response rates and ROI and royalties it produces today – and hope that, despite a weakening economy, things will somehow work out for you.

Or, you can apply a new relationship model – the model that, since 1982, has produced up to 44,000% growth for my clients in as little as one year (SRC: $360,000 per month in revenues to $16 million per month in 12 months) and that has earned me royalties of up to $650,000 in a single month and more than $4 million per year.

If you’re a copywriter, you can acquire the knowledge and skills required to become an indispensible partner for your clients, contributing business-building ideas at every level of his company.

If you’re a business owner or marketing exec, you can approach marketing-savvy copywriters and explore the possibility of having them enter into an exclusive partnership with you.

Hesitation is no escape. In fact, delaying your decision IS a decision to continue “doing the same things the same way while hoping for better results.”

In today’s direct response marketplace – given the realities I outline above – procrastination equals insanity.

OK – enough prologue. Let’s dig in …

The #1 obstacle to taking your business
to the next level:

The very first obstacle to your success in adopting this new model is sitting squarely on top of your shoulders.
Your brain.

It has seen my reasons why freelance model is costing you a bundle.

It has seen why NOT doing things differently is going to cost you a king’s ransom in the years ahead.

It has seen how my Partnership Model has consistently multiplied my clients’ sales and makes me millions every year.

But your brain has heard lots of big promises before. It has seen them fail to deliver. It has learned to be skeptical … cautious … and so it’s feeding up every objection it can think of.

“Clayton has a great reputation – of course great companies want to partner with him.”

But when I first started doing this back in the early 1980s, almost nobody had heard of me and I had NO major scalps on my belt – and yet on my very first outing, I more than quadrupled my income in a single year.

Plus, in the last few months, I’ve helped not one, but two other former freelancers to structure partnership agreements with major companies.

“I don’t know the first thing about how to find companies who’ll partner with me – let alone which ones offer me the best opportunity to maximize my income” (Or if you’re a business owner, how to find copywriters who’ll partner with you and to spot the ones capable of creating a sales explosion for you.)

Simple: Let it happen naturally. Start with the relationships you already have. If you’re a copywriter, just begin expanding the role that you play. If you’re doing new customer acquisition promos now, ask your client to let you write a package insert. Or maybe a renewal campaign. Or a direct mail promo or e-mail campaign aimed at producing a boost in purchases by existing customers.

Offer him a deal he can’t refuse. Do it for a song or even free – just to see if you can improve his results. The sudden, substantial increase in response you’ll create is like heroin: Give your client a taste and he’ll be hooked. He’ll want you to do more. At that point, all you have to do is name a price that works for both of you.

Don’t have a client? Want to add another client to the mix? No problem: Take a look around you. Identify companies that have great products – products that should be selling well even in a tougher economic environment, but aren’t. That’s a huge neon sign telling you their marketing strategy, tactics, procedures and execution can be vastly improved.

Start a conversation with them. Give them a bunch of ideas for free to demonstrate the value you bring to the table.

Before you know it, they’ll be begging you to spend more time with them … and trying to figure out ways to pay you to do it.

“I just got comfortable with the idea of copywriting fees, advances and royalties. How in the world am I going to learn how to structure new compensation arrangements that make sense for both parties?”

Again – easy-peasy: When you establish a new, broader relationship, it opens doors to compensation options that are simply beyond your reach as a freelancer.

You can still ask for your regular fees, advances and royalties for the new customer acquisition promotions you produce.

You can take up to 50% of sales in return for creating turn-key online customer acquisition campaigns. After all: If the company’s objective is to create new leads and customers at break-even or better, and you can do it on the Web for a profit, why not take a piece for yourself?

You can ask for a monthly retainer in return for general brainstorming, advice and consulting.

You can ask for an override on future purchases made by the new customers you produce – especially if you bring in a fellow copywriter to help with customer file marketing.

You can ask for a straight percentage of sales – saving your client the customary advance – when you create online promotions that sell products to existing customers. Since these promos go from your pen to the customer’s inbox in a matter of days, who needs advances?

You can ask for on-going commissions on promotions that you create once and that produce sales virtually forever. Like web pages, print catalogs and renewal campaigns.

You can earn bonuses for helping your client reach pre-agreed-upon levels of sales and profitability.

You can get stock options that give you a percentage of the company’s growth and wind up on his Board of Directors in return for taking a more active role in the company’s grand strategy, organization, personnel, procedures, product development and more.

And you can work happily, even enthusiastically on many things for free; saving the company a fortune on things that don’t produce an immediate return because you know you have a piece of the bottom line … or profits from sales to existing customers.

How do I know you can do these things? Because I’ve structured these kinds of deals many times.

“Why in the world would a business owner agree to these kinds of deals?”

Because instant access to a competent copywriter has tremendous value. Most are booked up for many months in advance, so tons of profitable opportunities are slipping through clients’ fingers.

Because having a partner who knows marketing inside and out and who is ready, willing and able to spring into action to capture profits that are falling through the cracks has value.

Because having an extra, expert set of eyes looking out for new profit opportunities – a copywriter/marketer dedicated exclusively to making a business owner richer – has value. (And because depriving your competitors of this expertise has value, too.)

Because this kind of partnership either makes the business owner a bundle or costs him nothing. In each case, the copywriter/marketer only gets a small percentage of what he/she produces for you, so not only does he hand you greater revenues and profits – he also hands you the money with which you’re going to pay him.

A 10% commission is a cheap price to pay for strategies, tactics and copy that produces a 50% … 75% … or 100% increase in your bottom line!

“But the companies I work with don’t have the staff or the budget to grow quickly.”

Do they have existing customers? Do they have those customers’ e-mail addresses? If not, would they be willing to invest a few shekels to append their file (hire a service to add valid e-mail addresses to their customer records)?

If so, start there. Begin building your marketing war chest the quickest, easiest way possible: By creating a series of month-long e-mail sales campaigns aimed at energizing inactive customers ramping up response rates and average sale among active customers.

Do it right, and you’ll generate an instantaneous surge in sales and profits.

Then, USE a portion of that money to begin attracting new customers.

“I wouldn’t know where to start!”

Again – no problem. Here’s my advice …

1. Quit now. Ignore that advice and you’re 90% of the way to the success you’re looking for. Perseverance creates winners.

2. Compartmentalize. You don’t have to know it all or do it all now. Just identify the opportunity that’s most likely to produce the greatest sales growth in the shortest amount of time. Do that. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

3. Strive for incremental – but constant – improvement: Work your way through the company, identifying and addressing each opportunity in descending order of its potential to create growth. Inch by inch, anything’s a cinch.

Seven Commandments for Creating Explosive Growth

OK – so you’ve taken my advice. You have found a company (or if you’re a company owner, you’ve found a copywriter) to partner with. Now you have to deliver. It’s time to step up to the plate, identify the best opportunities to create explosive growth and get to work – right?

Not quite yet. That’s next week.

First, I want you to internalize seven simple commandments with the power to transform you into a world-class business builder.

No – it’s not like “The Big Guy” fricasseed a bush or used his divine digit to carve these commandments in stone.

