It’s Monday — that means it’s time to open up the mailbox and answer YOUR questions!
This one might get me in trouble…
I have a paying BTMSinsiders member who asked me a question about how to go from zero experience to making $5,000 per month in less than 60 days… Using only the training I offer in the member’s area.
For those of you who’ve been around for a while…
This might be one of the tough love issues you’ve seen before. Because I’m NOT just going to tell you what you want to hear. I’m NOT going to lie to you, and tell you this is easy.
And yet…
I’m also NOT going to tell you it’s NOT possible (in other words, it IS possible)…
This is Mailbox Monday, where I answer YOUR most pressing questions on marketing, selling, business, copywriting, and more.
To have your question answered in an upcoming issue, simply send it to [email protected].
Here’s today’s question…
—
Roy,
I am probably going to get laughed at for being naive but, here goes…
I plan to go into copywriting business with no experience or know-how and simply use your BTMSinsiders website to get me to $5000 a month by the end of December.
I have to make that, in fact by the end of this month I would like to have made half that.
Now for the question… Can I do it with what you offer? And where do I start in the business library?
Ok, that is two. I can use the help though.
C
—
First things first…
Everything I’m about to tell you is what I’d want you to tell me if our roles were reversed. This is my absolute best advice, even if it’s not, “Do this, make $5,000.”
I know I say this risking you’ll cancel your membership. Knowing I could simply sell you a fat dose of false hope and you’d be less likely to cancel this month (but you may hate me in 90 days).
I think in terms of our relationship lasting 12 years to 12 decades. Which means I’m far less concerned with what I’m going to get out of you in the next 12 days, 12 weeks, or even 12 months.
If I tell you the truth in a world of lies, you may not like it today, but if you’re around this world in 5 years, you’ll remember me as the one who told the truth, and be more likely to still be around then, and for years after.
So with that…
The harsh truth: most overnight success is NOT overnight success, and I certainly don’t want you to rely on ME to make you successful…
You’ve been sold a false reality. I’m pretty certain it wasn’t me who put this in your mind, that you could start copywriting and in less than 60 days (with zero experience), be making $5,000 per month.
It’s possible. I’m not saying it’s not.
In fact, I encourage you to go for it.
However, while the vast majority of opportunity pitches around copywriting make these bold and brash claims, it’s a microscopic minority of copywriters who have this experience.
When I discovered copywriting, I was making about $1,700 per month, answering customer service phone calls.
60 days later, I think I was still making about that much, in that same job.
Within a couple months though, I did get my first full-time marketing gig. But because I had zero experience, I was now making a little less than $3,000 per month.
It took me a while to hit $5,000 per month.
Why?
Because of my limited understanding of how to generate measurable business results.
Today, I can help clients generate millions of dollars in business results, and get paid accordingly. Then, I couldn’t — and I was still being paid accordingly.
My training will teach you the principles and strategies, even some techniques and tactics to go out there and get results. However, these lessons only become internalized and really useful through EXPERIENCE.
Early on, you can learn from me and short-cut your experience. But you can’t remove that learning curve entirely. It’s only that experience that will show you how to take concepts and put them to practical use when and where they will work best.
When you put it on me to make you successful, you’re deferring responsibility.
You have to re-claim your own responsibility before you can even hope to achieve the kind of success you’re looking for. “With great responsibility comes great power.”
On to how…
The difference is ALWAYS about results…
And here I’ll throw in the caveat. Some people lie, promise the moon, and make good money for a minute. But when the client realizes they promised the moon but delivered a sh*t sandwich, they’re out on their butt. Lying is not a sustainable income strategy.
I’m assuming you want sustainable income of $5,000 or more per month.
Great.
So, let’s talk do some really basic math.
Let’s assume a client wants to base your compensation at 5% of the revenue they expect to make as a result of hiring you.
We’re not even talking about royalties yet. We’re just talking about compensation as a % of value created.
Some clients are willing to invest more. Some less. But in general, as a copywriter, you’re selling “money at a discount.” That is, they invest a certain amount of money in you, they want your work product to generate a certain amount of business results (revenue).
So, if you want to make $5,000, you need to figure out how to make $100,000 this month for a client.
Do that, and it’s really easy to justify your fee!
