New copywriters produce me all the time, asking for tips to get a high-paying gig. A new desperate few just want to realize how to get any assignment.
Oftentimes I have to resist the urge to help leap through the computer screen on them. I want to grab them by the shoulders, shake them till their eyes tremble and shout, “Hey: wake up – you’re one of many chosen few: You’re any COPYWRITER!
“You’ve been endowed with the gift of salesmanship: The single greatest super-power on this planet. Compared to you, Batman and also Wonder Woman are wimps!
“You are a modern-day Obi-Wan, master of the Jedi Brain Trick.
“You are (tatataDAAA) PERSUASION PERSON!!!
“Mere mortals fall helpless, wallets at hand, before your considerable influential powers.
“Great clients are usually mere mortals, too… thus go ahead – persuade those to hire you! ”
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Throughout my 35-year career, Trying to find asked to write copy to promote investment conferences and hot water heaters… golf magazines and spectacular pastries… investment diamonds and also buttless pants… holy terrain tours and sex tags… rare coins and junk furnishings… tons of books and notifications on finance, investing and also health – and once, a complete company.
The single best product or service I ever promoted?
Clayton Friggin’ Makepeace!
I need not do it these days, of course: my name and earlier successes are well-known and I turn down far more assignments as compared to I could ever accept.
Yet there was a time when I was an online unknown, struggling to make comes to an end meet. I had my grinds, of course – I had composed some strong promotions regarding smallish clients on the Western Coast – but I actually couldn’t even get the huge boys to answer the phone.
I sat lower at my trusty old APPLE Selectric typewriter (the cutting edge writing implement in 1979) and wrote a revenue promotion – about personally!
I mentally put Clayton on the desk just in case he was any other product, and I also pulled out all the stops.
After that, I used that duplicate in a 6-step self-marketing campaign designed to make best wishes clients call me.
How’d it worked? Like a charm. Within a week, my phone had been ringing off the hook, and I also was schmoozing with the large boys.
Within two weeks, technological advances began rolling in.
And some months later, a major mailer offered me a six-figure retainer-like PLUS 5% of their gross sales, PLUS perks out your wazoo to take him upon exclusively.
Here’s how I made it happen and how you can do it way too…
First, My spouse and I created a mailing list of 4000 prospective clients.
Since I ended up focusing on self-help publishers, My spouse and I picked all the biggest firms – firms I actually knew about – Phillips, KCI, Agora, Boardroom, Typically the Ruff Times, and others — and used the Oxbridge Index of Newsletters to select the rest.
If I recognized the name of the person in the corporation who hired writers, My spouse and I included that in every single address on my list. Only didn’t, I called a hundred organizations per week and explained, “I need to send some sort of letter to the person right now they’re responsible for creating your regular mail promotions. Could you please show me who that is? ”
My spouse and I wrote a short, one-page personal letter saying that the following Tuesday, May 15, might be a Red Letter Day.
The actual FedEx guy was going to produce a very important package for him/her – a package that could bring a big bump in sales and profits. And I asked the prospect to take a quick view of it, saying that it could be the the majority of profitable few minutes he’d invested reading in years. (You may want to do this with an email – it should work better still! )
I created a 2nd, short letter to go out along with my samples. I released myself, gave a short recitation of my accomplishments… declared in two weeks, I’d become filling my writing routine for the second half of the yr… that I had some interesting ideas for boosting his profits and response… and requested the prospect to take a look at the encased material and call me to debate it.
I told him or her I’d be waiting for the call, otherwise, if we hadn’t heard from him by a selected date, I’d give him or her a ring.
My spouse and I spent time thinking about what exactly I would say if anyone answered:
I would answer the phone about the third ring – not necessarily too eager, not way too lethargic.
I would be considerate, friendly, and excited that they can have called. I would supplement him on the stuff I’d personally seen coming from his corporation.
I knew exactly what I would claim if they asked, “How very much do you charge? ” (depends on the product and the campaign – we can discuss which later).
I knew precisely what I want to the next step to be – plan a call a few days after to discuss potential projects.
U knew that I’d question the prospect to send me a “Care Package” – samples of the best promotions, premiums, troubles of his newsletter, and so forth – that I could analysis in the meantime.
STEP #5: DELIVER 100 INTRODUCTORY LETTERS ALONG WITH 100 SAMPLE KITS DAILY
Timing in my self-campaign was crucial. My spouse and I mailed 100 introductory albhabets each Monday, so these prospects would get them prior to the samples arriving.
And also to each of your Mondays, I would overnight a hundred sample kits so the prospective customers who’d received my Starting Letter the week ahead of would get my selections exactly when my Starting Letter said they would rapidly on Tuesday.
I patiently lay by the phone: I don’t expect anyone to call. Astonishingly, a few did call.
A number of them politely told me they had all of the writers they needed then. I’d say, “Cool! Might be we’ll have a chance to join hands some other time. ”
Many said they liked what these people saw and wanted to uncover more – in which case, I instructed them a little about by myself, asked what they were looking for, asked about the Care Package, in addition, to schedule a call to go over it all with them in a few days.
I set aside one or more full days each week to be able to bang the phones, contacting all the prospects who really should have called me a few days before, but didn’t.
I actually started with the prospects That I knew were the biggest mailers and also worked my way lower. If the person was not available, I left a speech message:
“Hey, Bob, is actually Clayton Makepeace. I directed you to some samples of our work last week and assured me I to give you a call concerning them. I’ve got ideas to boost your response and also can’t wait to share associated with you. Give me a phone. ” I left our number and said I would be in all afternoon.
Should they answer, I said, “Hey, Bob, it’s Clayton Makepeace. I sent you several samples of my work the other day and promised to give you a call about them. Performed you have time to take a look at these? ” – and items progressed naturally from there.
Scrupulously following this do-it-yourself promotion plan filled our schedule with new clients. In addition, it made my name recognizable at the organizations I wanted to work for: a fact that paid payouts in later years.
Some of the companies that will respond created key converting points in my career, permitting me to hit grand slams that made mine a “household name” in this market and that earned me hundreds of thousands.
1 . Everything you compose to sell yourself reflects by your ability to sell the patient’s product. Take time to make sure each communication in your self-promo campaign is also a sample of your copywriting skill. Pull out every one of the stops.
2 . Never be sure to let them see you sweat. Coming away like you’re desperate to do the job only makes you look… very well desperate. Clients assume that in the event you were any good, you’d be booked solid. So be all set with a reason why you have interruptions in your schedule.
Maybe they have September, and you’re doing your reservations for the initial six months of next year. Might be you’ve seen the consumer’s mail piece and are consequently convinced you can do better, occur to be willing to clear your schedule.
Whether you’re just commencing your career or already intending great guns, you can earn considerably more — LOTS MORE — you do now!
Put my very own six-step self-promotion plan to work for you and you’ll be placed on your way to a six- (even) seven-figure income as a pro writer in no time.
Clayton Makepeace is often a working direct response marketing and advertising consultant and copywriter who have helped his clients appeal to more than 3 million new clients … quadruple their income … and rake in greater than $1 billion in direct mail and also internet sales. His everyday e-letter, The Total Package, stock shares his proven response-boosting strategies with younger writers, business people, and marketing pros. Get more information.
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