I learned these principles the hard way: Through nearly four decades in the trenches. They have served me very, very well – and if you abide by them, they’ll do the same for you …

I.
Everything can be improved.

The three most idiotic things any marketer can say to a new idea are:

1. “But this is how we’ve always done it. Why change now?”
2. “That’s how our competitors do it and it works great for them.”
3. “We tested that once; it didn’t work.”

Ignore the idiots: Test everything. Let your prospects and customers give you the right answers.

II.
A dollar delayed is a dollar forfeited FOREVER.

Both company profits and personal income are measured in time. The dollar amount is meaningless unless it comes with a time period attached.

That’s why you say, “I make $x a year.” And why companies say, “Our bottom line was $x last year.”

Every New Year’s Eve, precisely at midnight, the previous year’s books closed. You could make a million bucks one second later and it won’t change last year’s income or profit numbers one iota.

Obvious – right? Sure. But here’s something that’s not so obvious to most business owners and marketers I’ve met:

In most cases, the major promotions you send to customers are linear in nature. First you send promotion “A,” then promotion “B.” You can’t send them both to the same prospect or customer at the same time. And you can’t send promotion “B” until the customer has had the opportunity to respond to promotion “A.”

That means, every week, day or hour a promotion is delayed during the year pushes more money OUT of this year. Those dollars will never be recovered. They’re gone forever.

Look at it this way: Your mission is to send twelve promotions to your customer file in 2008 – one at the end of every month. But your January promotion is a week late; it doesn’t go out until the first week of February. February’s promotion is a week late, too; it goes out March 15. And every other promotion takes just one week longer than you planned.

By the end of the year, those delays add up to 12 weeks. Which means three of the promotions you planned to send to customers won’t happen this year. That’s 25% of your revenues and profits gone with the wind.
All because of a five-working-day delay on each mailing.

The point is, every second on your marketing schedule counts. Every procedure and every employee that slows the process represents a permanent loss of revenues.

Creating procedures that move promotions through conception to creation to execution as quickly and as efficiently as possible are absolutely critical.

III.
“Optimal” response and “maximum” response
are two different things.

When I’m convinced a product I’m promoting brings value to people’s lives, my instinct is to go for the jugular: Pull out every stop, expend every effort to get my product out of my inventory and into peoples’ homes and businesses where it belongs.

But there are limits.

Take new customer acquisition promotions for example: Marketing strategies, sales copy and offers that compel prospects to buy – but leave them annoyed with or distrustful of your company or your spokesperson only produce new customers who will avoid your future promotions like the plague.

And using overly aggressive or coercive or deceptive tactics with existing customers is the best way I know to destroy the bond you’re trying to build between them and your company.

First, they read less of your messaging. Then, they reduce their average orders. Finally, they begin ignoring you altogether and your average customer lifetime value goes down the crapper.

A great rule of thumb: Think about every promotion – whether to prospects or to customers – first and foremost as a bonding tool. A way to endear recipients to you and to prime them to open and read the next message and every message you send them.

Then, do whatever you can short of weakening the good will you’re creating to get the sale and to maximize the size of the purchase.

IV.
Every customer contact is an opportunity to make a sale
and to increase customer lifetime value.

Take a long hard look at every scrap of virtual or actual paper your customers get from you. Every order form … every thank-you page or letter … every package insert … every renewal or customer retention letter … and every telephone conversation they have with your customer service people.

At the very least, every one of these events gives you a great opportunity to strengthen the bond with your customers. And at the most, they may offer you the opportunity to introduce a complementary product in a way that makes customers feel special.

V.
Every sale is an opportunity to make another sale.

The simple fact is, customers are most likely to make a purchase immediately after they’ve made a purchase.

You offered them a product they’re excited about. Ordering was quick, easy, hassle free. The order confirmation/thank you letter or e-mail answered every question about the delivery of the product and reminded them of your guarantee. The product was delivered in far less time than the customer expected. The product itself surpassed their wildest expectations. And of course, you threw in an unadvertised freebie or two (or three) as icing on the cake.

You now have one very happy customer on your hands. So wouldn’t this be a great time for a follow-up mailing to every customer who ordered this month? Wouldn’t this be the ideal moment to send him or her a customer satisfaction survey along with a discount coupon for a complementary product?

Being keenly aware of your customers’ state of mind at every part of the buying process and creating extra opportunities to order is a fantastic way to multiply sales and profits in short order.

VI.
Every customer complaint is an opportunity
to engender lifetime loyalty
(or to go broke or to jail).

Maybe I’m perverse – but I LOVE customer complaints. They give you the opportunity to bond with customers in ways no other communication can.

Something went wrong. Your customer is dissatisfied. And his experience tells him that setting things right is going to take forever and be a royal pain in the neck (or somewhat lower). So before you even hear from him, he’s already ticked off. Annoyed. Aggravated. Because he just knows you’re going to make this a nightmare for him.

And then, you surprise him! You apologize abjectly and issue an immediate refund. You give him a discount coupon for a future purchase. You have the head of your customer service department (better yet, the owner himself) CALL the customer to ask his help in trying to figure out what went wrong. And just to be sure the customer is satisfied with the solution, you send him a nice letter with a questionnaire to make sure the matter was handled fairly and efficiently.

RULE OF THUMB: Be willing to spend at least as much to keep a customer as you spend to create one. Better yet; be willing to spend double, triple, even quadruple if the customer has a long buying history with you.

It’s what you do at a time like this that proves your company’s character … and proves that he can trust you implicitly. Your customer will never forget how you handled his problem and never ceases being grateful for making this easy for him.

Cheap out on complaints, though, and you’re begging for a spanking. Not only have you killed a customer; you’re practically begging regulators and ambulance chasers to nail your sorry butt to the nearest wall.

VII.
Never shoot in the dark.
(The life you save may be your own.)

The first stop I make when visiting a new partner is his IT department. See, this is direct response we’re talking about here. And direct response is all about measuring and reacting to results. But you can’t do that if Cousin IT is doing a half-fast job of capturing or reporting the response, average sale and ROI on every promotion.

Other numbers matter, too. Like who’s on your customer list. Where each customer came from. How long each has been with you. How many times each one orders per year. The average and largest purchase each one has made from you – and the cumulative value of those purchases. How long each customer continues buying from you. And of course, average customer lifetime value.

Study your promotional history. Look for messaging/product/offer/price combinations that typically yield the highest ROIs for each file segment. Determine how the timing of the promotion and the delivery mode (e-mail, snail mail, overnight mail, etc.) affected results.

Think about the best ways to handle each file segment in order to progressively increase regency of purchase, frequency of purchase and average sale – and to retain each customer longer. Then, determine how you can best stratify – carve up – the customer file in order to extract optimum response, average sale and ROI from each segment.

Check the response reports that the IT department produces on each active promotion to make sure that they give you a clear snapshot of how each promotion is doing so far –AND that they predict the final outcome as accurately as possible (so you don’t have to wait until the promotion peters out to plan your next foray).

Much more next week
– and in my blog all of this week!

I’m running out of time and space here … and frankly, if I don’t work out this morning, I won’t be able to live with myself.

So let’s continue this conversation in my blog (below). I have a few more strategic commandments to offer you. And you have comments and questions you want to add to the mix.

And next week, we’re going to begin getting tactical … with step-by-step ideas to explode your company’s sales and profits and drive your income through the everlovin’ roof.

