VOLUME 17, ISSUE 6 – JUNE 2018
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: GOT THESE POWERFUL CREDIBILITY BOOSTERS?
Proactive Collection & Posting of THESE Make It Easy for Clients to Say Yes
II. “FIELD” GREENS: ARE YOU TALKING AT, OR WITH YOUR AUDIENCES?
3 Ways to Instantly Implement the Power of Conversational Copywriting
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: 7 STEPS TO TURNING PROSPECTS INTO CLIENTS
B2B Copywriting Coach’s 7-Point Checklist for Conversations with New Prospects
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
NJ FLCW Replies to FB Post for Copywriter, Lands Three Gigs!
TIP:Simple Trick to Boost Odds that Callers (Prospects?) Leave Voicemail
I. APPETIZER: GOT THESE POWERFUL CREDIBILITY BOOSTERS?
Proactive Collection & Posting of THESE Make It Easy for Clients to Say Yes
Yes, a prospect needs to know you have the necessary skills and experience to handle their job, but all of those deliberations are a little bit vague and unproven, until they actually work with you. What isn’t vague, are unambiguous recommendations from people like that prospect, singing your praises.
And assuming you encourage prospects to check references, few things will more quickly build confidence and a comfort level than good testimonials. Not to mention, they can help an overly busy prospect (who doesn’t have the time to closely review a bunch of samples) get to “sold” that much faster.
But, testimonials aren’t going to come to you; you have to proactively and aggressively seek them out. Best time to go for one is after the third or fourth job you’ve done with a particular client: By that point, assuming the client likes your work, you’ve proven your value.
AND, the longer tenure you have with that client will no doubt yield richer, more multifaceted feedback than the kind you’d get after just one job.
And “proactively and aggressively” doesn’t just mean asking again and again. Given how crazy-busy most clients stay, it also might mean suggesting that YOU write it, and run it past them for their approval.
99.9% of clients will happily agree to this. You get a testimonial on your timetable, not theirs; and, just as importantly, you get to write the testimonial you want, and in the way you want.
A slight variation would be to suggest a five-minute phone call, where they tell you, in rough terms, what they liked most about working with you. And then tell them you’ll turn their musings into a succinct sound bite (who doesn’t like to sound brilliant?).
I say a copywriting web site with no testimonials, no matter how solid the samples are, will leave prospects a bit unsettled (even if they don’t know why). Meanwhile, one with at least 5-7 good testimonials will make a less strong site far more credible. On that “getting-clients-to-yes-faster” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: ARE YOU TALKING AT, OR WITH YOUR AUDIENCES?
3 Ways to Instantly Implement the Power of Conversational Copywriting
Got this great piece from Nick Usborne, 35-year copywriting and training veteran. Nick’s the author of Net Words (McGraw-Hill, 2001), which paved the way for a new generation of online writers and copywriters. He is the founder of Conversational Copywriting.
Nick and I are on the same page on this one. I’ve long employed a conversational style of writing in my copywriting practice—one that feels genuine, unaffected and honest. A down-to-earth, conversational tone works, and for good reason: It’s more accessible, credible, AND far more likely to get the desired result.
Before the web, we used our craft as copywriters to write AT our audience. We had to. Old-school media like TV, radio and print were one-way broadcast media.
But the web definitely isn’t. It’s a two-way or multi-way medium. Between Facebook and their own blogs and websites, consumers publish more than companies do. This is their space as much as it ours.
And yet, most companies continue to market in the same one-way fashion, using the web like a broadcast medium—still pushing their sales messages AT their prospects and customers.
No wonder tens of millions of consumers install adblockers on their browsers, AND filter out promotional messages in their email. The balance of power is shifting.
As such, copywriters need to stop pitching AT their audiences, and start engaging WITH those audiences. And that’s where conversational copywriting comes in.
Here are three quick ways to get started…
- Look your reader in the eye: When writing to prospects online, write to them one-on-one, in everyday language, as if you were talking to a friend or neighbor across your kitchen table. Be enthusiastic, but not pushy. Sell in the same way you’d sell your spouse on going to see a particular movie.
- Stop trying to overcome people’s objections: Old-school sales techniques teach us how to overcome our prospects’ objections. But that puts us in an adversarial position. And that won’t make you a very good conversationalist! Lighten up on traditional sales approaches. Write naturally and respectfully.
- Aim to earn your readers’ trust:The core strength of the conversational approach to copywriting is that it engages with your readers. It disarms them, and makes them feel safe. That leads to trust, which leads to more sales—pretty much every time.
Whether we like it or not, conversational copywriting is the future of selling online. And doesn’t it just feel better to be more open, transparent and honest when trying to sell something?
Switch to the conversational approach today, or play catch-up later.
Nick’s Conversational Copywriting course is a solid offering. You’ll learn the rationale behind it, why it’s the future of copywriting, its core attributes, how it drives the sale, and MUCH more. And thanks to a bunch of before/after examples, you’ll get a real-world picture of how to put it to work for your clients.
