I confess — I have.

A tiny handful have even made it past the “send” button… most, after sitting in my “draft” folder to cool, have landed in the trash can.

But rather than air out my own dirty laundry, let me share some insight from my friend and fellow marketer, Lori Allen. Lori runs Travel Writing and Travel Photography seminars for our mutual pals over at American Writers & Artists Inc.

She deals with lots of copywriters and other freelancers. So much that she once gave a
presentation at the famous AWAI boot camp, ”Confessions of a Marketing Director: 17 Ways to Keep Clients Coming Back.”

Here are some of the highlights she shared…

1) Don’t complain or badger the client.

Imagine waking up from surgery only to have the doctor hovering over your bed, complaining about the mess you made in the operating room. You’d feel a bit, er, put out.

Yet, one copywriter Lori hired wrote her a letter complaining about the migraines and sleepless nights… she had “caused” because of the project she’d given him.

Guess what — she never hired him again.

Likewise, it’s not a good idea to badger clients for feedback. Sure, sometimes a response comes way too slow — I know, I’ve been there — but a gentle nudge is better than a searing cattle prod, in the long run. Believe me. I’ve been there too.

Of course, the longer and better you get to know the clients, the easier it is to be frank about what you need to get the job done. But even then, don’t mistake familiarity for a license to act like a jerk (Believe me, I’ve been… ah, you get the picture).

2) Offer to help not to destroy.

If your marketing client has a mailing control you think stinks, what should you do? Write them, of course, and tell them what idiots they are… right? Wrong.

Yet, Lori has letters from copywriters who say exactly that. Outright, they try to get new business by telling her that their layout stinks… the headline is insipid… and so on.

Is that the way your mama taught you to behave? Nope. And you shouldn’t behave that way with a client you hope to keep or win over, either.

One of the great things you learn as a seasoned writer is how to TAKE criticism… and if you’re lucky, you learn how to GIVE a critique better too. That means knowing when your critique is welcome and when it isn’t. It also means knowing how to make suggestions that get your clients looking forward hopefully… rather than feeling defensive.

3) Emphasize past successes, not failings.

How many poor chumps have you seen trying to “get the girl,” only to lapse hopelessly into awkward self-deprecation? Bottom line: you can’t go far by hiding your light under a bushel.

Talking to a new client? Then let them know what you’ve accomplished. If you’ve got great controls for one company, get samples and share them with the rest of your clients. There’s no need to be modest.

Talking to a longtime client? Don’t forget that the quality of your business relationship is built on reselling yourself to them, too. With discretion, make sure they don’t forget your greatest hits.

What if you lack experience? Don’t cringe in the shadow of your own innocence. Instead, be bold, eager, and well-informed. Be honest. And shine the light on what you’re GOING to do for them instead.

4) Know when to call instead of write.

Like I implied earlier, writing is often an isolated profession. You start to cherish working alone, and might even start using e-mail as your buffer against a disruptive world.

True, email can save you lots of time… sometimes. But here’s the real weakness of working solely by e-mail: It can make you think you control the conversation, when you really don’t.

That’s a problem.

Especially when you’ve got a complex idea to get across… an opinion that could be misread… or a sensitive question to ask.

There’s no way around it — you have to know when to pick up the call instead of write. Better yet, know when it’s best to meet in person. I know, that whole ”face-to-face” thing seems like old technology. But you’ll be surprised by how much better it works, compared to, for example, brainstorming by Twitter.

5) Always include your contact information.

Okay, this isn’t about e-mail etiquette exactly. Except in the sense that it’s always right to make
your introductions. Obvious? Perhaps.

But Lori showed us an e-mail from one copywriter that would astound any self-respecting schoolmarm.

He asked her to mail something to him via the postal service… at a new mailing address he didn’t provide… while writing from an e-mail address he said he didn’t usually use. And he signed the message only “J.” And that was it.

Nice going, bonehead.

6) Understand the technical side of the business.

This isn’t so much etiquette either. But it pays, says Lori, to know enough about the print side of the direct mail business. Just so you can talk the talk when necessary. This is especially true when working with graphic designers. Nothing will help you sound more like a seasoned marketer. By the way, this is also true when you’re working with online copy. You don’t need to know HTML, but it helps to know the technical options afforded to you.

7) Get excited about the product.