Hope this helps…

Yours for Bigger Winners, More Often,

Clayton Makepeace
Publisher & Editor
THE TOTAL PACKAGE

Looking for resources related to this article? Try some of these.

Looking for more of Clayton’s articles? Check these out.

Looking for past issues of The Total Package? Click here for our archives.

Want to share or reprint this article? Feel free. Just give us full attribution and a link to our Home Page when you do.

Attribution Statement: This article was first published in The Total Package. To sign-up to receive your own FREE subscription to The Total Package and claim four FREE money making e-books go to www.makepeacetotalpackage.com.

---

61 Comments »

1. Comment by D. Scott Elder — January 28, 2008 @ 9:40 am

   Clayton\’s advice on partnering is right on the mark. But it doesn\’t stop there… you want to own the product you\’re selling. I am an \”unkown copywriter\” who has made an exceptional living at this trade. I have never done any work for hire… and never will. I started out doing revenue sharing deals and evolved to creating my own products to sell. I figured that if I was making others so much money I just needed to come up with my own product and keep more of the money for myself. In 1997 I founded Online Investors Advantage with Ross Jardine, who was the \”investing expert\” that I built our story and business around. After taking the company public we became Investools, the largest investor education and company in the world. This company was launched with $80,000 and a compelling radio spot and sales letter. Ross and I sold out, took some time off, and now have another investor education company. Partnering is better than freelance and owning the product you\’re selling is better than partnering.

2. Comment by Winnie Anderson — January 28, 2008 @ 9:46 am

   Here\’s my suggestion for the new name for copywriters — \”Copy Strategist.\” I like that because I can\’t write copy without understanding not just the target but what the client wants to accomplish. I create the strategy to accomplish it and then write the copy.

   I\’m at an agency right now and will be going out on my own soon. This is the strategy we use at the agency and it works. We helped a client bring in $400,000 by partnering with him.

   The few clients I have outside of the agency I have this type of partnering relationship with them and it\’s increasing my income.

   Be a copy strategist, not just a copywriter.

3. Comment by Clayton Makepeace — January 28, 2008 @ 9:56 am

   Congrats on InvesTools — inspired product and sales campaigns!

   I agree: Developing your own product and building your own company IS the best way to go …

   IF you have a great idea … IF your skillset extends beyond simple copywriting to marketing strategy and company-building … IF you have a tolerance for risk … and of course, IF you have the capital to invest.

   And in fact, partnering with a client who already has great products and infrastructure is a great way to learn the ropes while your great product idea comes along.

   In fact, you could kind of look at it as a progression of sorts: First, you can get your copywriting chops as a freelancer … then transition to partnering to multiply your income and gain experience … all the while planning to ultimately leverage it all into a business of your own.

   Thanks for the great insight!

4. Comment by Jason Conn — January 28, 2008 @ 10:12 am

   Clayton, I loved the article. What you\\\’re talking about is \\\”Solution Selling.\\\” And you\\\’re right, businesses of all shapes and sizes are looking for new ideas to compete more profitably, and this simple insight opens doors, that otherwise would have been closed. Here\\\’s a little tip…
   If you want to sell where there is little competition… Sell at the top.
   I read a great book by Anthony Parinello called, \\\”Selling to \\\”VITO.\\\” (Very Important Top Officers) This approach has produced a lead that could very well be the changing point in my career. I went straight to the top, dealing with the COO of a major event facitlity in West Bloomfield, MI.
   We are in negoitations now on compensation, but I am confident this will work out as both of us want to move forward. No matter what condition the economy is in, there is always opportunity… And right now, the tremendous pressure on C-level execs from shareholders to produce short term results is enormous. Freelancers can leverage this now more than ever before.
   Best of luck to all!

   Jason Conn

5. Comment by John Gilger — January 28, 2008 @ 10:12 am

   I love this concept. It seems to be right for the times. I have received nothing but positive feedback to my feelers in the business community.

   In the past you listed a passel of good books for those who needed to learn more about copywriting. I know many of these also addressed marketing issues similar to what you are talking about in your blog.

   Do you have any other suggestions for self study for those of us who might need to expand our understanding of marketing?

   Thanks,
   John

6. Comment by Peter Hobday — January 28, 2008 @ 11:03 am

   A coincidence, but I have written about this on my website a couple of times.

   ‘Copy’ has various levels of value. You can divide copy into a basic three-level hierarchy:

   1. *Business copy:* writing and editing for books, magazines and website content. This is the kind of writing done by writers on trade magazines, in-house staff etc.

   2. *Promotional copy:* the copywriter turns a piece of writing into sales language for a direct mail pack, website or leaflet etc. This is where \’copy\’ turn into \’revenue\’.

   3. *Marketing copy:* the copywriter is in partnership with the business owners with a brief to increase sales and profits

   Then I go onto:
   *What a copywriter is paid - level one*

   Etc. So I think a good term for what we are doing is \’Marketing copywriter\’ as marketing is the bedrock of any business.

   Peter

7. Comment by Glen Kohlenberg — January 28, 2008 @ 11:12 am

   Clayton I like COPY WIZARD because we do bring a little magic and some $$$.Keep the fire burning!

8. Comment by Eric Grimstead — January 28, 2008 @ 11:14 am

   My suggestions:

   Take \”copy\” out of the picture altogether. Most small biz owners and entrepreneurs won\’t/don\’t get what copywriting is.

   And that\’s where I think most aspiring copywriters are going to have to get their chops.

   1. Profit Hunter (watched National Treasure the other night and couldn\’t get \”treasure hunter\” off my mind:-)
   2. Profit Sherpa (guide)
   3. Angel Marketer - twist on angel investing

   Great wisdom contained in all these posts and suggestions, thanks Clayton for delivering such a great resource.

9. Comment by Geary Morales - Innovative Suc — January 28, 2008 @ 12:21 pm

   Clayton,

   As always, your business savvy and sage advice is in fact…

   \”A word to the wise is sufficient\”

   Concerning partnering with prospective clients - is in fact, the only sane way to do business.

   It endears you one to another (in getting the finest from each other)as well as developing and earning each others implicit trust and affection for making that wise and shrewd choice.

   One other fringe benefit - is that you\’ll get passionate referrals from your partner-client to their
   business owner inner circle of friends - which of course makes your client acquisition
   efforts appear to all your befuddled contemporaries… \”easy and effortless!\”

   Cheers!

10. Comment by Chiles — January 28, 2008 @ 1:13 pm

    The copy strategist. Because let\\\’s face it…us copywriters have got a HUGE background in gathering lists, data, testimonials and USING different components for our copy. If the client does not have these elements in place, they will fail. So, we can help them, advising on e-mail promotions, list creation and gathering of prospect info, through services like constant contact or aweber.com
    print newsletters, content, blog creation, podcast creation ,etc.

    1. IT\\\’s all content-whether copy, radio, print ,or what have you.

    2. Someone has to write or create ALL of it.

    3. You can be an on-call copywriter or on-call copy strategist , at just a moment\\\’s notice, start throwing hte client ideas for a monthly retainer or % of each sale.

11. Comment by lawton chiles — January 28, 2008 @ 1:15 pm

    What about Profit Evangelist. Or Profit Doctor. These are cheesy but 99.9% don\’t understand what a copywriter is.