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: 7 STEPS TO TURNING PROSPECTS INTO CLIENTS
B2B Copywriting Coach’s 7-Point Checklist for Conversations with New Prospects
Great, well-organized “process” stuff from business-building coach for writers, Ed Gandia, about how to confidently handle that crucial stage in landing new business: Conversations with new prospects interested in your services. Can’t imagine NOT boosting your chances of landing the deal if you follow this sequence. Enjoy!
Many FLCWs get pretty anxious when talking with a new prospect.
What should I say? What should I ask? What if they ask me for a price and I’m not sure what to quote?
Over the years I’ve developed a 7-point checklist to screen prospects faster and more effectively. My coaching clients routinely use this method in order to ask stronger questions that yield a more focused conversation—and better results.
Checkpoint #1: Source
You’re just trying to ascertain where the prospect heard about you.
- Thanks for contacting me! I’m curious; how did you hear about me/us?
It’s a great conversation starter that provides valuable information.
Checkpoint #2: Need
These are questions related to what the prospect is trying to do:
- What are you trying to accomplish?
- What are you looking for?
- What do you need help with?
- How are you addressing this now?
Checkpoint #3: Project
“Project” questions are meant to better define a specific solution to the prospect’s challenges, and to do that in the framework of a project or service you can deliver.
- How are you thinking about addressing this?
- What options are you considering?
- Have you considered creating a _____ to do _____?
- There are several aspects to solving this challenge. You will probably need a ____, a ____ and a series of _____. Are these some of the things you’re considering?
Checkpoint #4: Decision Process
This is more about how the prospect will make their decision, when they’ll make one, and what important factors they’ll weigh.
- How will you be making a decision?
- Who else will be involved in making this decision?
- By when will you be making a decision?
- Have you worked with an outside writer before?
- Are you considering other freelancers for this project?
Checkpoint #5: Timing
This is one of the most straightforward areas of the qualification process. Sample questions:
- When are you looking to get started?
- What’s your go-live target date (or target publication date, etc.)?
Checkpoint #6: Budget or Ballpark
You’re not trying to nail down an exact budget here, but rather affordability: Can they afford you, or at least have the financial capacity (and willingness) to pay your fees?
If they’re savvy (i.e., corporate marketer), ask: What budget are you working with?
If not so savvy, give them a ballpark figure (assuming you haven’t already done so):
Katie, my fee to write a 5- to 10-page white paper like the one we’re discussing is between $3,000 and $5,000, depending on the actual length we go with, the number of interviews required and the amount of research necessary. Once I know little more about your project, I would send you a quote with a fixed project fee.
Always talk money. The time to find out if you’re way too far apart is now—not after you’ve spent hours on additional phone calls and putting together a proposal.
Checkpoint #7: Commitment
Finally, you want to try and get some sort of commitment from the prospect on the next step(s). In many cases, the prospect will be asking YOU what the next step is. But if they don’t ask, it’s your job to bring it up and create agreement on that next step.
Don’t let them guess!
By summarizing the discussion, providing proof of your experience and proposing next steps, the prospect knows what to expect from you—and what you expect in return (i.e. a decision by a certain date).
IV. DESSERT: SWEET SUCCESS STORIES & TIPS
NJ FLCW Replies to FB Post for Copywriter, Lands Three Gigs!
TIP: Simple Trick to Boost Odds that Callers (Prospects?) Leave Voicemail
Got this cool success story, of the “effortless” variety, from Bloomfield, NJ FLCW Steve Sears. Not always this easy, but when life does drop things in your lap, cover the bases, as Steve did here.
My wife and I were waiting for my daughter outside a theater one night, and she was able to get the Internet and I wasn’t.
While she was on Facebook, a FB “friend” of mine—whom I’d met when I wrote about him in an article for a hospitality magazine—and who’d just started a web design biz, posted that he needed a copywriter. Well, I commented on his post that I have done copywriting (press releases and website content), and he said he’d PM me.
Soon after I sent him my info, he messaged me on FB, with the name and phone number of a client who needed my services. The client and I talked, I delivered a site evaluation the following week (as promised), he asked for a proposal, and he approved it.
I’m now in the process of writing/ updating / refreshing the first of three websites for his first client.
All copywriters have, to a greater or lesser degree (lesser for me at this stage), this fear: We’ll miss a call from a prospect, who, because we didn’t answer, will go to the next copywriter on their list, without leaving a voicemail.
Obviously, there’s no definitive solution to that, but here’s a cool, oh-so-simple idea to consider. The outgoing message my financial planner says this (in part):
“Sorry I missed your call, but I’m in a meeting with a client, or on another line. Let me call you right back.”
“Let me call you right back.” I love that.
Interesting what a difference a few words make (not that we, as copywriters, should be too surprised by that). I find myself actually picturing him being just steps away from the phone, and moments away from calling me back.
Which, in turn, makes me more inclined to leave a message, because I truly believe I’ll hear back from him really soon.
Might it give you a hair more peace of mind to have that as your outgoing message?