Again, not an etiquette point. But essential for every communication you’ll have with a copywriting client. If there’s anything that will really make your copy work well and your clients willing to respect you, it’s a sincere understanding and appreciation of the product you’re writing to support. The enthusiasm flows from between the lines. And this will make your writing job much easier, to boot.

In the title to today’s piece, I said “+” after the ”seven.” What’s that stand for? Well, naturally, the easiest way to keep a client is to write great copy that sells.

But that’s way too obvious, right?

©2012 "Learn to Sell or Else...". All Rights Reserved.

Or as one of my copywriting mentors used to say, money isn’t just about affording a better life, taking care of your family, or safeguarding your retirement. It’s also a way to ‘keep score.’

Is that a sad testament to the shallowness of humanity? Or a reassurance that ambition and the drive to thrive are alive and well?  It’s up to you. But personally, at least on one level, I think he’s right. Think about it.

We know that there are higher things than the material trappings of being a working stiff. Yet, when you see the Forbes 400 list of the world’s wealthiest… do you look? And when you do, do you stop at looking at the net worth or do you secretly search for the age, education, and hard-luck background stories too?

Most of us can’t help it.

We want to know how we’re measuring up. Spiritually, intellectually, aesthetically of course. But let’s face it, those things can be tough to measure.

Income, on the other hand, is easy.

Either you’ve got it or you don’t. And as a measurement of success, it ends up a universal equalizer, non-negotiable and true.  Sure, applications of wealth, obsessions with wealth, understanding of wealth and what it can mean, those things can all vary. But wealth itself, for everybody it’s a common denominator. A means to living in the manner we hope we’ve earned.

Long story short, having a little extra scratch on hand… ain’t such a bad thing.

And having a lot more, well, that’s a hard idea to resist too.

Okay, so now that we all feel good about money and having some… how do you measure up?

Some time ago, CR friend Chris Marlow put together a survey of fellow copywriters.

Keep in mind, most of her responses came from the U.S., some from Canada and some from the U.K.  This could be as much because the survey is in English as it is a fair representation of the global market.

Also, most of the responders (61%) are in the 1-5 year range of experience. And more than half have written for both specialty markets and what they would consider “general” fields.

Most write for either the “Marketing Communications” field or “Banking and Investment” with a majority writing for both business-to-consumer and business-to-business products.

So… what are we making, year over year?

Just over 25% — at the time I had taken the survey — landed in the $50K to $75K category… with nearly 15% making between $75K to $100K… and a small but impressive slice taking in as much as $300K to $400K per year. (I’m in the latter category, but know plenty in the middle and a handful in the first).

How are they finding their best business, biggest paying assignments, and favorite clients?

What fields yield the most copywriting opportunity?

What types of pieces did they write for most — speeches, brochures, e-zines, direct-mail letters, radio and space ads, and more — and what did they charge for each?

All this, you’ll have to get from Chris.

She compiles and sells the survey results every year. I recommend it not for affiliate income (in fact, I can’t find my affiliate link at the moment and want to get this post up, so this is just a straight shot over to Chris’ site (click here)), but because I know that by knowing how others pull off this career, you’ll get some ideas for yourself.

And maybe a little inspiration too.

©2012 "Learn to Sell or Else...". All Rights Reserved.

You don’t need a warehouse to store what you sell. You don’t need to ship anything or pay anything to get your “product” made, packaged, or put on a shelf. In fact, once you get the business set up, you might not have to “look in” on it again… except for once in awhile, just to make sure it’s still humming smoothly along.

Your customers do all the work. They place the orders, pay you, and take delivery on their own. You just collect the income as it piles up. And even that, you don’t have to lift a finger for. The whole thing can be arranged so the sales you make file the income right into your bank account, automatically.

While you sleep, it’s working. While you’re on vacation, while you’re playing with the grandkids, while you’re doing just about anything else, this simple, easy-to-launch business is “doing” for you. And all you need to get it started is the expertise in any specialized field that you have probably already piled up during your lifetime.

Take Bob. He did this and it cost him about $175 to get this “business” off the ground. That turned into $20,727 in sales that he barely worked to collect. Now he’s just repeated the process and makes, on this kind of business alone, over $200K per year. It takes him about an hour or so per week to keep the income flowing. 

What’s the secret? I’m sure you’ve heard it before. But I’m guessing you never realized just how easy it can be to make it start working for you, too. Find out more by clicking here.

©2012 "Learn to Sell or Else...". All Rights Reserved.