    Profit Detective?

12. Comment by Andy Iskandar — January 28, 2008 @ 9:15 pm

    Hi Clayton,

    Thanks for the great insights so far… I really appreciate all your sincere efforts in making the marketing & copywriting world a better place to live in…

    Anyway, as for the new names to call copywriters…

    I have always been partial to \”Marketing Response Strategist\” or \”Marketing Response Surgeon\”.

    On my namecard, I refer to myself as a Principal Strategist.

    What say you?
    (Hint: I wouldn\’t mind getting your course for free….really…)

13. Comment by Clayton Makepeace — January 29, 2008 @ 1:59 am

    Thanks for all the great name suggestions, people!

    Eric, I especially think you’re on the right track. Keep ‘em coming – I’ll announce the winner next week.

    Good luck with your new client, Jason! You’re so right when you say you need to work with the person at the top. And for more reasons than you’ve mentioned here.

    Middle managers are also told, “This is how we do things” the day they’re hired. Few are willing to accept the daunting challenge of changing corporate culture.

    Plus, middle managers are notorious for their derrier-covering antics. In most companies, you never get reprimanded for the risk you didn’t take.

    And sometimes, middle managers can be a problem even after you’ve set your deal with the owner. Since it’s not in their interest to make you look good, many of them don’t. Sometimes, a desperate few may even work to block your efforts.

    The partnership model gives you the opportunity to bypass the corporate structure altogether.

    At this very moment, we’re preparing a massive new online customer acquisition campaign for a client that will happen entirely on OUR servers – not the client’s.

    John, I’d begin by studying Successful Direct Marketing Methods by Bob Stone and Ron Jacobs. It’s a dense read, but when you’re done, you’ll have a deep understanding of what makes direct marketing work.

    I’d also recommend Good to Great by Jim Collins. A couple of weeks ago, I had a nice long talk with Pat Corpora — one of the all-time great CEOs and marketing VPs (Rodale, America Online) — and he swears by it.

    You’re really on the right track here, John. Partnerships between copywriters and client companies requires much more than simply changing what we call ourselves.

    It demands that we know much more than simply how to identify the ideal partner and how to negotiate and close the deal.

    It requires that we intensify and deepen our mastery of proven marketing strategies in all markets and all media.

    More than that; it requires that we master management philosophies, strategies and tactics that help us identify choke points in every company and quickly blow them away, unleashing a flood of new customers, revenues and profits.

    The really great news for companies and for copywriters who partner with them is that the increased profits and income can come remarkably fast.

    Imagine this: You sign the deal on Day One.

    You immediately go to work on an e-mail-based sales campaign for existing customers (because that’s where the money is!).

    Two weeks later, you begin executing.

    Six weeks after that, the campaign is complete, the money has been counted and the royalties have been paid.

    Do it right, and both of you can bag more money in your first 60 days than you made all year last year.

    A friend of mine did this a few years ago with a small (at the time) newsletter publisher.

    The 30,000-name customer file was pristine. The publisher had never mounted a concentrated sales campaign to existing subscribers.

    So my copywriter friend wrote a simple 8-page sales letter … mailed it to the customer file … and in three days, had put nearly $10 million in the bank.

    True story.

    And here’s the kicker: The president of the publishing company was a veteran marketer with more than 20 years’ experience under his belt. But he was too close to the trees to see the forest.

    It had never occurred to him to mount a concentrated sales campaign to his subscribers.

    That one new idea combined with great sales copy instantly reinvented the company, allowed the owner to pay off the mortgage on his building and put millions in the bank.

    And if you as the copywriter/strategist were in for just ten percent, you would have had a $1 million payday.

    For one idea plus one sales letter.

    In sixty days.

    BOTTOM LINE: It’s worth it.

    So keep your questions and suggestions coming – I’ll address them early each morning this week.

    And whatever you do, do NOT miss next Monday’s issue of The Total Package. It’s time to get down to brass tacks!

    – Clayton

14. Comment by lawton chiles — January 29, 2008 @ 7:34 am

    a new client has a doctor\’s office and they see 80,000 patients.

    I am helping gather testimonials and such with a big \”tomb\” type book in the middle of the room, making it fun to tell of your experience.

    The client has various tools the competition does not have, and we are thinking of ways to let the general public know we have elements in house.

    [B]null[/B][B]Do you think an email campaign is best if they have e-mails if customers? That\’s a ton of names…[/B]

    [B]how the heck did you do that awesome e-mail sign up form in your header? [/B]

15. Comment by BRIAN — January 29, 2008 @ 7:48 am

    CLAYTON IF YOU WISH FOR ME TO WRITE COPY FOR YOU I AM AT YOUR SERVICE. I NEED TO KNOW THE SPECIFICS!
    IF YOU WANT THE BEST, I\’M YOUR MAN!
    LET\’S GET PAID!
    SINCERELY,
    BRIAN DAVID DELANY
    SHALOM!

16. Comment by John McCabe — January 29, 2008 @ 8:51 am

    Clayton, here\’s my entry…

    Playing off your \”rainmaker\” idea, how about \”the Shaman of Profit\”?

    The Profit Prophet seemed a little too cute.

17. Comment by Christina Hope — January 29, 2008 @ 8:52 am

    I like the moniker \”Rainmaker\”. It brings to my mind creating something out of seemingly nothing at all…ignoring outward appearances..staying focused on the outcome and remaining faithful in the results. I, personally, wouldn\’t look any further. Have a creative and joyous day!

18. Comment by John Klein — January 29, 2008 @ 9:42 am

    New title:
    Marketing Partner

    Simple, clear, and to the point.

    John

19. Comment by John Gilger — January 29, 2008 @ 9:45 am

    Here are a couple of ideas for the moniker contest:

    Strategic Rainmaker — but that sounds like too much jargon, so how about telling it like it is and simply be a Marketing Strategist?

    My 2 cents.

    John

20. Comment by Carolyn Warren — January 29, 2008 @ 11:30 am

    You wouldn\’t want a tomb in a doctor\’s office! Don\’t you mean \”tome\”? :grin Couldn\’t resist! hehe

21. Comment by David — January 29, 2008 @ 11:33 am

    Clayton,

    Thanks for these information. They are as informative and phenomenally beneficial - I can\’t believe how much your writing spurred my mind to think of so many new options and ideas.

    I really appreciate this. THANKS!

    In another note, here are my ideas for your moniker entries:

    Business Strategist
    Revenue Enhancer

    David

22. Comment by Tom — January 29, 2008 @ 12:32 pm

    Hi Clayton!

    How about:

    Business Growth Specialist?

    Thanks.

23. Comment by Scott Moody — January 29, 2008 @ 1:07 pm

    How about

    Rainmaker Prophet
    Profit Rainmaker
    Rainmaker Strategist

24. Comment by Aaron — January 29, 2008 @ 1:15 pm

    Hello Clayton,

    AWAI\’s secret of transparency would state that a company does not want a \”copywriter\” any more than they want a \”new partner\” in business.

    What they really want is… more money. And lots of it. Period.

    …So, in your name, it would be better to give them the business what they want… sales, and lots of it.

    Therefore, I would suggest your name reflect what they want, and still tell them what you do.

