VOLUME 19, ISSUE 9 – SEPTEMBER 2020
THIS MONTH’S MENU:
I. APPETIZER: ANYONE CAN WRITE GOOD COPY, RIGHT?
How to Eloquently and Definitively Debunk the Age-Old Fallacy
II. “FIELD” GREENS: MAKING IT EASY FOR PROSPECTS TO HIRE YOU?
A Proven Way to Focus a Prospect’s Attention & Land More Work!
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: FROM INTENDING TO ATTAINING
Small-Biz Coach’s Golden Advice to Transition from Dreaming to Doing!
IV. DESSERT: COMBO SUCCESS STORY & TIP
FLCW’s “New-Client-Gestation” Period Underscores Need to Keep Plugging Away!
I. APPETIZER: ANYONE CAN WRITE, RIGHT?
How to Eloquently and Definitively Debunk the Age-Old Fallacy
A few months back, I was referred to a small agency in TX by a client of mine. The agency prospect didn’t have any work right then, but wanted some more resources. We swapped a few emails, and in one of them, he wrote this:
“We don’t get many jobs that call for copywriting, and even fewer where the client is actually willing to pay for it. Too often it’s usually, ‘Oh we don’t need that; our sales guy can provide all the copy.’ Ugh. Still, we champion it as much as we can and smart clients know the difference.”
(Sidebar: Now, is this guy the ideal client, or what?)
The “everyone’s-a-writer” sentiment was echoed by a FLCW in Europe:
“We are a country of DIY’ers and everyone thinks they’re as good a writer as anyone else. So, while I don’t have to compete with other commercial writers much, I do with marketing or sales people and the occasional entrepreneur. They think they’re saving a lot of money doing the writing themselves, because in the end, can’t we all write?”
Makes you want to shake these folks (gently), and ask, “What do you think GOOD, capable, strategic-minded marketing writers do? Just string some pretty words together into sentences, and repeat that process over and over again?”
Preaching to the choir, I know, but, for a good FLCW, the actual writing is just the culmination of a far more in-depth series of steps, processes, puzzle pieces and skills. Such as:
- The ability to “build a case” for something, logically and methodically.
- Knowing how to identify and showcase, in the copy, those things (benefits) most important to your clients, before going on and on about your product and company that produces it (features).
- The skill of determining what sets a company/product apart from its competitors, and again, making sure you highlight that in your copy.
- The invaluable gift (and virtually impossible for a company insider to pull off) of being able to pull back from what you’ve written and make sure you’re not making too many assumptions about your reader’s knowledge level.
- The sense (in multiple senses) to know how much you need to tell readers (and no more) in the piece in question, in order to get them to take the next step.
Can the “sales guy” or the overextended admin do all that? Not likely…
My point? We bring enormous value to the table. And while I recommend avoiding clients that don’t get why they should hire you (and pay you well), if you’re in business-rebuilding mode, as many are right now, you may have to deal more with the uninitiated. And when you do…
Try on the above talking points. On that “build-the-case” note, let’s eat!
II. “FIELD” GREENS: MAKING IT EASY FOR PROSPECTS TO HIRE YOU?
A Proven Way to Focus a Prospect’s Attention & Land More Work!
A few years back, I offered up an E-PUB feature about what I called “TELs” (i.e., Targeted Experience Lists), a résumé of sorts for folks like us.
TELs are project- or industry-specific mini-portfolios (as PDFs) that you’d load up to your site (as a nav-bar link or a hidden link you share with a prospect) or simply email to prospects looking for a particular specialized expertise.
I’m telling you, take the time to create these things. I have put them to work more and more of late, and, simply put, they’ve landed me new clients.
Recently, I was chatting with a prospect on LinkedIn who was asking about my experience with press releases. I haven’t done tons of them, but after reviewing my files, was able to assemble a PDF with five samples, and I sent it on.
Next thing I know, she messages me back to set up a call, we talk, and they hire me—and, interestingly, not initially for press releases. I’ve now done five small projects for them and plenty more coming down the line.
A few months ago, I reached out to a non-profit prospect, and after I steered them to my mini NP portfolio on my site (linked from the main nav bar of www.peterwriter.com), again, next thing, we’re talking, and a big deposit check for a bunch of work followed.
(*I put this one together quickly to address a specific prospect need, and while it didn’t pan out, it’s ready to go for the next similar request).
Put yourself in the shoes of a client looking for some specific experience. No, we don’t always have exactly what a client wants, but if we do (or it’s close), by focusing their attention on a curated compilation of some type of targeted expertise, we make it far easier for them to choose us over other writers who may be vying for the gig.
Remember: Clients have neither the time nor the inclination to hunt endlessly for just the right writer. They want that search process to bear fruit quickly and relatively painlessly. They want to believe you’re the one, and when you show them concrete evidence that you have the chops they’re seeking, chances are excellent, you’ll get the nod.
