Posted by:
Clayton Makepeace
March 31, 2008
Issue #385
Clayton is slammed with deadlines, so he’s not going to be able to post an issue today.
But he had a brilliant idea.
Many of you have written in on his blog, looking for advice on selling yourself as a copywriter and landing good clients.
It just so happens, Clayton wrote on that very topic over a year ago. And he asked me to re-run it today for you.
So pour yourself a fresh cup of coffee, sit back … and enjoy.
– Wendy Makepeace
My Six-Step Campaign to Get Your Phone
Ringing Off the Hook with New Clients
Finding clients who'll pay you millions of dollars is NOT impossible.
You just …
- Start with small fish …
- Live like a pauper for years …
- Write your butt off every day of your life …
- Create a legendary winner or two.
Do these four things, and I guarantee great clients will pursue you, huge advances in hand.
… Eventually.
Or, you could do it the smart way …
New copywriters write me all the time, asking how to get a high-paying gig. A desperate few just want to know how to get any assignment.
Sometimes I have to resist the urge to leap through the computer screen at them. I want to grab 'em by the shoulders, shake 'em till their eyes rattle and shout, "Hey - wake up - you're one of the chosen few: You're a COPYWRITER!
"You've been blessed with the gift of persuasion: The single greatest super-power on the planet. Compared to you, Batman and Wonder Woman are wimps!
"You are a modern-day Obi-Wan, master of the Jedi Mind Trick.
"You are (tatataDAAA) PERSUASION PERSON!!!
"Mere mortals fall helpless, wallets in hand, before your considerable persuasive powers.
"Great clients are mere mortals, too … so go ahead - persuade them to hire you!"
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Posted by:
Daniel Levis
October 10, 2007
Issue #251
In this issue:
- How to make big bucks getting prospective clients to proposition you … instead of you having to proposition them …
- How to consistently raise your fees … and never waste time talking to a potential customer who isn’t ready to do business with you …
- 4 great reasons for becoming your own best customer …
- Plus more!
Dear Aspiring Online Copywriter,
Recently, copywriter Ray Edwards interviewed me … Ray is a very talented marketer, a great guy, and we’re now fast friends. One of the first questions he asked really got me to thinking about why so many people who decide to make copywriting their new career fail to rake in the big bucks …
Heck, most of them have ordered and studied the American Writers and Artists Institute course, “Accelerated Program for Six-Figure Copywriting “. And still, the vast majority of you are struggling.
I know, because I’ve spoken to you at events like AWAI’s annual boot camps. I frequently correspond with you through my e-zine. I feel your pain on the discussion boards. And the common thread that seems to be stonewalling so many of you is painfully clear.
Oh sure, there are common reasons why people struggle at anything: lack of discipline, lack of self-belief, etc., but I’m not talking about that.
Ray’s question was this: “Do copywriters really need clients?” Now to be honest, the question caught me a little off guard. What a bizarre question. But I knew where he was going …
Here’s my response … “No, all clients suck. Just kidding. Yeah, I don’t think you can really call yourself a copywriter if you don’t have clients, at least at some point in your career.
It’s a tremendous education that gives you all kinds of exposure to different markets, and a real head start if you want to try your hand at information marketing in any of them.
At which point you can take clients or leave them. I think that’s the best position to be in, don’t you?”
The conversation veered off in another direction, but what I would have liked to have added was that the two endeavors – copywriting and information marketing – actually support each other in all kinds of ways that are invisible from the outside … ways that every aspiring copywriter should be aware of. In fact, information marketing is the only kind of marketing I’ve ever done to support the copywriting side of my business.
Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t doubt for a minute that anybody who puts their mind to it can find copywriting work with the traditional shoe leather direct selling methods recommended by AWAI. Offer to apply your marketing magic cheap – or even free in lieu of a piece of the increased sales – build a quick portfolio, conduct an intensive marketing campaign with your samples, and establish your client base. But I think there’s a better way …
How to make big bucks getting prospective
clients to proposition you … instead of you
having to proposition them …
One of the people I studied closely in my direct selling days had this to say about closing, “He who speaks first loses”. Of course, what J. Douglas Edwards was referring to is the all too common habit of asking a prospect a closing question, and then not shutting up long enough to hear the answer. Of course I don’t agree with the adversarial analogy. I don’t think anyone should “lose” in a sales transaction, but otherwise the advice is entirely sound.
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