    Maybe something like:

    [B]Sales Writer[/B]

    [B]New Sales Writer[/B]

    [B]New Sales Creation Writer[/B]

    [B]Money Maker Writer[/B]

    [B]Money Creator Writer[/B]

    [B]Cash Flow Writer[/B]

    [B]New Cash Flow Writer[/B]

    [B]New Profits Writer[/B]

    [B]New Wealth Writer[/B]

    [B]In The BLACK Sales Writer[/B]

    Well, the list really could go on and on.

    I think the thing to remember is to give the company what they want… a big fat promise that they can believe.

    Thanks again Clayton for all your positive influence. You really do have a world wide fan base, and I\’m one from Alabama.

    Hopefully I\’ve brought something of value to your readers.

    Cheers,

25. Comment by Marvin — January 29, 2008 @ 1:35 pm

    Clayton, here\’s another ten for you:

    Profitable Campaigns Maximizer
    Profit Explosion Extraordinaire
    Bonanza Profits Maestro

    Bottomline MasterMind RainMaker… Creating Sustenable Unlimited Wealth
    Exponential Profits Strategist… Skyrocketing Corporate Earnings Per Share
    Geometrical Profits Blitzkrieger… Rolling In Juggernaut Quantum Profits

    Market Penetration Choreographer
    Market Conversion Mesmerizer
    Profit Explosion RainMaker
    Profit Windfall Explorer

26. Comment by Ted Meloy — January 29, 2008 @ 3:13 pm

    Clayton,

    Here is a tangent on the \”Rainmaker\” moniker:

    \”Wavemaker\”, a client would be much more interested in a wave of marketing results rather than a mere downpour of rain.

    Hopefully, this is more illustrative than what has been suggested so far.

    Thanks for all the info you share.

    Keep on trudgin,

    Ted Meloy

27. Comment by David Geldart — January 29, 2008 @ 6:03 pm

    Business miner. Digging down, mining for the gold buried deep in the business that the owner doesn\’t even know is there. Extracting value.

28. Comment by Clayton Makepeace — January 30, 2008 @ 2:03 am

    So far, we\’ve had more than 200 posts and e-mails and every single one of them is from a copywriter or business owner who loves this idea!

    So I\’m wondering: What are you copywriters doing or planning to do soon to 1) Broaden your skillset and 2) Begin structuring partnership deals with business owners?

    And what are you business owners and marketing folk doing to find and recruit your marketing mastermind?

    No idea — no matter how powerful — can do anybody any good until it\’s put to work.

    So let\’s think here … what do you need to get going?

    What\’s standing in your way?

    What should be your first steps?

    Help our readers out here!

    -Clayton

29. Comment by Deanna — January 30, 2008 @ 7:20 am

    Clayton, this has been such a great blog. I\’ve been learning so much just by reading everyone\’s input.

    In looking at this new model from a newer copywriter\’s perspective, I think a good place to start would be with the clients you already have - to try to go deeper into those relationships. Also, networking with local businesses and putting out some feelers would be helpful. My question, though, is how do you know if a business would be a good one to partner with? What things should they have in place already for it to be advantageous for you (and them) to develop this kind of business relationship?

30. Comment by David Dittman — January 30, 2008 @ 7:36 am

    Hello all, this is in reference to a question posted earlier about our e-mail sign up form here at The Total Package. We used a javascript code to produce the roll-over text on our sign up graphic.

    Here is a link to a great script for a similar tooltips.
    [URL=http://www.walterzorn.com/tooltip/tooltip_e.htm]http://www.walterzorn.com/tooltip/tooltip_e.htm[/URL]

31. Comment by Lara — January 30, 2008 @ 12:42 pm

    I\’ve signed up for local networking events and am contacting a current client to see how best I can help his business from a strategic standpoint.

    Personally the biggest thing standing in my way currently is myself: my own fear. But with action and forward focus I find fear falls to the wayside.

    And of course all the invaluable info you provide us certainly helps Clayton! Thank you.

32. Comment by Brian Duvall — January 30, 2008 @ 12:55 pm

    Great article! Yep. It really works well. I started 4 months ago from ZERO… no copy experience, a total newbie to internet marketing, no money but plenty of time. I just went up to some business owners that I know and pitched them the idea of doing a strategic alliance with me. They would be the content expert and I would do the website, marketing, write the copy, create the content via video, produce the products for sale, set-up the e-mail capture and autoresponders all for half of the resulting sales. No risk to them at all. I immediately got 5 clients plus plenty of referrals. We\’re building our lists now and revenue is starting. All of this is part-time… I was just hired this week as Major Gifts / Planned Giving Director for a major non-profit

33. Comment by Larry E. Nelson — January 30, 2008 @ 12:58 pm

    Our company manufactures roadster that run on cng and can go 1000 miles for less then 30 bucks. We need your help with investors and ads.
    Larry

34. Comment by Jade Sullivan — January 30, 2008 @ 1:01 pm

    I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but almost ALL of these posts are confusing business growth strategies with tactics.

    You might be a good copy guy (or girl) or a good marketer, but to THINK you can optimize an organizations entire structure or culture is naive, to say the least.

    NICHE, NICHE, NICHE!

    Find a way to improve sales, through great marketing and then PARTNER with a local consulting firm that deals with this type of thing.

    Bring in more income by doing a few things perfectly and then bring someone along and make some splits and cut a referral deal with them.

    DON\’T ruin a business relationship by dabbling with something you don\’t know how to do.

35. Comment by Dave Pipitone — January 30, 2008 @ 1:02 pm

    Clayton,

    This is really great. Thanks for starting this discussion.

    Your most recent e-mail asked what would I need to get started with such a partnering model. My questions are:

    1. What are the first steps to take?

    2. Who to target?

    3. How to start the conversation about helping them achieve better results?

    Thanks again,

    - Dave

36. Comment by Cheryl Antier — January 30, 2008 @ 1:10 pm

    Hi Clayton,

    First of all, I can\’t claim that my ideas are original - I got a lot of them from your incredible \”How to Build a Six Figure Business\” - and just tweaked them to fit my business.

    But here are two simple idea that I came up with that my clients really like.

    I start out by giving a free consultation. And I have a teleconference line set up, so my clients call me on that. I record our call - and send them an mp3 of it, so neither of us have to take a lot of notes, and they can refer back to the ideas we discussed later on.
    (If they hire me, I have all the calls transcribed and send them copies so they can have the notes, in casse they prefer working that way.)

    During the first interview, I ask lots - and lots of questions.

    And then, later on, when I\’m going over the conversation, I look for all the additional ways that I can bring value to the business.

    Sometimes its helping to put together a marketing strategy, or launching a new product or service. (If that\’s the case, I have worksheets, templates and checklists that the client can pick and choose from the help he needs.)

    As they work through them, I advise clients to print them and put them into a binder - then when we\’re \”done\” with the first project, they have a complete \”strategy book.\” All they have to do is follow the directions.

    And as we go along, I look for new ways that I can be of service -for example writing the sales letters, email blasts, ad campaigns, etc. for each month\’s action plan.

    I have a few clients now that after the first big project, they \”hire\” blocks of my time every month to write their copy for that month\’s action list.