III. MAIN “MEAT” COURSE: FROM INTENDING TO ATTAINING
Small-Biz Coach’s Golden Advice to Transition from Dreaming to Doing!
Another gem from Atlanta friend, colleague, former FLCW and small-business coach Ed Gandia. I love this piece because we’ve all been in the place he’s talking about, where the comfortable, easy stuff is done, and the confronting, difficult stuff is all that’s left. And his simple remedy is a drum I’ve been beating for years. Great stuff, Ed!
Somewhere between intending to achieve a meaningful goal and actually attaining it lies a chasm. This chasm is very real.
It’s the spot in your journey where you’ve run out of easy things to do. You’ve checked off all the basic tasks. And now you’re faced with real obstacles—the stuff that will test your will and resolve. Author Seth Godin calls it the “dip.”
There’s no escaping this dark chasm. Occasionally you end up crawling out of it faster than at other times. Maybe because you’re better prepared. Or you came into it with more realistic expectations. Or you just got lucky.
But there’s no bypass. No shortcut. And no amount of positive thinking or daily affirmations will help you avoid it.
Launching a copywriting business requires you to cross this chasm. As does…
- Going after higher-paying clients
- Pivoting to a new type of writing (e.g., ghostwriting books)
- Changing your business model (e.g., moving to a retainer model)
- Creating and selling your first info-product, or…
- Just doing something completely uncomfortable (e.g., volunteering for a key role in an industry association).
Basically, anything worth going after!
Why do so many copywriters lose hope and give up when they enter this chasm? It’s dark. There are no road signs. No markers. It’s easy to get lost. We take a look at our “to-do” list and quickly get overwhelmed. Analysis paralysis takes over.
Everything seems too important! Where should I start? What if I’m not ready? What if I fail? Fear and indecision quickly lead to doubt. Which creates fear. Which breeds more inaction. Which results in despair and hopelessness.
Fortunately, there’s a simple way to break this cycle. And it’s something you can do right now. Look at your to-do list…and pick ONE item. Just one. Forget about the rest.
Then, ask yourself what ONE simple action you can take today that will help move that item forward. Let’s call this your “micro-action item.” Write down that micro-action item, and commit to doing it before the week is out.
Schedule it into your week as if it were a doctor’s appointment. And when I say “commit,” I mean commit to it as if your life depended on its accomplishment.
For instance, let’s say your BIG item was to finish the copywriting course you started last year but never completed. Maybe your micro-action item is to go back to the beginning and review Lesson One before the end of the week. Nothing more, nothing less.
Or say your goal is to double your writing income this coming year. You have a long list of things you could do to help you get there. Great! Pick ONE item from that list.
Maybe that item is to rethink your positioning. In that case, a micro-action item could be to carve out one uninterrupted hour this week to brainstorm ideas for repositioning yourself in the market.
Again, you’re picking one item at a time, and not picking the next one until you’ve finished the first. What should you pick? Honestly, it doesn’t matter. The real value of this exercise is to get started. To get going. Because once you start moving, you can better see where you’re going.
But it all starts with the commitment to take that first action. Action leads to results. Results create motivation. Motivation causes you to take more action.
So, let’s get to work!
IV. DESSERT: COMBO SUCCESS STORY & TIP
FLCW’s “New-Client-Gestation” Period Underscores Need to Keep Plugging Away!
In October of 2019, I ran a combo success story/tip in the E-PUB entitled, “FLCW Sees Article on “Loyalty Locks,” Then Creates One of His Own!” about a FLCW who chose to remain anonymous.
In his account, he shared how he’d “come through” in grand fashion for this new client, turning around a white paper on very short notice, and earning the gratitude, and, he hoped, the ongoing business of that client.
I recently got an update from the writer, underscoring an important lesson in how long it sometimes takes for a new client to turn into a steady one. It’s an important reminder to all of us to keep following up, keep our hand in play, and keep being valuable, until they just can’t ignore you. Note his happy final line: even in these strange times, business is booming.
Since I shared my story last fall, I did a couple small projects for this client, amounting to less than 1.5k in billing. However, last week, we agreed to 12 750-word articles over the next year.
Today we had a phone meeting where I shared a quarter’s worth of topics as well as a process for working with their team members and customers to put together the articles. They loved it.
Since I started working with them, my original contact has become president of the company, so we don’t communicate much (I congratulated him on his promotion, of course), but I work with another VP/manager now and we’ve gotten on well.
Bottom line, it took more than a year for them to become a steady client, but I foresee our activities growing as a result of what we’re doing now. And when I suggested in today’s meeting how we might develop additional content as a result, the response was very favorable.
You and I have been doing this a long time, but many who are entering the fray think it happens in a moment (sometimes it does, and those are good, too).
As things would have it, these “pandemic” months have been my highest billing of the year so far. May at least that part continue; some of the rest, I’d just as soon go away!