The Desert of Arizona
Sunny 47 Degrees
When I got started as a copywriter years ago, I spent a fair amount of time studying how other copywriters sold themselves.
In general, there was a lot of “chest beating,” a lot of bragging about big results and, for some reason, an over abundance of the use of the phrase “cash sucking.”
Now it doesn’t take you too long as a copywriter to realize that just because your work led to huge sales increases for one client, there’s no guarantee that the next client will experience the same success.
That’s the reality of it. I don’t care who you are. The biggest skill to learn in the world of freelance copywriting has little to do with writing. It has EVERYTHING to do with choosing the right clients.
It’s just like real estate. You make your money on the buy.
Apparently, a lot of copywriters didn’t realize this. So basically, in order to sell themselves, they made promises they could not keep.
I imagine clients must know this at some level, but I’m not in their shoes, so I don’t know.
Can a copywriter really control what sells and what does not? Of course not. Not over the long term.
You’d think that making promises like this would get a client to LIKE you. Isn’t that what they want to hear? Someone saying, “I’ll deliver BIG results for you…” I think the truth is actually the opposite.
You become attractive if you refuse to make promises you can’t keep. Not only that, but you don’t have to hide it. The more upfront you are about it, the more different you appear. It actually builds trust to point out what others would rather not discuss.
Are you making promises to your prospects and clients about things you don’t ultimately control?
That’s a crappy feeling when you do it. It’s not that you’re lying, it’s simply that you are putting unnecessary pressure on yourself to deliver on things that are outside of your control.
When things “work out,” it’s not a problem.
When things DON’T “work out,” then you look dumb.
It takes the pressure off to refuse to make promises. If the client wants to find someone else, send them on their way with best wishes.
“No, I have no idea if this will work. If you think I’m the right person to help you work on this, fine. If you don’t think I’m the right person, that’s fine too. But I don’t make promises about things I don’t control.”
When you can just say that (or the equivalent of that in your industry), that honesty and authenticity means something.
You might not get every client, but you’ll get better clients. The clients you will get won’t be looking for you to “save the day.” They will more likely view you as a trusted partner pursuing a specific goal WITH them, not just FOR them.
P.S. The next Rainmaker Letter issue is in the works. It’s a Mindset Reset issue. So if you’ve been out there with your “little self” and you’d like to summon your BIG SELF back to the table, it will be a valuable addition to your library. Get onboard if you want it.