    Like I said, that\’s what works for my skillsets - my advice for new copywriters is to find that \”hook\” that works for them, that plays to their strengths. And then just incorporate it into their business services.

    Hope that helps. Thanks Clayton - you\’re truly one of my gurus and you\’ve helped me build my business in ways I never would have imagined!

    Warmly,

    Cheryl Antier

37. Comment by Kelvin Parker — January 30, 2008 @ 1:37 pm

    Clayton just sent out an email and asked:

    What should copywriters be doing or planning to do soon to 1) Broaden their skillsets and 2) Begin structuring partnership deals with business owners?

    Some ideas:

    1) For starters, if one is light on marketing strategy and execution hands-on experience - then at the VERY MINIMUM devour all the following books:

    - Jay Abraham
    Any major volume by Jay is a great start - check on eBay

    - Bob Bly
    Idiot\’s Guide to Direct Marketing

    - Michael Masterson
    Ready, Fire, Aim

    - Drayton Bird
    Commonsense Direct & Digital Marketing

    - Chet Meisner
    The Complete Guide to Direct Marketing:
    Creating Breakthrough Programs That Really Work

    - Edward Nash
    Direct Marketing: Strategy, Planning, Execution

    - Michael Hewitt-Gleeson
    WOMBAT Selling / CheckMove Theory

    2) If you have never been a marketing director, been in charge of executing a marketing campaign online or offline — then do so. Either for a small business, for a non-profit, or even take a marketing position for 6 - 12 months.

    Nothing delivers a deep understanding of how things work than ACTUALLY DOING IT, being on the firing line — having your own butt on the line with big dollars at stake.

    There is no way to learn faster than that…

    3) If you\’ve got BOTH copywriting chops and marketing strategy and execution skills — then developing deals with business owners becomes child\’s play.

    What business owner is going to refuse a pure performance deal where you will significantly increase their bottom-line? No smart business owner will turn down such an offer. And it is the SMART business owners you want to deal with.

    And if you know what you\’re doing — AND they have an in-demand product with a decent sized and targeted market — everybody is going come out a winner.

    Hope this 2c worth is helpful.

    Kelvin

38. Comment by Annie Bartlett — January 30, 2008 @ 4:32 pm

    Greetings all!
    I\’m a small business marketing consultant who specializes in helping businesses grow. When I started out 8 years ago, I made a commitment to work with local businesses in my rural area. These guys are a different breed of cat in that many can\’t even identify their clients, much less do split testing.
    At any rate, my specialty was strategy but i had to learn copywriting in order to talk to these businesses! Why? Because they understood their ad didn\’t work, but they blanked on the notion of strategy. Like a previous post mentioned, you really have to understand strategy to do effective copy.
    So, all you small, small business copywriters, let\’s get together. I\’ll partner with you and together we\’ll help your local businesses build their business. And, it\’s been my experience, that the more strategy you work on with a client, the more copy work there is to do. Too many details to include here, but email me annieb@co-dr.com (don\’t forget the hyphen in the domain name!) and put \’Clayton\’s blog\’ in the subject line. We\’ll get together and see if we can partner. Together we\’re stronger!
    (Oh, and would the person who posted a comment saying she wrote fundraising copy but didn\’t know how to structure a partnering deal, please email me also. I may have a client for you!)
    And kudos to you, Clayton for lighting such a fire and bringing together so many of your subscribers. I remember when you sent out an email that said \”I Suck at Blogging!\” Not anymore!
    AnnieB

39. Comment by Robert Michaels — January 30, 2008 @ 6:27 pm

    My hat\’s off to Clayton because he has mastered the formal partnering arrangement!

    In every assignment I take my mindset is one of partner - whether formally contracted that way or not. I work as one with my client to get the best results using every means available. To become good you MUST develop talents in so many facets of profit acquisition - not just in writing copy.

    Therefore it\’s not just the printed page you\’re selling, not the word salad. You\’re really selling the dollars held by the customers.

    You are in effect a PROFIT ACQUISITION STRATEGIST.

    How\’s that for an opener at your next networking function?

    Could any smart business owner pass up the opportunity to speak to such a person?

    To paraphrase the Geico Gecko ad, \”If you want to meet a lot of new partners, selling customer profit dollars at a discount, it\’s not a bad idea.

40. Comment by SEverett — January 30, 2008 @ 8:40 pm

    Clayton, I believe fear is really the only thing preventing many of us from getting started.

    Realistically, most here are students of direct response and write copy for themselves, there employers and even for clients. So we already know basics like…

    How to tarket a market and
    How to read your prospects minds…skills that most business owners need but don\’t have.

    I recall a letter written by the late Gary Halbert,I think it was titled \”Multi-leveled Marketing Sucks\” and there he laid out a step by step plan that any copywriter could use to make boo-coo bucks by partnering with companies.

    His strategy was to approach business owners (from a position of strength)…not as a simple copywriter, but as a business owner himself who would help that owner make a small fortune, at no risk whatsoever. All he wanted in return was a percentage of the profits. From then on Sir Halbert took care of everything,financing, choosing the mailing list if there wasn\’t one, creating the promo, etc. And if his promotion didn\’t work the business owner didn\’t lose anything. But when his promotion and strategies did work, the business owner and Halbert both made a \”kings ransom\” (as you like to say).

    So really I think
    it\’s a matter of your postioning and it\’s also a numbers game. Because no matter how many businesses you approach you\’ll still here no more than you\’d like. Some will. some won\’t, so what. Keep going until your able to put together yourself a deal. It can be as easy as contact small business owners who are already spending money on marketing and advertising that just doesn\’t work. You can find them advertising in your daily newspaper everyday.

    Approach from a position of strength, not as just some copywriter, but as a business owner yourself who can help them make more money, all for a percentage of the profits. Once a deal is struck put all your direct response knowledge to work. Show them you can make money that first time, and they\’ll want to do business with you forever.

    Even better why not target a business market for yourself.
    Find out what causes the customers of that industry to buy. Set up a marketing campaign to attracts these customers, and approach reputable businesses in that industry (from a position of strength),
    let them know that \”YOU\” have customers who are ready to buy, and that you\’re willing to let that company service your customers for a percentage of the profits you create.

    In essence, what your really doing is bringing a busload of hungry people to hot dog stand # 1 for a free coke and wiener and also for a specific amount or percentage of the profits… if there not willing to deal you just propose the same deal to hotdog stands #2, #3, or even #4 until you get your deal. Once you show these companies the money, once you show them that you control the faucet and have the abilty to provide customers who are ready to buy, I doubt your phone will ever stop ringing off the hook.

41. Comment by lawton chiles — January 30, 2008 @ 9:24 pm

    Clayton, I must say, the only thing I could ever find fault with the advice you gave, is that I could never talk to YOU or your staff and ask questions- well this blog and the Easy Riders Club have erased that barrier, and I\’m really grateful for it.

    I just wanted to say thanks- oh, and ask you a small question.

    1. A client has loyal business in the lodging industry- since early 80\’s loyal fans have been following and staying there.

    2. The problem: less than 350,000 population, highly political town, but when outsiders come in, they look for the brand names (and lesser hotels) b/c they know Holiday Inn,Raddison, ect.

    any advice we can do other than local marketing? we are testing a new strategy but it is pretty frustrating.