On the other hand, if you’re charging $5,000 and they have nothing to show for it? Or you charge $5,000 and they lose money running ads to your copy? You weren’t worth it. And you won’t keep getting paid.
It’s really silly how complicated people make this, and how simple it really is…
Marketing, selling, and copywriting aren’t voodoo. You put a message in front of an audience. That message makes an offer. The audience responds, or they don’t.
There are three main factors. The audience — the more qualified, the better. The offer — the more irresistible, the better. And the message — the more compelling, the better.
Use a compelling message to put an irresistible offer in front of a qualified audience, and you will generate business results.
Your goal then is to find a situation where there’s a client willing to try you out, where consistently generating at least $100,000 in value for them every month is a real possibility.
Here’s one idea…
How to find an ideal client…
Most newer copywriters are afraid to go for bigger, more established companies.
However, the bigger, more established companies can get more value from even a newer copywriter. And they typically have the systems in place to make your copy better. Plus, they have opportunities smaller companies don’t have.
So look for an established company that seems to have a bunch of products for sale (that uses the kind of copy you want to write to sell them). This usually (but not always) means they have a bunch of customers, too. After all, they wouldn’t have developed so many products if they didn’t have at least some demand base for them.
Then, make sure the company has at least a couple more expensive products. There’s a reason for this. You have to sell 2,000 $50 products to get to $100,000 in revenue. Whereas you only have to sell 100 products at $1,000 each, or 10 products at $10,000 each. The higher the price, the less sales you have to make to hit each value threshold.
Also, the lowest-priced acquisition sales are the hardest to make. It’s why copywriters that can bring in customers by the thousands at sub-$50 a pop are paid the big bucks. Selling a high-end product to your best customers is actually relatively easy, and many companies actually use their copywriters-in-training to make these sales.
Finally, you’ll usually find companies that are still run by their founders are more nimble and quick-moving than bigger, more bureaucratic companies. So you want a larger company that’s still entrepreneurial and founder-run.
Then, put yourself out there.
Think about what you can do to make YOUR offer irresistible…
Working with you as a new copywriter is a risk for the client. How can you take the risk out of it, or reduce it significantly?
Are you willing to get paid only after they get the results? That’s hard to resist.
Are you willing to work royalties-only, but only as long as royalties are paid on a monthly basis? That’s a pretty attractive proposition.
Once you have experience, you’ll be less of a risk. So it’s easier to get money before you do any work. But early on, to get experience and get results for clients (quick), being willing to work your butt off and get paid after is one of the best ways to do it.
Alternately, if you NEED to get paid sooner rather than later, don’t mess around with trying to sell yourself before writing a word of copy.
Sit down and write a lead or a good chunk of copy for one of their high-end products. Base it around an interesting idea. Perhaps make it relevant to what’s going on in their business or the market right now. For example, you could tie a pitch for their product to an “end of year” promotion.
Send it to them (preferably the business owner, maybe a marketing executive — start at the top and work your way down).
Tell them you’d like to finish the campaign for them, and your fee to do so is $#,###.
This won’t always work, so…
You may have to do this with 3, 4, 5, or more potential clients. Depending on your current skill (because nobody actually starts from zero), you may get a lot of interest, or very little.
But this is a pretty attractive offer, which when sent to qualified companies and presented in a compelling way is likely to generate response.
Long term, this isn’t a great strategy. You’re better off establishing a reputation so that clients come to you.
For this, consider developing a core offer for your copywriting services based on what the market wants, understanding the full customer lifecycle and how to maximize lifetime value, and getting really good at copy that converts.
But short term, this is a great way to get a few projects under your belt.
And depending on a whole host of factors, it could actually push you past that $5,000 threshold quickly.
One last piece of life advice…
And I know I said this before.
With great responsibility comes great power.
Don’t pay me $37 per month (or even thousands per month) and expect I’m going to somehow wave a magic wand and take you from nothing to making $5,000 per month (or whatever number).
I can provide resources that can help you on that journey.
BUT…
YOU are the one who has to do it.
YOU are the one who has to take the action.
YOU are the one who has to create the value and the results for clients.
YOU are the one who has to make yourself worth many, many times the $5,000 per month that you want to make.
YOU are the one who has to take responsibility for all of this.
When the student is ready, the teacher can help. But the teacher can never do it for the student.
Yours for bigger breakthroughs,
Roy Furr
