VOLUME 21, ISSUE 1 – JANUARY 2022
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: ARE YOU OWNING THIS BIG “EDGE”?
This Fundamental Client Limitation (& Motivation!) Is Our Secret Weapon
II. “FIELD” GREENS: ARE YOU INDISPENSABLE TO YOUR CLIENTS?
MN FLCW Shares Lessons Learned from Two of Her “Long-Termers”
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: SHOULD YOU SETTLE?
Small-Biz Coach Weighs UN-Ideal Client vs. Marketing Push
IV. DESSERT: COMBO SUCCESS STORY & TIP
The “Bottom 10” List of What NOT to Have on Your Web Site
I. APPETIZER: ARE YOU OWNING THIS BIG “EDGE”?
This Fundamental Client Limitation (& Motivation!) Is Our Secret Weapon
The old expression reminds: “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” The truth of it crossed my mind recently, when, for the umpteenth time, I realized yet another truth about our business.
This truth explains why a relative newbie writer who crosses paths with a client at precisely the moment when that client needs some writing, has a decent chance of getting the nod.
It explains why a writer who guides a prospect to a curated collection of samples matching what that prospect is looking for (I do this, as explained in the “Greens” course, here), just boosted his or her odds of landing the job, over writers who force prospects to hunt, unguided, through a website.
It explains why a writer who “works” the Law of Averages (LOA) by doing consistent prospecting (i.e., cold calling, email marketing, networking, etc.) is liable to stay busy. It’s not just the LOA at work. It’s the thing that explains the three preceding scenarios:
Clients and prospects don’t want to—nor have the time to—hunt endlessly for just the right writer for the job.
Many writers—especially those less experienced—imagine that a client in the market for a writer undertakes some exhaustive search, and if that writer doesn’t have the specific experience the client is looking for—and lots of it!—they’re doomed. Hardly.
Sure, the prospect has an “ideal,” but decades of experience have shown me that they’ll often settle for far less than that ideal. Their desire to quickly find a writer is a big thumb on the scale for writers willing to knock on a lot of doors.
(NOTE: The fact that there’s so much bad writing out there, is, arguably, perverse proof of this truth as well: when you’re anxious to be done with your search for a writer, you’re not going to look as closely at that writer’s experience as you probably should).
My buddy and colleague, Ed Gandia, agrees. In a recent email blast, he wrote (about prospects):
[T]hey want you to be the one. Yes, YOU! They WANT you to make it easy for them to say yes. They WANT to put an end to their search. Saying no means they’ll have to go back to the drawing board. And they don’t want that. Never forget that clients are under pressure, too. They want to check this item off their to-do list. So, make it easy for them to say yes.
Great minds think alike! Bottom line, use it to your advantage. On that “work-harder-get luckier” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: ARE YOU INDISPENSABLE TO YOUR CLIENTS?
MN FLCW Shares Lessons Learned from Two of Her “Long-Termers”
Got this great piece from MN FLCW Natalie Rotunda, showcasing two of her long-term vendors, and why they’ve earned her decades-long loyalty. Some great lessons here for all of us seeking to be “long-termers” for our clients. Reed and heed. Thanks, Natalie!
Donnie mows my lawn, and Pete is my insurance agent, but they’re more than just service providers. They’re real-life models of how to be indispensable to your clients.
Prior to both, I had others who just weren’t as dependable or competent. Donnie’s simple pitch on a business card tacked to a local grocery’s wall directory caught my attention. He looked at my lawn, quoted the cost, and he’s been making my lawn beautiful for 10 years.
After dropping my former insurance agent, I connected with Pete, whose office was across the street from my workplace (and next door to the town’s best bakery which co-workers and I frequented). He’s been scouting out best carriers and best rates for me for 24 years.
Donnie and Pete are long-termers whose stories are great examples that anyone seeking long-term clients should imitate. They both personify top-drawer service, making them indispensable. They’re likable, and I trust them. Enough that we often swap personal stories. Which means that we… trust one another.
They also love helping people. They look for ways to make my life easier and better. They’re experts in their niches, and passionate about what they do and how they do it, and that informs everything else they do.
Donnie buys and maintains the best and most reliable equipment possible. He knows his grass…and weeds and shrubs and bushes. Pete uses only the top carriers, and as I learned from my time selling insurance: top carriers show up at claims time.
Pete and Donnie were especially indispensable when my house and garage suffered severe hail damage two years ago. Pete told me exactly what to do, from working with the adjuster to paying the contractor’s invoice quickly.
Donnie recommended Matt, his son-in-law and general contractor. Matt gave me a fair quote, everyone did their job, and, voila! Matt was paid in full within a week. Satisfaction all around.