    We are re-positioning ourselves soon through becoming a content provider in a way we never have, but sorry if this question is off-topic or not appropriate.

42. Comment by Clayton Makepeace — January 31, 2008 @ 2:03 am

    Thanks for the comments, Deanna – you’re exactly right:

    For working copywriters, the best place to start is with your current clients.

    If you’re working on a new customer acquisition promotion, you might ask, “How do you market to your existing customers? What do you sell them? How often do you make offers to them? What media do you use to contact them? What’s the strategy? What kinds of response rates are you seeing? May I see some of your promos?”

    Engage your client in a conversation and offer helpful ideas as they occur to you.

    Then, when you believe you’ve worked out a better way, ask permission kibitz or to actually write his next customer file promotion for him.

    The wrong way to do it would be to suddenly announce that you are now more than “just a copywriter;” you’re a business growth strategist ready to tear his company apart and put it back together.

    Let it happen naturally.

    Oh – and watch for Monday’s issue: I give you 14 markers that instantly let you separate the sheep from the goats.

    Hi, Lara! You know what? You’re not alone with that fear thing. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that it’s the #1 obstacle that keeps new copywriters from becoming great.

    Fear leads to hesitation; then procrastination. And procrastination is a dead end. It takes you nowhere – except to inwardly cursing yourself and outwardly blaming everyone who told you to try copywriting and direct response marketing.

    Take some advice from an old goat who’s probably worked in direct response for more years than you’ve been on this planet?

    Feel the fear, then do what’s necessary anyway.

    Grow your skillset. Develop a step-by-step plan for building, then expanding your business. One of these days you’ll look back and laugh at yourself for being fearful in the first place.

    Way to go, Brian! Thanks for your inspiring story!

    Four months from zero to hero by partnering with a client. No copy experience, no marketing experience, no money — and five clients still saw enough value in your proposal to partner with you.

    As a business owner myself, I can assure you: Any bright, energetic marketer with a great idea who offers to contribute sweat equity to earn a share of a new business with me is going to get a full hearing!

    See, guys and gals? Not only CAN it be done, there’s no excuse for NOT doing it!

    Bullseye, Jade! From the beginning here, we have emphasized the fact that for coppywriters to transform themselves into rainmakers, they’ll need new knowledge and a new set of skills:

    Tools that allow you to:
    1) Quickly identify and eliminate the choke points in the client’s company that are limiting its growth, AND …

    2) To spot unrealized opportunities – the ways money slips through the owner’s fingers every month.

    I’m talking about a set of business-building philosophies, strategies and nitty-gritty tactics combined with solid sales copy and flawless execution.

    And you know what? As you grow in your mastery of business in general and direct marketing in particular, the effectiveness of your sales copy is going to improve, too.

    Hi, Dave – quick answers:
    1. Read next Monday’s issue of The Total Package.

    2. Read next Monday’s issue of The Total Package.

    3. Read next Monday’s issue of The Total Package.

    Great way to do it, Cheryl!

    Thanks so much for your step-by-step process.

    The thing that really jumped out at me about your post though is this: “I look for all the additional ways that I can bring value to the business.”

    That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?
    Bringing VALUE to clients’ businesses.

    Once you can do that, prospects would be fools to turn you away. And the more value you deliver, the more you earn.

    In our industry, “value” means growth. More new customers. More sales to each customer. Bigger sales to each customer.

    But in almost every case, delivering growth requires more than just great sales copy. It requires organization, personnel and procedures that support and accelerate growth by leveraging, magnifying and multiplying the quantity and quality of the company’s marketing.

    Ooooh. And I love the “warmly” part!

    Fantastic post, Kelvin! Can’t think of a single thing to add except, “AMEN, BROTHER!”

    Yes, Tom, you’re right. I never met an MBA who could find his own butt – even if allowed to use both hands in an attempt to do so.

    I think it’s because they learned about business from people who couldn’t do it themselves, so decided to become professors.

    I’ll take a graduate of The College of Hard Knocks over a Harvard MBA any day of the week. Experience is the best professor.

    So let’s get the tools and then get out there and DO IT!

    Thanks to you, too Robert for your encouragement and insight.

    Moving from copywriter to marketing rainmaker does require new skills – and my resolution for 2008 is to give every tool I use to you.

    Great advice, SEverett:

    Give away free, salty peanuts and then sell them the beer they crave to slake their thirst.

    Give away inspired ideas for free, then sell the execution for a percentage of profits — and abracadabra, you’re a partner!

    And Lawton, I’d like to know more about your client’s business before I answer. Send details to our feedback box?

    Thanks!

    Keep the ideas coming everyone!

    Just reading this blog is an education in itself.

    And your real-life, no BS experiences with partnering are inspiring to all of us.

    – Clayton

43. Comment by Clayton Makepeace — January 31, 2008 @ 2:09 am

    John, Annie, you’ve given me another great idea.

    I’ve just asked my web guys to create a special blog specifically so that we can keep this conversation going INDEFINITELY.

    Maybe I’ll call it “Partnering for Profit” or something. It’ll be dedicated exclusively to copywriters looking to grow their marketing skillsets and to business owners looking for rainmakers to partner with.

    I see it including case histories … your questions about challenges you’re dealing with now … step-by-step advice from people who are making it happen … and more.

    And of course, it’ll be much, MUCH easier to use than this one.

    What do y’all think?

44. Comment by Susie Henderson — January 31, 2008 @ 9:56 am

    Yeah, Clayton, that sounds great! What a wonderful way to help us help each other!

    I\’ve scanned or read all the posts from the last two weeks, and I vacillate between feeling overwhelmed and feeling euphoric.

    Having a resource like you\’re considering would definitely help me figure out where I\’m going and what I\’m doing. And I love the idea of connecting with others in similar positions.

    As for names…

    Money Magnet (go ahead and laugh)
    Profit Pilot (sorry for the alliteration, I can\’t help myself some days)
    Profit Coach
    Marketing Coach

    Brain\’s fogged from reading all the input from everyone.

    Thanks Clayton!

45. Comment by Harun Bahri — January 31, 2008 @ 12:16 pm

    Hey Clayton,
    I love the idea of the “Partnering for Profit” blog.

    Why not just \”copy-paste\” this entire conversation into your forum and continue it there?

    I suspect that many readers NEVER even venture there (BIG mistake!).

    You could solve that issue (lack of participation) by more prominently \”advertising\” the forum on the main page on the TotalPackage.

    Maybe put a link at the end of every days post.

    \”For more information and great tips… visit our forum CLICK HERE\”

    Harun

46. Comment by Bill Toebes — January 31, 2008 @ 3:21 pm

    Do you remember the hungry hobo from the dirty thirties?He was hungry,no food so he innovated. he found a big pot cleaned it and added a nice clean rock.Go door to door to ask for contributions for a pot of stone soup.People were taken with the originality of the idea and freely contributed to his pot.I think being at Clayton\’s website we bring out or pot of stone soup and add some of his ideas to our own.At the end of the day we have the hearty soup we want.I would dearly love to find some one to work with me on a concept i have created.This moment all I can say for it.A stone in a pot.I am adding things as I go.I think myself I like for Clayton to call it COPYWRITERSMARKETPLACE\” for many have brought a pot to him with nothing but a stone in it.
    Copywriters drift in and out of the place all the time.Clayton has somewhat become to head chef for copywriters.
    I did not want to say godfather of copywriters just in case there is a lurker out there whose idea of copywriters is being connected to the local mafia. LOL

47. Comment by Glen Kohlenberg — January 31, 2008 @ 4:19 pm

    Clayton great Idea on the blog and keep this going.
    There is a lot of ways to partner up with business.Do you always need to get a percent of profit?
    Maybe small companys can pay $1000 a month to get started.Look at the man who got 5 companys to join him hey thats now $5000 a month.
    The most important is to get started!
    Show them results and keep raising the price.