My “indispensables” have standards of excellence (SOE) from which they never deviate—an SOE that encapsulates the many aforementioned qualities (and several not mentioned).
Could an SOE make us indispensable to our clients? Would they become long-termers because of it?
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: SHOULD YOU SETTLE?
Small-Biz Coach Weighs UN-Ideal Client vs. Marketing Push
Useful, interesting dissection of a dilemma most of us have faced, from friend, colleague, small-business writing coach (& E-PUB regular), Ed Gandia.
What do you do when you’re preparing for a major marketing push—and a less-than-ideal client lands in your lap? A client that would take up all of your remaining capacity. Less than ideal for any number of reasons.
Maybe they fall outside of your preferred target market. Or you get the sense they’ll need a good amount of handholding. Or it sounds like the CEO isn’t totally sold on the idea of bringing on a writer, even though the marketing manager seems keen.
In this kind of situation, should you push ahead with marketing as planned and not take on this new client, or should you take on the client and forgo your marketing push?
There’s no right or wrong answer here. The “right” decision for you will depend upon your specific situation. To help you decide, ask yourself the following two questions:
Question #1: How badly do you need to fill the gap?
What’s your current financial situation? If you pass on them, can you manage financially for several weeks until you can land a more suitable client?
If you can hold off, even at the cost of short-term income and stress, it will make your life easier in the long run. Those few extra weeks may give you the time you need to land a more suitable client. A client that will pay better, stay with you longer, and give you fewer headaches.
Question #2: What does your gut tell you?
Trust your instincts. Every time I’ve suspected that a client will be a pain to work with, I’ve been proven right. And often it’s been even worse than I feared!
Yes, this new client may help fill your income gap. But they may end up costing you in time and lost sleep. Even worse, they may prevent you from taking on a better client when one comes along.
Essentially, my advice boils down to this: If you absolutely need the income, then take on the client if you think you can make it work, even temporarily. But if you can hold on a little longer until you find something better—and if you have some good prospects in your pipeline—then put your efforts into that.
Make Plans to Avoid Situations Like These
The greater lesson here is to avoid it in the first place. Having a cushion in the bank and doing heavily targeted prospecting is a winning combination.
Doing full-tilt prospecting for several weeks significantly increases your odds of getting results. And having even a small financial cushion gives you way more flexibility to make better “long-run” decisions.
So, once you’ve ridden out this cycle, develop a plan to stop it from happening again. And that means putting away some financial resources over time and committing to regular marketing and nurturing.
IV. DESSERT: COMBO SUCCESS STORY & TIP
The “Bottom 10” List of What NOT to Have on Your Web Site
Got this phenomenal piece from Atlanta FLCW Tom Tortorici. Such a treasure trove of wisdom. FYI: it’s written, first and foremost, for his business clients, but it’s absolutely applicable to folks like us, and, to our clients. I trimmed it down from the original, so to get the full effect, go here. Thanks a million, Tom!
- Don’t ‘welcome’ me to your website.
Use that prime piece of home-page real estate to tell me why your product is awesome. Remember, I have a surprisingly short attention span.
- Don’t tell me what your company is committed to.
You’re committed to excellence? So are all your competitors. Learn what I’m committed to, explain how your offerings will help me fulfill my commitments, and you’ll have my attention.
- Don’t start every sentence with the word “we.”
I care about my own issues, not what the company employees think about themselves. Start some sentences with ‘you’ to refocus your message on my favorite person—me.
- Don’t assume I know what you’re selling.
Don’t jump into product features without explicitly telling me what the product is. Sellers reckon I know what they know. Bad call. (PB: The Curse of Knowledge).
- Don’t emphasize how many years you’ve been in business.
If you got your start in 2007, then you’re suggesting a competitor who started in 2003 would be a better choice. Put your emphasis on what truly separates you from the pack.
- Don’t include a long page of long testimonials.
Better to pick out the best brief, punchy bits, and add them in a large font to relevant pages. (PB: You can still have a dedicated full-testimonials page for those who want to dig deeper).
- Don’t just sit down and just start writing your content.
First, make a list of real-world benefits, including logical and emotional points of persuasion. Address prospects’ turn-ons and turn-offs. Then, build your content around this categorized, prioritized list.
- Don’t use video for the sake of using video.
Is a smiling CEO going to tell me how wonderful their company is? If so, warn me so I can hit Mute. Use video to teach me something useful about your company’s superior approach.
- Don’t forget to tell folks what will happen next.
If you let visitors know what to expect after they get in touch, as well as the basic steps of working together, they’ll feel more confident about making that first move.
And my personal favorite…
- Don’t add up the combined years of experience of your employees.
Seriously? What I really want to know is how they’re going to use all that experience to give me an advantage.