    Thanks to everyone and Clayton for all the great ideas and keeping this going its priceless.

    Clayton and Troy how about some nuggets on newspaper and postcard for the construction field.

48. Comment by Elaine Southard — January 31, 2008 @ 5:33 pm

    A rainmaker + passion = [B]null[/B]Market missionary or Mission Marketer.

    To truly lift a company with utmost excellence requires a committment to their misson/vision, not just a hireling. A Picasso has all the skills developed yet the masterpiece comes from the inspired extra something, that commitment to a mission or vision provides.

    -just a newbie

49. Comment by Bogna W. Pro — January 31, 2008 @ 5:44 pm

    Clayton,here is a name:
    Business Architect.
    I am an architect myself and my business is about building houses, not companies but now I\\\’d like to combine both. The principles are similar, no?

50. Comment by Jacob Bear — January 31, 2008 @ 6:40 pm

    I haven\’t tried these yet, but here are a few ways to setup a quick partnership arrangement. They all involve doing something profitable that your client hasn\’t done yet:

    1. If your partner doesn\’t have a list, offer to buy/research/compile one for them; then keep control of the list and share in any profits generated

    2. If your partner keeps lists, offer to reactivate any old, lapsed, past, inactive clients (Robert Collier began his fame and fortune by doing this)

    3. Offer to develop and promote a new \”product\” for a share in the profits. The product is basically something the partner already does, but you\’ll use your copywriting genius to package it in a new way (for example: bundle services, present an existing product to a new market in a different way, create an infoproduct out of an existing service).

    If you\’re intimidated by this and looking for courage/inspiration, read [I]Rules for Renegades[/I] by Christine Comaford-Lynch. She became a millionaire by a fairly simple–if nerve wracking–formula.
    First sho would promise something extraordinary to the decision maker of a large company. Next, she\’d get the signature and the purchase order. Finally, after both sides were committed and there was no turning back, she would figure out how to deliver on her promises.

    By the way, did anyone see Chris Marlow\’s newsletter yesterday? She basically blasted this blog but her main point was that many businesses don\’t want a partnership but are happy to hire freelancers. I guess the moral of all this is that there\’s more than one way to skin a cat.
    As a copywriter, you have a valuable talent and there are many ways you can use it to profit.

51. Comment by Tony Flores — January 31, 2008 @ 8:15 pm

    Hey Guys, Love the comments. Interesting about Chris Marlow\’s comment… I respect her opinion but think she\’s missing the point a little bit.

    This is really all about options: When you understand the full spectrum of business building (in a direct response context) — your value as a copywriter shoots up immeasurably. And that means that even if you want to remain a freelancer, you become a MUCH more powerful, more differentiated freelancer! Remember, when clients are faced with the choice of a pure sales letter writer and someone who knows all the ins and outs of direct marketing growth, and can better maximize the power of the copy they deliver… the choice is obvious.

    Look, I\’ve had the privilege to have work or friend relationships with many of the top writers in the world right now. They all have a foundation in the skills Clayton\’s talking about. Most have simply used these skills to stay on top of the freelance heap, and be highly in demand with the best clients.

    But many of them have also been drooling in reading these articles (sending Clayton passionate emails in support of what he\’s saying), because they see the truth and immeasurable benefit to the approach he\’s advocating.

    Ultimately, this is the next level. And when you climb to the next level you can stay there or go down. But it\’s easier (and more profitable!) to take a step down to pure freelancing when you have these skills… versus trying to get wealthy as a freelancer without them.

    I hope that makes sense and keep up the awesome comments.

    Tony

52. Comment by Mr. Ajay Murmu — January 31, 2008 @ 9:32 pm

    Really its work.

53. Comment by Marvin — February 1, 2008 @ 5:09 am

    Way to Go, Tony Flores & Kelvin Parker!
    Lets then call this blog section:-
    Claytonville Rainmaker Club, or
    Makepeace Mountaintop CopyHideout …
    where worldmoving rainmaking ideas
    wantonly get thrashed out like
    nobody\’s business (aka
    brainstorming).!

54. Comment by Judy Koumarianos — February 1, 2008 @ 7:20 am

    Hi Clayton,
    Thanks so much for providing us with such great information. My husband and I have a small business and have recently enhanced our product and changed our name. We will be launching a new website soon. We have a very small budget, how much should we pay for a copywriter?

55. Comment by Lara Loest — February 1, 2008 @ 11:24 am

    Hi Clayton - love the blog idea, thanks for keeping this up & running. Reading these responses is the highlight of my day and boosts my business IQ points.

    Thanks everyone.

56. Comment by A VENKOBARAO — February 1, 2008 @ 11:57 am

    I want to have more details of operaion

57. Comment by Fred Acker — February 2, 2008 @ 7:32 pm

    This is FANTASTIC!! I\’m reltively new to this wonderfully hypnotic industry of copywriting and have been watching this blog faithfully over the past couple o days (I missed the first week of this discussion). I can\’t wait until that day that my own copy is as famous (if not more :p ) than those I\’ve been studying.

    Anyway, I this topic puts a whole new perspective on how I want to go about starting my own business. Thanks to ALL of you who have given suggestions and comments.

58. Comment by Ted — February 3, 2008 @ 12:28 am

    Hi Clayton,

    I have a client with a new product that has not been tested out of the Kansas City market. It has been 5 yrs in developing and is very revolutionary in its delivery system and money management. I have two of the three elements to develop an offer but feedback on a guarantee would be appreciated.

    The client has a warehouse full of about 1000 machines and needs to move inventory to stay solvent. Once a little bit of cash flow is started, then the makings of a regular offer can be applied.

    I\’ve written to you about this two other times to you.

    Any wisdom that you would care to dispense would be helpful.

    Keep on trudgin,

    Ted Meloy

59. Comment by John Dziak — February 3, 2008 @ 1:31 pm

    Clayton,
    Your election rants were great I feel the same way. Do you think that the folks in Washington are worse today or is it that we just have a clearer picture of their pandering?

    Partnering has to be the best possible relationship that a consultant or copywriter can have with client.

    Thanks for your copywriting help and advice.

    John Dziak

60. Comment by Jorge Mojica — February 5, 2008 @ 8:42 pm

    As far as the moniker contest,
    Cash maker
    Cash cow maker
    Cash coach
    working on a theme
    Big kahuna of profits
    Revenue ranger

61. Comment by Jorge Mojica — February 5, 2008 @ 8:42 pm

    As far as the moniker contest,
    Cash maker
    Cash cow maker
    Cash coach
    working on a theme
    Big kahuna of profits
    Revenue ranger